Oomatu
Journeyman
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Islandfall Cover Concept>
- Thread starter Oomatu
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Nimue
Dark Lord
Gorgeous! If society allowed me to judge books by their covers, I'd say 10/10. 
One piece of advice, though, would be to make the lettering larger and perhaps a little more closely spaced. Think of this scaled down to a tiny thumbnail on Amazon or elsewhere, and ask yourself if you'd be able to read the title?
Also, the subtitle looks a little flat in color compared to the main title. Might suggest adding the same dodged inner glow to that text layer. Just a little more zing. The art is absolutely fantastic, though.
One piece of advice, though, would be to make the lettering larger and perhaps a little more closely spaced. Think of this scaled down to a tiny thumbnail on Amazon or elsewhere, and ask yourself if you'd be able to read the title?
Also, the subtitle looks a little flat in color compared to the main title. Might suggest adding the same dodged inner glow to that text layer. Just a little more zing. The art is absolutely fantastic, though.
- Thread starter
- #3
Oomatu
Journeyman
Of course, thank you for the advice! This is my first serious draft, so I wanted to pick out any composition issues now. You can check out some of my other art on the forums to get a sense for the style.
http://mythicscribes.com/forums/fantasy-art/15530-islandfall-concept-art-collection.html#post222631
http://mythicscribes.com/forums/fantasy-art/15530-islandfall-concept-art-collection.html#post222631
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UncleanGenes
Apprentice
Looks great. I agree with Nimue, main title should be bolder.
yeppers, I vote for larger letters for the title, but otherwise, it's great!
jm.milks
Journeyman
That looks amazing. When can I buy whatever this is?
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Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Tapatalk
K.S. Crooks
Grandmaster
Beautiful. It gives me an ancient Atlantis or Aztec feel, combined with the isolation of the character and enormity of their journey.
adamcbassett
Acolyte
This is absolutely gorgeous. I'm interested enough to ask about what the novel's about. Is it available or are there any sort of details you can share with us?
AndrewLowe
Lore Master
I dig it
Laurence
Mystagogue
Maybe not larger letters but slightly stronger in colour.
I agree on the letter spacing as the I and L are a tad too close to the edges at the moment. I would also move 'Awakening' up a tad.
Awesome work!
I agree on the letter spacing as the I and L are a tad too close to the edges at the moment. I would also move 'Awakening' up a tad.
Awesome work!
psychotick
Dark Lord
Hi,
Sorry. Doesn't do it for me. The cover doesn't tell me what the books about. It doesn't give me a genre or make a connection with characters or plot. I sense what you might have been going for was to connect through the strange with the hieroglyphics - but they don't stand out against the sky or the ground and in thumbnail I wouldn't even notice them. The name doesn't clue me in either. And the colour palette is dull. Maybe you were going for moody, but I don't think it quite works.
My thought is add some zing. If it's mystery and hieroglyphs you want make those glyphs stand out by giving them some colour. Also add some perspective so they seem to arch across the sky instead of simply standing in front of it like a curtain. Maybe make them like glowing clouds - glyph shaped. Add some striking colour somewhere to make the cover pop. And work out who you readers are. If they want to read about a character, put a face on it. If they want plot, put a plot element / action scene on it.
Remember to catch a reader you've got a matter of seconds at best to catch a reader's eye with a thumbnail size image.
Cheers, Greg.
Sorry. Doesn't do it for me. The cover doesn't tell me what the books about. It doesn't give me a genre or make a connection with characters or plot. I sense what you might have been going for was to connect through the strange with the hieroglyphics - but they don't stand out against the sky or the ground and in thumbnail I wouldn't even notice them. The name doesn't clue me in either. And the colour palette is dull. Maybe you were going for moody, but I don't think it quite works.
My thought is add some zing. If it's mystery and hieroglyphs you want make those glyphs stand out by giving them some colour. Also add some perspective so they seem to arch across the sky instead of simply standing in front of it like a curtain. Maybe make them like glowing clouds - glyph shaped. Add some striking colour somewhere to make the cover pop. And work out who you readers are. If they want to read about a character, put a face on it. If they want plot, put a plot element / action scene on it.
Remember to catch a reader you've got a matter of seconds at best to catch a reader's eye with a thumbnail size image.
Cheers, Greg.
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jm.milks
Journeyman
If I were to see a book like that, I would immediately be drawn in. I find the mysteriousness of it captivating, so I'd keep in mind if the story doesn't have heavy themes of mystery in it, it might seem like a let down for some readers... Or a mechanic to surprise them by making them think it's something it's not
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Oomatu
Journeyman
It's a science-fantasy novel that chronicles the life of Makaio, a castaway who washes ashore a primitive island with a cryptic past. The diverse islanders, the kua, are in the midst of an infestation- a race of savage killers called the Reapers. Political tensions rise between tribes, the Island is on the brink of cataclysm. With no memories, Makaio searches for the answers to own origins with the help of some of the islanders. When he meets a woman with a past as mysterious as his own, they discover their pasts are intertwined with the island... and eons old struggler thought laid to rest.
