And they also come out with a retro feel -- back when mysteries and thrillers, pulp and cozies were all part of the same genre, all with surprisingly similar covers. I'm thinking that if I ever get any of these "Game Stories" done, this may be the branding style I'll use for the series.
The one in the upper right was a design I did for a potential client (via 99 Designs -- where artists compete in contests for jobs), but she decided to go in another direction, so I revamped it for a random title and name, and honestly I may write a story for it myself.
The upper left one I just did. I saw an image of a 50's movie star -- not the same pose, but something about her shape, and the very different shape of the floofy skirt, made me sketch for a while.
The lower two were just done off the top of my head. I "drew" the shapes with the magnetic selection too. (Not recommended, unless really want something quirky to come of it.) If I were to use either of those, I'd spend more time on the figures and shapes. I have to admit, though, I think I'd like to write a Christmas Mystery of Dead Ringer, but at the moment I don't have an idea.
I must remember to put some of these up at Deviant Art as a portfolio.
See you in the funny papers.
5 comments:
I love these! Is it okay if I steal the idea for my own book covers?
It depends on what you mean by "idea."
It's kind of like saying to an author: "Hey, great book! Mind if I steal the idea for a book of my own?" Ideas are not copyrightable, so it's legal. Whether it's ethical depends on how much you make the idea or technique your own.
Hmm… kind of sounds like my joke didn't come off very well. It's a great look, and as you say it has a retro feel, echoing past art work. I presumed since you were describing how to create the look, using photoshop blending, you were offering it as a suggestion to others as an effective cover technique.
Yes, that's how I was offering it. It was just the phrasing that made me go "huhn?" I don't think of a technique as an idea. (I mean, the blending modes are there, in the menu to be used. Hardly my invention!)
Playing with blending modes is so much fun. I definitely encourage people to play with it. I'll even go further and say, though I am just blending flat colors to give it a retro look, blending images, especially textures, can be really interesting, and and if you combine it with silhouettes or shapes that are also patterned, it can be very modern.
Go! Play!
Terrific! Thanks for sharing!
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