Featured Artwork: Klepto Cat Book 66, “Rags Claws for Clues”
A fairly simple cover after several with multiple cats or complicated backgrounds on “Rags Claws for Clues.” It’s just Rags with his paw on something he’s apparently just dug up.
Here is what Patricia described:
For Book 66, “Rags Claws for Clues,” I’m thinking just a close up of Rags clawing and unearthing hints of something–it could be a will or money or a hint of both. The clawing/pawing aspect is the important thing here for the cover. I envision it being similar to the cover of Olivia’s book One–a close up like that.
I did use the background from Olivia’s first book, which was cropped from one of my photos of an event in a park. I added a bit of shadowed area near the bottom to set the area off from the rest of the grass, and painted the grass a little longer because it was in a field.
I built Rags as always, using bits and pieces, face, both front legs, torso, chest, from many photos of my Namir and from photos of Rags. This Rags has the actual face from his model, the real life cat Smokey. I made sure the paw with claws was prominent on the scrap of yellowed paper.
Here’s the synopsis:
Rags crusades for cats and kids.
In this lively story the Iveys’ neighborhood is experiencing incidents of petty theft. Cats and kids are the suspects. A few miles away at a cat sanctuary, cats are being exploited and maybe mistreated. Is there a connection between the two? Only Rags knows, but he isn’t talking until a cat whisperer gets his attention and listens to what he has to say. Follow along as Rags digs up some dirt and reveals what could become his most important treasure yet.
You can find this book on Patricia’s website and on Amazon.com.
Just a little note…
We finished this design and cover in October 2023. Well…we just finished cover 75 at the end of May 2025! Which means I’ve got quite a few covers to share in order to get caught up so I will keep sharing these covers nearly every week—I am similarly behind with Olivia’s covers! I stopped painting in April 2023 to take care of the four cats I lost, stopped except for Patricia’s book covers for which I was very grateful during that time for the creative outlet that didn’t cut too close to home, and for the income that helped pay for all the care.
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About the materials for the cover illustration
I’ve changed my materials again! I could no longer get the two-ply illustration board I preferred from any supplier I used, and purchasing it alone from a separate supplier was pretty expensive because it’s 24″ x 36″ and ships flat, so it has an oversize charge. But I’d already started looking around for other surfaces that would work for these illustrations and found a 9″ x 12″ pad of heavier paper with a very light grit texture that is magnificent for pastels while being easy to use and handle. Like my favorite two-ply, it’s not entirely opaque and I can lay it on my light table with my illustration layout underneath to sketch guidelines onto the paper and then go to the next step.
I initially started out with a sketch in watercolor but I’ve been using my brush markers to block in the colors and especially the dark areas; the markers 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, but focusing more on accurate color.
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 don’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.
I use 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.
About these book covers
I’ve illustrated over 70 covers for Patricia over two series of cat mysteries. You can see the Klepto Cat covers below and search “Klepto Cat” to find all the posts.
Klepto Cat Book Covers
CWA 2018 and 2022 Muse Medallion AND Certificate of Excellence for “Illustration: Series”
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Patricia publishes nearly a dozen books each year and I’ve entered the covers since 2015. I’ve won a Certificate of Excellence each year for either or both the Klepto Cat Mysteries and the Calico Cat Mysteries, 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.
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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
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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.
Copyright
All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.
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Beautiful cover. Someday I need to get Kindle Unlimited and catch up on these. I am about 15 behind.
She almost gets beyond me sometimes too!