![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtZI47FSQAn87OpXsk9s65VzvRdJQC3_syiSpnRstgPGrquWp3iq9R8P1MQWvtf5dniTHHO50shQg-v7Rcskg3cGRarUA3QXuhVI0fD3m_M6fHyYoMVf2Viqer2knUov5QVmYSZW28Y5P/s400/Xmas-Tharg.jpg)
Merry Christmas Earthlets! Behold the awesome cover of Prog 2011 by Nikolai Dante/Lilly MacKenzie creator Simon Fraser. Man, those colours are absolutely beautiful!
Simon said "
Tharg wanted something Christmassy without anything Christmassy in it per se and Tharg might be flying like the Silver Surfer. So seeing as I seem to be drawing a lot of futuristic city scapes these days , I did one in the style of an old sci-fi book jacket sort of thing. The kind of books I used to borrow/nick from my Dad!"
"
Here's the initial sketch, plus the worked up colour sketch (for the Editor to approve/hate!)"
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwQ77f7E0fvhiwOtPEQt6brGUEadNRbTB6hT95qmeVhnDX_PQI-081CApweqSdVaeWjGxb7wJYJNZk4GTIJ51SoTt9tUNMaecdewN6FnFIOqbi_wKhuTWalzPam2tCVO4KB-lNqXMCqsa/s400/first-doodle.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQMm6PxHu8PpU4FBJokeT2fMTuwCpOO2SKAOx_bIV8W2DsJli5ewFK6Dx-S3UAJXn-N9ataq_GwPWor7wXQ4b-nZ3yfuv-XnLPSZcLFdqg06WypBVzx9ZFa9fSORp5ccwYRro3ihMedmZ/s400/cover-rough-2000ad.jpg)
Si then takes some of the magic out of his image by telling us "
the city linework and the Tharg were drawn separately and assembled in Photoshop so I could use odd bits of paper that I had lying about." Odd bits of paper??? Dammit I want my Christmas cover to have been painted using pixie dust on pieces of reindeer hide. Not, odd bits of paper!!! That really is a beautiful cityscape though...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxusto1hY-3ztiyQ0cz1vHb0OSipa85VzvsJ9y4CQLDHh-kHs-VuJDnRfaVTZT7xlTUv0H9kO6i-XiuEKnm4A3wzvIAI_C3g62d8JbqeTXK2RVYtU2Mh6mHQTDbdgl11wiq9TvEbAVlmRe/s400/Cityscape-2000ad.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheWAKif-TRU4RGg_vhxbewkdIvpG2ejn2pm1y_4sYJ-Ypie3XWy1ZCCKlXwwPLIPy2Hk-10QyD6LFdrsl7sGRbo47vp17Obm9vyqKlRFkCYZJYPofPYLiim2LxG4xjzIkvZPXywH_bma9l/s400/Scan-100915-0010.jpg)
And here is the fully assembled image in all it's glory. I really, really like this cover, the colours are beautiful, those planets are stunning and it does indeed manage to be festive without a hint of tinsel. A triumph of brilliant design!
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