Artists are like dragons.
They are given to the magical!
John Jude Palencar has been producing some of the most gorgeous and wondrous paintings used for fantasy cover art. H.P. Lovecraft, Ursula LeGuin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Octavia Butler, Stephen King, Charles de Lint, and Christopher Paolini are but a few authors who have had cover art produced by John. He has won numerous awards and accolades. He sits in judgment for several prestigious art competitions.
He produces art that is quite distinctive. Like many, I know a John Jude Palencar piece the moment I see it. It always possesses elements of horror woven within the ethereal and improbable.
It is no surprise, therefore, that he loves producing covers featuring dragons!
Since it is Dragon Week and John has produced perhaps the most iconic dragon cover paintings ever for Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr by Christopher Paolini, I thought it would be fun to check in with John and see what he is up to.
Here is the interview with John Jude Palencar:
Suvudu: Hi John. Thank you for joining us on Suvudu. How are you doing?
John Jude Palencar: I’m fine Shawn… good to see you again. Wow — the coffee is sure good here in Seattle!
Suvudu: Your artwork has appeared on the covers of hundreds of bestselling books worldwide. What initially drew you to work with the fantastical and wondrous?
John: As a youngster I was fascinated with scary and unknown things. I can remember watching the early Twilight Zone and Outer Limits television programs on a small black and white steel television on our kitchen table in my grandmother’s house. These television shows scared the crap out of me as a 5 year old but also instilled a sense of exploration of the mysterious. Later on in my early adolescence I also began to read H.P. Lovecraft and watched the Night Gallery television series. The paintings that appeared on that television series were inspirational as well. Going to the movies was another avenue that fueled my young imagination. The movie Jason and the Argonauts was an early big influence. I always wanted to create things that couldn’t be photographed and drawing was a kind of therapy for dealing with my fear of the unknown and menacing images…
Scaring other people with my creations and childhood “fun-houses” constructed in my darkened suburban garage were much more fun. Of course with the special effects in today’s movies, digital artists have accomplished the realizations of fantastical imagery in stunning fashion. However there is still something magical and primordial about sitting in a quiet studio and painting these surreal and imaginary images.
Suvudu: Three specific dragon paintings of yours have graced the covers to three of the bestselling books of all time — Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. What do you like most about creating these paintings?
John: My challenge in the case of the Inheritance Cycle covers was to portray each dragon’s personality. We could have shown the dragons in all their glory; wings swept back, tails flailing around, claws displayed in threatening gestures. These approaches have all been done very well and many times on past book covers. But for this series, the Art Director Isabel Warren and I discussed a different approach… simple portraits of the various dragons that appeared in the novels. We felt that this would echo the relationship Eragon, the main character, has with Saphira, the blue dragon I was inspired to use Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa as the launch point for the inspiration in creating the blue dragon. The expression in the Mona Lisa’s eyes is what I was going after when painting the Eragon cover. Although someone once called Saphira a vampiric mule – I got a good laugh out of that.
Suvudu: I know Christopher Paolini recently revealed that you have begun work painting the green dragon for the fourth volume in his Inheritance Cycle. How is that going?
John: The painting for the fourth cover in the Inheritance Cycle has been completed. It’s common knowledge that this dragon will be green and I think it is my favorite dragon for this series aside from Saphira. The title lettering has also been completed but that’s a closely guarded secret. Who knows, maybe there will be some mysterious clues left somewhere on the net regarding the fourth book.
Suvudu: How do you like your dragons portrayed? Sentient creatures like Saphira? Or animalistic beasts like those seen in Reign of Fire?
John: Well… I like to be portray dragons both ways. That’s like asking me if I like salt or pepper – I like both. You can’t have the day without the night. Good vs. Evil. The context of duality is what drives good images and storytelling. It’s the friction between both extremes that catches your attention. In the instance of the Inheritance Cycle, I’ve opted for the quiet approach in my dragons except in the Eldest cover. However there may be more dragons to come on the horizon and they are not happy!
Suvudu: Since it is Dragon Week on Suvudu, do you have any favorite dragons from literature? Or any other dragons you would love to illustrate one day?
John: I think every sci-fi artist wants to paint the great dragon painting. They want to create an image that becomes an icon for all dragons created in the past. So maybe sometime in the future I may try my hand at this challenge. There are so many great dragon paintings already out there that this is daunting challenge. Looks like I will have to consult my muse to see if I’m up to the adventure. As far as favorite dragons… there are too many to list. I love them all.
Suvudu: Thank you for your time, John! Always a pleasure. Any parting words?
John: Hey, thanks Shawn and for the coffee too! May your swords stay sharp and all your dragons be of mild temperament!
There you have it. John has finished and turned in the cover for Book IV in the Inheritance Cycle! Hopefully we all will get to see it soon.
Visit John Jude Palencar at his website www.johnjudepalencar.com!
Hey John.is there anyway that you can give us a sneak peek of the cover of book 4
your name sounds oddly close to that of Plancar vally WHY?
If you are talking about the valley in Alagaesia, the fictional world of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance series, then the answer is Christopher named the valley after one of his favorite artists of all time — John Jude Palencar. That’s why the similarity exists. Hope that helps!