🎨 what does the book cover process look like?
an interview with book illustrator, Leni Kauffman!
What’s the book cover process like?
The cover process is one of the most exciting stages for an author, as it’s usually the first visual step that brings the book to life!
This may vary from publisher to publisher, but an author’s input and ideas are typically accounted for when the design process first begins. For example, I’ll send a mood board to my publisher each time we reach the cover stage. These general ideas and elements are things I’d hope to see in the final, if it ends up working overall. Then, the artist and design team takes it from there.
In order to deep dive into the illustration process, I’ve asked Leni Kauffman, an illustrator who does wonderful covers, to join me on my Substack today so you can learn more about the steps artists take to get you the cover of your dreams.
Leni’s done so many terrific covers—certainly some you’ve seen in bookstores—including the cover for my most recent novel, Right Where We Belong.
Below you’ll find my interview with Leni, where she reveals how she got started, as well as her process and inspiration. She also breaks down how she worked with Penguin Random House to design the cover for Right Where We Belong. I hope you check it out and give her a follow!
An interview with book illustrator, Leni Kauffman
FP: Your covers are so brilliant! How did you get started overall, and how did you start creating illustrated covers for the publishing world? Are you a big reader yourself?
LK: Thank you very much! I've been a freelancer for a while now, and have worked in animation, storyboarding, packaging design, prop making, and finally illustration! I had the opportunity to create a couple of book covers in the past, but it was after illustrating a cover for Mimi Grace's Along for the Ride that I saw an increase in interest for specifically book cover illustrations for romance novels. Things gradually grew from there! I wouldn't say I'm a voracious reader, but I do tend to gravitate towards horror or mystery when I'm reading.
FP: Tell us about the moment when you first walked into a bookstore and saw your very first cover sitting on a shelf!
LK: I happened to be with my mum which was really lovely timing! We both spotted it in a local bookstore where I am based in Lisbon. She took a picture of me awkwardly holding up the book, which was Delilah Green Doesn't Care, by Ashley Herring Blake. It was such a surreal but lovely feeling seeing my work in public!
FP: What’s your process like?
LK: For drawing any illustration, I start out with some inspiration, so this could be photos, objects, or a colour palette, and then I try to bring those things together in a sketch or two!
From there I keep refining things with a second sketch, color, and shadows. I tend to always have a mug of hot tea next to me, and something on in the background, usually a podcast, music, or a movie.
FP: How would you describe your art style? Where does your inspiration come from?
LK: I think my style is semi-realistic, but stylised? My inspiration comes from all sorts of places, including traveling, cooking, nature, movies, and other artists. I try to keep an eye out for things that I find visually interesting—so many little details are different from daily life when traveling, for example the variety of plants, the style of doorknobs, the way the locals dress, the way food is presented at a restaurant—I try to make notes or take pictures of these things and reference back to them when drawing.
There is an ever-growing list of artists I find inspiring. To name a handful: Rene Gruau, Satoshi Hashimoto, Tove Jansson, Sempé, Hayao Miyazaki, Grace Helmer, Zoe Si, Kate Beaton, Claire Hummel, and Oamul.
FP: What’s your favorite medium?
LK: I enjoy painting with Watercolours and Gouache the most! I do also enjoy drawing digitally, it just makes the whole process so much faster.
FP: You recently did my cover for RIGHT WHERE WE BELONG—and it’s truly stunning. Could you share how you start, what sketching looks like, and how it transforms into the final result?
LK: Of course! So everything starts with a brief from the publisher, which in this case had detailed notes on what the characters looked like, what they should be wearing, some photos of a historical school campus setting for the background, and some colour notes.
From here, I drew a rough sketch, pulling together all of these elements, and also doing my own research on what their body positions should be, and what kind of clothing details are appropriate for a young man in Victorian clothing!
After this, the publisher wanted me to add some more students into the background, and change the design of the school. From here, I sent them another sketch with these changes. The only other change they requested after this was for me to change the clothing on the boy in the background to be more casual.
I then sent them a final sketch, with cleaner lines, and once the publisher gave me the go-ahead to move to colour, I gave them a few colour options. The main request was for more pinks and purples to be added. And then we have the finished image!
FP: You are so prolific and talented! How do you tackle so many projects? What’s the balance of your day-to-day look like?
LK: That's very kind of you, thank you! I try to take on as many projects as I can, and I essentially have a long To-Do list! I jump back and forth between sketches for one project, and final colour on another project, and thankfully I now have an assistant that helps me with day-to-day correspondence and admin tasks. Otherwise, it can be a little chaotic! I need to learn to say 'No' more often, I always feel like I'm scrabbling around!
FP: What feedback do you find most helpful when beginning a cover project? What do you typically need in order to get started?
LK: It really depends on the project, but it helps to be clear about what is expected. For example, some authors are happy for me to take the reins, and they give me a very loose brief, saying I can do what I like! Other authors have a very clear picture of what they want in their mind, and in cases like this, it's helpful for them to communicate everything upfront, so that there are no misunderstandings down the line.
Also, constructive, clear feedback is so important. For example, if an author wants someone's outfit to be 'more cute', then 'cute' can be highly subjective. So, rather than a subjective term, I find it much more useful if the feedback is more direct, like 'make her dress shorter and add a bow to her hair'
On a similar note, I will always need a brief from the author or publisher to get started! This is a few lines, or a paragraph, on what they want to see, including descriptions of characters or setting, and sometimes photos.
FP: What’s something you wish more people knew about cover artists?
LK: We don't just make things up as we go along! Our job is to try to create something that represents what the client wants, to the best of our ability. Everything we draw has to meet with the client's approval. Also, no illustrator in the world is going to be able to match everyone's tastes. So if something isn't to your taste, it's ok to move on, without leaving hateful comments that will affect our mental health.
FP: There’s been discussion surrounding AI art in general, but specifically in publishing too. Why should creatives forgo AI and support artists? How can artists protect their illustrations from AI?
LK: I am quite vocally anti-AI! To begin with, AI images and writing have been created by stealing artist's work, there is no way around it. AI generators work by feeding it thousands of images, often without the consent of artists. The Ai generator then generates an image by cobbling together what it's already been fed. It does not have the ability to create something new, it can only create something based on the images it already has. It's essentially a sophisticated collage machine, that can only plagiarise and steal what has come before. AI usage is unethical at this stage, because most artists did not give their consent for their art to be used in this way.
Ultimately, if you are an author and feel that you wouldn't feel comfortable with an AI generator stealing your written work, then why would you be ok with Ai stealing someone else's work? If I see an author with an AI-generated cover, I tend to assume that they also used AI to 'write' their book for them.
Lastly, AI has a colossal carbon footprint, and uses up a massive amount of energy and water to generate something. A single Chat GPT query uses 10x as much water than a Google search. Another reason to avoid using it!
Visual artists should use an anti-AI image filter like Glaze or Art Shield when they can, to protect their work from these AI generators. Particularly if sharing your work to social media, as Instagram and many others already have in-built AI generators.
FP: If someone wants to work with you, where can they reach out?
LK: They can reach me at mail@lenikauffman.com, or studio@lenikauffman.com :)
I’m obsessed with Leni’s work (since that Mimi Grace cover!) and I absolutely dream of commissioning a cover from her someday! Thanks for sharing!
I loveee Leni! 😊💖