'This book cover was a man, drinking, in black and white. I wanted to blend him into the scene and make it colourful' Photograph: Illustrations by Mr Seth Armstrong
'The original cover was really dark and abrasive, so I wanted to contrast it with Canada's bright, glorious landscapes' Photograph: Illustrations by Mr Seth Armstrong
‘When I did this one I’d just passed up on a vacation to Mexico and my friend had just come back from there. If I hadn’t, I could have been there reading Gringos. So I was making this with a bit of jealousy in my heart’ Photograph: Illustrations by Mr Seth Armstrong
'This cover's pretty dark and gloomy, so I wanted to contrast it with a brighter forest. The trees are based on forests along the California coast, but more green, like Northern Europe' Photograph: Illustrations by Mr Seth Armstrong
‘For this one I researched what the interior of the Orient Express looked like and tried to mimic it. It looked like a classy train’ Photograph: Illustrations by Mr Seth Armstrong
'Steinbeck is one of my favourite authors. When I drive up and down Monterey in California, which looks a lot like this, it always makes me think of him' Photograph: Illustrations by Mr Seth Armstrong
