Nnedi Okorafor’s The Binti Trilogy is available for the first time in a new illustrated Folio Society edition by artist David Palumbo. This highly illustrated edition is filled with vivid paintings of the galaxies, unique spaceships, memorable characters, and alien species from Okorafor’s trilogy.
We spoke to Palumbo all about the beautiful new project in this exclusive interview with the artist.
How did you become involved in the illustrated Binti Trilogy?
David Palumbo: Folio Society reached out to me and offered the project, which I was happy to accept! I had painted the original covers when these were first published by Tor and I was always very proud of those, so it was wonderful to come back in and revisit these books.
Artwork is so essential to sci-fi and fantasy novels. How did you go about adding to this legacy and do you have any specific memories of art that impressed you in your formative stages as an artist?
Palumbo: I’ve been a fan of sci-fi art and movies as long as I can remember, so it was always my intention since I started studying art to somehow work in this field. I think the most formative memories I have are mostly movies that I saw as a kid. Terminator, Aliens, Blade Runner, a lot of that 80s era of sci-fi. I think I’ve taken a lot of cues from that early influence.
The creatures, particularly the Meduse and the living ship, are some of the most memorable parts of the story. How did you approach illustrating them?
Palumbo: I mostly tried to study and follow any descriptions that Nnedi provided in the text. These being seemed to suggest various types of ocean creatures and so I also studied different shrimp, squid, jelly fish, etc and took notes from there as well.
Do you have one or two particular pieces of art that you are particularly proud of that you produced for this edition?
Palumbo: The cover is definitely my favorite piece. I mentioned that I’d painted the cover for the original printing and for many years that was a portfolio piece for me. I think it is still one of my strongest covers. So I had to come in and do something to measure up to that, which was not easy, and in the end I was really happy with how it turned out.
The Folio Society’s edition is truly a work of art in and of itself. Thoughts on the format/presentation?
Palumbo: Agreed, they do such an amazing job! I have several other Folio Society books in my collection and I’m always impressed with the quality and design in what they do. They’re so satisfying to look at and handle.
Going back to creatures, you have illustrated a number of covers from the Aliens and Predator universe. Memories of creating them and what were some of the essential elements of each?
Palumbo: Yes, those were tremendously fun to work on, mostly because of growing up with those movies. I think mostly my intention on them was to capture the mood and excitement that I remembered as a kid.
Upcoming projects?
Palumbo: It’s always a new thing month to month. I have a few other illustrated books from other publishers in the works and lately a fair amount of pieces for Magic: The Gathering which should all hopefully be coming out pretty soon.
The Binti Trilogy Folio Society Edition is now available at finer bookstores everywhere.
