Album cover illustration: the alchemy of sound and vision

When the music speaks, I start sketching

For me, the journey of creating a new album cover illustration always begins with the music. I listen to the artist’s work on repeat, letting melodies, lyrics, and emotions set the tone and guide my imagination. My go-to starting point has always been pencil or pen on paper. There’s something raw and intuitive about capturing ideas as they come, without overthinking. While the final artwork is fully digital, these analog sketches remain the soul of my process.

That said, my workflow has evolved over time. With the rise of new tools and tighter timelines, I’ve embraced a more hybrid approach. Lately, I’ve been exploring AI and collage. This is blending some AI generated fragments with my own sketches and photographs. For me, these AI outputs are never treated as final pieces; they’re just jumping-off points that I reshape and refine through my own visual language. Once the concept is clear, I move on to tools like Cinema 4D, Photoshop, and maybe After Effects to fully bring the vision to life.

I’m constantly exploring how image making technologies evolve, looking for ways to adapt the tools and processes that best support my workflow, which is not only functional but also deeply enjoyable.

Collaboration makes magic

One of the most memorable collabs in my career was with the electronic music duo Forester. Their first album cover illustrations set the visual tone for their brand, and it was a thrilling challenge to capture their sound in single images that together contributed to build a cohesive visual identity.

When I was just starting out, I remember some artists asked me if I could animate their album cover artworks for use as Spotify Clips or Instagram Reels. At the time, I hadn’t quite considered animation, but their requests, paired with my own curiosity, pushed me to experiment. I explored ways to animate static artworks, adapting them to different aspect ratios and formats. This not only expanded my skillset but also opened new creative doors. Eventually, it led me to dive deeper into animation and even take on video projects.

These moments remind me that collaboration isn’t just about meeting expectations. It’s also about finding ways to enhance and extend the creative process, making it more interesting and delivering results that resonate.

The album cover illustration that almost wasn’t

Every project comes with its challenges. One of the biggest hurdles I’ve faced is balancing my artistic vision with client expectations. It’s not always easy, but after years of experience, I’ve learned that communication is key. My main focus has always been to meet, and ultimately exceed, my clients’ expectations in terms of results.

At the same time, I believe it’s also important to stay true to my artistic voice. After all, it’s my own style and creative decisions that brought these clients to me in the first place. Through my career as an art director and illustrator, I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with clients who not only trusted my vision but also taught me new ways of thinking and creating.

Balance is always difficult, but possible. And when it works, the results are magical.

Imperfection often feels more authentic

Imperfection can indeed be beautiful. In a world where digital tools and new technologies such as AI allow us to create flawless, polished work, there’s something deeply human about “leaving a few rough edges”. It’s those imperfections that make art feel alive, relatable, and authentic.

Whether it’s a hand-drawn sketch, a glitch in an animation, or a certain texture quality, these “flaws” often become the most memorable parts of a piece. They remind us that art is a process, a story of practices, victories and also failures, not just a product but a journey of discovery, experimentation, and growth.

So let’s create something unforgettable together

If you’d like to explore more of my work, I invite you to browse my cover art gallery, where you’ll find a collection of album artworks I’ve crafted over the years. You can also follow the Spotify playlist featuring the most iconic album cover illustration by Shorsh.

And if you’re working on a project that needs a visual voice, feel free to reach out to me and. I’m always excited to collaborate with artists and creators who are as passionate about their craft as I am.

Let’s create art that doesn’t just accompany music, it becomes part of it.