• About
  • Pricing and Payment.
  • Gallery
    • Illustrated covers
    • Children’s illustration
    • Maps and Cartography
    • Pre Designed Science Fiction Covers
    • Pre Designed Covers
    • Interior Illustration, Graphics and Concept Work
    • Photo Manipulation and Typographic covers
  • Tips to create your own cover
  • Contact
    • Illustrated Front, Back and Spine Cover Art order page.
    • Join the Mailing list for 10% off
    • Print and E-cover Front Only order page.
    • Wrap around photo-montage cover order page.
    • E-book illustrated Front Cover Only order page.
  • Terms and Conditions

keithdraws

~ Effective Cover Design and Creation Made Easy

keithdraws

Monthly Archives: February 2014

John DeJordy’s “Transitions”

26 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by keithdraws in Book cover, Fantasy art, golden ratio, Illustration., Typograpghy

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

book cover, composition, Cover Art, Cover design, design, golden ratio, illustration, John DeJordy, Keith Draws, Library, Transitions, typography

John gave me the following Brief:

Transitions cover art ©Keith Draws

Transitions cover art ©Keith Draws

“The setting is an elegant library with carved rosewood–as if the Sistine Chapel and a library crossed.

The focus, though, is on a painting hanging on the wall.

It is of a woman, wearing a beautiful, full-length gown as if going to a ball, and she is holding a deep-red rose. She has long, black hair and green eyes.

The portrait should have Diane sitting down, looking toward the spine of the book. Behind her, in the painting, a forest green (or some green that looks nice) tapestry with a unicorn (just enough to recognize it as such, if possible.

Diane has a slender nose and hypnotic eyes, and a wonderful smile. The smile is important. It doesn’t have to show teeth, just obviously a smile. She should be wearing a corset. The library, which I assume would be mostly on the back, would be of books and scrolls.”

To create the library I started with the amazing free “3D Mandelbulb Ray Tracer”.

It’s an amazing tool and it lets you create extraordinary images with a little patience.MANDELBULB

I made multiple renders and edited them together to create the basic structure and then went on to add lots of details.

Inspiration can come from many places.

Johns Blog can be found here: http://johndejordy.com/
and his facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/john.dejordy

Posters and prints of this image here

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

“Desire” by P. T. Michelle

26 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by keithdraws in Book cover, Composition, Fantasy art, golden ratio, Illustration., Photo compositing, Photoshop, Typography

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

composition, Cover Art, Cover design, Desire, golden ratio, Keith Draws, P.T. Michelle, Photo compositiing, Photoshop, Vampire

Patrice had a very specific vision for this cover."Desire" by P. T. Michelle

She gave me the stock shot of the Main Character and together we decided I would paint everything else (including the wings).

Realism is always a challenge but I feel it was a great success, combining the best elements of both media.

Her  blog is here and her facebook is here

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

“Swords of the Damned” by Richard Tongue

24 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by keithdraws in Book cover, color, Composition, Fantasy art, golden ratio, Illustration., Typography

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

book cover, composition, Cover Art, Cover design, design, Fantasy Art, golden ratio, illustration, Keith Draws, kindle, Kobo, layout, Photoshop, The Rule of Thirds, typography

I’ve been working with Richard for quite some time and he usually gives me quite a free hand with what I do, but not this time.

Getting a brief like this can be quite intimidating:

Swords of the Damned cover art © Keith Draws

Swords of the Damned cover art © Keith Draws

“The setting is a dank and dismal dungeon, illuminated by strange luminescent mold on the walls, not bright but bright enough to illuminate our heroes – the dungeon itself is an ancient tomb, strange symbols and markings carved into the cracking marble. Two heroes are engaged in battle,one of them a rougish-type fighter wearing leather armour, carrying a sword, the other a raven-haired sorceress wearing a long, flowing robe – the colour of which I leave to you, whatever you think looks best, preferably with some strange and arcane symbols on it, and her hand is raised, crackling with eldritch blue light. They are fighting some nasty skeletons – think the Harryhousen type from ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ – armed with shields and swords. There are some ‘dead’ skeletons on the ground, and some sort of horrible creature up above about to catch them by surprise.”

There is a lot going on and a lot of characters appearing in the image so how to go about bringing it to life in a way that will sell the book?

Well, the image needs to draw the viewer into the scene so a view into the temple with perceptive to draw the viewer in and lighting to create a focal point seemed like a good start.

First off I laid in a Golden Ratio 9 section Grid as a template which I would use to help balance the image.

Next, the background/temple was laid in making sure there would be enough air for the title and Author in the top “third” of the grid.

Now onto the characters. I decided to place these in layers from back to front in order to help enhance the depth. I sketched in the rough positions.

