While boxing up my personal library, I ran across the original printed format of my trilogy. I'd forgotten how much I loved the images that I hand-drew for these binders, which I loaned to a few friends to help me with proofreading and constructive criticism. This was all prior to any self publishing, and I also wanted the binders for my own personal reading, since I didn't have another hard copy version. I am amazed that I was able to finish these by hand, as backgrounds were a very difficult feat for me at this time. I can see where I've improved, but I still love the artwork. These were done between 2005 and 2008, I believe.
Here are a few of the covers:
This first one was the front cover of my second book, Path of a Hero. This was created before I changed the title from "The Path of a Hero", due to title length limitations. This featured Terezom, one of the book's protagonists, riding his wyvern, Gryphon. The city Doomherald can be seen in the background, as can a small silhouette of Illiya, the protector of the city.
This second image was the back of Path of a Hero. It showed Lotus, another protagonist, riding on Illiya as they launch into the dawn to fight an invading army.
This last image was the back cover of Eternity's Edge, my third book. It depicted the hands of Kuma, a protagonist in the book, as he reached out to take a very special relic glowing with magic. This image was tied heavily to a key part of the book and the first line of script on the cover, which read, "Your will determines everything", a direct quote from the trilogy.
Images are copyright me, W. A. Johnson.
