Cover illustration for the books “La Catedral del Mar” and “Los Herederos de la Tierra”

Sometimes I make some small incursions outside the path of scientific illustration, either because I like the objective of the project, the subject matter or the technique and process of illustration.

In this case it was a combination of all these reasons that led me to agree to draw this interpretation of the city of Barcelona in the 14th century, for the covers of the books (DEBOLSILLO) “La Catedral del Mar” and “Los Herederos de la Tierra” by Ildefonso Falcones.

The publisher’s requirement is that the illustration of the city should be in an aerial perspective, with views towards the sea, simulating the engraving technique, with black ink, which I love!!

The same illustration should have continuity from the cover of the first book to the cover of the second, where in one case the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar would be highlighted, and in the other the building of the Royal Shipyards.

The great challenge here is clearly the lack of reference images of the city of Barcelona in the 14th century with the desired perspective, since the only resources I had were some city plans from that time, maps and illustrations with other points of view. For this project, the map from the first edition of the book also helped me a lot, helping me to visualize what the city was like.

The other challenge, no less complicated, was to draw all the buildings and city walls with the correct perspective and framing, for which it would be ideal to have a three-dimensional model of the city. Lacking digital 3D modelling skills, I have rolled up my sleeves to do something I hadn’t done since I was a child: playing with a block of plasticine!!

With the help of the map in the book, I took the time to build the entire city block by block, looking for documentation of the city plans, the plans of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar and the Drassanes Reials from that century. This was the most difficult part and the most fun at the same time!

Once the model was finished, made with white FIMO clay, it was a matter of placing a white background and taking several photos to find the point of view that best suited the covers. Using that photograph as a base, it was much easier to make the drawing in the engraving style (with digital technique), adding textures, windows, doors, trees, crops, boats, rivers, waves…

Creating this illustration was a challenge and at the same time a huge pleasure, and it is with great excitement that I see my illustrations in these historical novels that keep you captivated with curiosity from the first to the last page.