Dragon painting on wood panel

This one is an oil painting on wood panel. I started with an acrylic underpainting and then painted glazes of oil color over it. 16" x 20". 

More book covers

More book covers that I have painted. 

Still more step by step on the Mournenhile cover

 Gorin's hand and tattoos complete. Face adjusted.

 First attempt at a background. Wasn't quite happy with it. Not enough depth, I thought. Start over.

 Ah, this gives more of a snowy feeling. More depth. It actually looks as if you could walk off into this environment.

Mostly complete now. Added the staff and the glowing light that comes from it reflected on the characters. Added a trail in the snow behind them.

More step by step on the Mournenhile cover

 Here I've thrown in some color for the cloak and a slight indication of her pants.

 Shirt, belt and sword detail going in.

 Nearly there with Windenn. A lot more work on the costuming.

 And she's pretty much complete.

 Where Gorin's face started.

Most of Gorin's anatomy complete and details on his belt, etc.

A look into the cover-painting process....

I'm working on a possible cover for the final book of my In the Shadow of the Black Sun trilogy. Using several photos as reference and painting it digitally with Photoshop. This is Windenn in one of the final scenes of the story.


William

Tower of Torment book cover

I finished this cover over the weekend. Painted for Gary Vanucci's book Tower of Torment. This book starts Gary's Embers of War series which, like his other books, takes place within the Realm of Ashenclaw setting. Fans of Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms should check out this series for it flows in the same vein as those stories.

Download Tower of Torment for the Kindle.

New Cover Painting for the Wycaan Master series

New cover painting

This one was created in Photoshop. I really like the way the Dwarf's face came out and the 'stache. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Comments or questions are always welcomed.

William

New cover commission...

Return to Embremere Cover Art

The cover to Tales of Embremere, Part 2. The Kindle version of the book is now available for $2.99. I've introduced a much bigger cast of characters in this story and I truly hope you enjoy it. Will there be a part 3? Only after I finish In the Shadow of the Black Sun, Book 3. Working on the outline right now.

You guys have an awesome night/day.

Thanks for visiting!

William

Newest cover painting - Covenant of the Faceless Knights

Here is my latest cover painting. It's the cover to the second printing of Covenant of the Faceless Knights: Beginnings by Gary Vanucci. I really like the way this turned out. I put a lot of effort into each cover that I do. It has to please the author and fit his vision for the world.

This cover should bring him more readers. The cover makes you open the book, right? After that, it's up to the author. This book should be released sometime this month, so watch for it, buy it, enjoy it and let Gary know what you thought by leaving a review. Prospective readers check the reviews to decide if they want to take a chance on the story. If you were going to order a blender from Amazon, wouldn't you read the reviews first? Exactly.

Gary's books can be found at this LINK at Amazon for the Kindle.

What do you think? If you are a fan of fantasy, would this get your attention?


William

The Farmhouse Secret cover art

The cover to The Farmhouse Secret by Nicole Hardison

Here's the latest cover image that I've done. This shows you that I can do images other than guys with armor and monsters. Lol. See? No swords, no dragons and no alien-looking landscapes.

Once again, if you are an author in need of cover art for your next book, please contact me. You will not be sorry.



William

New art and writing update

While I pound away at the keyboard, working on Ghosts of Embremere and outlining In the Shadow of the Black Sun, Book 3, I thought I would post a new piece of art here. It's a sample done completely in Photoshop as a submission to Wizards of the Coast. Think they can use me over there?

I'm nearly at the halfway point in Ghosts and hope to finish it before the end of May. Then I have to work on the cover art as well. Sigh. Very soon you will be able to see the cover I did for Gary Vanucci's re-release of Covenant of the Faceless Knights: Beginnings. It turned out really nice.

Until next time,

William

Several covers in one post

Hidden Mountain cover art

Hello everyone,
Here's the latest cover that I've painted for author Sammy Sutton. It's an example of how I can adapt my style to fit different genres, from the fantasy and medieval to landscapes. Whatever your story, I am sure that I can create a cover that will be both eye-catching and convey the atmosphere and environment that you wish.

Thank you for stopping by, friends. Feel free to message or email me anytime with comments or questions.

William Kenney

Embremere character art

 Lyrica from the new fantasy novel, Embremere

And Grivvin also from Embremere

Embremere

Here's the news that everyone has been waiting for. My new fantasy novel is finished! Click here to visit the Amazon page! Here's a brief synopsis:

The majestic city of Embremere had been built on an immense platform high above the surface of the lake, with the poor and
criminal element creating their own society below it in a world they called The Under. Into this world, Grivvin Lo'Rynin is exiled. He is the last of the Wychan, Embremere's high order of wizards who have, over the generations, lost their power. And now he is an outcast.

