I have good faith in the old adage of its not what you know, but who you know.
In 2007, I had reached a career crossroads – having worked professionally as a graphic designer for over a decade, I had reached a point where something was missing, creatively. After some searching, I realised what it was – my art/illustration and my love of the science fiction and space art of the 1970s and 80s. Growing up with books like Paper Tiger’s Space Worlds, Wars and Weapons, each image was like looking through a window to another world. With that passion reignited, it was time to pick up where I had left off years previously, and finally start producing my own science fiction artwork.
One of the first things I did was look up space artist David A. Hardy, whose work I had grown up admiring. I was pleased to find Hardy still producing wonderful and inspiring pieces, and by the time we’d exchanged several emails, we were already becoming good friends. It was through David’s own passion and enthusiasm for space and science fiction art combined with his invaluable critique of my early works, that I started to find my confidence and style. It was time to find out who I was as an artist, and open my own windows on other worlds.
I had the ideas and the technical skills – it was simply a matter of dusting off the artist in me, and getting down to business. Along with with Hardy’s support and occasional mentoring, I launched myself into digital art – creating artwork using a graphics tablet in Photoshop. As somebody much happier with pencil and ink than paints, for me this modern medium brought together the best of everything – the comfort of working with a pen and a vibrant, endless range of colours, not to mention limitless flexibility.
As an avid SF reader, I have always taken an interest in book cover art. The first SF novel I really got into and one that had a profound effect on me, was Arthur C. Clarke’s The City and the Stars – and I was drawn to that novel through Chris Moore’s cinematic cover painting, which still adorns the Gollancz edition today. It was one of those paintings that perfectly captures the world of the novel and never fails to transport you there. This was back in the summer of 2001, and heralded the start of my addiction to literary science fiction. Today I have a large signed print of Moore’s cover art hanging on my studio wall for constant escape and inspiration.
I soon realised that I had entered the world of digital art at a time when once again, more illustrative covers were emerging, in favour of the (often) soulless 3D rendered art, which dominated the genre in the 90s. The cover art to Gollancz’s SF Masterworks range was (and remains) testament to that. My first forays into computer art actually go way back to 1990, when at the age of twelve, I got my first computer – an Amiga A500; a fantastic and pioneering computer that in many ways influenced my whole creative career in graphic design, digital art and even making electronic music.
By 2010, I was immersed in art once again and I was putting all the influence I’d stored up over the years into a growing portfolio. Each piece was a learning curve, and with each new piece came progression. Having established a style of my own, my goal soon became clear: cover art and design for SF&F novels. And six years later, I’ve got a wide-ranging portfolio and a growing number of book covers to my name that I’m enormously proud of.
But that’s only a part of it – with the rise of self-publishing in recent years, it has really thrown the doors wide open to fruitful collaboration, whether you’re working with an independent publisher of directly with the author.
I enjoy working with writers, and I have found you can really get a productive, creative and rewarding relationship going. Because my job is to take the images in their mind and the words on their pages, and transpose all of that into a striking and marketable cover – this can be a tall order and a challenge! So getting that creative brainstorming going and keeping good, regular communication whether by email, phone or Skype is an absolutely crucial part of the process.
Every cover is a challenge in its own way. After all, I am being entrusted by the author, to take the world that they have created and spent months or years writing and living in – and putting my own slant on it. So the pressure is on to create a piece of art that not only lives up to the writer’s expectations, but something also true to my own artistic vision and style. At the same time, it is critical that the cover is right for the genre and audience/age group. This is where my experience in graphic design and marketing comes into the equation, as the cover needs to stand out across all channels, whether its going to be seen on a physical shelf in a bookshop, on a busy page of thumbnails on Amazon or in a social media feed. My role as an artist extends way beyond just a front cover.
My artwork has occasionally been likened to the vintage paperback covers of the 70s, and I’m the first to acknowledge that influence. You couldn’t pay a better compliment in my opinion! Looking back at that era of visionary works (as I regularly do), there is something endearing and timeless about yesterday’s visions of tomorrow. The 1970s was a pioneering decade on so many fronts, especially space flight and science fiction cinema and literature, so there’s little surprise that the space and SF art of that era remains so ambitious and vibrant. I try and capture some of that essence while producing modern and contemporary works.
With that in mind, I’m especially keen to work with likeminded people, and everybody that I have worked with to date, has shared my outlook and also – crucially – felt that my visual style is right for them.
In the second instalment of this blog, I’ll take a closer look at my creative process and some of my favourite cover projects to date.
Alex Storer is a graphic designer, illustrator and musician, from Sheffield, UK. He is also honorary musician for The Initiative for Interstellar Studies.
Website: http://www.thelightdream.net
Twitter: @TheLightDreams
Facebook: facebook.com/thelightdreams
Great article!
I feel lucky to have my own book cover art by Alex, which I hope to publish and reveal sometime before the end of 2016.
A huge talent and rising star – I will certainly be interested in more covers for subsequent novels.