Illustrator Spotlight: Audrey Rouvin

One of the quiet challenges of self-publishing is getting readers from the physical book to go online to leave a review, explore bonus content, and sign up for updates. QR codes solve the problem, but let's be honest: QR codes are rather awkward. I kept thinking there had to be a better way.

I eventually decided to embed the QR code inside an illustration, to make it part of the world of the book.

Master Halin's Study

Master Halin's study presented itself as an ideal scene. He is a dwarven scholar, a mapper, who mentors Eden, the main protagonist, and lives in a small residence in the dwarven town of Iridur. His study is the kind of room that accumulates character over decades: books in precarious stacks, tools of his trade, objects with histories. A room with warmth. In it the QR code would be hidden in plain sight.

To draw it, I looked for an illustrator with a very specific gift: the ability to make a small, intimate, fantastical space feel genuinely cozy. I scoured Instagram until I found Audrey Rouvin, a French illustrator based in Bretagne, and her work was immediately and obviously right.

A Room Full of Secrets

I gave Audrey some context on the scene and we talked through a few different directions before she ran with it. The result is lovely. The study feels lived-in and warm: bookcases overflowing with books frame the central wall, where the QR code sits as naturally as a framed map or a family portrait would. Throughout the room, small details from the novel are tucked in for readers to discover: a map, a desk built for humans that looks slightly too large for the space, and the axoscope.

The overall feeling is one of gentle delight. Audrey's drawing is a beautiful counterpoint to the more epic illustrations from Roberto and Greg, a reminder that Eden's Rise is also a story about small moments, friendship, and rooms that feel like home even when you're far from it.

Working Together

Audrey was a pleasure to work with: generous with ideas, quick to understand the brief, and confident enough to make it her own once we'd aligned on the direction. The ease of the collaboration matched the ease of the final drawing. Sometimes you find an artist who simply gets it, and this was one of those times.

You can find more of Audrey's work on Instagram at @audrey_rouvin.

You'll be able to view Audrey's drawing for this book once pre-order starts.