Art & Illustration by Wendy Spurlin

This section features original artwork and illustration created for books, publishing, and standalone art collections. Projects range from CUSTOM BOOK COVERS and series branding to illustration, collage-based design, and experimental visual work, as well as limited-edition and open-edition prints intended for wall display.

Abstract Vulture Studies: Expressive Line Drawings Inspired by Form and Motion

These abstract vulture studies began as an exploration of shape, movement, and personality through minimal linework. Created with flowing marker lines and layered color edges, the pieces reduce the bird down to its essential forms while still capturing its posture, weight, and strange elegance. I’ve always loved vultures artistically. They’re awkward, dramatic, intelligent, and somehow both ugly and beautiful at the same time. Their hunched silhouettes, stretched wings, and exaggerated necks create natural abstract shapes … Read more

Expressive Color Studies: Layered Watercolor and Digital Composition

These pieces began as a series of small watercolor experiments—each one painted individually on circular sections of paper. There was no fixed plan going in. The goal was simple: let the paint move, react, and settle on its own terms. Working this way removes control at the start. Color bleeds, edges form unpredictably, and textures develop in ways that can’t be forced. Some areas bloom softly, others create hard lines or unexpected patterns. Each circle … Read more

The Fox and the Cat – Vector Illustration in Adobe Illustrator

This illustration was created as part of an Aesop’s Fables assignment, focusing on The Fox and the Cat. It marks my first fully illustrated story scene and played a major role in shaping the clean, bold style I now use in children’s book illustration. The goal was to keep the composition simple while allowing the characters to carry the emotional weight of the scene. The fox sits confidently with its back turned, while the cat’s … Read more

A Gift That Lasts All Year: 52 Weeks of Victorious Aging for Mother’s Day

Some books are meant to entertain. Others are meant to strengthen you. 52 Weeks of Victorious Aging does both—and that’s exactly what makes it such a meaningful Mother’s Day gift. Written by Dr. Martha Lucas, this book offers 52 practical, achievable actions designed to help readers create a healthier, happier life as the years advance. Each week focuses on one simple step—no overwhelm, no drastic overhauls—just consistent, sustainable choices rooted in real clinical experience and … Read more

From Marker Sketch to Modern Geometry: Turning Hand-Drawn Lines into Digital Abstract Art

Many of my geometric pieces start in the simplest way possible: paper, markers, rulers, and a handful of circle templates scattered across my desk. No grand plan, no complicated concept—just lines, curves, and shapes beginning to interact with one another. What I enjoy most about this process is the balance between structure and spontaneity. The tools create order—perfect arcs, measured angles, repeating circles—but the way those elements intersect is often completely intuitive. I draw a … Read more

Designing Meaning: Creating the Cover for The Epic of Lost Immortality

One of my favorite parts of working with authors is translating a story’s deeper meaning into a single image. A good book cover doesn’t just decorate a book—it interprets it. Recently I had the opportunity to design the cover for The Epic of Lost Immortality, a novel by Bernard Langs. This project became a fascinating exercise in assembling fragments of historical imagery and symbolism to reflect the psychological depth of the story. The final design … Read more

52 Weeks of Victorious Aging – A Gift of Health, Wisdom, and Encouragement

Some books are meant to entertain. Others are meant to strengthen you. 52 Weeks of Victorious Aging does both. Written by Dr. Martha Lucas, this book offers 52 practical, achievable actions designed to help readers create a healthier, happier life as the years advance. Each week focuses on one manageable step—no overwhelm, no extreme overhauls—just consistent, sustainable choices rooted in experience and wisdom. I had the privilege of illustrating this book, bringing visual warmth and … Read more

Metrosexual Humpty Dumpty: Character Design in Ink

Meet Metrosexual Humpty Dumpty—mustached, scarfed, booted, and absolutely unbothered by the zombie apocalypse. This simple ink outline character began as part of my Zombies in the Nursery series, where familiar childhood icons are dropped into wildly inappropriate horror situations. In his story, Humpty doesn’t just fall off a wall—he unintentionally saves the day when zombies invade a royal birthday parade. It’s dark, ridiculous, and exactly the kind of storytelling playground I love to explore. What … Read more

When Horror Collage Becomes a Book Cover (and Why It’s Harder Than It Looks)

