The Paper Boy
Book cover, Digital
The Paper Boy by Josiah Golojuh, published by Stag Beetle Books, is a young adult paranormal novel. The story follows a paper boy named Daniel, whose world is shaken when he discovers the corpse of a young boy. Haunted by the ghost, he forms an unlikely bond, teaching his new friend about superheroes and sci-fi. But the truth about the Corpse Boy’s death leads Daniel to a sinister revelation involving Cowboy, a dangerous figure from the trailer park.
The cover art for this book draws inspiration from 1950s horror movie posters and comic book art, reflecting the retro sci-fi vibe of the story.
The Paper Boy cover illustration
process
The process for creating this illustration started with direction to include the two protagonists and the monster in the cover art and to capture a classic comic book feel. I experimented with different ideas and sketched a variety of compositions. Ultimately, I received direction to take elements from each of these sketches and combine them for the final artwork.
Once I created the final pencil drawing, I worked on a value sketch to plan the tonal relationships before applying color.
