This piece is actually a little but older, but I never got to share it here. This painting is for the cover of ‘Fire Touched‘, the ninth book in the Mercy Thompson series.
The author and I both knew what scene would work best for the cover, so it was really just a matter of playing with some different compositions. Below you can see an alternate sketch where the hellhound is less prominent, and Mercy’s pose a little more victorious.
I used my typical approach for this cover, begining with a highly detailed underdrawing. Because I paint so thinly, this under drawing does most of the rendering work for me when I’m painting. I often used colored pencil for areas where I do not want the dark pencil lines to show through the paint quite as much.
Once completed, I color corrected the oil painting and made a few digital tweaks and revisions using Photoshop. Below is the final art as it appears in print.
For those that are interested, as of today, I now offer this image for sale as a 18×24 poster, printed on heavyweight stock.
You can buy this poster, and see the other images available HERE.
Hey Dan.
I've been a big fan of your work for some time now. I was down at the book store when I saw this cover and almost immediately thought it was yours. I looked at the inside cover and sure enough, Cover Illustration by Dan Dos Santos.
Your work never ceases to inspire me.
Leon
So much to love here, but the lava drool is such a fun detail. 🙂
Dan
I am amazed by your art!!!
Dan
I am amazed by your art!!!
Loved the cover for this book and just saw the release for the cover of the next in the series. It's really cool to see the process behind it.
Yet another brilliant installment in the always fantastic Mercy Thompson series, FIRE TOUCHED is one you'll want you'll want to get your hands on as soon as possible. Make sure to set aside a nice long block to read as once you start, you simply won't be able to put it down.
Mariz
Get Best Info for Kent Auto Repair Company