ABOUT TROPICALGLOOM
Credits: @tropicalgloom on Instagram
Marcela Bolívar (she/her) is a digital artist from Brazil who was raised in Colombia and is currently based in Germany.
Her art has won a range of awards, and her past clients have included the likes of Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, and Bloomsbury.
“I’ve always been inclined to art and creativity, as every child, I guess; it just kept going and going until I didn’t stop painting, taking photos, scanning textures, and making images when I realized this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life."
She holds an MA in photography and uses it as her medium, along with painting, when creating art (known as photobashing/photomontage).
“I overlay lots of painted textures that I make traditionally, and then scan lots of custom brushes out of textures and random shapes. Sometimes I also sculpt my own props, such as masks, headdresses, and such.”
In her free time, she enjoys crafting masks and crowns as well as collecting weird seeds, plants, and twigs that she later incorporates into her art.
Where do you find inspiration
for your designs?
Everywhere inside my head. Dreams, fears, ecstasy, sadness.
Underlying feelings and thoughts see the light when I make them conscious in art.
Do you have a favorite piece of art you've created to date? What makes it special to you?
I loved to have some time last year to work on some personal art. I fell into a trance of creativity and inspiration that culminated with four images: Fauna, Trust, Puella Aeterna, and Nachtgarten. I still feel chills when I think of how much I missed working on my own vision.
TROPICALGLOOM X OWLCRATE
Photo credits: @thebookscript on Instagram
Marcela (@tropicalgloom) is the artist behind:
- The exclusive redesigned dust jackets and stenciled edge designs (all 3 sides) on the OwlCrate exclusive limited edition of What Moves the Dead, What Feasts at Night, and What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher which were part of our Sworn Soldier Set.
- The exclusive redesigned dust jacket on the OwlCrate exclusive limited edition of Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis, which was featured in our August 2025 'Eternally Yours' OwlCrate Young Adult Fantasy Box.
- The full color printed and foiled hardcover case design and stenciled edges on the OwlCrate exclusive limited edition of Overgrowth by Mira Grant, which was featured in our May 2025 'Better Beware' OwlCrate Quarterly Sci-Fi box.
Photo credits: @thebookscript on Instagram
- The exclusive redesigned dust jacket on the OwlCrate exclusive limited edition of The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears, which she worked on with @lichen_and_limestone. This book was featured in our January 2025 ‘Rise Beyond Ruin’ OwlCrate Young Adult Fantasy box.
- The reversible dust jacket on the OwlCrate exclusive limited edition of What The Woods Took by Courtney Gould, which was featured in our December 2024 'Out of the Woods' Young Adult Fantasy OwlCrate box.
- The exclusive redesigned dust jacket on the OwlCrate limited edition of Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew, which was featured in our April 2024 ‘Death to the Undying’ Young Adult Fantasy OwlCrate box.
"Definitely Overgrowth. I was already swamped in those months when I was approached with the most inspiring brief. Alien plant life, a nocturnal scene, and a jungle-like ambience. I didn’t care how many deadlines I already had, I started sketching plants right away! Your Blood, My Bones was also very special. The story was beautiful, and I fell into a spell while making this one; it came out so naturally."
What are some of your favorite
books or authors?
I am reading Thomas Ligotti, Brian Aldiss, and Joseph Campbell.
It’s pretty much the mix I keep having in my life, some philosophy and some weird fiction.
