Yippee! Cezanne’s
Ghost goes to my editor this weekend, giving me time to tweak the cover with my cover artist.
You have to understand I’m still uneasy at directing an artist about how to design a GREAT cover. Matter of fact, you
might want to read the following article about how fabulous cover-art is
‘developed’ in this article by E.Ayers…
https://authorsofmainstreet.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/what-makes-for-a-good-cover/
https://authorsofmainstreet.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/what-makes-for-a-good-cover/
Whoa! Give me a Z; give me an I! All these ideas are new to me…I’m still
learning about how to judge a good cover, beyond “It’s balanced, the colors are
fine…I like it!”
Last month I
told you about my marvelous experience with another creator, a sketch artist
(which happens to be the skill of my hero in Cézanne’s Ghost). Here’s what I said:
“Jeff Haines,
is the artist I contacted because I wanted to put one of his sketches on the cover of Cézanne’s Ghost. When we first talked on e-mail, he said
he hadn’t worked with a novelist who wanted cover art before. Basically, he does custom drawings. The price he gave me was impossible for me to
pay, so I passed on the picture. But I
liked the picture so much, I decided to contact him and negotiate. I explained to him how I would use the
picture and the most money I’d ever make on the book. He said he liked the artist-to-artist
relationship and gave me I price I could pay.”
I promised I’d
show you the sketch before I put it on my cover. Here it is.
Her name is Aline, which was the name of Cézanne’s granddaughter. I hope to show you the full cover very
soon. Since the manuscript
goes to my editor this weekend, I get one day
of celebration before I’ll start working on another novel I hope to release this
year.
So here’s Aline:
What's your favorite cover of all the books you've published? Can you pick one? Is it composed in an "I" or "Z" way?
Six Suspense Novels Spiked with Romance
12 comments:
Gorgeous, Rolynn! Can't wait to see the finished cover! And thanks for the article on book covers. It's a keeper. (I had a bit of trouble with the Z/I/C designation on a couple of them, but I'm so NOT a visual person.)
I think my favorite cover is for a book that hasn't been finished yet! Yeah...I got a little ahead of myself. :-)
Thanks for sharing Aline!
Wow, that is gorgeous, Rolynn. I'm with Leah, "seeing" the design isn't my strong suit, but one of my favorite covers is for A Case for Calamity and it's a lovely blue Z.
The sketch is beautiful. With a little lettering - author and title and such - it would make a fabulous cover. Though also not a visual person, I'd have to say the favorite cover of my own work is Night Stars and Mourning Doves - a very broad, I think, I.
Thanks, Leah, Mac and Margo. I learned a lot from the article. Each of you were able to pick favorite covers out of all your 'children.' I do think this one, coming up, is going to be my favorite...as Leah says her newest will be hers. Anticipation!
What an evocative drawing. It will make a lovely and compelling cover, Rolynn. I look forward to seeing the finished product. Although I love them all, my favorite of my three so far is the first, for Silverhawk.
Love the drawing for a ghostly story. My covers are all over the map as far as headless heroes or couples against a colorful background that represents the book. My favorite is probably my historical, An Uncertain Destiny, that Alison did for me. I picked the images, and she did a terrific job with the fonts. I've had tons of compliments on that cover. I think it's an I.
Lovely cover sketch.
That's a beautiful sketch, Rolynn. I can't wait to see the finished product. As you probably know, cover design is a bit more than a hobby for me. I love pulling the all the artistic elements together. I love the covers I've designed for myself, although the cover of my first book Harvest of Dreams holds a very special place in my heart. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I'll be revealing the cover for my October release next month, and I hope readers will like it. (It's a Z.)
Fabulous sketch, Rolynn--I wouldn't mind having that on my wall! As for my own covers, I still favor Dearest Darling with Lawless Love a close second. There's one I absolutely hate which I won't mention...
Thanks for the compliments Andrea, Jannine, Barbara and Barbara...also thanks for picking your fav cover. Gosh, I wish I could sketch...what a precious talent. I didn't like my first cover with Wild Rose Press, but some people really like it...so covers may be a preference like music and food choices. It's hard for me to separate concentrate on a cover that sells rather than a cover that represents the story/characters. I'm changing cover artists so I'm nervous about the next covers. But also excited, because I like this artist's touch/approach. Fingers crossed.
Love the sketch. Can't wait to see the cover. The article was interesting, but long, and I didn't quite read all of it. It's hard to pick my favorite covers but probably either Soul Seducer or Liberty Empowered. I love the background of the castle and bats. Great post, Rolynn...sorry I'm late!
Lovely picture, Rolynn. The softness distinguishes it from your other books. Can't wait to see the cover. Thanks for the link to the article on covers. Very interesting.
My fav cover is on The Chameleon. The juxtaposition of the gun-toting woman and the "little girl" is just what the story is about. And the foreign terrain marks it sci-fi. Love my cover artist.
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