A New Series
January 27, 2026
I started the year by finishing a book cover illustration. A self-initiated project, so let’s not get too excited here, although a little excitement is still warranted. For the past two years, one of my New Year’s goals (or resolutions if you prefer) was to design more example book covers to build a portfolio. Yet I hadn’t done any. At last I’ve taken a step towards that goal!
I’d been wondering why exactly it took me so long to create this cover. Then I had a look at how many goals were on my list last year alone and thought that, maybe, it was just too many to get through in one year. I also worked on longer art projects, so I’ve decided not to beat myself up about it. There’s only so much spare time in a year.
Here’s the long awaited (for me) book cover:
Done in Procreate on the iPad
Some of you might remember the cover I did for the first book of the Neapolitan Quartet, My Brilliant Friend. This is the second novel. Which means that, yes, I’m onto another series of illustrations. I love series!
At the risk of repeating myself, the beauty of a series is that many decisions have been made on the first piece, freeing your brain of those decisions for the subsequent pieces. It means the task of starting something new is less daunting.
In this instance, the first cover informed the second in terms of the restricted colour palette, the two main characters, the hand drawn typography, and where the title and author’s name should be positioned.
Choosing the colour palette reminded me of my former job as a swimwear designer, and finding a second colourway for swimsuits’ prints. The second colour combination had to match the first one in tone. For example, if print one was bright red, black and mid-grey, then print two should be something like bright green, dark navy and mid-blue.
Examples of swimwear prints—or ‘all over prints’ as we call them—that I worked on
This is the principle I used for The Story of a New Name. Though I cheated slightly, adding three extra shades of purple compared to the shades of blues used on the first cover. It was hard for me to break the “rule” of using exactly the same number of colours. A rule I had established, might I add, but finally I convinced my brain that no-one would tell me off for adding a colour (or three).
Comparing the two palettes
I chose not to depict a specific scene, but rather the essence of a section of the book. One that sets in motion a lot of what will happen throughout the rest of the story. Where, on the first cover, Lila and Lenu (the two main characters) were running together, here only Lila is running. Lenu is left behind, observing.
I researched their swimsuits very extensively considering how little we see of them! What were women wearing on the beach in Italy in the early 1960s? What hairstyle? I decided on something leaning more towards the 1950s, as the fashion at the beginning of a decade often looks more like the end of the last one.
Some of the reference photos I used
Lastly, I had to draw a book sitting next to Lenu. Just like the book being dropped by Lila on the first cover I created was important, this one is also significant. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you why without giving away spoilers. I also can’t tell you about the man in the sea, towards whom Lila is running. You’ll just have to treat yourself and read the book series!
To go back to the New Year’s goals, I intend on being more prolific art-wise in 2026. Last year was one of input, visiting as many beautiful places and exhibitions as possible. There will still be some of that this year, but I would like to do something with all that inspiration. So let 2026 be a year of output!
Judith xx
Process from rough sketch to final illustration
Monthly inspiration
Every month the magazine The World of Interiors lands on my doorstep, and it’s a treat. It is now part of my morning routine: I read one article while drinking coffee. Something inspiring to start the day.
Is it full of houses/flats and things I could never afford? Of course it is. But it also shows the multitudes of ways people curate their homes, and not just in Western countries either. I get exposed to all sorts of interiors.
There are also articles on books, arts, exhibitions, architecture and culture. It’s all right up my alley, as you can imagine.
Some of the variety that can be found within The World of Interiors pages
I really appreciate that the magazine isn’t trying to tell me what “good taste” is. Or that there even is such a thing as good or bad taste. I love this quote by Alice Inggs from the latest issue:
“Cultivate an interest in things and where they come from and why you like them. In the end, taste is only unmistakable when it leaves a trace. Assemble your home so that once you leave the room, there is still a story to tell.”
The quote resonates with what I wrote in this Instagram post last year:
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