Here is the cover for Moonsprout Station's first story: "Only Echoes." It's one of the most complete images of the Bitterrose from afar, but I hope to do more sometime. I painted this image intentionally larger than the cover size I use in print so that it goes edge-to-edge and, in the print version, the image wraps around a bit to the back cover. As a Patreon only bonus I've posted the wrap-around version of the cover here.
I'm often asked about the media I used for this. The main image is an acrylic painting, done on Arches cold-press watercolor paper (I think 12" by 16"), which I then scan and add logos/text with Photoshop. I used a lot of water with the acrylic paints to get a softer look.
My dad always had acrylic paints around when I was growing up, so it just happens to be what I started painting with, but I hope to learn how to paint strong backgrounds with watercolor and gouache someday.
Oh hey! I also released a second Moonsprout Station book this year called "Foggy Mountain Letters." This book is part travelogue, part fantasy, where I wrote letters to the character Mapel about a 2018 trip to Japan and Thailand. This bonus issue is only available in print (you can buy it from bookstores in the Pacific Northwest and La Carmina's article) I posted the cover to this book (a full-color watercolor) to Patreon as a bonus as well, so please consider supporting Moonsprout Station if you want to see more paintings like this!
You can help me to create stories, and get access to exclusive weekly drawings and art tools for just a few dollars. Everyone who supports gets early access to pages, their name on the Page of Thanks with a Lucky Chance!! to get their portrait drawn for the page.