I've had quite a few questions about Alyssa Harper, the artist who did the cover for my book, so I thought it'd be fun to post an interview with her. I sent her a handful of questions, and here are her answers:
Q: When did you first start painting/drawing?
A: I picked up a paintbrush for the first time in high school, but I suppose I've always drawn...ever since I can remember.
Q: Have you been formally trained or is it all natural skill?
A: My first formal "lessons" were my AP art class I started my junior year of high school. After that, I graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, emphasis in Painting and Drawing.
Q: What kind of art do you prefer to do?
A: I love figure studies. I think the human body is beautiful and so expressive. Any image including a figure tells such a story.
Q: What is your favorite medium?
A: I probably prefer oil paints, but since I don't have a studio, my paints and solvents would be stored all over my kitchen. Out of safety concern for my young children, I use acrylic paints instead. No paint thinner fumes. :)
Q: What was your thought process when creating the cover art for "The Threshold Child"?
A: Callie was very specific on several things. She didn't want Adesina's face showing, she wanted her dressed in her full Shimat garb, and Adesina's sword had to be the epitome of cool. I did a lot of research on fabrics (eventually went with almost entirely leather), clothing design, and especially on the sword. The old forest had a unique presence and relationship to characters in the book, so that was used as the setting for the cover. I wanted it to look unruly and overgrown, and I think that worked well against Adesina's sleek form.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of the finished product?
A: I'm pretty happy with how Adesina's sword came about. We went through several sketches and reworked the design to get the weapon to something Callie approved of. The basic form is inspired by a curved, Japanese long sword. It's an elegant weapon that, if needed, can be wielded in a variety of different methods, which seemed to work well with Adesina's more fluid fighting capabilities.
Q: What is your least favorite aspect of the finished product? (Would you change anything?)
A: Not that I had this option available to me, since it wasn't a hardcopy publication, but the title would have looked dang cool in gold leaf. ;)
Q: What is your favorite part of the book itself?
A: I liked the portions tied to the High City. Those images stand out most poignant in my mind. Callie did an awesome job of making it obvious how different Adesina was from the "normal" people around her, yet it was when Adesina was in that city that she felt most relatable to me. The feeling of being out of place, yet wanting to fit in to some degree, is something everyone can relate to at some time or another. The High City is where I thought of Adesina less like an insanely talented super-warrior and more like a normal, human girl.
Q: Will you be doing the cover art for the sequel?
A: Yes. I'm super stoked about it.
Q: Who is your favorite artist? Why?
A: Phew. What a question. Narrowing it down is really difficult, but if I had to choose one artist, I'd probably go with Michael Carson. He's a genius, and I covet his work.
If you'd like to see more of Alyssa's work, visit her blog: http://alyssaharperart.blogspot.com
I loved reading this post! I absolutely love the cover art on this book. I am so happy that you did not include her face, because then I would of been frustrated that it did not look how I imagined it.
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