Starting with the giant octopus creature in the background, making it dark and almost unseen.

Next came Sorceress, I placed her to the right of the center section of the grid she’s kind of hovering in a dramatic almost Christlike pose, bathed in light, casting a spell. I placed a bright surge of magic power behind her that is reflected in the floor and this serves almost like vertical arrow drawing the eye up from the base right to her.

Next, I painted the green smoke surging off to the sides which also serve to lead the eye in but this time from the sides.

The next depth layer is the three skeletons were placed in the mid-distance, heads just below the centerline and slightly to the right of center. I painted then quite dark with stark highlights so they stand out well and at the same time look quite eerie.

Now comes the second hero, dodging a blow from one of the skeletons. He’s much closer to the viewer and so much bigger in the frame. I placed him below the center and in the left section of the grid. He is painted in heavy contrast creating drama while standing out from the background. There is now also a good balance of tone and shape.

The broken skeleton in the foreground again painted in high contrast adds another layer of depth while at the same time framing the base of the image.

You’ll notice that by positioning and lighting the Sorceress and the Hero as I did I made them the “Stars” of the image.

Now the rough was completed I sent it off for approval and fortunately, Richard liked it and so I went on to work it up to what you see here.

The title, series name, and Author typography were all based on the existing Series name logo. Again it took a little thought but I was able to make it all tie together with the layout of the image.

I left this until last but in hindsight, I think it’s always better to design the typography first since it can have a great impact on the final image. In this case, I was fortunate in that I had to make few changes to the overall painting, and of course, since I work digitally this is much easier to do. Had I painted this in oil I would have had a much harder time of it.

I won’t make that mistake again.

Richard’s Blog can be found here

And his Facebook is here

Posters and prints of this painting can be purchased here

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

“Weapons of Power” By David J. Normoyle.

16 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by keithdraws in Book cover, color, Composition, Fantasy art, golden ratio, Illustration., The Rule of Thirds

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

book cover, composition, Cover Art, Cover design, design, Fantasy Art, golden ratio, illustration, Keith Draws, Magic, Wizard

“Weapons of Power”, Book 1 “The Silver Portal” and Book 2 “The Black Bearer” By David J. Normoyle.

This is the first and second part of an exciting young adult fantasy trilogy for which I am producing the covers."Weapons Of Power" Book One "The Silver Portal" by David J. Normoyle

Obviously, when designing a series we have to think about how we are going to keep a consistent feel throughout all of the covers. They need to look like part of a series while at the same time looking exciting and new. Not as simple as it sounds.

David gave me the synopsis of the books and after some discussion we decided to go for a kind of classic film poster format, featuring the main characters and locations that appear in the particular books. It’s also a good idea to hint at the kind of adventure the reader will experience when reading the books.

The intention when designing covers like this is to create a kind of film trailer effect on the viewer, leaving them with a mind filled with excitement and questions they want to know the answers for.

weapons of power book 1 cover art © Keith Draws

Weapons of Power book 1 cover art © Keith Draws

With that in mind, it’s essential to achieve a well-balanced layout, as well as a pleasing tonal and color balance, in order to draw the viewers eye in.

Weapons of Power Book 2 Cover art © Keith Draws

Weapons of Power Book 2 Cover art © Keith Draws

David designed and provided me with the excellent“Weapons of Power” Logo for the series. It’s always important to ensure that the space allotted for title and Author is going to work well and be readable at all viewing sizes. Segregation of the cover using the rule of thirds or as I did for these covers, the more complex (but also more aesthetically pleasing) Golden ratios is always a good way to determine the best location for the Typography.

The color can really set the mood and it also works on many other subconscious levels. The use of complementary colors balancing out across the layout, and the tonal contrast variations in these paintings all help to draw the eye in creating depth movement and flow across the image. (more about color here)

Weapons of Power book 2 cover art © Keith Draws

Weapons of Power book 2 cover art © Keith Draws

Finally when it comes to the actual image (especially for this kind of genre) it can be useful to implement quite a lot of detail in order to keep the viewer engaged and another trick is to try to add glimpses in to landscape of the world in the fantasy that create the desire to enter the image and see more. Although these covers are paintings it’s quite possible to do this with a photo montage and not near as much skill is required.

David’s  Website is  http://www.davidjnormoyle.com/ and facebook is http://www.facebook.com/DavidJNormoyle

Prints and posters of the paintings are available here:

“Weapons of Power”, Book 1 “The Silver Portal” Front and back

“Weapons of Power”, Book 1 “The Silver Portal” Front only

“Weapons of Power”, Book 2 “The Black Bearer” Front and back

“Weapons of Power”, Book 2 “The Black Bearer” Front only
Thanks to http://skydancer-stock.deviantart.com/ for the great reference of Wizards.
Thanks to Marcus Ranum who provides Great Stock photography FOC on DeviantArt which I used for Reference;
Also Thanks to the Model Laura Preciado who posed for the character of
Suma – the woman with the Axe.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

“Walking Away From The King” by Mike Penney.

