the problem with cover art

[rm]

This week I'm doing my Gather SFF column on book cover art -- as in, why is so much of it so cheesy? But amidst my bitching, I'd also like to highlight some great artists -- so which sci-fi book covers/book cover artists do you think are fabulous?

Comments

[roy-batty.livejournal.com]

Kinuko Craft who does the covers for Patricia McKillip's books.

OK, it's Fantasy, not Sci Fi, but close enough in some circles.

http://www.kycraft.com/

[rm.livejournal.com]

Kinuko Craft is fabulous (and already on my list)

Thank you!

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

Michael Whelan! He is my very most favorite ever. I have one of his books, and some of his personal paintings are astoundingly beautiful. Plus, he does the best dragons. Hands down.

[aynatonal.livejournal.com]

I like Tom Canty, who did the covers of the early Swordspoint and Tam Lin softback editions as well as all of the covers for the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror collections. I enjoy the distinctive quality of his line work and also that his drawings often bear a striking resemblance to how I imagine the characters in my own head.

[miep.livejournal.com]

oh yes! that is exactly who I was thinking of!

[askeladden.livejournal.com]

God help me, but I thought this was smoking hot when I was 14. I... uh... {squints}... yeah, no. Never mind.

[reudaly.livejournal.com]

There's David Mattingly - He does David Weber's Honor Harrington books.

Darrell K. Sweet - He's a MASTER book cover artist - Katherine Kurtz's Deryni series comes to mind (the originals).

Donato Giancola and the Brothers Hildbrand

Bob Eggleton and Don Maitz (heck Don Maitz designed the Captain Morgan Rum pirate)

John Jude Palencar - most recently ERAGON and ELDEST

Geez, can you tell my fiance is an art show director. And those are just off the top of my head (and any ONE of them [except the one Brother Hildebrand who's now deceased - though that would be a coup] I would kill and/or fall over dead of they did a cover for me).

[fuyukodachi.livejournal.com]

Dave McKean's art actually fills me with painful levels of jealousy.

I like Brom a lot (see icon).

I am not sure if Zdzislaw Beksinski has graced any book covers, but his art was certainly worthy.

[fuyukodachi.livejournal.com]

This icon is Zdzislaw Beksinski's work.

[tdanaher.livejournal.com]

Leo and Diane Dillon. Utterly distinctive, never cliched.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

In a fit of epic cat vacuuming I once went through hundreds of Amazon listings picking out the cover art that I liked, so that once I a) finished a novel b) revised it and c) sold it, I could then recommend a cover artist to a publishing house which is unlikely to want my opinion. Naturally I have no idea where that list is now.

But I do remember a few cool ones:

http://www.amazon.com/Briar-Rose-Jane-Yolen/dp/0765342308/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-0115456-2112723?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176434036&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Anvil-World-Kage-Baker/dp/0765349078/ref=pd_bbs_sr_12/104-0115456-2112723?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176433986&sr=8-12

http://www.amazon.com/Ink-Book-Hours-Hal-Duncan/dp/0345487338/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-0115456-2112723?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176434146&sr=8-1