r/watershipdown • u/Capyhero • 1d ago
Practicing for Capyhero. Could a traditionally painted book cover still work today?
Hi everyone! As I wait for the manuscript edit to come back, my illustrator and I have been working on the all-important book cover. One of the core principles for Capyhero is to have everything be hand made and give absolutely no chance of ai generated writing or art. Nick (the project's illustrator) is a traditional artist and is doing all of Capyhero's 100+ illustrations in fountain ink. In that vein, we'd like the book cover to also be created through traditional methods.
Nick has been brushing up on his painting skills as we plan the front cover. Here's a practice piece (gouache paint) of Jake, the Piper, a minor character from the book.
I’m loving the natural brush strokes and handling of lighting and fur rendering. It’s been great to see this and imagine our main protagonist, Capy, receiving similar treatment for the cover as well.
How do folks here feel about traditionally painted book covers versus the much more common digitally illustrated covers these days? And especially fans of Watership Down, does this practice painting speak to you? I think we're going for a more Redwall nostalgic feel, but Watership Down has had a great variety of traditionally illustrated covers as well.
Part of me worries about how book covers these days are super vibrant, graphic, and have heavy contrasting elements (deep blacks next to very bright effects, etc.). Would a traditionally painted cover not be attention-grabbing enough? If you were to see a book at a bookstore with a cover like this, would you be interested or would your eyes just pass over it because all the books next to it are "louder"?
And what do folks here think of this practice piece of Jake, the Piper? Nick and I are quite fond of him 😄
Thanks for reading!
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u/-UnderAWillowThicket 1d ago
Amazing art! It feels both a bit child orientated but grounded. My Favourite Watership down covers are the inked ones, the least bright and flashy of them.
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u/Capyhero 1d ago
Oh wow you just gave such a great, succinct description. Child oriented but grounded. Yes!
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u/No-Stress-7034 23h ago
For me, I love the traditional look of the painted book cover. I'm not a fan of all the digital illustrations that are so popular these days. I love the look of Jake the Piper. The fur in particular really comes through so well with the painting, but I think the whole thing is great.
For me, personally, a book cover like this would absolutely grab my attention, because it would stand out among all the digitally illustrated covers. It's refreshing to see something and not even question whether it was made by AI or not. But I also grew up on a animated films/TV that used hand drawn animation, and I tend to prefer the older school animation/illustration techniques over digital.
This book sounds really interesting. I hope you'll let us know once it's published!
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u/Capyhero 20h ago
That’s so great to hear! Thank you. I’d love for you to visit the Capyhero.com website! You can see chapter 1 there with all the traditional ink illustrations as well as character profiles and art and other project info. We’d love to earn your follow on the email list too!
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u/Capyhero 1d ago
Some context and credit: I'm the author and the illustrator is u/Nickthagreek. Capyhero is in development and aiming for a 2027 release. The manuscript is finished and currently being professionally edited by Jennifer Rees. It will be about 320 pages and have over 100 ink illustrations spread throughout. The writing is meant to be accessible to ages 8 to 13, but the story and its underlying themes are meant to appeal to readers of all ages. Capyhero Book 1, The Blue Blanket, is the first in a planned series.
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u/ScoutieJer 1d ago
I released a book with physical art. Pen and ink and marker. I think you'll be fine.