I’ve illustrated covers for lots of books – mostly science fiction, fantasy and horror. Early in my career, many of my jobs were horror book covers, and I learned a lot about the publishing business through that genre.

One of the best American writers of horror, crime, and dark fiction, Joe R. Lansdale, was the author of some of the first books that I ever cover-illustrated, and I’ve done covers for several of his books: Bad Chili, Captains Outrageous, A Fine Dark Line, and Bumper Crop. These days, the vast majority of my cover work happens to come from the science fiction and fantasy end of the publishing pool, but hopefully I’ll keep my horror chops fresh in the coming years. From among those horror covers I’ve done, here are five of my favorites (in no particular order):

A wraparound cover illustration for Joe R. Lansdale’s Bumper Crop – this is my favorite Lansdale cover to date. Creepy, earthy and unsettling: much like the Lansdale short stories in this Golden Gryphon collection.

A cover illustration for A Walk on the Darkside, edited by John Pelan – when I illustrate covers for anthologies and short story collections, I’m aiming to evoke the spirit of the book rather than one specific story. So this one was a lot of fun because the horror here was so strange and eclectic.

A wraparound cover illustration for James Morrow’s The Cat’s Pajamas – technically, this one isn’t a horror book, but when a mad doctor is genetically compositing parts of human beings and animals, it counts as horrific in my book. My wife finds this piece extremely disturbing. Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art selected this piece for its 12th Annual Edition.

 Cover illustration for Futureshocks, edited by Lou Anders – this isn’t the version that originally appeared on this book’s cover, but it’s my preferred one. This was what I originally proposed, but the publisher preferred seeing a woman’s face on the cover instead of a baby’s. So I painted the version with the woman for them, but finished the baby version for myself. I think it’s more potent, and come to think of it, maybe that’s what scared the publisher.

Cover illustration for H.P. Lovecraft’s Book of the Supernatural, edited by Stephen Jones – it’s always an honor to work with the great horror editor Stephen Jones. I really didn’t want to have to paint Lovecraft’s face into the composition, but Steve really wanted it, so I did. I do like, however, the way the face dissolves into angry paint and a skull.

Now here are... 

FIVE TIPS FOR BUDDING PROFESSIONAL ILLUSTRATORS

 1. Never include work in your portfolio that you don’t like. The reason – someone will inevitably select the piece you don’t like as their perception of you and possibly commission you to do more of the same work that you despise. I learned this in architecture school and the same very much holds true in the world of cover-art jobs.

 2. Mail postcards of your work to people you want to work for. I used to do this a lot. Try doing it regularly every three or four months.

 3. Industry conventions are a good thing. Attend them, and try to participate in their art shows if they have them. Meet the editors, writers, and pros who work in the business. Network personally, when possible.

 4. Don’t worry about creating a “style”. It’ll come naturally. Don’t be afraid to be versatile with your media and techniques. Your personal identity will read clearly if your heart and soul are in the work.

 5. Be professional. Realize you’re hired to serve the client, not so the client can serve you. 

JOHN PICACIO is currently one of the finalists for the 2008 World Fantasy Award in the Artist category. He has won two International Horror Guild Awards, the Locus Award, the Chesley Award, and the 2005 World Fantasy Award, all in the Artist category. He’s been a Hugo Award finalist (Best Professional Artist) the last four consecutive years. Cover Story: The Art of John Picacio, a lush, 200-page hardcover collection of his work, was a 2007 Hugo Award finalist. This year, Ballantine/Del Rey released a major trade paperback edition of Michael Moorcock’s Elric: The Stealer of Souls, debuting Picacio’s all-new cover and interior illustrations. He and his wife Traci live in San Antonio, Texas. For more info, please visit http://www.johnpicacio.com/index2.html, or his blog, http://johnpicacio.com/blog.html.