Celebrating Fantasy Artists – A Grey Sister US hardback giveaway!

Art, Competitions 115 comments

I have a signed Grey Sister hardback to give away!

  For a chance to win it comment under this post naming one (or more) of your favourite fantasy artists or/and SFF book covers (you can even add links if you’d like). You can select one from below if you don’t have one, but I’m hoping to see new ones mentioned, too, rather than just repeating the ones I picked. There are so many talented artists out there, point us at the ones you like!

As always, this is an international giveaway, anyone can enter.

The giveaway closes on 18th March 2018. I will ask Mark to select a random winner the next day!

 

Below I listed just 8 of my own favourite fantasy artists:

 

Magali Villeneuve

Magali Villeneuve is hands down my top favourite fantasy artist and I’m finding it really hard not to fill this page with dozens of her artwork. I find her art absolutely amazing. If you haven’t heard of her definitely go and check out her website HERE.

 

Gandalf by Magali Villeneuve

 

Arwen Undomiel by Magali Villeneuve

 

Cersei Lannister by Magali Villeneuve

 

Jason Chan

We were incredibly lucky to have Jason Chan as cover artist for six of Mark’s books so far. Instead of displaying the Mark Lawrence cover art we all know and love I decided to list two other ones from him. Of course, he has plenty more HERE.

 

Cover art for “Lost Covenant” (author Ari Marmell) by Jason Chan

 

Cover art for “The Kneebone Boy” (author Ellen Potter) by Jason Chan

 

Aleksei Vinogradov

Aleksei Vinogradov is another exceptionally talented digital concept artist. If only I could get him paint all my favourite characters from Red Sister! Check out his work HERE!

 

Rey by Aleksei Vinogradov

 

“VS” by Aleksei Vinogradov

 

Kimberly Kincaid

I cannot not mention the wonderful Kimberly Kincaid. Not a fantasy artist, strictly speaking, although we can thank her for the Road Brothers cover art and she has produced several other fantasy-related work. If only she had not been taken from us so early 😦 You can still see her work on her Facebook page and can read her inspiring answers to my questions in this interview I did with her shortly before she passed away.

 

Kvothe by Kimberly Kincaid

 

Emmett Cullen (Twilight) by Kimberly Kincaid

 

Greg Rutkowski

Greg Rutkowski is another artist whose work I could fill pages and pages with here. It’s a real struggle to select only two. If you haven’t heard of him before, take a look at some of his artwork HERE.

 

“Dragon’s Breath” by Greg Rutkowski

 

“The Ring-bearer” by Greg Rutkowski

 

Tomasz Jedruszek

The artist whose artwork inspired Mark to write Red Sister. Do I need to say more? Actually I do. He is the cover artist for the UK versions of the Book of the Ancestor trilogy (Red Sister paperback, Grey and Holy Sister hardback and paperback). You can find more of his work HERE.

 

“Battle of Fair Isle” by Tomasz Jedruszek

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Grasp of Fate by Tomasz Jedruszek

 

Conor Burke

I accidentally came across Conor Burke one day when I was messing around on the internet, looking for a previous Facebook post of mine about my own fictional character who is also called Conor. I loved his artwork instantly. Not to mention that after listing artists from France, USA, Russia, Poland finally I have a fellow Londoner to list! Although I believe he’s originally from Waterford, Ireland, which is apparently the country’s oldest city and was founded by Vikings. You can find more of his work HERE!

 

Viking Cataclysm by Conor Burke

 

Dark Souls 3 concept art by Conor Burke

 

Bastien Lecouffe Deharme

Last but not least. Bastien Lecouffe Deharme is the US Cover artist for the US editions of The Book of the Ancestor series and so his artwork features on the hardback I’m giving away here as the prize! I personally love this cover and it’s in a strong competition to become my favourite Mark Lawrence cover artwork along with the Prince of Fools UK cover and The Liar’s Key US cover by Jason Chan, which are my personal favourites. Which one(s) are yours?

Anyhow. Needless to say that Bastien Lecouffe Deharme is an incredible artist. Take a look at some of his other works HERE.

 

Avacyn by Bastien Lecouffe Deharme

 

“The Eyes of the Witch” by Bastien Lecouffe Deharme

 

All the above artists, and most likely the ones that will be mentioned in the comments can also be found on social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Please consider following them in support for the amazing work they do.

The Grey Sister book photo used in the blogpost was taken by Jaime Arkin.

So once again, to enter just comment below with your favourite fantasy artist(s) and/or SFF book cover art(s).

Give-away closes on 18th March 2018!

Please note: your email address will be required for the submission but will NOT appear on the website!

(Alternatively you can also log in with your WordPress/Facebook/Twitter account)

Wishing you the best of luck,

Agnes

 

 

115 comments

  5. One of my top by far is Raymond Swanland – http://raymondswanland.com/Images/MagicTheGathering%20Gallery/Kresh.jpg
    I mostly know him from his Magic: the Gathering artworks, but he’s done several book and comic covers, as well as various other illustrations that crop up in places. He’s got such an identifiable style and I love the heavy contrasts of darkness and light that he uses.

