The making of the cover for Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari by Denis Osokin

Making the first drafts.

Showing to the client the variant approved by the art director. The plot: two enamoured meadow Mari dressed in national costumes are sitting and holding each other at a river bank under a mountain ash tree. There are naked girls by the water who have just had a swim, someone is watching them through a telescope. A city is seen in the background (a silhouette of Kazan or Yoshkar-Ola). A steam boat with a little straight-A student goes down the river.

The client does not like it. Looking for a different solution.

Nope, not what we need. Going back to the first drawing and trying improve it.

The client decidedly refutes the idea. We need another solution. Searching...

and finding it.

The client excitingly approves the draft. Starting to create the picture in the paper plastique technique.

Constructing, cutting out, gluing the pieces together.

Making photographs of the composition.

Using Photoshop to combine foreground and background elements.

Typesetting the cover.