6 years after I designed my first cover, and illustrating each chapter of Northern Lights, I've finally designed one for the Amber Spyglass. I've been trying for basically this whole time to work out a design that I liked, with so many failed attempts. Where the first had leaned heavily into Art Nouveau, and then the Subtle Knife was very much inspired by Art Deco, I felt stuck trying to find a style that worked. I only had a break through when I looked instead to other book covers, and found one that felt like it had elements of both styles. And finally, here we are.
I had a lot of key details that I wanted to include. No Name, the Gallevespians and their Dragonflies (even at a3 size they were so tiny that their faces took multiple attempts to get right, especially Tialys). The Clouded Mountain was difficult to get right too. I really like the symbolism of the bench separating Lyra and Will, cutting off the edges of their sections, and that their daemons are separated from them by the lines of their sections.
If you notice behind the bench, the bushes are filled with the red berries that they feed to each other, showing how close their moment of connection is to their moment of final separation. I really wanted a scene from the mulefa world too, and to try and show the hugeness of the wheel trees.
I wanted Roger and the other ghosts to stand out from everything else, hence their cold, dark look with everything else warm and inkeeping. The exception being the crowds of ghosts as they climb up towards the opening to become part of the universes again.
The side borders have little icon-like nods to moments and items, the locket of Lyra's hair, the powder that Ama uses to wake her, and the bats (the scene with the monkey and the bat left a huge impression on me as a kid). The angel, Father Gomez' beetle daemon, and the Arctic Fox that speaks with the cliff-ghasts.
I am incredibly proud of the work and sheer amount of love that I put into this piece. 6 years of intention and I finally have something that I truly love. Well worth the wait.
