HOW DID I MISS THIS?!
I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THE Ys COVERART!!!!!! Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous.
Every item (i.e. Maps) are excellent, by the way, but the item that I am most surprised by (totally) is the cover art. It is exactly the sort of thing I would have tried to do (but not nearly as competently!)
To clarify: you took original cover (square manual) and modified it in PhotoShop to create a "letterbox poster", correct?
It looks like it could be original composition, so, bravo! Did you use a tool like "clone stamp" to extend the clouds (left, right) or was it old-fashioned freehand done in a similar style?
Basically, tell me about your work process, since I am intrigued.