I had the pleasure of designing this book cover and interior map illustrations for Nicole Diamond Austin’s debut novel. The challenge in this commission was that the contents of the book did not fit neatly into one genre (historical fiction, ancient retelling, Jewish and Christian target audience), but the goal was for this book to fit right at home on an “ancient retelling” bookstore shelf. With themes of water and fire, peace and anger, and settings inside vs. outside the Temple walls, I digitally drew vivid flames and created a texture using real images of the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem. The grittiness in the illustration was balanced with clear, bold typography. The back cover and interior illustrations were all meticulously researched and digitally drawn by hand.

For the interior illustration, the author was heavily inspired by the maps in “The Lord of the Rings,” so I created three maps that might immerse us into the protagonist’s world with her direction. I enjoyed creating a style that was inspired by fantasy yet grounded in historical fact and blended seamlessly with the book cover.