# Cover Art (done for fun, book's not really ready)



## Trick (Apr 25, 2015)

Hi all,

This is not an official cover. I did it myself only using CC images and heavily modifying them in PDN. Would appreciate thoughts, especially on the impression it gives you. Thanks!


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## Trick (Apr 26, 2015)

Fixed the torn sleeve issue:







Or is it better if I hint at the tech level of the book? (also, back tattoo fixed)


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## Mythopoet (Apr 28, 2015)

Well, my first impression is that it looks like a bad photoshop job. It has a sort of pasted together look. It's not really terrible.... but it's not really good either. The image doesn't really make much of an impression on me other than I've come to find backside views somewhat annoyingly omnipresent. I don't really know what to say other than it just feels average... and not really interesting.


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## Trick (Apr 28, 2015)

Mythopoet said:


> Well, my first impression is that it looks like a bad photoshop job. It has a sort of pasted together look



I'm working on that. I'm pretty sure that him giving off the glow is actually making him seem more stuck on there as opposed to part of the scene. I wish I actually had Photoshop. I'm working with PDN, which is free and thus not as good. I'm getting some plugin functions for exactly that kind of issue, though.




Mythopoet said:


> It's not really terrible.... but it's not really good either. The image doesn't really make much of an impression on me other than I've come to find backside views somewhat annoyingly omnipresent. I don't really know what to say other than it just feels average... and not really interesting.



To be honest, average for my first cover ain't bad. I'm going to keep thinking of ways to keep the theme but punch up the interest.


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## Devor (Apr 29, 2015)

First, stop using PDN.  If you have to go free, at least use GIMP.

The passageway works, but could use some simple effects fiddling.  I'm not sure which ones off hand.

The glow on the figure does not work.  If he blends too much with the corridor, you should also run him through some simple effects, like changing the brightness, contrast and saturation to help him stand out.  Also, there are more subtle glow effects.

Whatever the effect is on his hand and the scar on his back, it just looks weird.

Truthfully, I don't think this is an average cover.  I think it can be fixed in a way that makes it about average.


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## skrite (Apr 29, 2015)

what are CC images and what is a PDN?
pardon my simple questions, but i am looking into artwork myself.


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## Trick (Apr 29, 2015)

CC = Creative Commons. Free images, usually requiring that you credit them but not always. And PDN is Paint.net - a free program, originally designed to make up for how bad MS Paint is, that grew a following and has tons of users who create plugin tools for it to make it more and more functional. I really like using it but I am still collecting tools. I've only used GIMP, another freeware design program, once but I think I'll fire it up again per Devor's advice.


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## AndrewMelvin (Apr 29, 2015)

One explanation for why images look pasted on (as, unfortunately, they do in this case), is that they often have different lighting sources and textures. To make it look as if the figure is actually standing in the tunnel, you have to try to give the scene a cohesive tone. 

LIGHTING
The glow, for instance, only emphasizes the fact that the figure is on one layer and the tunnel is on another. There is a red light in the distance, shining towards the figure, so if you have to have a glow (I wouldn't), it should be red, as if the light is bouncing off the figure's chest.

The two parallel lines (tracks?) running through the tunnel should also have a soft red glow (stronger in the distance, weaker nearer the figure) as in reality they would be hit by some of that red light.

There are lots of shadows to the left and right of the tunnel, where the brickwork is not so clearly defined, but the figure has very few shadows and in fact is quite bright. Shadows are created by the presence of light, so whatever imaginary light source is hitting the front of the tunnel should match whatever is hitting the back of the figure. You need to think about that light source, and how you could darken some parts of the figure so that the direction of the shadows matches those on the tunnel. I don't use PDN (or even know what it is, to be honest), but in Photoshop you could experiment with the Global Light attribute and Lighting Effects filters.

TEXTURE
The tunnel and stones have a lot of texture, but the figure has none; it is much too smooth to be realistic. You need to roughen up the clothing somehow (if PDN lets you do that - in Photoshop you would be using the Noise filter, Blur, etc.).

Whatever is being revealed on the figure's back and hand (chain mail?) doesn't work for me. It is unclear what it's meant to be, and it's so bright that it distracts the eye from everything else. If the red light is meant to be a train, or the figure's goal/target, I would emphasize that and make that a focal point, rather than something he's wearing beneath his coat.