    Also gonna mention Paul Kidby, in honour of the date – http://www.paulkidby.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/massif-1400x890_c.jpg
    Whilst Josh Kirby is iconically Discworld, Kidby actually brought the characters to life in such an effective way. It’s obvious from his art that he’s a huge fan of the works as well as an incredibly talented artist.

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  7. Not brown nosing here but Red Sister cover by Janson Chan. Before reading it was just a normal cover bit after finishing. . .I think it’s one of the damn coolest covers out there.

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      1. Hi Gino,

        pleased to hear you like the Red Sister cover art! The artist wasn’t Jason Chan however. It was Bastien Lecouffe Deharme for the US edition and Tomasz Jedruszek for the UK paperback.

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  9. Really love Robert Jordan’sThe Fires of Heaven e-book cover by Dan Dos Santos, as well as many other newer Wheel of Time covers. Not to bash the older book designs, but I used the ebook covers as laptop wallpapers for years!

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  12. For a recent favorite, I must cite the covers for The Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft, designed by Ian Leino. The covers are striking and beautiful and would make beautiful wall art. *hint hint*

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  13. I basically love every artwork and cover ever designed by Richard Anderson. He recently did the cover for Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames and I also love all the covers he did for Brian Staveley ! He has a somewhat rough and almost unfinished style that I just adore.

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  22. I dug the simplicity of Steve Leialoha’s illustrations on Peter & Max by Bill Willingham. A spinoff from a comic story so he brought some of that same imagery over. The cover of the book is alot more subtle in tone and reflection that alot of the pictures on google can’t convey.

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  25. Jason Chan was one of my favourite artists since I saw his art for Magic the Gathering! Deathpact Angel is still one of my faves.

    It’s hard to pick a favourite so I also love Wes Burt, Jaime Jones, Titus Lunter, Karla Ortiz and Victor Adame’s work, all for different reasons. I highly recommend checking them all out.

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  26. My favorite fantasy artists have to be Rebecca Guay and Terese Nielsen ( both of Magic the Gathering fame ). Amazing painters both of them!
    As for favorite cover I’d have to go with Jason Chans’ work for The Broken Empire – Limited Edition.

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  31. Raymond Swanland, especially for his work on the subterranean press edition of The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie

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  36. I have always LOVED the UK cover of Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie. I believe the cover art is by Dave Senior. It such a gorgeous book. I really need to look into getting a UK edition shipped to the states.

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  40. The stormcaller cover always caught my eye. It is by Tom Lloyd but the cover is Larry rostant and it sold the book series to me before I ever picked up his first book

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  43. I’ve always been fond of Darrell K. Sweet.

    It was his covers for the Wheel of Time, the Saga of Recluse,
    The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever.

    He did fantastic covers for some of the most iconic fantasy and sci-fi books out there.

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  44. Wylie Beckett, Greg Rutkowski, Marc Simonetti, Tod Lockwood, Tomislav Jagnjic, Anna Podedworna, Bartlomiej Gawel & I would also recommend checking out the #criticalrolefanart hashtag because you can find some incredibly talented artist that way.

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  46. Stefan Stankovic with his cover of The Rage of Dragons. I only picked up the book because of the cover, and I’m yet to read it since.

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  47. John Howe, all the Lord of the rings art and the majority of Robin Hobb’s books. Fools Fate is probably my favourite, he can draw dragons that I see in my deepest imagination.

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  50. Fav Tolkien artist Ted Nasmith- primarily for his correct representation of Mina’s Tirith (black great wall people!!)

    Joe Abercrombie book covers are fantastic.
    Dave Senior
    Didier Graffet/Bragelonne
    https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/firstlaw/images/0/02/The_Heroes_UK_hardcover.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110821154112

    Winner:
    But Benjamin Carré’s cover for The Lies Of Locke Lamora sold Scott Lynch’s book to me right there and then.
    Beautiful.

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  53. Alan Lee and John Howe, obviously.
    Todd Lockwood and Steven Stone.
    As well as, the book cover for Donaldson’s Seventh Decimate. Simply incredible art!

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  55. I really like the covers of the Brent Weeks night angel trilogy and the Lightbringer series. I also like the covers of Peter V. Brett’s demon cycle series. I’m referring to the UK covers. It’s interesting to note (from my point of view) that the covers of the night angel trilogy and demon cycle series are photos of models that are then manipulated to give the final covers.
    There’s something about that style that I like, especially when the models/photographer etc. capture the look of the character that I have imagined.

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  57. My favourite book cover art has to be the simple yet beautiful books of John Gwynne, ‘The Faithful and the Fallen’ Series. All covers have just one weapon and a subtle backround of war…Fantastic!

