Transforming words into art pieces was a hard but fulfilling journey. There was no previous method to be able to follow, so I stayed true to trial and error and learned from each drawing how to better convey the ideas I was reading in Red Rising. Normally, when art books are made for video games, they show the developmental process of designing the visual aspects of the game. The art pieces included were not made after the game–they were made to develop the game. This makes making art books for novels a unique experience in that the art can be made after the book is published. It would be a very similar partnership as an author commissioning an artist to draw the cover of their book, except here you are creating multiple pieces that bring a visual component to reading. 

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When making the individual pieces, it was very important to spend as much time as I needed in the quote collection stage to make sure I completely understood what was being described in the book, especially because I could not consult the author on the descriptions he was making. Re-reading sections all those times gave me the chance to notice the small descriptions I was missing my first time reading through the book. For example, I had completely forgotten after the first mention that the Institute takes place within Valles Marineris, a system of canyons on Mars. I think it was because the canyon’s walls were not mentioned again in the story. However, when I made the piece, the walls of the canyon was such an interesting and unique feature of the drawing that it would help the reader remember this important detail of the environment in later scenes. Unless the reader was spending as much time reading the environment descriptions, I am sure it would be easy to eventually forget or skim a key part of how the world looks. 

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I feel that understanding the environment is more important than it initially thought because environments have the power to make a book memorable. For instance, I remember Red Rising’s story more because it takes place on Mars, a place that, although fictional in nature, is grounded in strong visual connections to the planet. Other fiction stories whose fantasy worlds can be easily merged if one is not paying attention to key descriptions can cause the world to fade in memory. Art books can help readers remember not just where something is taking place, but also the story itself, by providing the defining features of a book’s world.

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Moving on to my thoughts on the end product, I realized that someone might question what the difference is between an art book for a book and a visual novel. Well, I believe the end product is both similar and different to a picture book. While it shares the visual element, it differs in its focus; rather than depicting dynamic scenes with action, the artwork serves to provide still shots that aid readers in navigating the fictional world of novels. Moreover, the art book remains separate from the novel itself, respecting the preferences of readers who may prefer to let their imaginations run wild.

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Upon completing the pieces and looking through them, I found myself much more immersed in the world of Red Rising. I experienced a newfound connection to Darrow’s awe at seeing a live and bustling city on Mars, or hear and feel the mist on my skin in glen of House Mars. This heightened immersion mirrored the connection I normally felt with well-developed characters, now for the environments in which they came from. Such an experience brought something new to reading and is something I think many readers would look forward too. 

The journey of transforming words into art has not only enriched my love and understanding of Red Rising, but has also provided a new way for readers to delve deeper into its immersive world. Gone are the days of waiting for a book to be translated into a show or movie to see it visually come to life. Instead, still shots and environmental concept art can be used to show readers what the world in their book looks like without imposing on the reader’s imagined characters.