Jessica of Dune Cover Art & Interview

SY: Yes I am a big fan of Dune. I don't remember how old I was when I read Dune. It's to long ago now. Maybe in my early teens. It was one of the most original ideas I had read. Now it's regarded as a masterpiece of science fiction.


S: You have supplied all of the US Dune cover art, even when Brian and Kevin changed publishers. What do you like most about creating their cover art?

SY: I worked with Bantam on the first set of Dune covers but was somewhat restricted into doing some of my ideas with the House novels because of time restraints and conflicting ideas with the company over my own. With Tor I have had pretty much free reign over the art as long as it went along with what the authors also wanted.

I love the fact that there is always something new to explore within the Dune universe. Between the sandworms, characters and the environments I could keep illustrating this world forever. They are by far some of my most favorite books to illustrate.


S: How collaborative are you with Brian and Kevin on these covers? Do they ever ask you to make changes?

SY: I work mostly with Kevin to create the covers because Brian is hard to get a hold of at times. Kevin is art director and confidante on these covers. He is the most visual writer I have worked with and very conscientious to what he wants for each cover, but always gives me the freedom to explore other avenues if I think the cover could look a certain way or add the to the immense imagination of the Dune novels with my own. Kevin is without doubt my favorite writer to work with and favorite writer period, from Dune to Seven Suns. It's my job to make his writing live through my artwork. At least through the cover. And yes Kevin and Brian have asked for a few changes here and there from time to time but nothing crazy. Very small changers.


S: How long does it take you to finish a piece of cover art like Jessica of Dune?

SY: Jessica of Dune took about 7-10 days to finish.


S: Kevin J. Anderson posted on the Dune blog that he and Brian had originally thought of a different scene for the cover but it was you who wanted to do a different scene. What drove you to ask for that change?

SY: Jessica of Dune was originally to be a similar cover idea I had already done for one of the other books. Jessica and Alia are situated to the left side as with the Paul of Dune cover art. The two characters are overlooking the desert with a beautiful Dune sunset with the two moons in the sky. An ornithopter is squatting on an out crop of rock with Duncan Idaho also looking out at the desert. There are small footsteps in the sand leading off into the desert. This was to be a symbolic visual of Paul's walk into the desert.

I actually fully finished that cover for Kevin and Brian. When Kevin sent me the chapter from which that scene took place it was preceded by another scene of Jessica and Alia in disguise walking through a market scene of merchants and worshipers and various other characters at the edge of the spaceport toward an awaiting ornithopter and Duncan.

When I read this scene it was something I had not explored as a possible cover. It also to me offered up something new to illustrate that had the potential to make an outstanding cover and give the fans something we hadn't shown yet. I was so excited about the fun I could have doing it, I called Kevin, giddy, to discuss the potential. I felt like I was a little kid reading through Treasure Island and discovered a treasure map for real. The chest of gold for me was to illustrate this beautifully written scene. Kevin loved the idea so I told him I would do both ideas to show him. I sent the fully finished idea he and Brian had talked about and an almost finished cover idea that I had wanted. Kevin ended up loving the market scene idea but loved the colors I used for the sun set scene. In the end the publisher liked the market scene as well so we all went with that for the new cover.


S: What do you like most about the Jessica of Dune cover?

SY: I like the fact that people who see it really respond to it very favorably.


S: Where do you get your inspiration for the covers? Is it solely based on the novels or do you reach out to the natural world here on Earth for help?

SY: Most of the time Kevin and Brian's writings are so rich and descriptive I paint the cover in my head as I'm reading the scene. In order to make sense of that scene I always look toward the real world in order to create the art. Even though Dune takes place on an alien world there is a lot of references regarding our own in which to draw on. Deserts, people, lighting situations that may help visualize a scene. But this reference needs to be pushed beyond what we know to be Earth-like in order to give it that other world and alien look of Dune.


S: Do you have a favorite cover between all of the Dune novels you've done art for?

SY: Probably the one I haven't done yet.


S: Got any fun cover art projects coming up?

SY: Not funny. I'm not really into humorous cover art. But I always have a special place for a new Dune cover and I know Alia of Dune is the next one in the series. Unfortunately I can't get Brian and Kevin to write fast enough.


S: Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, Stephen! The cover looks great and I'm sure Dune fans will love it.

SY: Thanks, Shawn.