Illustrations for the tales about Maxim

One of the things Gen told me during the last critique session is to use my own stories for the project instead of the well known fairy tales that have been done to death. Ramon suggested some typographical exercises using Illustrator and no free hand illustration, to - I guess - try to bring me out of my comfort zone and discover new possibilities.
So, here is some sort of a combination of these two suggestions - and a result of several days worth of frustration learning Illustrator. Maxim is a magician who leaves in a land called Purpundia. This particular tale is about him going to Russia - like Baron Munchausen before him - getting stranded in a snowstorm, meeting the Tsar, helping the Tsar's daughter marry - gasp! - a chimney-sweep (this involves the use of some magic) etc. I am not sure what these should be called - typographical illustrations? Chapter covers? Maybe the next critique session will make the further direction clearer.