A World Alone
Illustration
Book cover illustration for 'A World Alone' - Michi Ancheta's debut novel about a boy named Adam who deals with grief & secrets following the death of Patrick, his best friend.
Project Background
Indie Publishing
At the tail-end of finishing her novel, Michi Ancheta (the author) approached me to illustrate her cover. With her intent to publish independently, she eventually linked up with Ukiyoto Publishing (an independent publisher based in Canada).
As a guide, she sent me a synopsis and an early draft of her novel. I used this as a start-off point to determine the novel's mood and tone.
The Process
The project was highly collaborative from start to finish. Michi had a clear vision & gave me enough freedom to explore different approaches to the illustration.
Early Drafts
I did a range of studies for the early cover drafts that I threw in one go. Since the audience is largely Young Adult, I tried making illustrations catering to this demographic - from comic-like covers to more graphic, abstract ones.
Click through the gallery below to see all six variants I made:
Fleshing Out
Michi had a preference for the study where a hand is holding a cigarette and chose to move forward with it. I explored the concept with three more layouts. After more color iterations, we ended up with the final color.
Below are the iterations we did before we settled on the final cover.
Final Cover
The book was finished and eventually printed. Below are a few photos of the copy mailed to me. Happy how it turned out!
Check out Michi's book (available on print & digital) on: Amazon, Google Books, Barnes & Noble, & Ukiyoto's website.
To learn more about Michi, the book, and her writing process, read the feature below by Philippine-based digital magazine, Out Of Print.
Illustrator: Mariel Empit
Author: Michi Ancheta
Print Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing
Project List:
+ A World Alone