You’ve seen Lauren Gornik’s art on the covers of quite a few releases from DMR Books, including Tanith Lee’s The Empress of Dreams, Harry Piper’s The Great Die Slow, and most recently, the anthology Terra Incognita. With Terra Incognita out now, I thought it would be a good time to talk to Lauren about her artistic processes and influences.

What’s your background in art? Do you have any formal training?

I’ve always had an inclination toward illustration! Admittedly, I lacked a full understanding/vision of what kind of career I was undertaking when starting college, but graduated with my BFA from NIU in 2014. During those four years, I was working intermittently.

You’re probably best known for your artwork in the metal scene—album covers, flyers, t-shirts, etc. Are there other areas you want to break into?

Everything stemmed from my involvement in metal—playing in a metal band, being friends with so many people in that community. People needed artwork frequently. I’m grateful for these connections and how that work contributed to building my skill set. About a year after school, I was living in a new town, working in the racing industry. I’ve been involved with that for the past eight years, but people mostly know me from the metal stuff since that’s what I choose to put online. Every day I create new artwork, but people are seeing a fraction of what I do. The metal art, that’s landed me commissions from local businesses and some book covers as well. I find the book covers to be especially exciting. There’s more room for creativity. As far as other areas to break into, I’ll have to make new opportunities happen!

Do bands give you detailed concepts of what they want, or do they just say “Make it look cool”?

Most of the time at work our sales guy will come up to me and say “Lauren, make it look badass” and that’s the direction I’m given. Totally fine with me! However, I seldom see the same thing with bands. Usually, it’s rough concepts that I turn into something more developed. Occasionally you get people who are overzealous about how much they want to throw in the art and it shows in the finished work—not good.

Would you ever turn down a band that wants you to do their cover simply because they really suck?

Yes and no. I’m not a fan of everyone’s music, not everything is a hit with me and I tend to be pretty particular about what I like. If I waited around to only work with the 5%-10% of black metal bands I like, I probably wouldn’t be a successful artist. Artistic integrity/standards are important, but I also think a bit of blue-collar work ethic and diligent craftsmanship are integral for success. There are people and businesses I regret working with because of their attitude more than me not totally enjoying the music. Artists are rigid about who they work with, that’s fine. Now, if someone comes to me with a bad idea, I try to talk them out of that, but if it’s especially bad I will tell them I’m the wrong artist for the job.

What artists are the most prominent influences on your work? How do you incorporate those influences without being derivative?

My favorite illustrators do influence my work, but I try my best to distance myself from being derivative by occasionally nodding to certain stylistic choices with entirely different subject matter. Some of my favorite artists would be Virgil Finlay, Stanisław Szukalski, Michael Whelan, Wayne Barlowe, Boris Vallejo, Franciszek Starowieski, Wieslaw Walkuski, a lot of Polish artists overall. Always loved Polish poster art and a lot of Sci-Fi/fantasy art.

Your cover for The Empress of Dreams was rather provocative. What sort of reaction were you expecting? For the record, I only heard a couple complaints. One guy said it should have been the cover for a book called “The Pole Dancer of Dreams.”

That’s pretty funny! I wasn’t aiming for provocative honestly, but I strongly envisioned her after reading the contents of the book. The figure would have to embody the qualities of a sword. A woman that is striking, not overtly sexual but powerful, alluring and dangerous. As far as nudity goes, I saw her like the figurehead of a ship where the nudity isn’t sexual, but she is attractive.

What are your thoughts on digital vs. hand-drawn/painted artwork? Do you prefer one over the other?

There’s a lot of controversy over this and I think it’s unwarranted. Digital isn’t going to magically make you a better artist, you already need to have the essential skills. You can tell when the digital art is bad too. Nurture versatility in your work and learn any skillset you can. It’s just another tool. If you’re a fine artist and intend on having archival works that can be displayed or sold, then stick to traditional. If you are going to have to do a billion edits and are working directly with a client, then why not go digital? It’s always been odd to me that people give up the efficiency of digital mediums when they only display their work online. Personally, I do both! I do strictly hand drawn/painted work because I enjoy the look and the process is natural for me, but I typically add the color digitally so I can keep the original print clean and easier to edit if need be.

Is there an equivalent of writer’s block for artists? Do you ever get stuck and can’t make progress? If so, how do you overcome it?

Unfortunately, yes, especially if you have to crank out a lot of pieces in quick succession. However, the initial creative development is a small fraction of the work process. I can spend some time ruminating on how I want to present something in a new unique way, but at the beginning stages it’s just a concept. I typically create a mood board—a collection of random imagery, color themes, the vibe of what I want to evoke. After that it’s onto the sketch (sometimes it needs approval before I can begin the final art.) The rest is nose to the grindstone. Focusing on following through on technique and getting the work done.

Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap this up?

Thank you for taking the time to interview me, these questions were unique and thought provoking! I look forward to creating more work for DMR and am currently accepting commissions.

Check out Lauren’s work in the gallery below, and on her official website.