Art Commissions

Words paint pictures in the reader’s mind, describing scenes, people, places, and things, weaving thoughts into words, twisting words, and tying them together to create action, romance, and mystery. The craft of writing takes time, as chapters are polished, sentences are weeded out, and further writing occurs before it hits a reader’s eyes. Art is the approach of creating a story with media, whether it’s paint, pencil, chalk, or any other medium. A different path to the same end.

Bastards of Liberty, art by David Gardias

Concept a mixture of traditional fantasy cover, with graffiti stencil and comic book cover influence.

David Gardias is a book cover artist specializing in 3D and 2D covers who has been working in the publishing world for over 10 years. I’ve chosen David to work on the first three book covers for my historical fantasy series, and I’ve found each collaboration easy and exciting. I wanted something different compared to what was considered the standard fantasy cover. I leaned into the silhouetted graffiti art I enjoyed seeing throughout different parts of the world, and, with a healthy look at some of my favorite comic covers, we came up with the ideas for both Bastards of Liberty and Maiden of Storms. Each novel represents one of the Ashburn siblings, and I look forward to working with him on my 3rd cover and many more. Find at more at his Instagram account.

Louis Gomez Weyler is a concept artist who works in the video game industry, known as deRanch online. His presence was brought to my attention by the work he performed for author Alex Luco and his character work for You Cannot Drown a Shadow. I worked with Mr. Weyler on a commission for Runt Ashburn from Bastards of Liberty, attempting to show a young man who is at the crossroads of a tragic early life. The process was extraordinary, and the level of detail and professionalism in our communications was something I hope to achieve in future commissions with him. His approach and care are what will make me come back to him again.

Runt Ashburn from Bastards of Liberty color schemes.

Art concepts by Louis Gomez Weyler (deRanch Commissions).

Koijix- Viktor

I met Victor through author B. T. Litell and he showed me some of Victor’s work for some of his books. Viktor, who goes by Koijix online, creates his art through detailed pencil work and provides digital copies upon completion. Easy to work with and communicate with Viktor is highly talented and someone I have hired through multiple projects now. He is bringing the Bastards of Liberty to life.

I met Yuki Tsugawa on Instagram after another author noted their work and really enjoyed their style. The highly detailed, personal art drew me in, and I commissioned them to create my first character commission of Doc and Angus. Yuki was the first person to bring the Bastards to visual life and I am grateful for their patience and care they took in this work.

Doc (Hunter Young) and Angus with his favorite weapon.

Art commission by Yuki Tsugawa

All of the artists I worked with were professional and communicated well. Check with them if you are interested; some commissions may be open, some may be closed, but they are all hungry to share more of your stories with your readers and love their work with a passion. Indie Publishing can be difficult, but the community of writers, editors, bloggers, influencers, and artists lifts each other up, so take the time to get to know these artists and see if they can help you on your next project.

Cheers,
Matt~

Reading Year in Review 2025