Original Completion Date: May 3, 2014
Earlier this year I was commissioned to develop a cover illustration for author Chip Rice's first novel. "The Tree" is a story about transformation, a young man's struggle to break away from an image he'd allowed his past to shape, and into the type of man he truly desires to become. This is also a story about the unique relationships formed between men: between sons and fathers, mentors and friends, both good and bad. Mr. Rice has a gift for weaving, through the simplicity of one man's life, a stronger narrative about the things and people we allow to influence the men we become.
As for the cover, the story is really about the relationship between two characters, and the symbolic nature of the giant white oak for which the book is titled. I wanted something painterly and rich, and decided very early on that the entire thing would be painted exclusively in Photoshop. And it was-- the only traditional work performed at all was a fairly simple pencil sketch in 3H, HB, and 5B:
This was completed over a month ago, but I'd been holding off on the release of the imagery until the book itself was published. Chip Rice is proud to officially unveil his first novel, which is available for purchase in eBook format from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and more! To buy the book now, or to learn more about this compelling story, please visit the author's web site today at:
http://chiprice.net/tree.html