We’re dedicating this page to various types of visual art inspired by Dan Whicker’s book Planet of Eden. Please note that all photos and images here are copyrighted and are the sole property of Dan Whicker. Please do not copy or use any of them, in whole in or part, without Dan’s express permission (See Privacy Policy/Terms of Use).
Eden Book Cover
When Dan needs a break from writing and editing, graphic design gives him a visual creative outlet. This image is his latest design for a Planet of Eden book cover. Check out his Blog Post about it for the details.
Forms of Art
While he’s busy with writing and editing for his forthcoming novel Planet of Eden and the series to follow, Dan is also gathering ideas for artwork that will support his publishing project in new and ingenious ways. So, if you’re a reader who’s expecting the usual kind of science fiction book, Dan says to get ready for a surprise.
“Planet of Eden is definitely going to be a very different kind of novel,” the author says. “I’ve been developing visual ideas and reaching out to artists for a while now, and we’ll be using many forms of art to support both the project itself as well as its marketing. Variety and creativity are what I’m after.”
A recent example of that comes from Ron Warne, a famous cartoonist. Dan says that he and Ron worked together on some other projects, so when Dan was considering the use of some cartooning, he knew who to contact right away.
“I’ve always enjoyed Ron’s style and appreciated his fun approach to creating characters,” Dan notes. “When I reached out to him, though, he was a little hesitant. I made the project sound so serious that he wasn’t sure how his light style would be a fit. But I convinced him that I needed all sorts of different artwork, including cartoons, and that I knew he could produce what was in my imagination. Ron agreed to give it a try, and the result is wonderful.”
The image on this page is one example of what Ron produced—another interpretation of Eah, one of the main characters in Planet of Eden. As Dan explains it, “Eah is an alien-human with the ability to change her skin color at will. Her base color is either iridescent white or black, and she has bright green eyes and black knee-length hair with specks of blue throughout.”
Eah and her people live on a distant world that’s a true paradise, like the Garden of Eden spread across an entire planet. “Like Adam and Eve,” Dan says, “they live a near-perfect existence in a pure and flawless environment. Because of this, just like Creation’s first couple, they have no need for clothing. Women like Eah, though, do use their long hair for a covering when they catch a chill or get emotionally agitated.”
Ron drew a beautiful uncovered version of this character, too, but Dan held back on showing it here out of consideration for the different sensitivities of his followers and readers. Regarding the portrayal of nudity in the book, he says readers can expect an honest yet respectful treatment of the subject.
“Respect for the human body is one of the many themes you’re going to encounter in Planet of Eden,” he notes. “In the story, you’ll be introduced to an unstained society where the human body is honored and appreciated as the pinnacle of God’s good creation.”
Dan says readers will be challenged to compare how we view bodies in our culture with how they could and should be viewed from a higher and healthier perspective.
“The human body is an incredible and beautiful work of art,” he says. “It will always be my intention to display it as such, and an enlightened people should view it that way whether it’s covered or uncovered. As some characters learn to do in Planet of Eden, let’s turn the two extremes of aversion and lust into awe and admiration.”
Bringing Eah to Life
Photography has always been an important part of Dan Whicker’s career. From his earliest beginnings as an apprentice photographer, Dan always favored people photography, especially portraiture, in each photo project. Later, he honed his talents and applied them to his work in marketing and advertising. Today, Dan continues to use his photography skills for communications work, but he is also using his experience with visual arts to enhance his writing projects.
This gallery includes images created by Dan as he visualized scenes from his forthcoming novel, Planet of Eden. Dan describes the project below.
According to Dan, the goal of this photo shoot was to test how he could bring one of Planet of Eden‘s lead characters, named Eah, to life. Working with friends Leslie Craven, a lovely and super-talented model from in Central Florida, and experienced body painting artist and film maker Juan Pantoja, he wanted to determine if he could use a real-life model in the marketing of the book, perhaps even for the book’s cover.
“In Planet of Eden,” Dan says, “the alien-human Eah and her people have the ability to change their skin color at will. Their base color is either iridescent white or black.”
In the book, Eah spends much of the time in her base white, and Dan wanted to see if he could reproduce her look using simple body painting techniques.
“After Juan’s two-hour painting session, I photographed Leslie in various poses against a chromakey (green screen) background, which would allow me to later isolate Leslie and place her image in a variety of alien environments.”
After about an hour and a half in the studio, Dan took the photo shoot outdoors, photographing Leslie among beautiful tropical foliage to see how the paint would look amidst bright colors and natural sunlight.
Dan says the team could not have asked for better shooting weather. “It was mid-January on a cool and cloudy Florida day, so Florida’s usual strong sunlight was naturally filtered into a nice, softly diffused light–very flattering for Leslie and perfect for illuminating Juan’s paint job.”
The cooler day kept Leslie from sweating off the paint, but there was a concern for her comfort in the chilly air. “The aliens in Planet of Eden live like Adam and Eve on a perfect, paradise-like planet,” Dan explains, “but it was a bit chilly that day. Leslie was a real trouper, though.”
Juan stayed with the team for the entire shoot, making lighting suggestions, ensuring that the paint was working well, and even filming the shoot and creating ideas for future film projects. Dan’s wife, Ann Marie, acted as photography assistant and was indispensable as the impromptu hair stylist, lighting assistant, and creative consultant. Also on site was Carolyn Hawkins, Dan’s long-time friend and colleague, who helped to arrange locations and ensure the shoot ran smoothly.
Note: If you’re interested in the technical details of the shoot–camera, lighting, body paint, etc., contact Dan and he will be happy to correspond with you.
Photography: Dan Whicker
Model: Leslie Craven
Body Paint Artist: Juan Pantoja [Also check out Juan’s film studio, Dolphin Image Studios.]
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