A mock book cover designed to give a fresh and modern perspective on the traditional Alice story as a way to make it appeal more to children.

     - 7 X 10 (print)

     - Procreate and 

     - Adobe Photoshop 

     - Files created for both print and digital output (.jpg and .png)

This drawing was the result of an illustration class project intended to mimic a real commission. The goal of this design was to “re-invent” the beloved characters of Alice in Wonderland to fit a modified story that steps away from Disney influence. The final image was to be used as a children’s book cover. Simply put:

     - Problem: Needed to create a children’s book cover that was enticing and recognizable for the story but stepped away from Disney imagery,

     - Solution: Redesign the characters and redefine them in a modern setting that still maintains all the elements of the original story without copyright infringement.

Completed in 2021, the final 7 by 10 inch book cover utilized reference process photography and digital tools Procreate, and Adobe Photoshop. The final work falls into the fields of illustration, character development/environmental design, and book cover design. There is an intentional lack of text on this piece despite its purpose because the brief states this image will be placed on a 8.5 by 11 inch background, where it would be passed on to a typographer who would be responsible for finalizing the work with the proper information.

Shown above are the mockup phases, complete with reference photography setup to find accurate shadow and composition details. The third photo represents the critique period between the alpha and beta mockups, where the art director added notes and corrections to help finalize the composition

Pictured above were the three concepts offered to the art director, and once they chose their favorite I moved on to the mockup phase

I started the research for this project by reading the original Alice in Wonderland title by Lewis Carroll for a better understanding of the characters and their world. From there, I looked at different cultural interpretations of the story to find elements they all had in common (most featured a blonde Alice wearing a pinafore, a mysterious cat, etc.) and to search for a theme that differed from the Disney film. 

Since the target demographic for this was children (specifically between the ages of 8 and 12, no specific gender) I wanted to give the cover a lot of visual interest and a character that anyone in that age range could connect to. Because of this, I stepped away from the old frilly frocks and began to research more modern pinafores that could potentially even be a part of their wardrobe. I also aged Alice to look about 13 years old so she would appear to be in the “tweenager” phase of development, with lanky arms/legs and some childish characteristics that the audience could relate their own growth to.

In terms of color, composition, and artistic style, I researched the preexisting works of Mary Blaire, John Tennial, and Tim Burton. This was partially for inspiration and partially for reference so I could intentionally step away from their “brand” so to speak. The moodboard pictured on the right demonstrates a collection of some research materials used.