STORIES

  1. Miracle Polish by Steven Millhauser TEXT / AUDIO
  2. On the Town by Helen DeWitt TEXT
  3. The Itch by Don DeLillo TEXT / AUDIO
  4. Everyone Cried by Lydia Davis TEXT

All of these stories must be read before the first session of the assignment.


First Reading

After each main assignment you'll get a short story to read and discuss during the next class. These stories will be added to this page as well. On your first reading note down all ideas for the potential cover—sketch them out loosely in thumbnail form and prepare to discuss them informally over the course of the next assignment.

The Actual Assignment

Pick one of the stories read over the course of the semester and make at least three sketches for the cover/illustration.

At this stage it’s common practice to go through dozens of very simple sketches, meant only to convey the general idea of the direction. Therefore, don’t spend too much time on these sketches and keep them simple and clear.

Prepare to talk more about the story, do research on the author, maybe even read some criticism (although not on goodreads or amazon).

Once the general idea is picked, you can proceed to final sketches. These don’t have to be particularly tight and finished, but they should give a decent idea of the style.

You may create a standalone illustration, or accompany it with a title, as on a book cover. If so, composition and text placement have to be finalized at this point. You can hand-letter the text yourself or use type.

Bring examples of book covers that you find inspiring, irritating or otherwise engaging.


Format: any conventional (or unconventional, if the concept justifies it) book size