The making of the cover for Envy and Other Eternal Engines of Advertising by Alexey Ivanov

The illustrator reads a book and draws the first sketch.

Client: Thank you very much for a very good sketch and for nailing the eternal engines theme. It’s beautiful, and we like the gradient background with clouds and effects, but when printed the colors are a lot darker. Can you take it into account and make the colors brighter?

Sure we can.

Client: Yeah, that’s great!

The sketch is sent to the author. He has notes.

Author: You need to depict emotions, a metaphorical eternal engine, not an actual perpetual motion machine. You need to draw envy, as it is the main topic of the book.

Making new sketches.

Client: A distorted angry face is, well, better. I can even imagine that face—twisted with anger and hatred, goggle-eyed, drooling... But none of the sketches is as imposing as we expect.

The author suggests his ideas.

Art director: No.

Upon consideration we decide to go with the green angry face.

Drawing, laying out, sending to print.