The Star Shard

Cover illustration by Fernando Juarez

On February 28th the full-length novel of Frederic S. Durbin's fantasy story, The Star Shard, was released! For those not familiar, "The Star Shard" was originally serialized in Cricket Magazine from April 2008 through April 2009. I was fortunate to have illustrated all ten parts of the story, including a special "The Star Shard" cover for the September 2008 issue.

For more information on the novel from the author himself, please visit his website. He has thoughtfully linked to all of the supplemental material posted on Cricket's website during the publication of "The Star Shard," including the story itself (sans illustrations), archived discussions Fred and I had with readers online, and even fan art of the characters. You can also see some of my thumbnail sketches and correspondence with the art director here, along with two simple how-to-draw lessons featuring Cymbril and Loric.

Though I illustrated the serialized version of "The Star Shard" that was printed in Cricket Magazine, the novel's publisher ultimately chose a different illustrator for the book. I loved working on Fred's wonderful story as it appeared in each issue of Cricket, and would have been honored to continue my work on the novel version. While I was a bit disappointed that I would not be continuing my adventures with Cymbril and Loric, I understand the nature of the publishing business and wasn't upset when a new illustrator was chosen for the The Star Shard novel. After all, the best thing about art of all kinds is that it's open to interpretation. Two artists had entered the world of The Star Shard and emerged to reveal their vision of the characters.