the lawful times

book illustration

the project


Wraithmarked Creative contacted me to work on interior art for their deluxe edition of The Lawful Times by Daniel B. Greene. Creative direction has been carried out by Daniel B. Greene.

The book featured high-end offset printing, a smyth-sewn binding, an attached ribbon bookmark, an illustrated cloth-bound case, as well as metallic gilding of the page edges. Additionally, it included an embossed dust jacket with metallic foiling featuring custom art by Lena Richards.

My role in the project included illustrating 12 interior artworks, 2 endsheets, as well as case art in traditional ink, to compliment the narrative. Once all of my illustrations have been finished, approved and prepared for printing - Shawn T. King designed the book into a consistent volume. 


the brief


The brief  described a fight between the book's protagonist and the villain, in the middle of a burning industrial city.

The goal of this illustration was portraying imbalance of power - as the antagonist started mocking the main character during this encounter. Leading reference image I've been provided with was the illustration of the masked villain - which later adorned the book's dust jacket.

The biggest challenge I encountered while planning the composition was finding a middle ground between the environment and the characters, without sacrificing the tension between them - and maintaining menacing posture of the villain. 

the thumbnail


I inked a 3x4 inch thumbnail sketch to make further communication about creative direction easier. Knowing this scene would require a rather dynamic approach - I stretched  the composition along a diagonal line.

Pushing the point of view down to the ground allowed me to hint the course of events - and emphasize uneven struggle. Since the uniform's design was already established - I could focus on the pose and expression: a derisive, unsettling grin working in tandem with a raised clawed hand. Villain's silhouette created a convenient spot for the other character's hand, reaching upwards.

At this stage, adding a complex background created a risk of over-crowding the compsition and diluting its potential impact. Consequently, I proposed stippling a fade on the edges of the sheet, suggesting smoke without the necessity to render buildings.

Upon approval I proceeded to inking the illustration in full scale:


1/3 work in progress image of a black and white traditional ink illustration of a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character - the Anointed by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ 1/3 work in progress image of a hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character - the Anointed by vvilczy, 2023. Clawed hand reaching upwards, hooded figure towering over it - wearing an intriciate uniform, clawed hand armor and an unsettling smile.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

2/3 work in progress image of a black and white traditional ink illustration of a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character - the Anointed by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ 2/3 work in progress image of a hand-drawn-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character - the Anointed by vvilczy, 2023. Clawed hand reaching upwards, hooded figure towering over it - wearing an intriciate uniform, clawed hand armor and an unsettling smile.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

3/3 work in progress image of a black and white traditional ink illustration of a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character - the Anointed by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ 3/3 work in progress image of a hand-drawn-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character - the Anointed by vvilczy, 2023. Clawed hand reaching upwards, hooded figure towering over it - wearing an intriciate uniform, clawed hand armor and an unsettling smile.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

Black and white traditional ink illustration of a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character - the Anointed by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ Hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character - the Anointed by vvilczy, 2023. Clawed hand reaching upwards, hooded figure towering over it - wearing an intriciate uniform, clawed hand armor and an unsettling smile.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

selected interior illustrations

Black and white traditional ink illustration of a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character weilding a double-barrel shotgun, by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ Hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character weilding a double-barrel shotgun, by vvilczy, 2023. The woman is shooting the gun through nondescript organinc matter, grinniung maniacally.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

Black and white traditional ink illustration of a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - a woman's hand holding a cigarette, by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ Hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - a woman's hand holding a cigarette, by vvilczy, 2023. The woman is wearing a uniform, judging by the jacket's sleeve. There's a manor and a shed in the background, surrounded by trees. There's a group of people standing in front of the building - and a man in a coat standing in between them and the woman in the foreground.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

Black and white traditional ink illustration of a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character holding a rifle, standing at the corner of the street, by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ Hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times character holding a rifle, by vvilczy, 2023. The woman is standing at the corner of the street. The scene is lit by a gas lamp. There's a small group of people standing by the building in the background.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

Black and white traditional ink illustration of a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - depicting a syringe nearing a frightened face, by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ Hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - aa syringe nearing a frightened face, by vvilczy, 2023. The needle is dangerously close to the eye. The reflection in the eye hints the perpetrator's presence.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

Black and white traditional ink illustration of a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - a heated conversation between two characters sitting by a table, by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ Hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - a heated conversation between two characters sitting by a table, by vvilczy, 2023. The woman in a uniform is pulling out a handgun, while the man is explaining something. There are two glasses on the table and a large window in the background.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

Black and white traditional ink illustration of a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - a humanoid monster on top of a bottle rack in a wine cellar, by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ Hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - a humanoid monster on top of a bottle rack in a wine cellar, by vvilczy, 2023. The creature's clawed hand is raised, while its sinewy shoulder is being torn by a gunshot. An assortment of wine bottles stacked on the shelf is visible in the foreground.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

Black and white traditional ink illustration of a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - a gloved hand hovering over a chess board occupied by a white pawn and a black king, by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ Hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - a game of chess, by vvilczy, 2023. A hand in a leather glove is hovering above a polished wooden chessboard. Two chesspieces are visible in the frame: a white pawn and a black king.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.

Black and white traditional ink illustration of a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - depicting a masked, hooded figure weilding a blade, behind a large window, stained with blood streaks, by vvilczy, 2023.
✖ Hand-drawn book illustration in ink, depicting a scene from Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times - a masked, hooded figure weilding a curved blade, behind a large window, stained with blood streaks obscuring the view.

Interior artwork for the Wraithmarked edition of Daniel B. Greene's The Lawful Times. Illustrated with archival ink on A4 acid-free paper.
Commercial project.

© 2023 vvilczy. All Rights Reserved.