Rules for Magicals
Penned by my fiancé, 'Rules for Magicals' is in part a silly political satire about wizardly bureaucracy, and in equal measure a tale of the misadventures of an introverted young man who has been turned into a hat. The characters were a joy to illustrate, and the depth of worldbulding was a fun challenge to bring to the page in visual form.
Cover
Depicting the two main characters, Autumn and Arwood, sitting on the benches of the House of Potions. As a wraparound cover for a softback book, Arwood is featured on the front and Autumn on the back.
Arwood's pose is inspired by Stańczyk by Jan Matejko, contrasting with Autumn's poise and professionalism in the face of a similar dread.
Penned by my fiancé, 'Rules for Magicals' is in part a silly political satire about wizardly bureaucracy, and in equal measure a tale of the misadventures of an introverted young man who has been turned into a hat. The characters were a joy to illustrate, and the depth of worldbulding was a fun challenge to bring to the page in visual form.
Cover
Depicting the two main characters, Autumn and Arwood, sitting on the benches of the House of Potions. As a wraparound cover for a softback book, Arwood is featured on the front and Autumn on the back.
Arwood's pose is inspired by Stańczyk by Jan Matejko, contrasting with Autumn's poise and professionalism in the face of a similar dread.
Realm of Alwyn map
A double-page map at the front of the book, featuring every town and city of Alwyn. Every single one of these place names is at least briefly mentioned in the story! A fun detail is the borders between regions, suggesting that several towns have been recently adopted by Greater Kingchester.
Map illustration in progress.
With all the named locations in place, it's time to hand-draw lots (and lots and lots) of trees, gentle waves and little in-between details for the discerning reader to find.
Realm of Alwyn map
A double-page map at the front of the book, featuring every town and city of Alwyn. Every single one of these place names is at least briefly mentioned in the story! A fun detail is the borders between regions, suggesting that several towns have been recently adopted by Greater Kingchester.
Map illustration in progress.
With all the named locations in place, it's time to hand-draw lots (and lots and lots) of trees, gentle waves and little in-between details for the discerning reader to find.
Page illustrations
A set of four scenes featuring each of the most prominent characters, to be set between pages of text and paired with a quote from the same chapter. This choice was inspired by the colour plates found in old picture books, and we aimed for the texture of a traditional print to add to the vintage feel.
Albertus Mockington, the Prime Magus, in his office doing nothing incriminating or morally questionable in the least, who's asking? Are you a journalist?
A very disoriented Arwood, more than a little concerned that the white-coated individual rummaging on the other side of the room might not have his best interests in mind.
Autumn Elderwood, MP (Magical Person) for the small constituency of Portlet, and Arwood (her hat), getting a little lost navigating the streets of Kingchester.
Harry, an aspiring journalist and student at the University of the Crooked Oak, attempting to drown his writer's block in cheap tankards at the student bar.
Page illustrations
A set of four scenes featuring each of the most prominent characters, to be set between pages of text and paired with a quote from the same chapter. This choice was inspired by the colour plates found in old picture books, and we aimed for the texture of a traditional print to add to the vintage feel.
Autumn Elderwood, MP (Magical Person) for the small constituency of Portlet, and Arwood (her hat), getting a little lost navigating the streets of Kingchester.
Albertus Mockington, the Prime Magus, in his office doing nothing incriminating or morally questionable in the least, who's asking? Are you a journalist?
Harry, an aspiring journalist and student at the University of the Crooked Oak, attempting to drown his writer's block in cheap tankards at the student bar.
A very disoriented Arwood, more than a little concerned that the white-coated individual rummaging on the other side of the room might not have his best interests in mind.
Chapter headers
Portrait illustrations at the beginning of each chapter denote who will be the focus of the following scene. These were inspired by old postage stamps.
Spot illustration: Kingchester coat of arms
This design is based on the United Kingdom coat of arms, and includes a depiction of the Pheasants' Revolt, as well as a crest representing the four other regions governed by Kingchester.
