eli steele | author | fantasy fiction

We didn't change much in this iteration of the cover for Beneath a Brass Sky. Michal (https://www.artstation.com/kvacm) really breathed life into the storm that's battering the high crag that the Wayfarers are driving towards. I like the addition of the birds, too. It's a minor detail, but vultures and other winged things have recurring roles in the story.  I look into that maw in the storm - where the dust is swirling, and the wind is howling, and the waning light of a dying sun is breaking through the grit - and feel the dread that Ulfric must feel as he gazes into the unknown. 

  In this revision to the cover of Beneath a Brass Sky, Michal (@kvacm - twitter) began to add color and more detail. I love the dust storm (maybe the outer bands of a wilding?) swirling around the sandstone sentinel. All through the scene is a feeling of grit, and suffering, and dread. And yet, Ulfric and Spero are drawn ever east, and the remainder of the Wayfarers with them. What lies beyond that distant peak? A hollow country, no doubt. One that swallows men up. 

  The above was the second draft for the cover for Beneath a Brass Sky. In this iteration, we narrowed up for the ebook ratio (1.6:1) and turned the Wayfarers so that they were aimed towards the horizon rather than across it (East. Always East . . .) In the foreground is Ulfric, reined up with the brindle. In this shot, the tail of his shemagh is flapping in the wind, but it looked a bit too much like a ponytail, so we nixed that detail.  To me, this scene is so evocative of the story. I can taste the pinch of lusk in Ulfric's lip. Feel the chafe of the sand on his skin. Smell the acrid air of the wastescape. The brindle's caught a whiff of something on the air, too. Is it a hint of carrion rot? Are they being tailed?  And what waits beyond that smoking summit?  From here, we began to add color and detail.

  I 'm a big fan of KVACM's art (https://www.deviantart.com/kvacm), so I'm delighted to have worked with him on the cover of Beneath a Brass Sky. Cost was $120 - $60 upon agreement of sketch (B&W images) and $60 upon completion.  The above illustration was his first-draft concept of the Wayfarers crossing the Brasslands. Conceptually, I though he did a great job capturing the desolace of the environment. From here, we began to narrow in on the ratio (1.6:1 for an ebook cover). In Part 2, I'll share the next round of revisions.