You Had Me At Hello, a romance book cover featuring aurora borealis in a winter setting!
‘ve always loved Aurora Borealis and though I’ve made some illustration in the past, this one is still challenging to make. So, you can say that it was one of my struggles as I create this piece. I’ve made various iteration on how the northerns lights will look like.
I want them to look not just something that bedazzles the night sky, but mystical, magical. At the same time something that it will also amplify the romantic mood of this piece.
So of course, I started with the sketch of the characters and the piece itself. I was very vague on the background, but I know what I want for it. Still, I want to give the focus to the characters.
Years working on romance book, I know how character centered illustrations are really hard selling. So, I made the characters really standout here by putting them in the middle and the perspective kinda pointing upwards, but not too much that it overpowers the whole piece.
I really enjoyed crafting the characters, gathering ideas and references for their outfits and accessories specifically.
Although the environment especially the Aurora Borealis are challenging, I still really enjoyed working on this piece and I think it was one of my best romance covers by far.
When the author gave me the brief for her vision on this cover, I just can’t not work on it. I hope you love this one as much as I did!
