DollsArtCats

This one was a struggle because I had no good references for the character; I found a stock photo for the torso but that was it. All I can say is I think I am happy with it now, but I may look at it again in a month and wish I had changed x and z. I do like his hair. I just hope I don't have to draw him again because redoing those tatts would be a project!

"Just sit right back And you'll hear a tale A tale of a fateful trip, That started from this tropic port, Aboard this tiny ship." This is the final cover for Stuart Jaffee's "After The Crash" and he may not think the ship's resemblance to the Minnow of Gilligan's Island is a good thing, but it made me laugh all afternoon while I worked on it, and he said OK to the final! And here is where you would go for the final: http://www.stuartjaffe.com/blog/ and click on "After the Crash" cover revealed!

Stuart Jaffe has finished the sequel to The Way of the Black Beast, with a new character added to the mix. This guy's name is Owl, and I like him a lot, even though his base file came from Jimi Hendrix's arrest photo in Toronto (You can tell Jimi was pretty high at the time, because in his photo he's doing the "if I hold my eyes really open no one will know how stoned I am.") Owl looks a lot more sober, but the background came out pretty trippy. I'm looking forward to the third book!

Here's a crop of the final--I didn't want to make it too smooth, and I didn't want it to look like photostock or Poser; the idea was to have it look hand done, though with a digital pen. I'm pretty happy with the result, though I doubt any mainstream press art director would put up with the looseness or the style. This is why I am so happy I was able to work directly with the author, who let me just do what I wanted. Stuart Jaffe is a very good writer--he writes very strong characters and keep the reader turning pages to find out what happens next. I might have to go buy a print copy when it comes out!