Creating the front cover of Running.

1. The Brief

"My image is of a motor bike heading away to the right. Behind it- buildings are toppling as in an earthquake. In the far distance perhaps the crest of the Tsunami wave. Colours jarring - the scarlet of the bike a menacing background with flashes of colour so it isn't too dark." – This is the description given to me by Barbara, along with the synopsis of the book, it forms the basis of the cover idea.

2. Initial Idea

The initial ideas are made from the brief, and are extremely rough, basic shapes. Just to get the main concept in. Because everything is so simple, it is very easy to move things around and adjust. There are several rough layouts with changes being made before the final layout is settled on.

3. Developed/Final Layout

The final layout is the cleaned up and worked version of the initial rough. Things stay in the same place, but references are used to make the image more realistic. Inking was not required on this picture, so the final sketch is what was coloured.

3. Colour

The colour happens in four stages. First, the base colour and texture is laid down, this gives the image its hue at the end. For cooler images it would be blue, and for this warmer image it’s a yellow/orange. Then the base colours for each part of the picture are filled in, red for the bike, green for the grass and so on. Then the shading comes in, it is important to keep in mind the light source in the image, and work the shading according to that. Finally, extra details like cast shadows, blurs and glows are added.

4. The Final Image

The final image has darkened edges applied to it ... now it is ready to print.