The Heart of San Francisco Reimagined - Wordless Wednesday


The final covers of the Heart of San Francisco trilogy
The final covers from The Heart of San Francisco trilogy

For this week's "Wordless Wednesday" I was inspired by Julie Lessman's guest post last week when she wrote about her original ideas for The Heart of San Francisco trilogy's book covers.  It stuck with me and I knew I wanted to try my hand at sketching some ideas of what it might have looked like had they gone in that direction.  Disclaimer: It's been awhile and my Art Professors would be very disappointed that I haven't kept up with my daily drawing journal.  These are quick sketches, only about 10-15 minutes spent on each one.  I'd love to revisit these later (maybe once finals are over)!

Based on Julie Lessman's first ideas for Love at Any Cost book cover
My Love at Any Cost cover concept art
"For book 1, Love at Any Cost, I envisioned the blonde heroine—Texas cowgirl Cassie McClare—in a full-length, off-the-shoulder evening gown with her hair piled high in the Gibson style of the day, looking over her shoulder at the reader with a Mona Lisa smile. Very sweet and elegant, but with a lasso—which is an important part of the story—in her hands behind her back that trails to the floor."
People are one of the more difficult subjects to draw ... I couldn't find a good photo or reference image to work from, so the figure is definitely off. It isn't quite what I had in mind, but when your art is frustrating you, it's best to take a break and move to something else.  Fortunately, Alli and Megan turned out much better.  =)
Based on Julie Lessman's first ideas for Dare to Love Again book cover
Pose concept for Alli in Dare to Love Again
"For book 2, Dare to Love Again, originally the ebony-haired heroine Alli McClare wanted to take up boxing because she wanted to learn to defend herself after being attacked one night in the Barbary Coast where she volunteers at a school for the poor. I saw Alli in the same kind of flowing dress as book 1, in full-view stance with head cocked as she looks at the reader with a coy smile, a pair of boxing gloves dangling over her shoulder. In the final book, however, Alli learns jiu-jitsu rather than boxing, a self-defense technique popularized by Teddy Roosevelt who was the U.S. President at the time."


I love how Alli's pose turned out and her figure is much more proportionate.  I'd probably want to have her hip cocked a bit more and have an added tilt to her head so she looks more sassy!
Based on Julie Lessman's first ideas for Suprised by Love book cover
Megan's got her glasses again!
"Book 3 [Surprised by Love] is an ugly-duckling-to-swan story about the auburn-haired heroine Megan McClare who wore Coke bottle glasses as a child before she is transformed in Paris while attending school for a year. I thought it would be cute to have Meg holding eyeglasses behind her back or against her lips as she gives the reader an innocent look, once again in full evening dress or even a Gibson style skirt and blouse."
I decided to not go the evening gown route for Meg, though if this really was a cover series, it would look out of place compared to the other two ... I think it was since she was holding the eyeglasses, the blouse and skirt felt like it would go together best (and a hat, as a nod to the final covers).


Hmm, I guess this is technically the first "fanart" I've made for Julie Lessman's books!  So what do you think?  It doesn't completely capture what I imagined, but it's a start!  =) 

Have you ever made fanart or created something based on a book?  What was it?

4 comments

  1. Kissed booksDecember 3, 2014 at 1:33 AM

    I LOVE THIS! I have never really thought of doing fan art for a book before! The last picture is my favorite! I love the idea of glassed to lips. I haven't read that book yet but I wish they would do an alternate cover like that! Great idea!

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    1. The Artist LibrarianDecember 3, 2014 at 3:21 PM

      Thanks Salyna! I often get intimidated since there are so many amazing artists out there in the "fandoms" I love, but there isn't a whole lot for Christian fiction (though Anne Elisabeth Stengl has run several fanart contests for her Tales of Goldstone Woods series).
      Hope you get to read "Surprised by Love" soon --I enjoyed it!

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  2. Julie LessmanDecember 3, 2014 at 3:33 AM

    JENN -- I absolutely LOVE this, my friend, and WOW ...you are realllllly good, my friend!! I sure hope art is in your future career once school is done because you're too talented to not use it somewhere.

    Alli's pose is EXACTLY how I pictured it, so GREAT JOB, and like Salyna, I LOVE Meg's sketch with the glasses to the lips -- BRILLIANT!!

    It would be fun to full-blown covers of each for sure, but who knows ... maybe someday YOU will be designing book covers, eh?

    Hugs and thanks again for a GREAT week on your blog!
    Julie

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    1. The Artist LibrarianDecember 15, 2014 at 10:24 AM

      Thanks *Ms.* Julie! I've never gotten feedback from the author herself before, so I'm glad you enjoyed seeing it. I definitely will find a way to do some creative stuff in between and after school --I don't want to get rusty! =)

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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts! Comments are always welcomed and appreciated.

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