Fantasy Magazine

Cover art begins with the story and the characters. I usually get a synopsis and character descriptions, or sometimes a copy of the manuscript. From there, I try to find a model who I think can embody the character or at least be transformed through a bit of photoshop.

After that, it’s a matter of trying to find the right atmosphere. My work is somewhat abstract, or dreamy I guess you could say, and so it relies a lot on color to evoke certain feelings and elements which contribute to the general themes of the book through symbolism or inference.

This is something that holds true to my personal work as well. I’m not always trying to express a concrete idea but rather, something that evokes a particular feeling or acts as a catalyst for the viewer to create their own “story.”

During the study for my Communications degree I first discovered Photoshop. For the past 5 years or so, I’ve gone digital. I like the immediacy of it and the allowance for constant and continuous revision. Also, I think it has a kind of vibrancy that I just couldn’t get out of traditional media.

After college, I really just taught myself, and I’m very much still a work in progress. I learn new things everyday from using the software, reading articles in magazines and communicating with other artists on the web and at shows.

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Visit Stygian Darkness and Archeon Tarot to see more of Timothy’s work. Read an excerpt from Clockwork Heart.