The Orchard (my first commissioned book cover!)

So this is my first commissioned book cover! In honor of that I wanted to show my process, which was really exciting.

Thumbnails in my 'idea book':

From that the publisher chose three to be enlarged:

She liked the last one, of the single tree but asked that the trunk not be quite so gnarly. Then color studies and the composite sketch:

This is the grey leaves separate from the rest. By far the most work in the project:

The finished product! The original is 13"x8.5" I think (biggest thing I've done in cut paper since those insane, long silhouettes a year ago):

It's not definite that this is the published cover yet, but fingers crossed!