Marek Glow

I created this illustration as a book cover proposal for The King of Elfland’s Daughter, a classic fantasy novel known for its poetic language and mythic atmosphere. The story follows Alveric’s journey to Elfland to bring back the elven princess Lirazel as his bride, and the consequences of their union as the boundaries between the human world and Elfland gradually dissolve. I designed two complementary color versions of the cover to create a striking visual effect when displayed together on a book stand.

The design process began with the development of multiple visual concepts through sketching and compositional studies, exploring different moods, symbolic elements, and narrative perspectives. Through several iterations, I refined the balance between mystery and melancholy that is central to the novel’s tone. A series of quick color variation sketches helped narrow the palette early in the process and ultimately saved hours of later refinement. The final illustration was created digitally in Procreate, combining hand-drawn textures with a layered color approach to evoke a dreamlike, otherworldly atmosphere.