Timo Burnham—Dawn of the Black Sun Illustration

​

I was commissioned by author Timo Burnham to create an illustration that featured the protagonist of his book Dawn of the Black Sun, that he could use for promotion and marketing purposes. He was not particular on how the piece was to be composed, and only said that he was thinking of having his protagonist, Ryu, sleeping against a creature called a Doro. 

​

Compositionally, this idea was perfect. The big fluffy Doro works very well as a framing device. I thought that this would work perfectly in a nighttime setting by a campfire. The flames provide a light source that highlights the main elements of the scene. I also made use of Ryu's two swords to help guide the eye around the image.

 

Timo noted that he thought that my preferred art style, a sort of pseudo-manga, worked well for his story, so I was sure to stick with that style.

 

Overall, I am very pleased with the finished results.