Between Dusk & Puya

Project Title: Between Dusk and Puya

Category/Tag: Book Cover Illustration · Dark Fantasy · Nusantara Mythology

Project Description:

A self-initiated book cover set in Tana Toraja, Indonesia, where the sacred gate to Puya, the realm of the dead, is beginning to crack.

Two siblings stand at the threshold of two worlds, facing the Spirit of the Tedong, the sacred water buffalo of Toraja belief as ancient skulls and the restless dead surround them.

This piece explores the intersection of contemporary character design and traditional Nusantara mythology, drawing from the Toraja belief system of Aluk Todolo, where death is not an ending, but a passage.

Process:

Sketched, rendered, and typeset entirely in Procreate on iPad Pro. The spread includes front cover, back cover, and spine, designed to full print-ready specifications.

Tools:

Procreate · iPad Pro

Credit line:

Self-initiated project · © 2026 Hidayatullah