I hope some of this might be helpful, but I'm sure there are other people here with better and more technical suggestions.

Good luck!


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## Trick (Apr 29, 2015)

Devor said:


> First, stop using PDN.  If you have to go free, at least use GIMP.
> 
> The passageway works, but could use some simple effects fiddling.  I'm not sure which ones off hand.
> 
> ...




PDN is very functional actually but lacks many tools which I'm still gathering up. I may try GIMP out again though, for the sake of comparison and see if I should switch. 

Hopefully the idea is at least average, the image quality I can work on. I'm trying to keep the dark, magical assassin vibe (which I hope is at least semi-present) but I want to grab people better than this does. I have a high resolution close up of his hand and the glowing tattoo on it is much more obvious. Should I whip something up that is more focused on that, perhaps holding a blade?

I'm really looking more for comments about it's impact and suggestions for improvement there. If I get the right idea, I'll buy Photoshop if need be.


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## Trick (Apr 29, 2015)

AndrewMelvin said:


> One explanation for why images look pasted on (as, unfortunately, they do in this case), is that they often have different lighting sources and textures. To make it look as if the figure is actually standing in the tunnel, you have to try to give the scene a cohesive tone.
> 
> LIGHTING
> The glow, for instance, only emphasizes the fact that the figure is on one layer and the tunnel is on another. There is a red light in the distance, shining towards the figure, so if you have to have a glow (I wouldn't), it should be red, as if the light is bouncing off the figure's chest.
> ...



Thanks for the breakdown. I was aware of some of those issues with it and have been refining it, especially darkening the figure to match. The blue glow is intended to be coming off of the figure but I can see how it looks off and separates him from the background too much. 

On his back and hand are glowing tattoos but I think the scale makes them too unclear. I think I will either bring him closer or revamp the cover to focus on the hand. Not sure yet.


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## AndrewMelvin (Apr 29, 2015)

Trick said:


> The blue glow is intended to be coming off of the figure but I can see how it looks off and separates him from the background too much.



You might want to think about having some of the glow reflected by the floor at the bottom of the picture. If he's glowing that much, some of the blue might strike the stones at his feet and give them a blue tint.


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## Trick (Apr 29, 2015)

AndrewMelvin said:


> You might want to think about having some of the glow reflected by the floor at the bottom of the picture. If he's glowing that much, some of the blue might strike the stones at his feet and give them a blue tint.



That's a good point. If I decide to keep an improved version of it, I will definitely do that.


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## Devor (May 1, 2015)

I don't know if you're around.  But today is Friday, and there's what looks like a one-day sale at Amazon to get Photoshop Elements for $55.  That's a steep discount.

Amazon.com: Adobe Photoshop Elements 13: Software


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## Trick (May 1, 2015)

That is cheap. Is Elements the standard home version or is is a lesser version?

Thanks for letting me know BTW


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## Devor (May 1, 2015)

Trick said:


> That is cheap. Is Elements the standard home version or is is a lesser version?
> 
> Thanks for letting me know BTW



Elements is the one I have and has a lot of rich features.  The "real" photoshop was about $300 but has recently become a subscription service.


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## Trick (May 1, 2015)

Great. Now it's just a matter of convincing the wife


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## Devor (May 1, 2015)

Trick said:


> Great. Now it's just a matter of convincing the wife



Good luck with that one!


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## Legendary Sidekick (May 1, 2015)

Elements is free with a Wacom Bamboo tablet.

Maybe you have no use for one, but if you do, it doesn't cost much more than Elements.

(Well… it looks like the $99 Pen & Touch is the cheapest with Elements. So really, that's only cheaper than getting Bamboo Pen and purchasing PS Elements. My tablet must've been purchased at a Cyber Monday price or something. My wife got it for less than the cost of Bamboo Pen.)


