The Art of The King’s Fall

The book cover of my fantasy novel The King’s Fall went through many changes. What started as a lighthearted design, which you can see below, turned into something much more grounded in reality. You can follow the evolution of it below. All credit for the artwork goes to Andrzej Pyrchla.

The first idea idea came from a strict fantasy point of view, the sort of fantasy you think of when you imagine harmless magic and benevolent kingdoms. As you can see the esthetic of it is very friendly, with its clear sky and bright colors.

As you can see here, everything remained very much the same from the first image, it’s only the aesthetic of it that changed. The tower is still there, as well as the mountain range and the body of water. Yet we have a very different impression. The mist gives it an ominous look, while the washed-out colors, at least for me, seem to give it the look of a deserted kingdom.

The third attempt was something more fantastical. The light at the base of the tower almost looks like a force field or some sort of magical barrier, doesn’t it?

And here we are! The image that was use on the cover of The King’s Fall. I won’t say anything about it as I would like to hear your opinions. What do you think of the final cover or about any of the earlier designs? Was there one image that you liked the best? And of course for those of you who have read The King’s Fall, what do you think of the final choice?

For those of you who have just heard of The King’s Fall, it’s available on Amazon here for the Kindle and in paperback format. You can also read more about it here.

Lastly, Andrzej Pyrchla, the man behind creating the artwork, has been doing various computer graphics for some time. If you are interested in his other works, you can visit his website – here.

I hope you enjoyed the post. I wish you all the best of luck,
Patrick Rain

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2 Responses to The Art of The King’s Fall

  1. Marie Goddard says:

    Very Nice! The chosen image, I felt, is the best for its ambience. The rocks rising out of the lake give a “ye oldey” feel (i.e. folklore, specifically British and Arthurian) and balance the photo while drawing the eye from the bottom left corner to the upper right (which, in itself, feels like a natural movement). The focus is clear, the message it sends, obvious. And I love the desert sand color – definitely enhances a dystopian theme of, “the kingdom will fall”. Everything is smooth, in the sense that nothing stands out more than it should, or over everything else. The tower holds the most attention, but I feel more appreciative of the surrounding elements (trees, hills, water, mist, clouds, and rocks) than in the other photos. There’s a kind of zen in the aesthetics. *flips image over* *stamps A-Plus*

    For the first image, you’re right that it doesn’t stand out from the common fantasy genre.

    The second image however, sets an edgier tone. (Plus I just love mist. It’s spooky)

    The third was a good idea in concept, but it feels too “busy”. It doesn’t quite have the balance of the fourth image. But still, Mystical Glow = Cool.

    Very professional looking – two thumbs up!

    • Patrick Rain says:

      Glad to hear you like the artwork. You have a good point about nothing standing out too much; I think there is a balance there where everything coexists without a single element taking over completely. There really is something about the final cover image that stands out. It was the final image created out of the batch, so maybe its just progress. You know, as you refine something it become better and better. I would like to think that it’s this mysterious ambience combined with a tinge of reality that makes it interesting. Such a place could really exist somewhere …hidden away, forgotten.

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