The map of Los Ocho Velos, a black and white fantasy map for Ale Lugilde’s novel, was one of those projects where cartography and editorial illustration have to work hand in hand. The commission came from Esencia, an imprint of Grupo Planeta, with the aim of...
Creating a pirate fantasy map for a novel means turning into an image a world that, until then, exists mainly in the author’s head and in the pages of the manuscript. That was the starting point for the illustrated map of La profecía olvidada (The Forgotten...
An illustrated map is a hand-drawn representation of a territory, real or imaginary, that combines cartography and illustration to show more than where things are: the atmosphere of the place, its history or the tone of the story. Unlike a geographic map, it does...
Working as an editorial map illustrator on a fantasy novel is, in a way, drawing the invisible: turning a narrated world into a territory you can travel with your eyes. In this project I had the chance to create an Ancient Egypt fantasy map for La sombra del loto...
Illustrated maps for novels have a long tradition in fantasy and adventure literature. They help readers find their way around the world of the story, and they add a visual dimension that expands the reading experience. For the Spanish edition of Sangre de Dragón...
Many illustrations start with a clear brief. This paranormal book cover illustration for El tiempo paranormal de Samanta Welder (The Paranormal Time of Samanta Welder), by Luis Martínez Vallés, started with a good idea. Paranormal book cover illustrationWhen a good...
This young adult book cover illustration for Para una vez que me arremango (For Once I Roll Up My Sleeves), a novel by Alfredo Gómez Cerdá published by Editorial Everest, does not illustrate a specific scene of the book: it condenses its emotional tension....
The Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN) has once again chosen art to communicate at its Madrid headquarters. This time the main façade displays a six-metre banner with a mental health illustration of mine, originally created for the cover of issue 129 of the...
Some commissions grow far beyond what you expect. I never imagined that one of my drawings would end up as a six-metre banner in Madrid, but that is what happened to this healthy summer illustration I created for the Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), one of...
I had the opportunity to create this illustrated Kingdom of Granada map, a historical map of a territory that is key to understanding the cultural and political evolution of the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Beyond pure geography, the piece tries to capture the...
As an illustrator, few things excite me as much as creating maps for novels. One of my latest commissions was a Hernán Cortés route map for El sueño de la serpiente (The Dream of the Serpent), the new novel by Jordi Canga. It is a historical thriller that weaves...
When the writer Edgar S. Cortés contacted me to design the cover of his book Taquicardia (Tachycardia), his only request was clear and challenging: the image should not just accompany the title, it should make it beat. The cover had to convey, on its own, the...
When I received the commission to illustrate the map for Por una corona de corazones (For a Crown of Hearts), I knew straight away it was a special world. This young adult novel, written by Coriant Paguel, pen name of Victoria Roldán, and published by MR (Martínez...
When Titan Desert contacted me to design the Titan Desert map for the 2024 edition, I not only took on the challenge with enthusiasm, I also saw it as a unique opportunity to combine my passion for illustration with a visual challenge like no other. The Titan...
Have you ever imagined an orbital city inhabited by robots, with unknown jungles and desert regions floating above a planet? That is the world I had to draw in this science fiction map for La ciutat del Cel. Porcs, the new novel by Jordi de Manuel published in...
Creating maps for fantasy novels is one of the most exciting parts of editorial design. As an illustrator, I have been lucky enough to work on projects that let me visualise imaginary worlds and territories full of history, characters and mythology. A clear example...
Children’s illustration is illustration created for books, picture books, magazines and other materials aimed at children. Its role is not just to decorate the text: it helps children understand the story, sparks their imagination, conveys emotions and, for early...
Finding the right book illustrator can be a challenge, especially if you do not know where to start. If you are an author looking for an illustrator for your book, you want to make sure your story is accompanied by images that truly capture its essence. Keep...
Do you love reading and art? Have you ever wondered how those two passions come together to create books that capture the imagination? The answer lies in the work of an illustrator at a publishing house: the person who turns words into covers, maps and images that...
This Victorian city map shows Lundenwich, the dark, ghost-ridden version of London where Víctor Sellés sets La Sociedad de Lundenwich. I illustrated it for the first book of the saga, Fantasmas de verde jade (Ghosts of Jade Green), published by Obscura Editorial....
Thirteen women scientists illustrations make up “Científicas de la Historia” (Women Scientists in History), a travelling exhibition created for the Public University of Navarre (UPNA) and linked to the stage play Yo quiero ser científica (I Want to Be a Scientist)....
Maps in books and novels help readers picture an invented world and follow the plot. If you are about to hire a map illustrator, this guide explains the types of maps you can commission, the most common techniques and what to prepare so the project runs smoothly....
Working as a fantasy map illustrator for novels is a creative adventure that combines technical skill with the ability to build imaginary worlds. A map in a fantasy novel helps readers find their place in the world the author has created, and it is also an...
Few novels deserve a War and Peace map more than Tolstoy’s masterpiece. For the new two-volume Spanish edition of Guerra y paz published by Alba Editorial, I illustrated the maps that help readers follow the Napoleonic campaigns across Europe and the decisive...
The Stormdancer map I illustrated for Tormenta, the Spanish edition of Stormdancer, the first book of Jay Kristoff’s acclaimed Lotus War series, is one of the projects that has given me the most satisfaction. The series stands out for its intricate mix of fantasy...
I am pleased to present this Norse mythology fantasy map for La Redención de Agartha (The Redemption of Agartha), an illustration I created for the fantasy novel by Alberto S. Torner. Designing this map was a fascinating project that combines fantasy with intricate...
This children’s book map was created for Cruzamundos, an adventure novel for young readers written by Gabriel Sánchez García-Pardo and published by Editorial Hidra, one of the best-known Spanish publishers of fantasy for children and young adults. It shows the Seas...
This Lovecraft illustration, titled «Oscura biblioteca de la mente» (Dark Library of the Mind), won the illustration contest of the short story anthology Lovecraft: Mitos de Fuenlabrada, coordinated and published by Kelonia Editorial. The winning image became the...
This is The Ten Thousand map I illustrated for the Macht trilogy by Paul Kearney, which begins with The Ten Thousand (Los Diez Mil). The map was created for the Spanish edition published by Alamut, which released the trilogy through a subscription campaign. You can...
These are the Shadowmarch map illustrations I created for the Spanish edition of Shadowmarch (La frontera de las sombras), the fantasy novel by Tad Williams, published in Spain by Alamut Ediciones. There are four maps in total: two of the world where the story...
Today I want to share this grimdark fantasy map I created for Kobold, el señor de las cadenas (Kobold, Lord of Chains), a novel by the talented Alfredo Álamo published by Ediciones Torre de Marfil. It was an exciting challenge that let me explore a world full of...
This is the Monarchies of God map I illustrated for the Spanish edition of The Monarchies of God (Las Monarquías de Dios), the fantasy saga by Paul Kearney, published in Spain by Alamut Ediciones. It is another of the maps I have drawn to accompany a whole series...
