Featured Artwork: Calico Cat Mysteries Book 21, “Olivia’s Magical Moment”

This was an interesting story and I had two strong ideas for the cover. In the end this cover won, for a couple of reasons.

The story involved twins who were separated at two years old, and Olivia brings them back together.

I’m working on a new book and this one deals with twins that were separated at a young age. Of course, Olivia meets up with both girls and she figures out they need to be together, so she does her best to let the Hoomans know. I’m thinking about showing the front of a little girl (one of the twins–about 7 years old) and at a distance or maybe just inside or outside a door frame is the other twin facing the other way. Of course they are dressed the same. Or we could use a mirror reflection if that works. Olivia needs to be in the picture, of course.

So many possibilities! No Shining twins, though. I thought maybe the girls could both have matching kitties, two long-haired calico cats like Olivia, but we’d already done a cover in which Olivia met her “twin” on Olivia’s Perilous Curtain Call.

I’ll just mention that in the middle of considering this cover I went into the hospital for emergency gall bladder surgery and that pause in considering designs led to completely different ideas than what I’d initially started to work with. When I got back to it I started looking for the right photo, a young girl on her bike, stopped, seen from the front, looking at another young girl seen from the back looking out the window, with Olivia next to her. And…Patricia has twin great-granddaughters, about the right age. We’d used her grands and great-grands on a few other covers. It would be the obvious idea to go with, but I just wanted to avoid it for some reason.

When I got back to my desk I did find the photo of the girl I had in mind and did a rough workup of that cover. I really liked it because of the expression on the girl’s face on the bike, and the overall colorful image. For the girl inside I used one of the photos of Patricia’s granddaughter we’d used on Rags; book 59 Purrs or Consequences and in Photoshop drew a similar white top and just a hint of leggings. But I couldn’t pass up designing one with Patricia’s twin grands and even threw in some of her furniture and window coverings. Note that it also has a different title at this point.

Of course Patricia loved the one with her two great-granddaughters, asked their parents and everyone was good with it. The two really were dressed the same in life but Patricia suggested to change their clothes to be similar styles but different in some ways. I went with solid pastel colors so Olivia would stand out better. That’s also Patricia’s couch and blinds that we’ve used on other covers, and they also appear in photos of Olivia that I use.

The girls weren’t impressed, but kids rarely are. Their parents were thrilled, though. Olivia? Probably a diva kitty eye roll.

Here’s the synopsis of Olivia’s Magical Moment:

You can find Olivia Goes Undercover on Patricia’s website and Amazon.com.

About the materials for the cover illustration

Now I use a slightly rough surface all-media paper, single ply but thick and very versatile for pastels. It’s not entirely opaque so I can put it on my light table and trace the details in place. I initially started out with a sketch in watercolor but I’ve been using my brush markers more often to block in the colors and especially the dark areas; the markers are alcohol based and don’t cause as much ripple in the paper and have cleaner edges than watercolors. Then I put it on my easel and finish it with my pastels, a mix of soft pastels and pastel pencils especially for details. I still keep all the other options on hand, though, and occasionally I’ll use one of them.

Getting all the details just right on an illustration like these book covers can be tricky when they are small. Depending on the detail in the illustration, I work them almost twice the final size of the cover—the cover is 5″ x 8″ and I work at 9″ x 12″.

Other illustration materials I’ve used

I didn’t use paper for most of these illustrations but chose Ampersand brand Pastelbord, which is a piece of Masonite with a very fine clay and marble-dust coating that has very little texture but holds layers of pastel so I can both do my finger-painting thing with blending softer pastels and sketch with harder pastels and pastel pencils, and it stands up well to multiple changes. I began the painting with soft pastels to cover the major areas with layers of color. I finished up the details and edges with pastel pencils.

But once I began working out the covers with all this Victorian detail like PAWSitively Sinister, I needed a little assistance in keeping the details in order so it didn’t take me until next year to do the painting. Especially when working with patterns it’s important nothing is out of place or it’s immediately noticeable. I start with a complete composite that I’ve built in Photoshop using all the photos and images and art so that Patricia can see just what it will look like, and I have all the details in place. It’s far more difficult to correct an illustration than a Photoshop composite, which I can adjust infinitely. That way, when I get to my actual painting, all the decisions have been made and I just need to paint.

For several years I used a self-prepared two-ply illustration board with a very fine surface texture to hold the pastel, and also be able to use other media. It’s not entirely opaque so I can put it on my light table and trace the details in place. I start out with a sketch in watercolor and even marker to block in the colors and especially the dark areas. Then I put it on my table and finish it with my pastels, first the soft pastels for coverage, then pastel pencils for details.

I took some time to tray a textured drawing paper because the texture can help hold details and layers of pastel. The texture was a little more pronounced than I wanted, though it did work well for a few covers where I could use the texture as part of soil or rock textures.

Now I use a slightly rough surface all-media paper, single ply but thick and very versatile for pastels. I still keep all the other options on hand, though, and occasionally I’ll use one of them.

Depending on the detail in the illustration, I work them sometimes twice the final size of the cover. Getting all the details just right on an illustration like these book covers can be tricky when they are small. The books are 5″ x 8″, but this illustration was 10″ x 16″, which helped me to paint in all the leaves and details of the bark.

About these book covers

I’ve illustrated over 100 covers to date for Patricia over two series of cat mysteries. Rather than list them all here, you can explore the category Book Cover.

Calico Cat Mysteries Book Covers

---

Klepto Cat Book Covers

CWA 2018, 2021, 2022 Muse Medallion AND Certificate of Excellence for “Illustration: Series”

Patricia publishes about six books each year and I’ve entered the covers since 2015. I’ve won a Certificate of Excellence each year, and often won a MUSE™ Medallion too.

2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023

Click the links above to see the other awards.

---

All books are available in electronic format and most for print on Amazon.com as well as find the print versions on Patricia’s website. Reviews have been good, and a few reviewers have even mentioned the covers! I hope you enjoy these books, and Patricia and I are currently working on the next cover. That woman can write!

When we finished book 12 we also updated the two-sided bookmark that includes all twelve books so far which Patricia can hand out at book signings and book shows.

We’ve also printed several runs of note cards from multiple covers, including a Christmas series.

. . . . . . .

Read more about book covers I’ve designed. Also, click here to read more about the Purrs of Wisdom cover and bookmarks, and also about books I’ve designed on my blog, What’s New?

Are you interested in illustrations or a book cover, or book design? Please contact me, I’ll be happy to discuss your project.

---

Featured Artwork

Each week on Wednesday I feature a piece of artwork, sometimes a current or historic portrait, sometimes an illustration or an art project from years ago, usually cat-themed, but sometimes wildlife or even non-animal subjects, and even projects from my commercial art life. Read other Featured Artwork posts.

---

Custom Commissioned Artwork and Illustrations from Portraits of Animals

~~~

From Animal Portraits to Book Covers to Advertisements

In addition to creating commissioned portraits beloved animal companions for the past 25 years, I’ve also been a commercial artist since the 1980s both full-time and freelance and created many illustrations, book covers, advertisements, display signs and more. Visit my Commissioned Artwork pages to read more. They are not quite complete at the moment but there is still quite a bit to look at.