Welcome back, my fellow creatives!

Pardon the detour–originally, I was going to write about sensory storytelling. After exploring some art books for worldbuilding inspiration, though, I wanted to share these instead. Let’s face it: not all writers can draw. (I certainly can’t, lol.) While I can imagine what I’m writing, I often utilize some sort of visual to lay the foundation for that story-world. For instance, Rose House in my Fallen Princeborn books is based on the Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee.

So to inspire your explorations of other times and worlds in this dimension, here are some art books accessible in stores or libraries.

The Art of Ron Cobb

By Jacob Johnston

2022.

Titan Books.

Blurb Snippet: During his sixty-year career, Ron Cobb provided concept art for some of the biggest films in sci-fi cinema. From designing spaceships for Alien, Dark Star, and Firefly and Delorean from Back to the Future to character designs for Conan the Barbarian and creature concepts for Star Wars and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Ron has left a legacy of artwork behind to inspire future generations of concept artists.

Why this book? I love seeing how someone imagines ships from other planets, let alone time periods. Plus, Cobb puts a lovely level of detail into the little things. I mean, who would think of what the badges should look like on the characters’ uniforms in Alien? Cobb did. What could different weapons look like we may only see in one moment? What could cities look like that we only glimpse from afar? Just how alien can we make those cosmic creatures look? Cobb sketched them all, and they’re a fascinating study to inspire your own otherworldly storytelling.

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Worlds Beyond Time: Sci-Fi Art of the 1970s

By Adam Rose

2023.

Abrams Books.

Blurb Snippet: Over the course of the decade, a stable of talented painters, comic-book artists, and designers produced thousands of the most eye-catching book covers to ever grace bookstore shelves (or spinner racks). The pieces commissioned for these covers often had very little to do with the contents of the books they were selling, but by leaning heavily on psychedelic imagery, far-out landscapes, and trippy surrealism, the art was able to satisfy the same space race–fueled appetite for the big ideas and brave new worlds that sci-fi writers were boldly pushing forward. 

Why this book? Trippy artwork of time and space, of flora and fauna? Yes, please! From classic contraptions like the tripods of War of the Worlds to B-movie style aliens kidnapping ladies while a galactic rock band plays to the stars, you’ve got hundreds of images to spark your imagination. The ships and landscapes alone are worth an explore!

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How to Draw Sci-Fi Utopias and Dystopias

By Prentis Rollins

2016.

Monacelli Studio.

Blurb Snippet: A DC Comics illustrator shows readers how to conceptualize, draw, and digitally enhance their own science fictional worlds – whether for graphic novels, comics, movies, or video games. Sci-fi imagery commands today’s popular culture, from Star Wars to The Hunger Games and The Walking Dead.

Why this book? No, I’m not trying to learn how to draw. However, as my daughter Blondie reminds me, it’s important to explore different elements of a composition so you know how all those pieces come together in a single visual. Whether you’re looking at the balance of the imagery, the anatomy of a body, or developing the intricate details of a decaying realm, this book will transport you at lightspeed.

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Designing Terry Pratchett’s Discworld

By Paul Kidby

2024.

Harper Books.

Blurb Snippet: Designing Terry Pratchett’s Discworld is a celebration of Discworld art and a brilliant homage to the decades-long collaboration between artist Paul Kidby and Sir Terry Pratchett that takes readers behind the scenes of one of the great creative partnerships. It shows how the Discworld was brought to visual life—from the earliest sketches to the final magnificent masterpieces—and how Pratchett and Kidby were influenced by art and pop culture, fusing them into the Discworld universe. 

Why this book? Why this book??? Why not, is what I say! Seriously, though, my kids ADORE this book. Long ago I found The Last Hero at a library book sale, and that proved to be our family’s gateway into Discworld and Kidby’s hilarious and magical art style. Sure, this isn’t scifi per se, but as a writer, I love reading Kidby’s descriptions of what inspired him. It’s a reminder to us that inspiration lives and breathes all around us, if we only care to look. And with the right touches of the fantastical, we can transform the humdrum into something truly cosmic.  

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Let’s wrap it up there, shall we? Coming up, I’ve got another interview, a resource spotlight to help with characters, my inner battle with whether or not I bring some old stories back for purchase, and of course, some more summer camp…only that’s a bit of a battle, too, as I found this gem at the library earlier this week.

One way other another, we’ll have our trips through the genres before school bells ring!

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!