House of Leaves

I began with the design to be featured on the front cover. After reading this book I almost instantly knew what wanted to accomplish, and set about scouring for artists. The book itself is an enthralling journey, taking readers on a fantastic journey that is both engaging and mystifying. The premise, without giving too much away, is exploring a home that is larger inside than it is outside. Rooms measure bigger, walls are longer, and doors open to rooms not seen on the exterior. To accomplish this custom design I chose Cuir Ciselé as my preferred method. In order to do this properly, vegetable-tanned sheepskin was needed, and water-based coloring dyes.

Thus, I found some sketch work that caught my attention. I’ve long appreciated the geometric shapes containing a “world within” and felt. it would be a perfect way to capture the story, without detracting from the book itself. As with most custom work I do, I combined several different pieces to make my own design, the first of which is the picture of the diamond river backgrounded by mountains and a starry sky. However, I wanted the mountains to feel a bit different, so I chose another drawing from a map that I enjoy. The trees, too, were not detailed enough. So for this, I decided to do them free-hand.