Image of the day: Days of Transcendence by Skurktur

Computer Arts [CA]: Days of Transcendence: tell us more ...
Skurktur [S]: This is the album artwork for Days of Transcendence by Norwegian band Pelbo. The band gave us a pretty open brief, in this project. They requested a dark, epic and artsy feeling to the cover, but nothing too pompous or heavy metal, and also that the design somehow related to the album title.

CA: What inspired the illustrations?
S: The music led us to several specific ideas: the explosive rhythms and dreamy tones, led by a prominent tuba, evoked the idea of a dreamlike scenery, where objects seem to float in space, or they might be whirling down into the ocean depth. To bring some of interaction between the inside and outside of the cover, the illustrations were created as a loop, making the outer image integrate with the image inside as the cover is unfolded.

CA: How do go about creating a piece like this?
S: We usually begin the process of creating album artwork by collecting keywords that relate to the band and their music. We also ask the band to send us a couple of images they find inspirational and interesting. These usually work as good references for ideas. Based on this, we sketch out a rough mockup, and then draw the complete design on paper using pigment liners. Coloured textures are created using watercolours, coffee and other liquid media. As a final step, the ink work and textures are then scanned and pieced together digitally.

CA: Tell us about your style of your work, any recurring themes ...
S: Using a combination of analogue and digital techniques, we try to preserve the organic, real-world feel of traditional media while taking advantage of the flexibility and time-saving tools of digital editing. Although we tend to use the same tools over again, we don’t consider our work to have a very distinct style, but rather as being the result of a common goal: to create dynamic imagery that will keep the viewer’s attention and interest over time.

Check out a full gallery of images for the project below, and visit Skurktur's website for more.