James Fenner is an illustrator, animator, and comic artist from the Pacific Northwest. His work deals in bright colors and emotions, and often features ethereal figures that appear to be menaced by dangerous forces, whether that’s an external influence or something within their own psyche. Fenner’s work has a depth and richness that makes his distinctive style impossible to forget, and he does an excellent job in showcasing the nuance of a story through the art he creates for book covers. Fenner’s eye-catching artwork can be seen on debut author John Wiswell’s novel, Someone You Can Build A Nest In, published by DAW Books. In this interview, he discusses what it takes to bring a book cover to life!
Check out the gorgeous cover for Someone You Can Build A Nest In on James’ website, along with some initial sketches and alternate color palettes by clicking HERE.
Your art has a haunting, ethereal quality that is present not only in your radiant color choices, but also in your bold (and often menacing) subject matter. What influences shaped your style, and how would you describe yourself as an artist? What qualities do you strive to convey in your work?
The core of my style is my childhood. My mom is very witchy & artistic- she encouraged me to observe the world in many different ways. We would give importance to places like trees in the forest or spots on the beach- I still draw those trees & the patterns of light on the lake today. Those unique specific influences are the baseline for my style. As an artist- I want to be emotive & a little spiritual, so I like using visual language to describe things I can’t with words.
A book cover is the very first impression that readers get of a book, and therefore does a lot of heavy lifting. Often, it must introduce the characters, give a sense of the story’s atmosphere, have thematic plot elements subtly incorporated, and entice the reader to pick up the book and flip through it to decide if they should purchase it. How do you approach the task of creating the perfect book cover?
Like all art things, your goal as an artist is to be your own favorite artist. So, by that metric, I want to create something that would immediately draw my attention. Thankfully, with this project, it fit together with my style so naturally! One of the things I remind myself is to not overcomplicate the image. You have to allow space for text & imagery to pop- that’s what makes it iconic to me.
Can you discuss what it takes to bring a book cover from the initial concept to a finished piece of art? What are the steps and processes involved in bringing a book cover to life?
It varies a bit project-to-project, but usually I am given a rough summary of the book alongside descriptions of characters/specific moments. Sometimes art directors will also send along reference images of pieces they like/photos that feel like the right sort of vibe. From there I typically do a round of rough sketches, maybe character exploration & we build from there through iteration.
You have a very distinctive artistic style, and DAW Books made an excellent choice when hiring you to illustrate the cover for Someone You Can Build A Nest In. Can you discuss the process of interpreting John Wiswell’s story through the lens of your own artistic style?
They came to me with a lot of imagery already sorted (bear traps, books, bottles, etc.), so it was just a matter of piecing the elements together in a fun, interesting way. We usually get such limited info to work with- you just have to trust that the editor/art directors are guiding you towards the right vision. With this cover in particular, I think I went a little crazy with my color options & they guided me to scale it back- I think that helped a TON! Sometimes with projects you overthink things, so knowing when to listen is really important.
In an interview for this website about his debut novel, John Wiswell praised your, “…knack for making inhuman figures feel like they take up the whole frame because of how they thematically resonate with the rest of the image.” He loved how strongly the reader gets a sense of Shesheshen’s character through your portrayal of her on the cover. Can you discuss the process of bringing a character’s most resonant qualities to life through your artwork?
I’m so glad I was able to convey Shesheshen so well! To be honest- I still haven’t gotten my copies in to read just yet, so I don’t actually know what she’s like at all. I can’t wait to read the story properly & see what I got right/wrong. However, I wanted her to feel a bit scary, but also like an embrace. I always resonate with that sort of character- so it was easy to channel through!
What is your favourite thing about the cover art for Someone You Can Build A Nest In, and why? Is there a specific aspect that you’d like to bring to the attention of readers?
From what I understand it’s a big element of Shesheshen’s character, but making her smile like a bear trap was such a fun note to get. I thought that was a really clever idea!
How do you balance the commercial requirements of creating a book cover for a client while also finding artistic satisfaction in a project that requires you to follow stricter guidelines to create? How do you preserve your sense of style and vision for the cover art when taking art direction from a client?
That’s taken me a long while to balance. Thankfully many clients now reach out to me specifically for my style which makes it a lot easier. One of the biggest things though is to not be too precious & to know what is important. If I’m making something for myself, of course I should get final say, but in cases like this- I’m not the client, so I have to trust that the editor & author have a good vision, too. When pitching sketches, I always have 3 marks to hit: 1) Fulfill the brief as written directly. Even if you think it’s wrong – offer the version as they wrote it. 2) Do a version that is for me. I sit in my comfort zone & create something that I like within their creative brief. 3) I create a version with the brief set aside & I try to push my skills. It’s always good to offer an “out of the box” option because you never know when you’ll stumble upon something. Usually in the end the answer is to mix & match.
You can check out more of James Fenner’s work on his website, or you can support him through patreon. He is also on twitter.
If you are interested in getting a copy of Someone You Can Build A Nest In that is signed by the author, click HERE.
