This is my first time doing a graphic novel cover. The title for my graphic novel was inspired by previous artworks that I created. The title is suggestive of two kinds of people; Snakes being the ‘evil’ characters and the ones that will harm you and bring you down and Ladders, the ‘good’ characters that will help you along your journey. The story would revolve around me journeying through a whimsical disparate landscape. Along the way I would meet and interact with the characters and these interactions would influence the course of my journey.
When planning for layout I really wanted to steer away from the typical graphic novel or comic book layout whereby the main character is situated in the foreground. I decided to just expose my hair, eyes and nose. I used a very stylised drawing style for this piece to try and differentiate it from other graphic novel covers and to draw interest. I wanted the title to be a part of the illustration so I warped and angled it so that it would fit into perspective with the characters spread across the hair.
When it came to colouring and shading I used strong chiaroscuro and one light source to create a dramatic more sinister feel. I used a limited to colour palate to keep things looking coherent and not to busy amongst all the detail.
All done in Illustrator. This is actually my first time using Illustrator to vectorize one of my drawings. It was a mammoth task for me but Im hoping to do more soon!