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## Trick (May 1, 2015)

Legendary Sidekick said:


> Elements is free with a Wacom Bamboo tablet.
> 
> Maybe you have no use for one, but if you do, it doesn't cost much more than Elements.
> 
> (Well… it looks like the $99 Pen & Touch is the cheapest with Elements. So really, that's only cheaper than getting Bamboo Pen and purchasing PS Elements. My tablet must've been purchased at a Cyber Monday price or something. My wife got it for less than the cost of Bamboo Pen.)



Normally I'd jump at the bundle but I've got a Lenovo Flex 20; basically, a 20" tablet. I can't justify a second device. Wish I could though.


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## Ruby (May 2, 2015)

Hi Legendary Sidekick,

Photoshop is free with the Wacom tablet if you live in the USA; if you live in the UK and buy the Wacom here, as I have, you get ...nothing! Grrr!

 I used Paint for a while but have now discovered Gimp and Krita.

Is this version of Photoshop compatible with Windows 8?

Presumably Photoshop is better than these free programs?


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## psychotick (May 2, 2015)

Hi,

First, pick up Photoscape - it's also free and it has a lot of effects. Next take your figure out of the tunnel, and give him some colour - maybe a deep red. Your cover is grey - there's no other way to put it. Since the figure has to be darker than the tunnel, change him up by using colour to make him stand out. Alternatively add colour to the tunnel and have him black and broody.

I don't understand the tattoo's at all. How can you see a tattoo on someone's back if he's wearing clothes? And they don't seem to conform to the shape of his body.

The glow doesn't work for me I'm afraid.

After that I'd probably play with the lighting. Photoscape has a brilliant little tool for darkening and lightening spots called region out of focus. Use that to focus the image where you need more light, and takeaway from say the sides. You can also play with GIMP's lighting effects, though I personally find them tricky to get right. However it occurs to me that some of those alien sun effects centred on the red light at the front might produce an interesting effect.

Cheers. Greg.


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## Trick (May 4, 2015)

So, I bought PS Elements. $55 was a great price. I haven't used it yet (just came in the mail today) but I'll mess around with it this week. It's been 3 years since I worked with Photoshop. Hopefully it's like riding a bike. I think I want to play with several more cover options. I really want to nail the theme down (dark sci-fantasy, assassin/thief) but keep it interesting. I'm a fan of minimalist covers but they seem to be most appropriate for well known authors. Somewhere between minimalist and grandiose seems best. BWF's cover made me think to put just my tattooed assassin/thief hand on the cover with a texture in the background or something but I'm not sure yet.


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## BWFoster78 (May 5, 2015)

Trick said:


> I'm a fan of minimalist covers but they seem to be most appropriate for well known authors. Somewhere between minimalist and grandiose seems best. BWF's cover made me think to put just my tattooed assassin/thief hand on the cover with a texture in the background or something but I'm not sure yet.



Trick,

I'm not sure anyone can be less of a graphic artist than I am.  My thinking was that I really wanted my cover to stand out at thumbnail size.  It seemed to me that the best way to do that was to have a high contrast between a dark background and a bright image.  It also seemed to me that the simpler the image, the easier it would be to make it stand out.

I don't know anything about appropriateness for me since I'm not well known, but I love the final result.

Best of luck on your design.

Brian


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## Trick (May 5, 2015)

BWFoster78 said:


> Trick,
> 
> I'm not sure anyone can be less of a graphic artist than I am.  My thinking was that I really wanted my cover to stand out at thumbnail size.  It seemed to me that the best way to do that was to have a high contrast between a dark background and a bright image.  It also seemed to me that the simpler the image, the easier it would be to make it stand out.
> 
> ...



I agree with you about the light and dark at thumbnail size. I like your cover a lot and I think, from reading your novella, that it fits your story or the theme at least. I'd also say it's less minimalist than many famous covers, so many of which are focused on the author's name and have some generic symbol with a texture and that's it. I think yours struck a fine balance. 

I'm trying to come up with a simpler image that represents my story but I haven't nailed it down yet.


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## BWFoster78 (May 5, 2015)

I'm still to figure out what the apple had to do with anything in Twilight.  Did Bella ever even eat an apple?  Use an apple computer?

So, so confused.

Seriously, though, I originally envisioned the protagonist standing with his hands on fire with his love interests behind him.  I think this version is easier to see at thumbnail size and conveys a message of epic fantasy over YA angst.


