Howl's Moving Castle Limited Edition | Over two-thirds sold

In the Studio: Hilary Clarcq

September 10, 2025

Returning to Frank Herbert's Dune: Messiah after a gap of 20 years helped illustrator Hilary Clarcq uncover layers and meanings that now infuse her illustrations for our Folio book version of the title.

‘The first time round, it was all about the adventure ... I didn’t appreciate all the underlying themes and deeper nuances then, so it was thrilling to be able to return to it years later and take a really close read. Herbert has such fantastic commentary on the danger of charismatic leaders.’

As a massive science fiction and fantasy fan, Clarcq was elated to be asked to illustrate our Folio book of Dune: Messiah, the second book in the Dune series. ‘Dune is a masterpiece of the genre, so it was a dream,’ she says. ‘I’m also a huge fan of Sam Weber, who illustrated the first Dune book for Folio, so those factors combined made it a very special project.’

Her own studio – the spare room of the two-bedroom apartment she shares with her partner in Boulder, Colorado – is light and airy. Aside from a shelf in one corner stacked with art books, you won’t find much else other than her easel, a table for drawing and a small printing press. ‘I like having a very sparse work area without a lot of distractions, whether that be visual or auditory.’

Her one concession is lots of plants: ‘I’m a very outdoorsy person so bringing some of that inside is very comforting to me.’ It’s outside – when walking, mountain biking or running – that she often gets some of her best creative ideas. ‘There’s something about exercising that gives part of your consciousness something to worry about, so your subconscious is a little bit more free.’

Rereading the book, Clarcq made a note of any physical descriptions of characters. ‘The images in the first Dune book were very character-focused and we wanted to really carry that through,’ says Clarcq, who produced ten chapter headings in ink and charcoal, and eight interior illustrations in oil – a medium she only began using regularly in 2017. ‘Many things clicked into place once I started learning how to paint with oils,’ she reveals. ‘There’s this ability with oil paint to contribute something to the meaning of the work. Is something painted roughly? Is it delicate? Is it tightly rendered, or smeared onto the canvas?’

One challenge with this project was to contend with the vast visual universe already surrounding Dune. ‘There’s such a huge cache of existing artwork that’s come before – art, film, TV and comics. To have a unique voice amidst all of that, while maintaining continuity with the first book, was a tricky balance. But I am really proud of the work.’