Every once in a while, a piece of art accidentally turns into something else. This cover is a perfect example. This is not a published book. It’s a sample cover, created to show how my horror collage work naturally lends itself to book cover design—especially for dark fantasy, horror, and supernatural fiction. Moody lighting, narrative tension, strong focal imagery… all the ingredients are already there. And yes, this cover was created in Canva. Before anyone … Read more

Tiny Canvases, Big Ideas: My Hilma-Inspired Miniature Abstract Paintings

Sometimes the most interesting creative experiments happen on the smallest surfaces. These tiny 3 x 3 inch abstract paintings were created during a short burst of studio experimentation where I focused on color, symbolism, and simple geometric forms. The inspiration behind the series comes from the bold visual language of Hilma af Klint, whose work explored spiritual symbolism, geometry, and color relationships long before abstract art became widely recognized. While these paintings aren’t direct copies … Read more

Floppy Flowers: When Shapes Refuse to Behave

Every once in a while, I make something that feels like it has absolutely no interest in following rules. This is one of those pieces. Floppy Flowers started as a simple geometric exploration—circles, curves, repeated shapes, a color palette that felt balanced and intentional. But somewhere along the way, it stopped behaving like a clean, structured design and started leaning into something a little… weirder. The forms began to feel soft. Flexible. Almost alive. Not … Read more

Backward Thinking (and the One That Escaped the Floor)

Every once in a while, I step away from faces and let the rest of the body take over. This was one of those moments. These two pieces came out of the same session—same mindset, same flow, same refusal to behave. One became Backward Thinking. The other… just kind of slid off into existence as a body stretched out on the ground like it gave up halfway through making sense. Backward Thinking This one is … Read more

Graphite, Grit, and a Bit of Obsession

Every artist has that one medium they keep crawling back to like a comfortable bad habit. For me, it’s pencil. Not flashy. Not trendy. Just graphite, pressure, patience—and a borderline unhealthy attention to detail. These three pieces span years of work, from high school all the way to more recent explorations, and they show exactly why I’ve never been able to quit this medium. Each one uses a completely different approach, but they all come … Read more

The Art Thief: Cover Design Spotlight

This cover was created for The Art Thief by Bernard Langs and is a great example of how classical art, modern tools, and restrained typography can come together to reflect a story’s psychological depth. The design was created in Photoshop using early AI-assisted image generation techniques, blended carefully with historical artwork to preserve tone and authenticity. At the heart of the cover is The Miraculous Draught of Fishes by Raphael, a Renaissance master whose work … Read more

Introducing Polished Pages: Clean Up Your Manuscript Like a Pro (Even If You’re Not One)

Let’s be honest—MS Word is powerful, but it’s also sneaky. One moment you’re typing away, and the next your manuscript is littered with mysterious formatting marks, rogue section breaks, and quotation marks that can’t seem to make up their minds. If you’ve ever opened your document and muttered, “Why is it doing that?”—this book is for you. Polished Pages: A Comprehensive Checklist for Cleaning Up Your MS Word Manuscript is your go-to guide for transforming … Read more

Christopher Walken Caricature – First Digital Pencil Portrait

This was my very first attempt at a caricature — and my first time trying to recreate the feel of graphite using Adobe Fresco. Digital pencil is a completely different creature than real graphite, but this project taught me so much about texture, pressure, and letting the weirdness lead the way. If you haven’t already guessed, this is Christopher Walken, one of my absolute favorite actors and a true national treasure. I originally aimed for … Read more

Abstract Geometry & Modern Form: From Intuitive Sketches to Bauhaus-Inspired Vector Design

These two pieces sit on opposite ends of the same creative process—one driven by instinct, the other refined through structure, but both rooted in simple shapes and bold decisions. The first composition began the way many of my abstract pieces do: fast, loose, and completely unplanned. Originally created with markers, the shapes built on each other through repetition and balance rather than intention. It wasn’t until the piece was finished that any recognizable idea emerged—something … Read more

When Dinosaurs, Aliens, and Stonehenge Collide: The Joy of Absurd Collage

Some art tries to make perfect sense. These collages do the exact opposite. One of the things I love most about digital collage is the freedom to build scenes that could never exist in the real world—and then present them as if they might have actually happened. When completely unrelated elements are combined in the same space, something interesting happens. The image starts telling a strange little story, even if that story is completely ridiculous. … Read more

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