12 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by keithdraws in Book cover, Composition, Fantasy art, golden ratio, Illustration.

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

book cover, composition, Cover Art, design, golden ratio, illustration, Keith Draws, kindle, Kobo, layout, Lulu, typography

Mike had a very strong idea for this image and

Walking away from the King cover art © Keith Draws

Walking away from the King cover art © Keith Draws

went as far as giving me a diagram showing me what elements would be involved.

I’ll be honest, it was quite a scary brief. I’d never done anything like this before and converting a diagram into an interesting and hopefully captivating image seemed very daunting.

Alan Moore once said (and I’m paraphrasing because I’m too lazy to look up his actual words):

“Push the boundaries of your skills, always try to work outside of your comfort zone and in that way you will continue to grow as an artist.”

So with that in mind I got stuck in.

The composition was a challenge. I thought about those old Chinese landscape paintings guó huà and the way they are almost in layers from top to bottom achieving great depth (though with unusual perspective).

Departure Herald-Ming Dynasty

Source: By Anonymous (National Palace Museum) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I decided to try something similar but rather than create a weird perspective I simply changed the curvature of the earth so we can see much further. Using layers of content I built up the depth and of course, I continued to use golden ratios to help with the balance of shape, color, and contrast.

Prints and poster of this image are available here

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Cover art for G. Wakeling’s “Cryo-A Changed World”

05 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by keithdraws in Illustration.

≈ Leave a comment

As a cover designer, how would you have approached this?

Cryo, A Changed World cover art © Keith Draws

Cryo, A Changed World cover art © Keith Draws

Geoff wanted to show an under ground and an overground world.

Its best to hint at what’s there without giving away too much.

Designing the amphibian underground dwellers was certainly challenging. The description Geoff supplied was :

– Amphibian-like with large eyes and a flattish nose.

– Shorter than humans, with longer arms in body proportion that have three fingers

– They adorn themselves with living plants/moss/fungi/lichen that’s embedded into their actual skin. So you might have a female with a silvery lichen growing up the side of her face, or swirling patterns of tiny flowers receding over her brow.

– No hair…they either have the adornments, or men wear flat cap-like hats. Females are taller than males and wear long headdresses to elongate their bodies.

I decided the title would sit well in the middle and then used golden ratios to help me with the unusual composition, using the landscape to create a sense of mystery and a desire to explore.

Read more about Geoff on his Blog, Facebook page or on Google+ 

Prints and posters of this image available here

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...
 mailing list button
Follow keithdraws on WordPress.com

About this Blog

We post lots of great advice on how to create your own book covers. Just check the Categories bellow.
We also offer custom made covers, illustrated, photomontage or purely typographic, if you don't want to do the work your self.
Any questions feel free to contact us, just click the contact tab above.

Categories

  • blogging for sales.
  • Book cover
  • Book Cover Design
  • color
  • Comic Art
  • Composition
  • E book sizes
  • Editing
  • Fantasy
  • Fantasy art
  • General
  • golden ratio
  • Historical fiction
  • Humor
  • Illustration.
  • Interview
  • Interviews
  • Panther
  • Photo compositing
  • Photo compositing
  • Photoshop
  • Science Fiction
  • The Rule of Thirds
  • Typograpghy
  • Typography
  • Typography
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • July 2020
  • March 2020
  • October 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • December 2018
  • June 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • January 2015
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • July 2013
  • April 2013
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012

Keith Draws Cover Art on Facebook.

Keith Draws Cover Art on Facebook.

Keith Draws on Twitter.

  • @JohnDiesattheEn Eliminate corruption and there is no need to change the system. Same goes for any nation. Politica… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 weeks ago
  • @44mmvvpp He was my favorite sa as a kid. 2 weeks ago
  • RT @Shades_of_Venge: Lacuna: Revelation is officially funded! Thank you to everyone who backed this project - we can't wait for you to hear… 2 weeks ago
  • @frankemundo @MelionTraverse @DuskaDoesArt You know if I won the lottery I'd do all your art for free. You work is inspiring. 2 weeks ago
  • @cheechandchong What's with all the questions man? 1 month ago
Follow @Keith_Draws

Recent Posts

  • Freelance on the Galactic Tunnel Network
  • $99 Custom Cover.
  • New series by Richard Tongue
  • The Oracle Sphere
  • The Loyalty of Water

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
    %d bloggers like this: