Cover ideas for Pete’s Disappearing Act
Back when Jenny Tripp’s fabulous sequel to Pete and Fremont was still in production, the story—in which Pete leaves the circus in search of a new life—didn’t yet have a title. Things were becoming so desperate AD Samantha McFerrin was reduced to asking me for ideas. Here are rough sketches for the cover with title possibilities scribbled in:
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Nothing very workable here. What about something more show-bizzy? At this point Pete’s Disappearing Act had become the working title, so I thought I’d do something that looked like a vanishing act. Here are some ideas as tight sketches:
Too Houdini. Here’s a dramatic scene where Pete and his friends are almost run over by a riverboat:
Still not quite there. But this one was the winner—Pete caught up in a twister:
Hey Jon,
If and when would you use conte crayon or other select color media for your developing ideas?
I just use a 2B pencil—I don’t get into color at all when developing ideas.
Neat-oh! If only the title hadn’t proved so tragically prescient.