Thursday, March 2, 2017

New Covers Up At Self-Pub Book Covers

Due to personal reasons, I had to slow down on my artwork for a while. Since my time is still limited, I'm only doing covers for Self-Pub Book Covers -- a site where the author can do the typography with online tools (or just buy the cover and hire someone separately to do the type).  Check out my Daringnovelist Portfolio on SPBC.

Right now, I'm mostly working with image manipulation -- here are a few of the current covers:


Self-pub Book Covers has some odd rules due to their "self serve" nature. They have limited fonts and font colors, and a wider than normal format.  The above images (and their text) was designed to meet their specs. I am sometimes available to do better typography.  If you buy a cover of mine there, and want something nicer than what you feel you can do yourself, contact me and I'll see what I can do.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Night Sky - a dark horse steps forward

"Night Sky" premade bookcover. $100. (Price includes typography setting your title and support text, and some minor image customization.)

An abstracted dark horse, steps out of mottled blue background.  Because it is abstract, this cover emphasizes the subject matter -- a horse.  It is suitable for horse stories, or horse-oriented mysteries or fantasy/paranormal.  The background evokes a night sky, perhaps a winter sky with large snow flakes, and a horse stepping out o the shadows. It would be great for a Christmas horse story.  The bright colors in particular indicate a festive element.  However, the darkness suggests a mystery -- whether it's the mystery of an unexpected gift, or the mystery of the talent of a dream horse, or an actual crime to be solved.  (This image could also be easily customized with different colors or a different background texture, to indicate other genres more strongly.)


Sunday, February 21, 2016

"Fall Guy" - Hard-boiled Thriller

"Fall Guy" premade bookcover. $100. (Price includes typography setting your title and support text, and some minor image customization.)

This is a retro-style cover, reminiscent of the 1950s.  A man with a gun stands over the body of a woman.  Did he kill her? Has he been framed? Or is he vowing revenge on the killer?  This cover is most suitable for hard-boiled crime or thrillers. Could, with the right title, ease into suspense.


Sunday, January 31, 2016

The Elements - evocative landscape

"The Elements" premade bookcover. $100. (Price includes typography setting your title and support text, and some minor image customization.)

This abstracted watercolor evokes mountains or rough seas and a blizzard sky.  It is suitable for stories of a challenging journey, whether nonfiction memoirs or novels of survival, or the inner journey of a poet.

Sing My Lady - dramatic retro

"Sing My Lady" premade bookcover. $100. (Price includes typography setting your title and support text, and some minor image customization.)

The font and stylings of this retro cover suggests the pulps and potboilers of the 1950s and 60s.  The bright colors are upbeat, but also a sense of dark and light in contrast.  The woman half in shadow, have in brightness.  Though the title suggests the woman is singing, a different title might suggest she is dancing, or screaming.  Whatever she's doing, it's with passion.  This cover would be appropriate to a dramatic story -- a thriller, a pot-boiler, or a show biz biography or mystery.  More than likely about a woman who is a performer. 

Song To The Sea - A brand-matched cover to Maid of the Sea

"Song To The Sea" premade bookcover. $100. (Price includes typography setting your title and support text, and some minor image customization.)

 This cover is branded to match "Maid of the Sea" -- as a sequel.  Both covers purchased at the same time for $150.

As with Maid of the Sea, this cover invokes the power of the sea, and it's connection with a young woman.  Suitable for historical, mainstream, regional, and paranormal stories where the magic is based in nature or female power.

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Montana Mustang - Western Action

"Montana Mustang" premade bookcover. $100. (Price includes typography setting your title and support text, and some minor image customization.)

The horse is already in motion as the rider mounts.  Silhouettes of horse and rider and mountains imply dusk or night time. The drop shadow on the figures, and the small "breakout" where the rider's hat is in front of the title, make the figures leap out of the image at the viewer.