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## Trick (May 5, 2015)

BWFoster78 said:


> I'm still to figure out what the apple had to do with anything in Twilight.  Did Bella ever even eat an apple?  Use an apple computer?
> 
> So, so confused.
> 
> Seriously, though, I originally envisioned the protagonist standing with his hands on fire with his love interests behind him.  I think this version is easier to see at thumbnail size and conveys a message of epic fantasy over YA angst.



So, so agreed. 

Were they going for a Snow White vibe? Who knows.

I feel like I kinda did the same thing with this cover as your first idea would have, tried for too much. I feel like the two things I need to convey on the cover are 1.)Glowing magic tattoos and 2.) Assassin/thief vibe. I found an image with a figure whose face is shaded by a hood and I thought about his shirt being torn to show the tattoos but I feel like it would start looking romance-like, which it is absolutely not. Still thinking on it.


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## BWFoster78 (May 5, 2015)

Trick said:


> So, so agreed.
> 
> Were they going for a Snow White vibe? Who knows.
> 
> I feel like I kinda did the same thing with this cover as your first idea would have, tried for too much. I feel like the two things I need to convey on the cover are 1.)Glowing magic tattoos and 2.) Assassin/thief vibe. I found an image with a figure whose face is shaded by a hood and I thought about his shirt being torn to show the tattoos but I feel like it would start looking romance-like, which it is absolutely not. Still thinking on it.



The first step is to understand the vibe you want, so you've got a good start.

Brainstorm what says "assassin/thief."  A bloody knife? How does he kill?


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## Trick (May 5, 2015)

BWFoster78 said:


> The first step is to understand the vibe you want, so you've got a good start.
> 
> Brainstorm what says "assassin/thief."  A bloody knife? How does he kill?



He kills in lots of ways, having to get creative quite often, until he gains powers via the tattoo/tribal magic of his people (long lost magic trope, I know) and then he kills by genuinely being faster and stronger than his targets/opponents. Since the book's subtitle is "The Mark of a Thief" I think the assassin angle is the right one to take to kind of come full circle with the story.

He does carry a pair of unique blades but they may not fit a cover - because there is some advanced tech in this WIP, he carries laser saws converted into knives. They may give the wrong impression of the genre because it is fantasy first, sci-fi second.


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## Devor (May 5, 2015)

What about:

Black-and-white arm coming in from the right side of the page.

Tattoo super-prominent on the arm, shaded red for blood.

A bloody knife in the hand arcing over the arm.

A drip of blood falling from the arm onto the tattoo.

Title above, author below.


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## mt_jupiter (May 5, 2015)

Hi Trick, I haven't read through the conversation but I believe you're wanting some feedback on the cover. In art school the instructor would pick-up our brush or charcoal and on our work illustrate a technique or method to help us along. I hope you don't mind but I've done this to your cover. I would of taken be an hour to write what's visually posted.






1.) To create an illusion of space be sure what is not of interest does not have more contrast than what is the interest. In this case it seems the figure in the foreground is more important than the detailed background. However the background is as in focus as the figure and the level detail is even more than the figure. So I blurred the background just a little to knockout the detail and made it a little darker than the figure.
2.) If an image is not complete black and white try to never use black to outline form...So I picked color around the tear and toned down the pure black and did likewise with the hand and gun.
3.) To tone down and unify the tear with flesh and the exposed hand I picked color from the blue glow outlining the form and on a new layer and a big brush painted that area then blurred it out then changed the layer to overlay..
This was done with photoshop but can as easily be done with Gimp.
Once again hope you don't mind :angel:
_Don't know if the image will show since the link looks broken in preview._
So here's the link to view is:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/v00vobni1z37vsu/quarter4 example.jpg?dl=0


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## Trick (May 5, 2015)

Devor said:


> What about:
> 
> Black-and-white arm coming in from the right side of the page.
> 
> ...



I like the idea, but I want to make sure we're picturing the same thing. Are you imagining the arm from above or below the elbow? Perhaps with the elbow bent to accommodate the blade curving enough to drip blood on the arm? I'm picturing a relatively straight blade with the sharp side tapering to a mild curve. 

