Last autumn (2018) I was asked to illustrate a book. It was Sigurd Drakedreperen by Torill Thorstad Hauger. I fell in love.
This is the story about norse earl's son - Sigurd, whose role is to be a great warrior of his motherland. We follow him through the years and see how he become a young man. He loses many thing, but finds his destination... and friends!
It's a very touching story, I was amazed by its power and shrillness and was glad to visualize it.
I made 17 full page illustrations, 18 miniatures, a few decorations and a dragon for a cover.
All illustrations were made with ink. I used PS for editing. The dragon for the cover and endpaper was drawn in Procreate.
I'm very proud of decorations: initial letters and miniatures. They complemented the text and reflected what could not be placed in the full page illustrations: second role characters, symbols, stories and myths.
The frame illustrations for three parts of the text tell the story of the formation of Sigurd's personality: from a boy who is afraid of a 'dragon', to a warrior who can resist him. In the second part the hero faces problems of slavery and oppression, realizes that war is not a sign of heroism, but the path to death and destruction.
Some WIPs: sample illustration, notes, thumbnails, roughs, sketches and check lists. I changed some of the illustrations' compositions for better (I suppose) looking in process.
This work was really challenging. I've never worked on book illustrating before. It was a lot of preparations, nerves and desire to make a masterpiece. Months later I can say I wasn't good enough, and I want to change almost every illustration, but it's okay. It was a good place to start.
The book was published in Russia in 2019 by Kacheli publishing house. Book design and binding design were completed by Kacheli's designers.
Thank you for watching!
