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RobCaswell β ST1
Published: 2011-06-15 01:38:07 +0000 UTC; Views: 3687; Favourites: 62; Downloads: 354
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For Star Trek 1 I decided to go with a generic subject instead of an episode specific one, since it kicked off the series concept. It's worth noting that I'm using the original splash phrases for most of these... which is really rather amusing as they make Trek sound like Alien or 2001. Such wonderful, dark hyperbole!Enterprise model by Aggi (converted to OBJ by Celticarchie). background by Freelancah [link] DAZ Studio render w/ Photoshop.
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Comments: 38
This was the first TRek book I ever read. <3
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My favourite series of Star Trek covers you created
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Thanks, man! Y'know.... I do have a poster available. Do you still have my email?
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Cool, I have to check if I have your email..
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I bought many of the original printings as they came out in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Loved all of them. I remember in 1967 buying the first copy of a Star Trek book at the Woolworth's in the old Arden Mall Sacramento CA. That was the one that had the iconic "movie" Posteresque book cover look to it. Star Trek by James Blish (Bantam Books. The cover art was done by James Bama. It was the one that essentially illustrated the events of the second Pilot episode: "Where No Man Has Gone Before", with the Lithium Cracking plant on the cover. I was wondering if you, or anyone in this genre has every done a version of the matte painting of the plant? I would love to see that art.
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I haven't seen anyone tackle that matte subject, but it'd almost surprise me if someone HASN'T tried it.
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I really love these covers. really fantastic... I have my James Blish cover by Chris Achilleos... this would have me buy the books again!..
The only thing that never worked for me on this Enterprise is the grid lines that modellerΒ΄s insist on adding to it, they are there but very faint
If you ever do this again I would love to see it done without the gridlines .. imo
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I doubt I'll be redoing this project... but thanks for the thoughts. Frankly I'm surprised I did these in the first place. The whole thing took me less than two weeks.... and I just seemed to be so "on" with most of 'em! I'm proud of them... but feel a bit intimidated because I'm not sure I could so well again.
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I understand that... they are fantastic and I think you where on for all of them to be honest .....
just planting a seed
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Excellent job, sir. 
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I think it's more a case of clueless art/marketing people.
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I keep seeing this in my local used bookstore, but I still haven't bought it.
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No, the book. Sorry, not your exact cover, it just reminded me of it.
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Rats. If they had my cover I'd ask you to buy me a copy!!!!
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I know. If I find your cover out there, I'll let you know.
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Worlds beyond imagination...but...I just imagined one of them...NOOOOO! Is this like a Cthulhu thing? Am I going to go (more) insane? Or is it more like when someone tells you not to think about elephants? Or not to have "It's a Small World" stuck in your head?
Aiiiiiiiiii!
BTW - I have started ripping the covers off my books to replace them with yours...
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I just love those original tag lines. You could tell that the editorial staff's idea of sci-fi was based on 50's monster and alien flicks. They didn't have a clue what they were selling. It's sorta like promoting Sagan's COSMOS with "Thrill to the startling revelations of Earth's chaotic origin as the ominous Doctor Sagan spins a dizzying web of super science beyond human imagining!"
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The scariest part is "Adapted by James Blish"
Realy like the translucence of the main text - gives it a more modern feel while still retaining the classic look of these covers.
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I was unsure whether to do that or not. I futzed with the options a lot. Ultimately it came down to "go with translucency" or "lose the planet". This may be the simplest looking of the three in the recent series, but compositionally it was the toughest.
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Actually the original cover art for Star Trek 1 (originally just called Star Trek) was pretty good, as it showed some good art (rather than a mere photo still like 2 and 3 did) that IMHO was vastly superior to the art covers that followed.
[link]
But yours is excellent too. 
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It was a fairly unique illustrative treatment for Trek, at the time. It's too bad they didn't keep that same artist for the whole run of the series.
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Definitely. That cover was great, whereas the remainder scarcely looked like Trek at all - especially that one with the weird mask/face on it. Bleah! But at least the later ones were much better written, without all the butchery of story and dialog (and rewriting of Trek lore) the earlier books committed.
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The original cover was painted by James Bama, who is probably best known for his Doc Savage covers, but who was also very influential on the entire paperback industry because of his color, lighting and composition.
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Yes, though I think he was even better known in some circles for his Western subjects - especially Indians.
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Very true. And, of course, for some of us model builders, he painted the classic covers for the Aurora monster model kits - Dracula was especially nice 
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Yes, I remember those well (I even had some of them)- though I hadn't known it was the same artist until many years later.
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This is fantastic, everything in line, drawing the eye from top to bottom
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Thanks. Compared to the other two it's basic, but since it's #1 - kicking off the series - I wanted it to be a bit more straight forward. Y'know... the Enterprise and Strange, New World (tm), the end
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Top job as always. Love the composition with the planet acting as a counterpoint to the saucer, balancing everything very nicely. Great stuff.
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Thanks. I was a little unsure how it'd all work... especially with the typography. Sometimes formatted text can be your friend, but other times it's a compositional enemy.
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Thanks. I hope you're liking the series. I'm trying to mix up the color palette a bit.
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