The tattoo can't be red but it could be white. I tried to give them a blue tint but they really would be closer to white anyway. (the villain has red tattoos and the color carries a specific meaning)


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## Trick (May 5, 2015)

mt_jupiter said:


> Hi Trick, I haven't read through the conversation but I believe you're wanting some feedback on the cover. In art school the instructor would pick-up our brush or charcoal and on our work illustrate a technique or method to help us along. I hope you don't mind but I've done this to your cover. I would of taken be an hour to write what's visually posted.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thank you! I don't mind at all. It does look quite a bit more realistic the way you have it. And actually I just got photoshop thanks to Devor pointing out a great amazon sale. I'll be messing with it and I'll definitely keep your points in mind.


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## Devor (May 6, 2015)

Trick said:


> I like the idea, but I want to make sure we're picturing the same thing. Are you imagining the arm from above or below the elbow? Perhaps with the elbow bent to accommodate the blade curving enough to drip blood on the arm? I'm picturing a relatively straight blade with the sharp side tapering to a mild curve.
> 
> The tattoo can't be red but it could be white. I tried to give them a blue tint but they really would be closer to white anyway. (the villain has red tattoos and the color carries a specific meaning)



Specifically I was thinking below the elbow, but at just enough of an upward slant to let the dagger arc above the arm.  But play with it or run it by an art guy - there's only so much you can see without some kind of an image in front of you.

A drop of red blood on a white tattoo sounds pretty cool as well.  Red and white typically represent bandages.


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## Trick (May 6, 2015)

Devor said:


> Specifically I was thinking below the elbow, but at just enough of an upward slant to let the dagger arc above the arm.  But play with it or run it by an art guy - there's only so much you can see without some kind of an image in front of you.
> 
> A drop of red blood on a white tattoo sounds pretty cool as well.  Red and white typically represent bandages.



How about this? Not a final image, just a concept:


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## Devor (May 6, 2015)

I think I was picturing him holding the dagger backwards and a little closer to the arm.  But make it a little bigger and this would be a good mock up.


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## Trick (May 6, 2015)

Devor said:


> I think I was picturing him holding the dagger backwards and a little closer to the arm.  But make it a little bigger and this would be a good mock up.



If he was holding it backwards the arm would be upside down. Would that seem odd?

This image is at half size the original.


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## mt_jupiter (May 6, 2015)

This recent pic looks good. Cool tattoo effect. Visually to me if the knife was angled about 10 or so degrees more to the right of the picture would make a nicer composition. Where the knife meets the hand would be the pivot point.


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## Trick (May 6, 2015)

mt_jupiter said:


> This recent pic looks good. Cool tattoo effect. Visually to me if the knife was angled about 10 or so degrees more to the right of the picture would make a nicer composition. Where the knife meets the hand would be the pivot point.



Thanks. I tried out changing the angle and I'm also looking at simpler tattoo options (the above one looks like a white sleeve at thumbnail size).


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## mt_jupiter (May 6, 2015)

Aww I can see how that could be because of the curve of the ear. Are you able to rotate the tattoo or may be flip it so the wolf faces toward the hand? That might do the trick of decuffing and may symbolize at least 2 things: the wolf bites the hand that feeds it, beware I bite (since it faces away from the bearer of the tat).


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## Trick (May 7, 2015)

mt_jupiter said:


> Aww I can see how that could be because of the curve of the ear. Are you able to rotate the tattoo or may be flip it so the wolf faces toward the hand? That might do the trick of decuffing and may symbolize at least 2 things: the wolf bites the hand that feeds it, beware I bite (since it faces away from the bearer of the tat).



Actually, the earlier version with the larger, more complex tattoo is the one that looks like a sleeve at thumbnail but now that you point it out, the head-only tattoo does create an odd look with that smooth ear. In the below, I messed with it a bit and instead of tilting just the knife, I tilted the whole hand and knife together, plus added some sample text.


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## BWFoster78 (May 7, 2015)

Trick,

I like it.  Much, much better than the original.

If I might make a few observations, however (considering I don't know anything about graphics):

1. What's a "theif?"

2. Seems like there's a lot of wasted space.  Since we're all worried about what it looks like at thumbnail size, seems like we'd want to maximize the size of the font and of the image.

