Monday, June 21, 2010

Jon Foster on Cherie Priest’s Dreadnought, once and again

Here’s a situation where we got a great image from Jon Foster but...Marketing felt it was missed the steampunk mark a bit. I hated to admit it, because it is a great painting, but it does feel too solidly placed in actual history. So, giant steam robot to the rescue!

And through the wonders of the internets, the first still gets to live in the world.

For Cherie Preist’s Dreadnought, sequel to her Boneshaker. You can see another Foster-Priest collab set in the same world on Clementine, published by Subterranean Press.

UPDATE: For author squee.

19 comments:

Aidan Moher said...

Fantastic work from you guys and Jon Foster!

Joe said...

I loved the first (still do). Love the second.

Eric Braddock said...

:Drool: Both are amazing, the 2nd just blew me away!

Giant steam robot to the rescue indeed!

....i think that could easily become a recurring theme..

Fantasio said...

Both are reat cover! Sometimes its not easy and a tough operation for an artist to copy another artists style (because the maketing or spokesperson says so) But this shows that it can lead to a very great work.

I had such situations myself and am astounded how good it can work out, if the AD´s are confident that it will work out;-)

So, good work here on all ends!

ces said...

The first cover is enticing, and would cause me to pick up the book to see what it's about. The second, no. Just another cover with a female face on it, and a face that doesn't match the character it's supposed to portray. I love Jon foster's work, but these are "art by marketing" IMHO.

chuck pyle said...

Beautiful cover art, again.....

cherie_priest said...

Ces - Not that I expect this to make a dent in your displeasure, but that's not the woman from the first book. The protag for DREADNOUGHT is a 22 year-old blonde farmgirl/nurse with a gun.

Which this nails just fine.

Kat Richardson said...

Y'know... I like them both! and I don't care about the hair-splitting. Yummy covers!

Carolyn said...

Wow, both are amazing! I love the rough texture to both, great work!

ces said...

Cherie,

Thank you for the response - i appreciate it! However, if the girl really is a blonde, well then the cover still isn't her - the girl in the cover is a redhead.

In any case, Jon foster is a wonderful artist, and I am sure the cover will attract buyers.

Bruno Melo said...

To be honest, I can't really see where the first cover isn't steampunk enough. It's got rusty iron everywhere and a zeppelin on a grainy sky. But maybe I'm biased on that. :)

What I think the 2nd ranks over the 1st is the girls expression. She's not looking tough to my eyes in the first, but more like in the verge of painful tears - which make sense in context, but not when you hold .45 colts.

Either way, both are some of the best covers out there!

Unknown said...

wow great illustration!
amazing work!

Unknown said...

Sucks for Jon Foster that he had to put more work into the whole project. But I wish they would do that more. I love Jon Fosters work and, call me selfish, if the marketing department waits for a finished piece before requesting major revisions... it means more Jon Foster beauty for me to look at! They are both beautiful. Fantastic as usual. Both images have that wonderful blend of real world reference and fantastic elements and scope. While the rendering is just... smashing! Love it.

Christopher Soprano said...

Foster, once again, proving why he is one of my favorites.

Ally said...

I really like both covers, and I do find both to be steampunk but in a more subtle way. While not overly stressing belts and gears, this steampunk, to me, seems more "acceptable" for the average viewer. I think Foster did a great job creating covers for steampunk fans as well as people who may not know much about the sub-culture.

Peter said...

Hey, where have you been? I miss your posts very much!

NewGuyDave said...

Interesting decision-making process. I liked the gun-toting woman in the dress, but understand what you're saying about how that could give a western or other historical feel.

The robot definitely sets the right tone.

*scampers off to look for Cherie's books*

Anonymous said...

When is an update coming?
very unlike you Irene. Should we be worried?!

cv said...

Excellent stuff! Hope this for sure should be shared with face book!


Director CV