Featured Artwork: Klepto Cat Book 67, “Rags Digs Up the Past”

July 9, 2025 Bernadette

This one kind of stumped me for a bit at first because for some reason I had a hard time visualizing digging up a pair of pants and I didn’t want to have to dig a hole in my back yard and bury a pair of my own to take reference photos. And then Rags was digging things up on the last cover and I wanted to make sure they’d look significantly different. Then I decided on this angle and it all came together.

Here is what Patricia described:

I envision Rags really close up, digging in dirt or it could be grass. He finds the stuff under a house, but we could show him out in the open with it. It’s old clothes with two wallets in the pockets. This stuff has been buried under a light covering of dirt under a house for 30 years. I’d like to show what looks like the remains of a men’s suit jacket or pants with the two wallets or one wallet, if that makes more sense for the cover.

I have an old wallet from my father so I took reference photos of that to use in the pocket, and in Rags’ mouth. The pants, well, I did use a pair of my own with a belt (which I never wear) without burying them in my yard, just wrinkled them up and made them look a little dirty. The angle from above made it easier to see what the dirt would do when pushed away and piled up by a cat.

I built Rags as always, using a bit and a piece, Rag’s model Smokey’s actual face on a photo of my Namir looking up at me. Looks like he had a great time digging and finding this clue.

Here’s the synopsis:

Fasten your seat belt for an exciting ride with Rags. Rags uncovers items from the long-forgotten past and reveals what could be a wrongly solved crime. This is a story of intrigue and long-held secrets. Leave it to Rags to Rags to expose the facts and lead the charge to deciphering them. In the end the truth comes to the surface, but it takes Rags to identify the culprits. In this story, Rags also saves a friend from terrorist threats, he rescues a playful trickster and his cat, and he reveals the identity of an animal poacher.

You can find this book on Patricia’s website and on Amazon.com.

Just a little note…

We finished this design and cover in December 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.

book cover design with cats and quilt undercover cat patricia fry

The final cover for "PAWtners in Crime" by Patricia Fry.

The final cover for "The Purrfect Lie" by Patricia Fry.

"A Picture Purrfect Christmas" klepto cat mystery by patricia fry

The finished cover for "Meow for the Money".

"Claws for a Cause" by Patricia Fry, cover illustration and design.

Cover illustration and design for "Cabin FURvor"

"The Amazing CATventure" cover, finished.

The finished cover for "Merriment, Mayhem and Meows".

"A Christmas to Purr About" Klepto Cat Mysteries No. 22"A Christmas to Purr About" Klepto Cat Mysteries No. 22

FURever Bound cover illustration and design.

Cats Don't Squeal cover illustration and design

illustrated book cover for cozy cat mystery

cover illustration for klepto cat book cats of a feather

book cover illustration and design klepto cat mystery

Klepto Cat Mystery Book Cover illustration and design

cozy cat mystery book cover patricia fry

Klepto Cat Book 66, "Rags Claws for Clues"

Rags Digs Up the Past book cover illustration and design.

Klepto Cat Book Covers

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

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.

Bookmarks for Patricia L. Fry's books. — Bookmarks for Patricia L. Fry’s books.

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.