When I think of covers that have inspired me over the years, one of the ones I come back to is the cover for The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. That cover was created by Helen Musselwhite, a paper artist who makes amazing art and sculptures. Many probably didn’t realize that the cover was a paper diagram, not an illustration, but I think it added an amazing amount of charm.
When Ver Pierce came to me for their cover for Between the Walls of a Shifting Empire, I was thrilled at the idea to try my hand at a circus cover myself. Ver’s main character is a performer and an assassin stuck in a world of performance and politics. Inspired by vintage circus posters, the cover took a few tries, but I at last came up with this:
One of the key elements is the metaphorical and literal tightrope that the character walks, balancing between her various roles. Shading and gold texture along a set of 3-D scissors helped to illustrate the precarious walk and helped me pull together the elements.
While my cover was built in Photoshop, I thought a lot about texture and form while making this cover. It’s by no means similar to the image on the Night Circus’s cover, but I hope it captures some of the whimsy that is often inherent to the idea of fantasy circuses.
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Want to see more of my examples? You can view some of my recent covers below or head over to my portfolio for a more complete look of my latest works.
- The Bound Prisoner by Misty Thomas
Dark adventure, magic, fae, and more abound in The BoundContinue reading “The Bound Prisoner by Misty Thomas” - Wish Wrecked | A Modern Fantasy Rom-Com
Making this cover for Sara George was a highlight ofContinue reading “Wish Wrecked | A Modern Fantasy Rom-Com” - The Vengeance of the Knight | Fantasy Book Cover
Recently, I’ve been really inspired by classic book covers fromContinue reading “The Vengeance of the Knight | Fantasy Book Cover”
Sarah Penney Designs 