Lake I Love You By Farrah Jane - A Forced Proximity Small Town Romance (Paperback edition), featuring cover artwork by Unratio. 

Art, like life, ebbs and flows. There are moments of exhilarating inspiration and periods of daunting stagnation. Recently, I found myself in one of those stagnant phases, grappling with self-doubt and a lack of direction. I usually spend unnecessarily long periods of time mulling over branding and fussing around with a small element of my website. Procrastination. Then, out of the blue, romance author Farrah Jane reached out to me, asking if I could illustrate the cover for her new novel.

Upclose details of the distant pine trees. This is one of my favourite parts of the drawing. 

 

Farrah was captivated by my depiction of water; the ripples, colours, rocks, and how the figures in my drawings seamlessly blended into the landscape, holistic elements of a larger picture.

Up close details of the water ripples. 

Details of my earlier work, featuring people immersed in the landscape. 

 

To help me understand her vision, Farrah had selected several of my earlier designs that she absolutely adored. These pieces were created during a very distinct period of my life, from 2020 to 2022, during the height of the COVID pandemic. That was a time of incredible creative clarity for me, when I committed to becoming a full-time artist. Those works, full of bold colours and emotional depth, served as my refuge and my voice. Reconnecting with them was like meeting an old friend; it reignited the clarity and passion that had once fuelled my creativity.

I threw myself into the new project, and it came naturally; the colours, round organic shapes and curves. The scene flowed effortlessly. The shapes rolled off my pen, and the dark, slick ripples carved the lakes surface.

Eternal Beach by Unratio. 

Ribbon Rocks by Unratio

Rainy Days by Unratio. This is one of my earliest designs that still has consistently strong art print sales in gallery stores. I love that this is a beach scene with rain and a girl wearing a winter jacket. I still remember the walk I did that day, that inspired this artwork. I found an echidna walking along the beach. 

 

Out on the lake, awash with romance and soft light, I found my north star again. Gosh I love drawing water.

Collaborating with Farrah was an honour, and I'm grateful for the chance to bring her vision to life.

So dear Artist, if you are reading this…

1. Embrace unexpected opportunities. Sometimes the best projects come when you least expect them. Expect this. 

2. Revisit your roots. Looking back at past work can remind you of your original passion and creativity.

About the Book and Author

"Lake, I Love You," the first book in the Dearing Creek series, is a slow-burn small-town romance set in a quintessential lake cabin community in north-central Minnesota. It is now available in both paperback and ebook. 

Thank you, Farrah Jane, for trusting me with your novel’s cover and for your encouraging words that reignited my creative spirit. I hope it gives your readers an extra level of delight as they uncover the story within the pages.

x Bella