To create this cover, I split my Photoshop document into three sections: foreground, background, and text.
The photo I used for the wardrobe shows it at a slight angle. I had to use the perspective warp tool to get it to face forwards, and then crop out the unwanted side. I changed the exposure levels and the hue/saturation levels as the initial photo was quite bright. This helped me achieve the older, slightly more weathered look on the wardrobe.
The open wardrobe invites the reader in, and gives a glimpse into a snowy forest - I used a mask to allow the forest to only show through the gap between the doors. I was unable to find a suitable image to use for the snow dropping onto the floor, so I used the eyedropper tool and painted it on myself. I painted this with several tones selected from the inner forest image to help it blend as best I could, and then I altered the levels on both the inner image and the snow to tie them together.
The uppermost layer in the foreground is the mist. This goes across the front of the wardrobe and extends to the sides, to help tie the foreground in with the background and to add a sense of mystery. I found it difficult to stop the wardrobe sticking out and looking out of place, but the addition of this mist helped a little.
The background consists of a forest, floorboards, mist, and a plain black image. The initial black layer allows the floorboards to extend from the darkness. The floorboard layer has a low opacity and a colour dodge filter, allowing the black to come through.
The forest layer is also darkened with a low opacity to grey it out. Having high contrast or the trees too dark would bring the woods closer and evoke feelings of foreboding and claustrophobia. By keeping them greenish-grey, it adds more distance between the background and foreground, giving the impression that this is a vast world with lots to explore.
The mist aids the transition between floorboards and forest, or inside and outside. Combined with the mist in the foreground, this will help surround the wardrobe with an air of mystery.
I decided to keep the text fairly simple so as not to detract from the image. The uppercase and serif font hints at power and royalty. The golden tones of the text not only continue the theme of royalty, but contrast with the darkness of the image behind it. While the font is thin, the added shadow makes it look 3D and strong rather than delicate. The placement of the text is important - the title is at the bottom in lines of increasing width. This helps draw the reader's eye from the darkness towards the wardrobe and into the forest. The author's name is at the top to balance the frame, rather than at the bottom. This would lead to a text-heavy bottom and an eerily empty sky.
My choice in imagery was carefully considered. Many teenagers are interested in the more mysterious aspects of fantasy. The darkness and mist will help draw them in and encourage them to read the book. The wardrobe with a forest inside is instantly recognisable, but having the doors only slightly ajar leads the reader to question the full extent of the forest behind them. The floorboards transitioning into a forest blurs the line between inside and outside, dreams and reality.
It is no secret that the Chronicles of Narnia are based on Christianity, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe specifically a parallel of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. With this in mind, I chose to feature a forest both in the wardrobe and in the background as I was inspired by a quote from the author.
What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again as He actually has done in ours? This is not allegory at all. - C.S. Lewis (1958)
C.S. Lewis' intention was for the Narnia books to portray the stories in the Bible in an accessible way. To him, these stories were truth. His intention was not for Aslan to be like Jesus, but for him to be Jesus. Similarly, Narnia isn't like our world, it is our world, portrayed in a way children can access. To Lewis, the forest is not just in the wardrobe, it is all around us, and this is not just a story.
References
Lewis C.S. to Mrs Hook. Dec. 29, 1958., Collected Letters, Vol. III, 1004-5.
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