Meet the Artists that Bring the Books to Life

Have you ever looked at a book cover and wondered where it came from? Somebody had to imagine it first. Somebody had to pick up a pencil, sketch it, erase it, and try again (and again) until it looked just right.

The art in my books was made by illustrators from all over the world. They've never met each other, and live thousands of miles apart. But together, their drawings built the World of Wayfair: the ships, the sea, the creatures, and the crows. Let's meet them.

Luis Felipe Peredo Noguez — Mexico

Caption: Luis roughed in the design first before developing it (during many different stages!) into the book cover you see today.

Luis is the artist behind the covers of The Lost Emerald of Briarwood, The Lost Sapphire of Azure Isle, The Lost Diamond of Skywallow, and the fourth book (coming July 2027), as well as the cover for the short story, The Sacrifice of Wilhelmina. If you've ever picked up one of my books - whether in paperback or e-book - the very first thing you probably saw was his work.

Look around this website and you'll find little pieces of Luis's art hiding everywhere. See the spy crows? Those are his. The great navy ships sailing through the sky? His too. And if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page… yes, that kraken lurking down there is one of Luis's creatures as well.

Next time you're here, see how many of his hidden drawings you can find.

Sergey Banityuk — Ukraine

Caption: Sergey's beautiful illustrations began with a concept sketch, and after revisions, got painted out in black and white.

Sergey drew characters and scenes from my books in black and white. That might sound simple, but it's a special kind of magic. With only dark lines and empty space, he can make a creature look scaly, or furry, or slimy, or older than the ocean itself. You'll find his illustrations over on the Explore Wayfair page in the Meet the Creatures section.

Take a close look the next time you visit. How does he make something feel dangerous with just a few lines? How can you almost feel the rough skin of a creature when there isn't any color at all?

Alef Ikeda — Brazil

Alef is the newest artist to join the crew, all the way from Brazil. He's just getting started, so I can't show you everything yet, but keep an eye on this page. There's more coming soon, and I can't wait for you to see it.

A world drawn by many hands

Mexico. Ukraine. Brazil. Three artists, three countries, one world full of ships and monsters and mystery. That's the magic of stories: they can gather people from every corner of the globe to give shape to one imaginary world!