As fate would have it, a young girl named Lyrica pulls him from the churning waves that night, saving his life and dragging him along on a dangerous adventure facing whirlpools, dragons and the grey-skinned fish-men called the Cuda, who cruelly rule The Under.

Can Grivvin survive in this strange land long enough to unlock the secrets of Wychan magic and seek revenge on the nobles that branded him useless?

What dark secrets lie at the bottom of Lake Embremere?

And here's another example of my cover art for you authors out there. A great cover can really push your books over the top. Well, that's all for now. It's midnight here and I'm zombified.

William

More art samples

Lately, I've been getting a lot of questions about cover art. I thought I would post some more samples of some of the fantasy art that I have done in the past. Right now, I am charging $500.00 for a full-color painted cover. If the author wants the text, title, back cover blurb, etc added for a printed book, they will have to add another $50.00 to the price.
Email me at WilliamKenney_author@yahoo.com to start the process.

So, here's how the process works:
1) Contact me and tell me the cover concept that you would like
2) I do a sketch of the cover and email it to you for approval
3) Once approved, payment is made through Paypal for the full amount
4) In roughly 2 to 3 weeks, your cover is complete. I usually send in-progress images to you along the way as well.

$500.00 - Full color, painted cover
$200.00 - Black and white interior illustration

And here's some legal stuff, just so you know:

This is an agreement stating the rights of each party (artist and purchaser of art for publication in print or ebook format).

You have the right to use the art that you purchase from me (in this particular agreement) in print or digital form for your RPG supplement or in your novels, if you so choose. You may also use said art for promotional purposes such as flyers, internet promotion, on your blogs, anything to help you advertise your publication.

The things you do not have the right to do:

Mass produce any other items displaying my artwork for profit. (If you wanted to make a shirt or two with one of my images on it for promotion, I'm cool with that. Just don't sell them for profit.) So, no selling of posters, lunchboxes, toilet paper, action figures, mugs, bookmarks with my artwork on it unless we come up with a new agreement for said items.

I, the artist, still retain the rights to the art itself. So, I can make posters of it (as long as I do not use your characters names, etc. You own the rights to those and I can't use them.) I can continue to use the art in other ways as long as I do not infringe on your rights to the characters, story, RPG, etc. I will not show any of the artwork until you publish the work containing it, without your permission. That way there is still an element of surprise when people see your publication. Once you've posted the cover or published, then I can display the art wherever I choose.

Once I receive payment, I will send you an email stating which images are paid for and I will continue to do that as long as we do business.

You must give me credit anywhere that you use the image in some reasonable way. In the credits of the book is fine. It doesn't have to be on every page that has my image unless you want it that way. As long as it is easy for people to find out who did which piece of art, I'm cool with it. 

Let me know if you have questions about this or if I forgot something.

Anyway, on with the show. Here are some images that I have done in the past. I'll post more later.

Undergrowth

Hello all. I should be releasing this novelette in the next few days. I consider it an homage to Lovecraft, whose creepiness I enjoy. I painted the cover as well with Graphic Design help from my wife, as always. You'll be able to find this on Amazon for the Kindle. I think I'll be charging only 99 cents for the book. Perhaps one day, I will collect my shorter stories into one collection.

In other news, sales of the In the Shadow of the Black Sun saga are great with the new release of Shards of S'Darin. David Woods and I are still forging ahead with our horror novel and I have several other projects going at the same time. I can't help it. My mind never rests. Fantasy, Horror, Cyberpunk, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy. It's all in there just waiting to come out.

Your comments are always appreciated and thank you for visiting.

Walk with the Wind (But don't get tangled in the undergrowth.)

William

Book Cover to Escaping Entry by Benedict Martin

The cover to Escaping Entry by Benedict Martin

Here's another cover painting I did. I painted it digitally in Photoshop, using a graphics tablet.

The book is called Escaping Entry and is a great read. The author, Benedict Martin is currently working on the sequel, which I am eager to read.

Here is the description of the story:

Entry used to be a pleasant city, rating as high as fifth on Malcolm Tebby’s annual list of places to visit if you couldn’t afford to go anywhere nice. But then a plague came, and just like that, the cobblestone metropolis, known for its bell towers and strangely uncomfortable benches, became a ghost town. For seventeen year old Billy Stun, plague survivor and blossoming artist, Entry is an exercise in boredom, so when an eccentric nobleman named Harold asks him to be his personal photographer, he agrees. Harold, though, is not normal, and when Billy discovers part of his job is taking photographs of Harold murdering creatures of legend, it isn’t long before he begins pining for the eerie quiet of home.

Visit the Amazon page to download the book in Kindle format HERE.
You can also find his blog HERE.