From this to that! COVERS!

I'm posting the above to show how vastly a picture can change and how far you can go as an artist.

I began my cover designing ways just in January (2017, yes just three months ago) by self-teaching myself GIMP (a photoshop clone) after several authors told me to get a life and give up cover design.  Thankfully, I took this as a challange rather than the tear down it was intended as.  Before that, I was only using Canva.com (which I still use because its so darn easy) and to be fair, they were ok covers at best.  not having a lot of money to spend, I really didn't have a choice.   I have always had an artistic bent, but its been a delightful surprise to see how far I've come in just a few short months. Enjoy!



 

Armor and Writing 

Lets talk Armor and writing, folks.  As authors, it is easy to do what is called the "handshake" about things that are not common knowledge.  Basically, you buzz by a subject or item that is important to your story, but you don't go into a lot of description because you don't know a lot about it.  It happens.  Especially if you don't want to be bogged down in explaining things which, lets face it, can bore the reader to death.  

It most often happens in Science Fiction and Fantasy, but it can also happen with things that are no longer in our common experience like armor.  It is not impossible to find this information out from a variety of sources, but it can make a difference.   For artists as well!   Don't forget those cover artists.   But let me tell you.  There are a HUGE amount of resources out there describing armor (and weapons, as a good friend of mine, Paul C Middleton, is just getting ready to publish a resource for authors about weapons.) 

Buyer beware, there are a lot of bad resources too.   But let me show you a few photo's of exceptional armor (even to the level of artistic excellence) being created today.   Let your mind feast on these images. These are by a man and artist named Ugo Serrano, but there are many, many more out there to inspire you.  Look around!   you might be surprised what will give you an inspiration.   

 

New Cover Art

The Author has shared this up on her blog so I can show you one of my latest pieces of cover art.   This is a new series which will mix science fiction and magic, thus the mix of elements.  Does it communicate a futuristic world with old ideals (Lords and Great Houses)?  There will also be magic as well.  Exciting stuff to create a new genre.

That's right!   A new genre!  There have been other authors trying to write in this, but its been difficult to brand but this is part of a concerted attempt to do so.  Isn't it awesome! 

This is the reality for most authors, or at least the one they need.

Kill Your Children!

Haha! No, not really.   Teddy, put the butterknife down.  I'd like to talk about writing and covers.  It is no secret that a good cover is important for the sale of your book, but it is also  fatal weakness of many authors.  They choose something THEY like and THEY think is cool.   Not bad, right?  You should have a connection to your work.  It's all part of the passion.  

But here's the issue; you need to pick a cover that will tell your readers what they will be reading. It needs to scream from the rooftops "This is a Urban Fantasy with Magic!" or "This is  Science Fiction Book with Cool Space Ships". What happens a lot of the time, is an author sees an awesome, powerful image that speaks to them, but doesn't speak to the audience.    Then they do one of two things.

They change it, or they dig in.  

If you dig in? Then you've just made that cover (or whatever art item you just latched onto) into your children.   You will now be a mamma bear and defend those children to the death.   Ahem.   Appropriate word there.  Death.  You might have just strangled your own book.

But, but, but! you say.   What if you are wrong and just don't see the possibility in my work? What if this is the next diamond in the rough and people will flock to it, proving you meanies all wrong?  

Totally possible.  That's the beauty of ART is that it is subjective to the person viewing.   It is ALWAYS necessary to question and push the boundaries.  I've SEEN where fifteen critics will tell you it HAS to be a certain way, and they are just parroting what they've been told without thinking about it.   Trust me, the Author Community is full of that.   There's TONS of people who will love nothing but to tell you you're an amateur and hopeless. Well, screw them.

So, mister smarty pants, you just contradicted yourself.   Yep.  Sure did.   There IS a balance between following previously determined information, and hacking the system and the target point changes.    But, if you're clutching around your work like a mamma bear, you don't have the capability work toward that balance point.   

So! Push your precious children out onto the sands of the arena and make them fight the lions!   

Cover for the upcoming boxed set of the Glimmer Steel Saga.  

Its time!  I'm going to put my work into a boxed set and I get to use my new, nifty skills at making a cover.  What do you think?   It will include all four current works but I hope this cover makes you swoon and drape your arm over your forehead.    

Dabbling with Cover Art!

Which do you prefer?  Orange or Blue? Both are common in various genre's and can bring out different emotions.   Which would you choose for this ominous character?