Benaghar: The Rat, The Wolf & The King’s Fool Book Cover Artwork
Benaghar: The Rat, The Wolf and The King’s Fool book cover artwork is designed by Casey ‘Broc’ Dillon.
Casey ‘Broc’ Dillon is a tattoo artist specialising in Celtic and Nordic art styles. A love of myth, history and nature is prominent in his work and he tries to create art that brings ancient worlds to life for a modern audience. He currently tattoos at Sacred Knot Tattoo in Llandudno, Wales and more of his amazing work can be found at @badgerkingtattoo. Speaking about the project Broc said:
“Micronesian dotwork tattoos really resonated with me and I felt it was important to emulate those traditional methods as closely as possible”
Casey ‘Broc’ Dillion
“When asked to devise a cover illustration for Benaghar: The Rat, The Wolf and The King’s Fool, I was eager to try something new and wanted to create something that felt authentic to the story.
Whether I am tattooing with or without a machine, dots are a staple of my work, something I do not only because I like the contrast they provide but also as a homage to traditional tattoos, which could only be done using dots. So hearing about Micronesian dotwork tattoos really resonated with me and I felt it was important to emulate those traditional methods as closely as possible. As such, I made use of no solid lines, creating all the outlines and shading with dots.
While the animals in the design were inspired by heraldic art from the Middle Ages, I decided to continue the sole use of dotwork in order to tie these two disparate styles together. The idea of mixing traditional Micronesian patterns with European heraldic designs seemed like it would contrast well while staying true to the story’s themes.”
Original artwork 
Working with Broc’s work
Broc produced FOUR designs for me; the one above was the one I liked the best – apart from it being everything and more that I asked for, not to mention the detail of the dotwork – I absolutely LOVE the rats tail, the bells of the fool’s hat and the wonderful symmetry of the geometric patterns in the middle. This version also brought in three of the main elements for this first book closer to the central design.
The hardest part (mainly for my partner, Jamie) was having to sit with me as I chopped and changed my mind on the background colour, the size and position of the design and how long it took me to choose a font.
Thank you to Broc for his skill and hard work, and interpreting my design brief perfectly, and to Jamie for his time, patience and IT skills!
Final Book Cover artwork 
Final book cover artwork
