Special:	Uwe Jarling
Title:	Limitless imagination

The talented German illustrator Uwe Jarling works as a freelance designer in the music and film industry as well as in the book sector. 3D modeling also falls into his amazingly extensive field of activity.

This special is about the cover artwork of the album „Wheel Of Fortune“ by the German Melodic Metal act Front Row Warriors, which the band conceived in an elaborately detailed collaboration with Jarling and had him lovingly realize.

Front Row Warriors were able to capture brilliant media echo. The blissfully successful mix of 80s and 90s inspired AOR and Hard Rock, up-tempo numbers - partly very close to classic Melodic Metal - and epic ballads can be found on the timeless debut album entitled „Wheel Of Fortune“, produced by well known Michael Bormann, co-produced and mixed by Achim Köhler.

And to top off this all-around fantastic release, Uwe has finally designed a really great cover artwork that is bursting with attention to detail.

So this is the occasion to get some words out of the master about his work with Front Row Warriors.

What was it about the thematic realization of the artwork that immediately excited you?

„It was immediately clear to me that you can design a cool cover around a theme like "Wheel of Fortune".“

Are there any aspects of the finished artwork that you particularly appreciate? 


„There is really a lot to see on the cover with a lot of small subtle details. I especially appreciate that we were able to really put everything in and still keep a good working layout without making the artwork look too cluttered.“

Did you completely take over the idea of the band or did you also bring in your own ideas?

„Honestly, I spent countless hours on the phone with singer Elkie and we discussed ideas back and forth. I especially liked the idea of the boy spinning the wheel of fortune and then sort of growing older around the wheel. Sort of a reference from 'Wheel of Fortune' to 'Wheel of Time' and how just luck and circumstance guide our lives and shape us. It is also not obvious at first glance that the 4 figures in the foreground are actually only one person. That is, we see here how a little boy, when he is old enough to shape his life so slowly himself the "Wheel of Fortune" turns and this momentum then directs and determines his life, from boy to man, from man to old man. The whole thing takes place here, of course, against the backdrop of an old fair with lots of magic and enchantment.“

How was the work on the artwork for you and how was the collaboration with the band overall?

„It was just a dream - that was one of the jobs that was just fun. Between Elkie, Front Row Warriors and me it just clicked and we just had an extreme amount of fun working on the cover. You don't have this much fun on every job and I miss the long talks with Elkie and rolling around the ideas …"

How long did you need for the complete work on it?

„I can't say exactly - between 5 and 7 days I guess. My working time per day is usually between 10 and 16 hours. So it took a few hours in the end.“

How did the band react to the final result?

„As far as I know everyone was happy.“

What did your friends, acquaintances and also graphic colleagues say about the finished artwork?

„Well, I don't really show my work to friends and acquaintances (most of them don't really understand what I'm doing anyway). In Facebook the reactions were positive throughout.“

Would you like to add something at this point?

„Actually only that I can hardly wait for the next album of Front Row Warriors and I am already looking forward to the collaboration!“

© Markus Eck, 06.09.2023

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