Cover illustration
Project description
Animorphs, the bestselling series by Katherine Applegate that has sold millions of copies worldwide, was due to be re-released on the market and I was asked by Adrian Verlag if I would like to design the new covers and illustrations for it. Of course I said yes, what an honor! Not only is the series totally exciting, but the style should also be semi-realistic. So once again a wonderful opportunity to get lost in the details 😉 Each volume shows an animal that the kids transform into. In volume 1 it is a red-throated lizard (yes… I didn’t know such a lizard existed until then). The background is kept quite simple to draw the focus to the animal. I first designed small thumbnails (previews) to agree with the publisher in which direction it should go. After agreeing on one, the motif was created in the original resolution and size, discussed and refined, added many details and finally exported to suit printing.
During the course of the editing, the main characters should also appear in front of the respective animal in a light comic style. My esteemed colleague Annika Görlitz created the linearts (basic drawing) for the kids and I did the coloring and finishing.
The nice thing about it: the animals and children on the covers are also provided with a partial glossy varnish and are therefore particularly attractive 🙂 I am always happy when not only the illustrations are beautiful, but the corresponding printed product also exudes a certain quality.
The illustration was created in Adobe Photoshop with my XP Pen Artist 24 Pro.
About the book:
Earth is being invaded, but no one knows about it. When Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie and Marco stumble upon a crashed alien spaceship and its dying pilot, they gain incredible power – they can transform into any animal they touch. This makes them Animorphs, the unlikely champions in a secret war for the planet. And the enemies they fight against can be anyone. . . even the people closest to them. Katherine Applegate is one of the most popular and successful science fiction and fantasy authors in the USA. The first volume of this update of the classic and endlessly exciting science fiction/fantasy series Animorphs was published in February 2022 as a new release in the children’s and young adult book category, but is also very popular with adults.
Some people never change.
Others very…
Sometimes the strangest things happen. For example, ask Jake. He can tell you how one night he and his friends saw this strange light in the sky.
A flying object?
From another planet?
On this night that changes everything, they learn of the deadly danger humanity is in. That night, Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias and Marco gain the ability to transform into animals. This is their only weapon against the most dangerous threat the Earth has ever faced.
You don’t believe it? Jake asks…
Cover illustration & drafts
Animorphs Volume 1: The Invasion
Thumbnails & drafts
