Top Ten Covers I’d Frame as Art

This Top Ten idea came from The Broke and the Bookish, but I saw it first at By Singing Light.

I actually have been noting covers I REALLY LOVE recently, so I can actually do this Top Ten List with no trouble. Though I’m not going to try to list ten covers, but here is a handful of covers I really love:

I am going to start by noting that I share this particular cover-love moment with Maureen at By Singing Light. I’ve never read The Replacement and honestly I’m not sure it would be my kind of thing — looks awfully Dark Horror to me — but that cover! Do I love it? YES. Would I frame it as art? YES — but I wouldn’t hang it anywhere in my house. I have a friend who might like it on a wall, but it would be way too creepy for me to actually want it on a wall.

It probably won’t surprise you to know that the actual art I have on walls in my house is heavily Cavalier-themed. Not all of it, though! I have griffins and dragons in my house, too, among other things.

Anyway!

I haven’t read this one (nor the first book), but I am inclined to try this series on the basis of the covers. They are beautiful! I love the organic swirl of water, I love the idea, I love the colors. Would I hang this as art? Assuming it had no printing in the way? Absolutely. (I wouldn’t be keen on hanging any artwork with printing on it, personally, though your mileage may vary when it comes to cover art / art. But for this one, the colors even fit my house, so sure, I would hang it in my very own house.

Here are a few more:

I love the smoky look of A Clockwork Princess. There is some great detail work in this cover.

I love the wide spaces and lonely feel of Strange Country. It has a horror feel to it, not just a lonely feel — I haven’t read it, though, so after that my feeling about this cover might change. As art to hang, I prefer landscapes and don’t like close-up human figures, which to me are distracting. To hang in my own house, I would therefore prefer Deb Coates’ book to A Clockwork Princess.

I love everything about the Marie Brennen dragon covers — though I don’t know about actually hanging anatomical studies. On the other hand, if I had flower prints and Audubon prints, I could add these dragon covers right in and enjoy watching visitors do double-takes.

I have always particularly loved this specific FOREIGNER cover. To hang in my current small house, no. To hang this as a huge painting in an entrance hall of a big house, yes. I imagine you would get double-takes with this one, too, but it would be great.

This particular FOREIGNER cover was done by Todd Lockwood, but I could now think about all Michael Whelan’s covers and pick one … or two, or three … there are so many, and so many are truly beautiful. I *think* I might choose one of the Little Fuzzy covers, but, you know, whatever. I’m sure you all have your own vote for Best Whelan Cover. How about this one, for example?

I am a sucker for wistful covers. This one is lovely. I like it much better than the new cover for The Changeling Sea. Not that there is anything wrong with the current cover, I guess, but you have to know, when you ditch a Whelan cover in favor of any cover by any other artist, it is probably not going to be a big improvement.

I have always particularly loved THE FLOATING ISLANDS cover. Of course I would be glad to hang it, if I had the original artwork minus the printing. This is the real cover and the rough draft. I like both.

And one more, not a book cover at all:

This is a painting by Anatoliy Leushin, a Russian artist. I have a similar painting of his over my fireplace. I’ve had it for years now and still love the water and sky and the general image. This idea of reflected ruins is a theme Leushin repeats because (I imagine) it is popular. Or maybe because he just likes it. Any time I glance at his gallery, he has a version of this.

Mine is not quite like this, it is not nearly as ruined on the top, you can see the structure of the castle better. But the idea is the same. I am a very visual writer. I imagine you can see how Leushin’s work first gave me the image that inspired THE CITY IN THE LAKE.