Illustrated book cover

I'm a sucker for a good Knight Templar story. It's such a cool base for ideas, whether you go fantasy or stay true to a more realistic world-building there's always something I find interesting about it. So when I was approached to do a book cover for just such a story I was super hyped to get started! It was the client's debut book release and hadn't commissioned any work before so we spoke at length about his project but also me and my process for making an illustration like this.

Realizing very quickly we had very similar mindsets both as fans of the genre and how we wanted to develop the ideas it was smooth sailing and was a blast to create! We have a few other images to develop before the book is released but wanted to share this first as we're super proud of the end result.

Heres a synopsis of the book:

Deus Vult, A Tale of the First Crusade

Deus Vult (Latin: God wills it) is the tale of one knight's search for truth during his time as a soldier in the First Crusade to recapture Jerusalem from the Saracen Turks. The story begins with Pope Urban II's proclamation and calls for a holy war in 1095 AD. The knight and five others have been chosen for a special mission to find and secure any holy relics that may be discovered once Jerusalem is back in the hands of Christians.

The story follows the crusader’s journey from Europe to the holy land and the tremendous struggles they endured and epic battles they fought along the way. A major conflict arises between the knight and one of his companions who seeks to acquire the holy relics for personal greed and power.

The showdown culminates in the depths of the earth beneath the Temple Mount, after the fall of Jerusalem. It is there that the knight comes to a full revelation of the truth he so desperately sought and chooses to leave his fate in the hands of God.

Author: James Lopez

Release: Fall of 2021 on Amazon