30 years with Iron Maiden

Monsters Of Rock, 1992 // Mark had been designing the poster art for the Monsters Of Rock festivals since 1987 and five years later he painted a winged Eddie when Iron Maiden headlined.

The Wicker Man, 2000 // This was the first single and opening track from Iron Maiden’s twelfth studio album, Brave New World.

Out Of The Silent Planet, 2000 // The second single from Brave New World.

Iron Maiden – Eddie’s Archive, 2002 // The brief was to design a special edition box set edition which contained three double CDs, the Iron Maiden family tree and a shot glass. Mark also illustrated the ‘Best of The B’Sides’ CD cover with Eddie inside a tour bus. The box itself pushed the technology for embossed metal and won a design award that year.

The Book of Souls, 2015 // For the 16th studio album by Iron Maiden, Mark was asked to imagine Eddie as a Mayan warrior. Steve Harris wanted simple clarity for the cover, just head and shoulders, establishing an evil presence which appears out of the blackness. The tribal markings are generic, made-up, they are neither Baron Samedi or Mayan priest but a mix of Voodoo meets Mayan. The detail that fans had come to expect, is left to appear on the inside art.

The Book of Souls – Mayan warrior with axe, 2015 // Illustration used for the interior pages of the special edition book.

The Book of Souls – Eddie with heart, 2015 // Eddie tears out his own heart. This is a reference to the Mayan ‘sacrifice to the sun’ with a Mayan witch doctor holding the ‘book of souls’ open at the page describing the rituals – an offering of nourishment to the gods! In the background an example of ancient Mesoamerican architecture. Although similar in some ways to Egyptian pyramids, these New World structures have flat tops (many with temples on the top) and stairs ascending.

The Book of Souls – Interior 3 panel tryptich – the fiery temple scene, 2015 // This features the exploding fiery megalithic ‘Ed’ head at the centre with the band carved into huge totems either side. The whole scene is set in an imagined valley of the dead.

The Book of Souls tour poster, 2017 // Steve Harris suggested a design with ‘mayan’ Eddie holding a decapitated warrior head for the ‘Book Of Souls’ tour poster. Eddie rises up out of a swirling fiery inferno, with a ‘shrunken head’ trophy, the eyes and mouth sown shut. Tribesmen decapitated heads due to their belief of a vengeful spirit, or muisak, inhabiting the body. To stop this spirit escaping and to gain power over the victim’s soul, the hunters removed their enemies’ heads, then sealed the eyes and lips shut!

Senjutsu back cover, 2021 // The 17th studio album by Iron Maiden. Steve Harris sent Mark a collage of pictures and reference material to act as a guide to what he had in mind for Senjutsu. There were Kabuki face painting ideas and masks and creatures from the Japanese ‘Oni’ folklore. Mark spent a day in the V&A Museum in London looking at Samurai exhibits including swords and armour. He liked the ferocious kabuki make-up and was reticent to put the helmet on Eddie at all to begin with as it hid most of the top half of the head. This was the illustration he started with.

Senjutsu front cover, 2021 // Mark’s next idea was Eddie with a Samurai helmet. The ear defenders or ‘fukigaeshi’ were attached to the ‘shikoro’ (neck cowl) with the ‘hachi’ (helmet). A mix of metal and/or leather – some had visors which Mark avoided, as you wouldn’t have seen Eddie’s face. Steve liked both ideas and in the end they used this as the front cover with the version without helmet on the back.

Senjutsu back view in forest, 2021 // This was an illustration used for the special limited edition art print placed inside the collector’s wooden box offered exclusively to the fanclub. Mark wanted to emphasise the more mystical nature of the Samurai.

Senjutsu full figure front view, 2021 //

Senjutsu side view with bow and arrow, 2021 //

Senjutsu – Interior 3 panel tryptich; the Pagoda battle scene, 2021 //
A widescreen epic, probably the most complex illustration Mark has ever attempted. He built it up gradually, concentrating on the main figure and the Pagoda which Steve wanted him to design so it could be developed as a stage set when the band performed the album live. The landscape reference was taken from salt marshes in Shotley Peninsular (a place Mark had had in mind to use for a long time) adding Mt. Fuji and misty mountains to the horizon line. The battlefield was completed with two huge stone lanterns in the foreground to add a strong perspective.

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