3. It seems like you would want the wolf tattoo really to stand out.  Does the blood dripping onto the tattoo help with that or just obscure it?


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## Trick (May 7, 2015)

BWFoster78 said:


> Trick,
> 
> I like it.  Much, much better than the original.
> 
> ...



A "theif" is a creature that latches onto the brain and perpetuates grammar and spelling mistakes through bad habits. Nasty little buggers.

Everything's bigger on the below version, as well as cleaned up here and there. I think the blood on the tattoo (Devor's idea, the whole cover basically was) is good but perhaps too much? Just droplets instead maybe?


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## BWFoster78 (May 7, 2015)

I like.

Could you make the main title taller?

Also questioning "the" in "the mark of a thief..."

Isn't "the mark of a thief" kinda the tagline?  Does that make "Criminals are not (aren't?) the only villians" a sub-tagline?  Is that too much?


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## Trick (May 7, 2015)

BWFoster78 said:


> I like.
> 
> Could you make the main title taller?
> 
> ...



My hope is to morph Darkling Sun into the series nickname and "The Mark Of A Thief" is really the first book. The "Criminals..." line is just to fill that space, it doesn't need to be there but I felt like something should be. As for Aren't, I couldn't bring myself to use a conjunction on a book cover; do you think it reads better with 'aren't'?

See this one for taller title and less blood on tattoo:








EDIT: 
The coolest thing about this cover is that I could use it to establish a theme very easily. The next one could be a hand holding a scepter dripping blood, which would suit that one better. Or it could be his sister's hand holding a different weapon.


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## BWFoster78 (May 8, 2015)

Trick,

Definitely like the taller title and the reduction of blood.

I don't think that anything is needed to fill space, and I just don't see taglines being used much.


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## mt_jupiter (May 10, 2015)

Looking good to me.


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## Devor (May 10, 2015)

I think it's looking strong, but as you get closer to publishing your book, I would still suggest sending it to a professional graphic artist.  There's just a level of quality that you can't hit on your own without the right experience.


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## Legendary Sidekick (May 10, 2015)

Adding to Devor's point about getting a pro graphic artist, here are trade paperbacks of my brother's comic. Note he does his own cover art, and does it well. He has a colorist who uses ink to color. The only art not done by Joe or TJ… the words "the underburbs." My brother and his friend commissioned a friend to create custom lettering back in 2006. It was written in white, allowing Joe and/or TJ to color the logo and such, but they don't mess with the font. It's one of the few artistic talents the duo lacks. (In fact, my brother doesn't even use a font for the comic panels. The lettering is done 100% by hand!)





The three paperbacks cover issues #1-11. I think he's releasing his 15th issue at this weekend's comic con in New York, Philadelphia, or wherever he is right now.


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## mt_jupiter (May 10, 2015)

Absolutely regarding a professional graphic artist. You could give an editable version of your graphic file to him/her and do a collaboration if they're open to that.  This wouldn't be their typical book cover dig though where they're totally on their own making the image/layout under the direction of author/publisher.


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## Trick (May 11, 2015)

Thanks all for weighing in.

I have a connection with a local graphic artist and will work with him when the time comes.

My only issue with this cover (the one that stands out to me anyway) is that it's not fantasy enough. My current idea is to work with the knife and give it more of a fantasy look. I'll post the mockup when I get time to finish it.


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## Dipti13 (May 11, 2015)

Nothing can be done so perfectly in first go, you need to improve it and go on.


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## Trick (May 11, 2015)

Alright, here is my somewhat overwrought attempt to make this cover seem more fantasy-esque:

Thoughts?


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## Dani_Art (May 12, 2015)

As this work with the covers is a training, I can say you got a better result in the last attempt. 
Keep training!


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## Trick (May 12, 2015)

Dani_Art said:


> As this work with the covers is a training, I can say you got a better result in the last attempt.
> Keep training!



Thanks,

So far, this is all done in a free program but I recently got Photoshop and will transfer this in layer by layer to see what improvements I can make. I'm rusty with Photoshop so it'll take a little time. Any particular suggestions on this image? Overall design, impression, detail issues like lighting and angle, or ways to make the font pop? 