Russ
Dark Lord
Quite like the cover overall. Colours are great, the symbols are attractive and intriguing and a strong mood is set. I think the title and Awakening need to the larger. I wouldn't mind seeing the author's name somewhere either and at the human figures could be a tad larger to my taste.
I am very pleased that you finally got around to posting a blurb about the story. It is impossible to judge a cover without some context of the novel it contains. My wife's debut novel cover is being focus grouped extensively right now by a professional organization and they always give a blurb or cover copy with the cover to help the sample group do their work.
I am very pleased that you finally got around to posting a blurb about the story. It is impossible to judge a cover without some context of the novel it contains. My wife's debut novel cover is being focus grouped extensively right now by a professional organization and they always give a blurb or cover copy with the cover to help the sample group do their work.
DragonOfTheAerie
Istari
I know nothing of the story or anything, but this cover is absolutely gorgeous.
>I am very pleased that you finally got around to posting a blurb about the story. It is impossible to judge a cover without some context of the novel it contains.
So, what you are saying, Russ, is that one can't judge a cover without its book. Nice.
@Oomatu, I like the cover, but I do wonder about the objects in silhouette. Trees, and a guy, but those other things. One looks like it might be a satellite dish, but I can't really tell. If the cover is about the island, maybe lose the impossible-to-identify objects? But if this is "tech discovered on remote island or world" sort of thing, maybe make that stuff clearer?
It needs author name. If you don't want to put your real name, make up something that is the same length as the name you will actually use. Place that, too.
Have you tried shrinking it to see how it will look as a thumbnail? Very important for online sales. Take a look at Amazon's size specs, then see what the cover looks like at that size.
None of the above takes away from the fine artistry of the cover. Well done.
So, what you are saying, Russ, is that one can't judge a cover without its book. Nice.
@Oomatu, I like the cover, but I do wonder about the objects in silhouette. Trees, and a guy, but those other things. One looks like it might be a satellite dish, but I can't really tell. If the cover is about the island, maybe lose the impossible-to-identify objects? But if this is "tech discovered on remote island or world" sort of thing, maybe make that stuff clearer?
It needs author name. If you don't want to put your real name, make up something that is the same length as the name you will actually use. Place that, too.
Have you tried shrinking it to see how it will look as a thumbnail? Very important for online sales. Take a look at Amazon's size specs, then see what the cover looks like at that size.
None of the above takes away from the fine artistry of the cover. Well done.
psychotick
Dark Lord
Hi Guys,
But that's the irony of the situation. You're being asked to judge a cover and you need the blurb to do it. Fair enough. But your readers aren't going to be asked to judge a cover by the book. Instead they are going to judge the book directly by the cover initially, and only if it reaches a certain threshold of interest are they going to go as far as reading the blurb. Your covers need to reflect this basic issue.
This is my latest - just put out a few days ago by Tickety Boo Press. You can decide for yourselves whether it's good or not. Just note that it instantly hits the viewer / potential reader between the eyes telling them it's a space opera and it involves something that looks like a wormhole etc. That's what I need my covers to do. I don't want a cover that confuses them and makes them wonder - is this the sort of book I like to read?
Greg Curtis | Facebook
Cheers, Greg.
But that's the irony of the situation. You're being asked to judge a cover and you need the blurb to do it. Fair enough. But your readers aren't going to be asked to judge a cover by the book. Instead they are going to judge the book directly by the cover initially, and only if it reaches a certain threshold of interest are they going to go as far as reading the blurb. Your covers need to reflect this basic issue.
This is my latest - just put out a few days ago by Tickety Boo Press. You can decide for yourselves whether it's good or not. Just note that it instantly hits the viewer / potential reader between the eyes telling them it's a space opera and it involves something that looks like a wormhole etc. That's what I need my covers to do. I don't want a cover that confuses them and makes them wonder - is this the sort of book I like to read?
Greg Curtis | Facebook
Cheers, Greg.
Correct, but I feel I don't have enough experience to judge clearly, as I haven't worked on a cover of my own. Now seeing it as an eBook, it probably needs a little more lighting, so you can see better on the small scale. But you just need it to grab the viewers attention, and once they click on it, you have them.
So since I really can't offer the best of advice, I'm just going to say what it feels to me at that large size. It looks cool and the art is fantastic. I'd rather offer support then false advice. The rest is up to you guys.
So since I really can't offer the best of advice, I'm just going to say what it feels to me at that large size. It looks cool and the art is fantastic. I'd rather offer support then false advice. The rest is up to you guys.