An Interview with Jack Taylor
Regular visitors will know by now that I have a novella coming out next month, and attentive visitors will have seen the lovely cover art that adorns the outside of said book. Personally, I love the artwork, and no matter how many times I see it, I still can’t believe I’ve managed to get such a great cover on a book I’ve written.
That artwork was created by a talented chap by the name of Jack Taylor, who has agreed to answer a few questions for me about the artwork and his approach to putting it all together. So, let’s see what he had to say.
S. Naomi Scott : This is your first published book cover, and the brief you were given for this one was very simple: something in the manner of Ralph McQuarrie. How did you decide what to paint?
Jack Taylor : Starting with an actual legend like Ralph McQuarrie is both an incredible guide and, just a little bit, (massively, actually) intimidating! His work has this amazing trick where it looks incredibly detailed from a distance, but when you look closer, it’s actually built from these very deliberate, simple brush strokes. That was my North Star really, focusing on those “chunky” shapes and trying to capture that specific energy in the cliffside, for example, was the initial starting point.
It was definitely a challenge for me. Balancing the sci-fi elements with Naomi’s “space western” tone took some trial and error, and to be honest, it pushed me way out of my comfort zone. Usually I consider myself a ‘messier’ artist, I like the security it gives, having a comicbook-esque pen-like quality has a lot of wiggle room which I can’t have here. I spent a lot of time leaning on references for colour and light transitions just to make sure the landscape felt “real.” For those interested in the method, I used Clip Studio Paint as the software, with my tablet and PC linked up to sketch out slowly and steadily. I used the eye-dropper tool with reference to create little colour palettes for each area, essentially like physical paint on a tray, and slowly built the layers up. My hope is that when people see it up close, they can see behind the curtain and see the strokes and the tricks to the eye.
SNS : I know I’m a bit biased, but I think it looks amazing. Could you please tell me a little bit about your process and your thinking behind the artwork?
JT : Since this was a wrap-around cover, the process is mainly about composition. I started with a rough pencil sketch to map out the general idea, obviously inspired by his Tatooine art. I worked from right to left, (front cover to back cover) starting with the front cover’s focal point and then extending the landscape across the spine to the back. It’s a bit of a puzzle because you want both sides to look like a complete, interesting painting on their own, but they have to feel like one continuous world when the book is laid flat, whilst also accounting for text and what not.
To get the reference right, I pulled from loads of real life resources, and also some more personal ones. So we have Death Valley, westerns etc. but also Red Dead 2 for some Valentine inspiration, and The Witcher 3 Toussaint area for how the mountains reflected light. I’ve always loved how bright that place looked in the game.
Earlier I mentioned my colour palettes; If you look closely, you will see two main layers for the landscape, really big colour blocks which acts as the main colour of the background, with the individual thick oil paint brush strokes on top of that using the palettes to get the actual colours looking right, and selling the illusion.
Fun fact: for a long time, Kaatje was actually just a placeholder JPEG of Katniss Everdeen. I used her just to get the scale and seating position right while I focused on the environment.
It wasn’t until the final stages that I painted her in properly. I moved away from the placeholder and rendered her as a completely new character, using some simple pose references. The goal was a blue-collar, Ripley-inspired lady having a break. I had to be really intentional with the lighting on her suit to make sure she felt like she matched the environment I’d already built.
(Though, you probably shouldn’t question the logistics of the cliff height required for that specific camera angle. It’s called artistic licence. Leave me alone).
SNS : If you had to do it all again, is there anything you’d change?
JT : I think the honest answer is everything! I’m happy with the final result, but it’s just the nature of anything creative to see where you can grow.
This project was anxiety-inducing at first because the scale of it felt so big. Now that I’ve come out the other side with more confidence in my process, I’d love to try it again and see if I could push that “painterly” style even further, using even bolder shapes and a slightly more restrained colour palette to really sell the, atmospheric landscape. Maybe for a new edition one day!
SNS : I know you already have another project in the works for a weird western novel. After that, is there anything you’d like to try next?
JT : I have a specific project living in my head right now, but I’m keeping the details under wraps in case I get to use it for a project. I will say, though, that it’s heavily inspired by Resident Evil Village. That game is a personal favourite of mine, and the atmosphere and setting just scratch my world-building brain. I’d love to bring that dark, gothic mood into my next piece.
SNS : Finally, if people like what they see here, how can they get in touch with you to request a quote?
JT : I’m always happy to chat! The best way to reach me is over on Instagram @TheJakTaylor. It is mostly doodles or mini-movie reviews but feel free to follow along with my work there, and my DMs are always open for a talk about new projects.
Thank you, Jack, for agreeing to answer my questions. For those who might be wondering I do already have him working on another project for me, which I’m hoping will see the light of day in the third quarter of this year, but until then please do go and check out more of his work, and if you know any authors looking for a cover artist, please do point them in Jack’s direction.
