THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
Prompt: Create a book cover design for the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray
PROCESS
I made multiple different sketches and ideas for the cover, inspired primarily by decadent and art nouveau sensibilities as well as the flower symbolism within the book itself. The final idea I went for was Dorian Gray standing while holding a rose, and above him laburnum flowers fall from a decorative gate and surround his face, almost covering his eyes.
Within the novel, the laburnum flower represent the negative influence Lord Harry has on Dorian, corrupting and poisoning his good nature, reflecting how laburnum are poisonous. The rose, however, represents the love from Dorian's deepest friend and partner, Basil.
Originally I was gonna add more flowers to the cover, such as lilies representing Dorian's innocence. Once I started drawing, I found that the flowers would have made it cluttered and messy, and it was better to focus on specific flowers that fit together with their symbolism, rather than putting so many that it becomes distracting.
The Laburnum and Rose both represents the different influences on Dorian’s life and conscious, but the laburnum clouds his vision, making him struggle to see through the toxicity and realize the love he already has grasped in his hand. The Picture of Dorian Gray is important for it's queer coded relationship between Dorian and Basil, one that was not allowed to be fully confirmed due to the time period in which it was written. I wanted to acknowledge this important aspect of their relationship in the cover, which is why I chose the rose, a love coded flower.