A Summer Summary

July 28, 2017

My Goals for 2016 post has been judging me for the last eighteen months.

I did run my 10k Race for Life (and came in at 58:54, beating my goal time by ten minutes!) and my friends and family helped me raise £280 for Cancer Research.

I didn't finish five personal paintings by May, although I did a bunch of studies. This is because I did take on two cover art commissions. And then another three for a trilogy by the same author. I went to London for the Schoolism Live workshop where I listened to some amazing artists and met a lot of great people. I ran off to Corsica with my friend and awesome comics artist Rebecca Morse, and return to complete a sadly-still-under-NDA illustration for a Scottish design agency. Then, I created my first painting for a Light Grey Art Lab exhibition and I managed to squeak in one more personal piece, A Midnight Wish, in the final moments of 2016.

Check out this step-by-step guide from illustrator Louisa Gallie on creating the cover artwork for The Brush of Black Wings (author Grace Draven) | louisagallie.com

The Brush of Black Wings - Cover Art Process

November 30, 2015

Earlier this year I finished up a cover art commission for one of my favourite clients, Grace Draven, for her novella The Brush of Black Wings. This book is the sequel to Master of Crows, (which I also illustrated) and my third cover for Grace's exceptional books. As I did with Entreat Me, I thought I'd share the steps of how a book cover comes together!

As I was already familiar with the characters and had a ton of reference still on hand from Master of Crows, I felt like I had a head start on this one. Grace sent me the first chapter of The Brush of Black Wings which contained the scene she wanted to appear on the cover, plus a lot of reference material she'd gathered to inspire her writing. The essentials: a cold winter forest scene, a protective, romantic couple clinch, and the distinctive crimson cloak belonging to the male protagonist, Silhara. Grace also floated the idea of having the antagonist's face looming in the background, Hollywood poster-style, but we agreed this made the cover too busy.

Despite having half the research already done for me, the idea development process is the same - start with thumbnails.

Update on the State of Me

October 14, 2014

Firstly, an update on Duck Dive, which is progressing nicely from the blocky scribble I started with (after much ado about posing, and a few quick studies trying to capture the motion - I'll post those another time). I know, I know, the poor mermaid has currently sacrificed her arms. I'll either get them right soon or call it "creature design" and pretend it was on purpose. Shh, don't tell.

"Duck Dive" - WIP Illustration by Louisa Gallie

Secondly, I'm working on another commission for my wonderful friend Grace Draven (whom I illustrated Entreat Me for, as well as Master of Crows) and after a round of thumbnail sketching, here's the final concept that I'm currently working from!

I took a much needed holiday last month to visit my friend and talented comic artist/illustrator Rebecca Morse or Pika-la-Cynique, as followers of my art might know her better by. We ate barbeque and crepes, went hill-walking and took in the views of southern France, enjoyed Feminist Artist Rants in person instead of on Google Hangouts for a change, and also drank until giggly. There might have been dancing.

I also applied for an awesome training course in Glasgow to kick my senior artist skills into touch, so I'll be travelling down once a month to learn more about the digital arts business, company management, public speaking and presenting (which is something I'd like to get a lot better at, for teaching and workshops and so on) and lots of other good stuff. AND I get to go on a trip to San Francisco with the others in the programme in February! It'll be my first time visiting, and we'll be seeing a lot of awesome Silicon Valley companies so I am very, very excited!

Step-by-step guide from illustrator Louisa Gallie on creating the cover artwork for Entreat Me (author Grace Draven)

Illustrating a Book Cover - Entreat Me

June 23, 2013

I got a shiny new computer built not too long after this was completed and I finally pulled the last few folders off my backup HD and onto my current one - including the step-by-steps and notes I'd saved out for the progress post on this cover. The author, Grace, has been posting lately that she's on the home stretch towards finishing the manuscript for this book, so I figured it was a good time to return to it.

Entreat Me cover art

October 10, 2011

This is another cover for Grace Draven, who previously commissioned me for her novel Master of Crows.

Cover art for Entreat Me by Grace Draven. Illustrated by Louisa Gallie.

Entreat Me is a Beauty & the Beast retelling, and from what I've read, is going to be an amazing read! Grace has a knack for writing powerful heroines and memorable heroes. The release date for Entreat Me is yet to be announced, but I'll be sure to let you know when it is!

Edit: Entreat Me can now be purchased on Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble!

In the meantime, Master of Crows has recently been re-released for Kindle on Amazon and as an ebook on Smashwords, and this time Grace was free to use my artwork in the cover art. Smashwords even lets you read the first 30% of the book for free, so go check it out! You won't regret it. Grace herself can be found on her blog (linked above).