The scene
Inspired by A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (2016). Once a year the stars fall over Velaris, and the whole city goes up onto its roofs to watch. Two figures stand at a balustrade above the river, seen from behind, her gown pale, his dark wings half open, the sky streaked with gold. I wanted the wonder of that night, not a cover pose. An inspired-by print: nothing in it is taken from any book cover, film or official art.
The style
A watercolour and gouache painting from about 1910: deep layered indigo washes, gold stars dabbed on in gouache, fine ink line on the city's bridges and domes, and the texture of the paper showing through.
The inspiration
The look comes from Edward Robert Hughes, Night with her Train of Stars (1912), Birmingham Museums Trust: a winged figure sweeping through a deep blue night of stars, almost the same dream. I borrowed his indigo and gold. The rooftop, the city and the two lovers are my own.
How it's made
I design each scene and refine it until it feels right. It's a print of a digital artwork made in the style of a watercolour, not an original painting. A typeset caption under the picture names the book and the work it follows. Each one carries my printed "Chapter & Scene" signature in the margin.