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  59. The cover of Myrren’s Gift which was done by Les Peterson caught my eye and introduced me to a fascinating series and then had me picking up all the rest of Fiona McIntosh’s books.

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  60. I really love that cover for Soldier’s Redemption by M. R. Anthony. I haven’t read it sadly, but I voted for that cover last year in the SPFBO cover contest.

    I put a fair bit of effort into finding out who actually made the cover art, but to no avail.

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  62. BROM is fantastic, both as an artist and a writer. The child thief is great and so is his last book, Lost Gods. https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348764504l/299081.jpg https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a3f16b1edaed8ba03b28ab4/5a3f17990d9297d16897990d/5a41e4fbc830259b5dd4dc8d/1515525863066/Art-of-Brom-fantasy-cover-web.jpg?format=500w

    Also DAVE McKEAN and all his Sandman covers. https://sites.create-cdn.net/siteimages/9/1/6/91688/302203.jpg

    httpshttps://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51MTzWBhA1L._SX367_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg://www.themarysue.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SANDMAN-OVERTURE-McKean-Gaiman.jpg

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  66. By far my favorite art is done by Michael Whelan for The Dark Tower, not only that covers but the illustrations in the books themselves are great and really add some depth to the story

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  71. Picking favourites of fantasy artists? That’s like choosing a favourite food…impossible! Jason Chan is definitely among my favourites. Also since I just finished rereading it, http://andreaspreis.com/ Andreas Preis here made the most amazing cover for the most amazing Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris http://www.joanne-harris.co.uk/books/the-gospel-of-loki/. Also Stephen Youll http://www.stephenyoull.com/stephenyoull.com/GALLERY/Pages/CREATURES.html, responsible for Dragons Most Glorious on the covers of Stephen Deas’ novels.
    (I suppose it wouldn’t help my chances if I mentioned that my birthday is the day after tomorrow? No? No.)

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  72. I have recently discovered Djamila Knopf. (@djamilaknopf) Her art style is somehow magical and full of warmth. Sadly she hasn’t got to draw a book cover yet.

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  73. I love Frank Frazetta’s work – for me he’s the level you need to get to to be considered great. There are others though – Donato Giancola for one – this take on Red Sonja is great – gritty real feel to it http://www.donatoart.com/gallery/redsonja.html

    Also Raymond Swanland – otherworldly look – http://www.raymondswanland.com/Pages/Illustration%20Gallery/Illustration03.html

    And Lucio Parrillo’s stuff is cool too – http://www.lucioparrillo.com/

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  75. (It seems my post didn’t go through? Maybe when I tried to include the link…)
    I’m a big fan of non-specific art on book covers, and one of my favourite artists is Jackie Morris, who has designed the covers of Robin Hobb’s books latest editions. They’re worthy of a museum!

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  76. There are a few covers that I’ve been big fans of when I’ve received the book. I like the design of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law books, with the cluttered map tables full of detail and texture.

    I also really liked the cover of Throne of Glass (Sarah J Maas) and Joe Abercrombie’s Half the World, just because they look visually impressive and really heightened my anticipation of reading the book.

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  80. I’m going to go a bit older here and say Laurence Schwinger’s cover of Pawn of Prophecy, one of my all-time favorite books.

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  81. Alan Lee hands down. It is obvious why they used him as a lead designer on the Rings films. His attention to detail and ability to translate the written word into beautiful art is stunning

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  83. I like Laura Brett – first cover of The Blade Itself, from Joe Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy

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  85. I’m partial to Michael whelans work on the dark tower series. Specifically the last book where Roland is holding the rose.

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  86. I will go with the following authors :

    Brandon sanderson with Elantris
    Brian Staveley with The last mortal bond (had to pick one of the series)
    John Gwynne with Ruin.

    Covers?
    Complete Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson
    Adult covers of Harry Potter (UK edition, Bloomsbury), J k. Rowling
    Asoiaf covers with white background (UK again. Harper voyager), some guy called G.r r. Martin
    The moontide quartet by David Hair.

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  87. While not strictly a book cover artist, I really like Jakub Różalski’s artwork in general. It has a feel of gritty fantasy.

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  88. One of my current favorites is Richard Anderson who has done the covers for Kings Of The Wyld as well as the upcoming Bloody Rose and the covers for the Unhewn Throne series among others. His website is flaptrapsart.com and he is @flaptrapsart on Twitter.

    And I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t enticingly the legend that is Larry Elmore.

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  92. One of my favourite fantasy artists goes by the name of Wojtek Fus, who created art for several video games, including “The Witcher 3” and “Horizon: Zero Dawn”. Here some examples:

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  93. Frank Frazetta. So many iconic works that to me epitomised fantasy art. So much so ‘we’ copied on to fuel tanks, cut-offs, walls in the 6th form block…… RIP.

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  94. The Cover of Prince of Thorns. This cover made me pick up my first fantasy novel and I havent stopped picking up new ones since.

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