Being that the subject matter was in line with folklore and mythology, I wanted to have an exterior that would reflect the magical nature of its contents – while not going too over-the-top. Since the range of folklore is so wide, covering many of the known mythologies throughout the northern world, I opted to not carve a specific motif for the covers. While it was something I wanted to do, I felt that choosing one would thereby exclude the others. And, as my old master would often say, “sometimes, simpler is better”. Knowing when to extravagate is just as important as knowing when to keep things simple.

The leather for this book is a first for me. I’ve worked with Morocco many times in the past, but this was the first time I’d been able to acquire Vegetable Tanned Morocco. I found a leather supplier in California who happened to have a single hide left. It was a bit thinner, which was to be expected, however, I was astonished at just how supple it was when it arrived. I could tell the moment I began working that this would be a special book.

To achieve the color I chose a water-based leather dye called Evening Violet. After three coats of dye, I felt the color was a nice hue of the purple I was going for. Additionally, I wanted to ensure that the title panel would stand out a bit, being an Orchid color of the same material (which is honestly one of my favorite colors to work with). I feel the Orchid-colored leather is just a fantastic, deep, nuanced material and I love any chance I get to work with it.