Brief: Redesign and illustrate the cover of a novel. Produce a mock up of the chosen design for marketing purposes.

Concept: For me, the overriding theme of the novel Fingersmith is Pornography. Set in Victorian London, the main character reads graphic tales of sexuality and fetish for the benefit of men. I wanted to recreate a particular scene from the novel but through the lens of the twentieth century and our modern associations with sex.

Inspiration: As a keen reader, I have a huge fondness for the classic design of Penguin books. This was to be the main inspiration for type and layout whilst the cover image was derived from a scene in the book.

Method: I wanted to modernise the subject matter to appeal to a younger audience. The relatively placid oil painting on the original cover, for me, did not truly convey the content of the story. I wanted to be evocative, and thought that a puerile take on the subject of pornography would create an attention grabbing juxtaposition. With this in mind, I used only primary and secondary colours within the watercolour to convey this childish innocence.