the Art of Books

The Quest to Redesign an Adventure.

Author/Teacher, Sandra Rhea, believes adamantly in the power of stories to help children find their own voices through the written word. Several years ago she began writing a quest fantasy about a young girl who must find her own courage, nobility and redemption in a barren land called Bleak. After writing the first book and publishing it as Willowmena's Quest, she saw that the saga needed further adventures. 

The cover of the first book didn't fully express the depth of Bleak and the adventures that continued with the introduction of characters and new stories to the book. I was glad to help and add my vision to a new "look" to the added tales.

Using scenes of desert dryness and muted colors, I blended the sky, mountains, and cracked soil into a feeling of desolation. The characters were to be the only "aliveness and hope" to this landscape.

For the main character of Willowmena, I used a variety of muted fabrics to make up her wind tossed clothing. And her face was then designed to show weariness and a "lost" look. Prince Oliver was given a bit more "hope" in this face and just enough regalness to show him as a stalwart character to the quest. The fairy Merloo sits on Willowmena's shoulder with her broken wing. She has the most color all in her wings.

Finally, the are two animal friends. Gore is the rhinoceros with the brilliant red eyes. I embellished his glowing eye and gave him weight to the dry, flat landscape. Claw, the hound, is more active and the halo of light around his fur adds some aliveness to the group. 

As all these characters came to be a part of the book cover. It is a world created for the young reader to visually immerse themselves into. The scene is set for the Quest.

Amazon: Willowmena's Quest-The Land of Bleak Series