I'm liking the glow effect less and less, it seems to blur the text a lot.

It doesn't help that this is a jpeg and the original file is of much higher quality.


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## Dani_Art (May 12, 2015)

Trick said:


> Thanks,
> 
> So far, this is all done in a free program but I recently got Photoshop and will transfer this in layer by layer to see wahat improvements I can make. I'm rusty with Photoshop so it'll take a little time. Any particular suggestions on this image? Overall design, impression, detail issues like lighting and angle, or ways to make the font pop?
> 
> ...



I never did anything out of Photoshop, well, actually I use InDesign to finish the back cover, since Photoshop is not a text editor.
I'm not a big fan of effects, rather not use them. But if I have to use, it is in moderation. Some of them result in the blurry effect, everything depends on the background in which they are applied to. In the case here, as your cover has a solid bg color (black) I would not recommend using this glow effect, let it with no effect. Sometimes less is more.
Also, you don't have to leave the fonts on the edges, maybe reduce a little bit.

About overall lights, design, details, angle, what I can say is that every stage of your creation is a small progress, a personal victory. The more you do it the better you will get, but the truth is that you can not learn "by your own resources", you need to watch elements in real life, for example, if you have an object on the table and there is a source of light to the right, you have to analyze how the light hits your object, if the light is near or far, as the shadow is cast ... are many details to be considered. 
You are being humble to ask and accept the critique, is a great start to being an artist (any kind of artist, writer, designer, actor...). Congrats!

You have a nice result on this cover, I liked. 

Have a good training!


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## Trick (May 12, 2015)

@Dani_Art

Thank you, I'll will take your advice into consideration and keep at this. I'll be posting the evolution of the cover (who knows, it could change 100% again, I'm just not sure).


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## Dani_Art (May 12, 2015)

I'm no master at it, I'm just passing to you what I have to study and learn too.
You can find good tutorials on the internet that will help you! 

Good night!


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## mt_jupiter (May 13, 2015)

Cool knife design. The knife can get even bigger if you want, going just under the text or even going off the page. Sometimes it's more interesting to imagine what the whole form is than to actually see. A bathing suit can be sexier than the actual birthday suit.


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## Trick (May 13, 2015)

mt_jupiter said:


> Cool knife design. The knife can get even bigger if you want, going just under the text or even going off the page. Sometimes it's more interesting to imagine what the whole form is than to actually see. A bathing suit can be sexier than the actual birthday suit.



I see your point on that and, of course, now the knife seems a little small to me :confused2:

I haven't done that this time around but I'll try it out and see if I like it. This one has the text improved (hopefully) and various other small edits. I'm getting weary of the jpeg quality on here though. I need get a higher quality version up soon.


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## Trick (May 14, 2015)

Alright, here is the cover with more fine tuning and below is a version with a larger blade. Not sure which is better.

Any Thoughts?


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## BWFoster78 (May 15, 2015)

I like the bottom one better.  Have you tried making the hand/arm bigger as well?  Seems like there's a lot of blank space.


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## Trick (May 15, 2015)

BWFoster78 said:


> I like the bottom one better.  Have you tried making the hand/arm bigger as well?  Seems like there's a lot of blank space.



It's been sized up once. My concern is that if it get's much bigger, that tattoo will be too... off to the side? I don't think I can move it up on the wrist without making it look odd.


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## Lunaairis (May 16, 2015)

I like the top one better. Nothings overlapping so you can read the title better.


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## Trick (May 16, 2015)

Lunaairis said:


> I like the top one better. Nothings overlapping so you can read the title better.



What kind of impression does the cover give you?


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## Lunaairis (May 16, 2015)

Well the both give the impression of a gritty fantasy novel. Maybe not so much a thief, but a killer yes.


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## mt_jupiter (May 16, 2015)

An easy way to visually separate the text from the knife under it is to duplicate the text so u have a new text layer text. The text that's under the new text needs to be changed to black (a contrasting color to the top text color) and moved slightly (5 pixels, whatever) down and over. 

The issue about empty space (if that's an issue) can usually be solved by adding some type of gradient to the background.

I associate blood on a knife with death or serious injury at least.


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