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My Cover Art

ThomasCardin

Minstrel
Hello everyone, I just wanted to share my cover art. Exposure is a good thing in this instance :)

These are digitally painted in Photoshop CS5.5 and there are elements modelled and rendered in 3DS MAX and composited in Photoshop. I work with a very dense number of layers, seperating shapes, colors, and effects to have the most malleability I can have. Each of these covers numbers over 100 individual layers and 25 to 40 hours of work (I didn't keep too accurate of tabs on the time management, just working an hour a two each night)
TheFinalWarden_cover.jpg

CoTcover_front02.jpg

LoVCover05_front.jpg

I have a bit more work to do on the Lord of Vengeance cover, the title font is unfinished and I have some more cleanup to do on the environment
 
Wha... bu... bu... but. Argh! These are fantastic!
Photoshop, you say? A 100 layers? 25-40 hours of work? *whistles impressedly*

I'll have to echo Telcontar's sentiments here. Argh!
 

ThomasCardin

Minstrel
Thanks! Computer art and animation is my day job. I have been working at it professionally since 1987 --doing graphics with character sets on the Commodore 64...This is a long way from there.
 

Addison

Auror
Speaking of illustrations, does anyone know the artist of the illustrations on Pottermore? I found the company, but not the name. I can't tell if it's pastels or watercolor or what.
 

ThomasCardin

Minstrel
Had to sign up to check that out. From what I can see, that's all digital painting. Some of it appears painted over the top of photosource, but I see lots of telling brushstrokes. If it were watercolor or pastels there would be textures of the paper underneath--nearly impossible to remove without repainting everything digitally.

With photoshop or painter its possible to paint in just about any media style...and of course in none whatsoever, it all depends on how close to the pixel the artist wants to get.
 

Addison

Auror
Ah. No offense but it sounds like digital drawing is kind of taking the art out of art. What happened to hand-drawn (painted, sketched) illustrations?
 

ThomasCardin

Minstrel
Digital painting is painting using the computer software as the artists medium.

Here is a demo of a drawing a dragon on youtube. The artist is drawing and painting a dragon in realtime using photoshop and a stylus, an input device held in the hand exactly as one holds a pen or a brush.

That's not me painting, but I paint in a very similar manner.

There are other forms of computer art, such as 3D, which have a lot less direct forms of paint application--it's far removed from paper and pencil sketching, but so is pottery and sculpting which you will find with some exploration has very close ties to the methods of 3D art on the computer.

The computer is another media and it IS more forgiving and immediate than other forms. You do not have to wait for your paint to dry and you can undo and erase any portion of your work. You don't have to stock a dozen brands of watercolor paper or stretch your own canvas if you want to save a buck or two over what a framer would charge you. But, and I want to make this perfectly clear, your skills as an artist translate directly, just as they do between pencil sketching and acrylic painting--the differences are in the techniques used.

Can someone who is not a talented artist make art with a computer? Sure...but they can also make art with a paintbrush, a spray can or a carving knife. The computer doesn't make one's artwork any more or any less appealing to the viewer, that is still up to the artist. If the artist can take the convenience the computer offers and use that to help them be a better artist, well that's skill learned.
 

Addison

Auror
Thanks for the vid, amazing.

But wasn't there a time when an author would go to a publisher and there would be a few illustrators to show their hand-draw/painted work? Using real brushes and real paint on real paper? Then that art would be scanned, digitally enhanced and then put on the cover?
 

Nihal

Vala
Implying that digital painting isn't as artistic as as traditional art is a terrible misconception. Do you realize that the traditional artists used "dirty tricks" too? They had models at their disposition, they worked in layers, they used light tables and grids, they did thumbnails. The great works were created with models, the traditional pin ups posters used models, art nouveau used models... Wouldn't it be a "trick" to copy the photo/life model? ;3

The only change in the digital era is that the medium gives the opportunity to the artist to be more efficient. You still have to know how to drawn, to paint, perspective rules, all the theory, but instead of having to know the traditional workflow you must learn a new one, using another medium.

Is it possible to fake it? To not know how to drawn and overpaint? Yes? But these people will go far? No. And this kind of thing happened before the digital era.

Now, there is a difference between the artist who creates artworks for exhibitions/hang on the wall and the one who creates covers, concept art etc. For the first, how it's created matters, for the second it doesn't. The artwork isn't the final product and everything that matters is: Did you create it? Is it good? Is it fast, or will it delay the release of the final product?

And that's all. You don't reinvent the wheel if you don't need to, you're a part of an equip and you can't be a hindrance.

By the way, people still have to show their portfolio today. =P

--

Now, about the main subject: Wow, I remember when I used tons of layers. Sometimes I still do it, but I avoid. Do you create these works in print size? What is your secret to not chocke your pc to death? xD
 

ThomasCardin

Minstrel
Now, about the main subject: Wow, I remember when I used tons of layers. Sometimes I still do it, but I avoid. Do you create these works in print size? What is your secret to not chocke your pc to death? xD

I have a very nice machine at work that I do my personal painting on after hours. And yeah I did these covers at print resolution.

I do a lot of motion graphics and that requires a hell of a workhorse machine. I also use a Wacom Cintiq - I think it's the first 21 inch model they made. I use a lot of layers as a work habit, we make a lot of changes and need to have a production pathway that allows us the most flexibility we can have. When I work at home on my gaming box I have to keep things much tighter to work within the system.
 

Aklian

Dreamer
These are really very good cover pictures. It is a very cool art work. I tell you one thing that the main cover will be so attractive and it should convey a proper massage regarding to story because when a person see this than he/she should be get massage that what this book about.
 

Aklian

Dreamer
These are really very good cover pictures. It is a very cool art work. I tell you one thing that the main cover will be so attractive and it should convey a proper massage regarding to story because when a person see this than he/she should be get massage that what this book about.

Any Comment????????????
 

ThomasCardin

Minstrel
Thank you Aklian. Each of my covers for the Gifts of Vorallon trilogy show a pivotal scene from their relative book. In the case of The Lord of Vengeance there is actually a great deal more going on in the relevant scene of the book. I mocked it up in dozens of ways but it was always way too full of 'stuff' to portray. When I stripped out some of the extra things going on, it finally worked visually.

Thank you LadyCass. It was quite a challenge to portray that scene, but I think it worked... I grade myself hard though.

Here is the cover design for my current work in progress. This focuses on telling the story of Falraan, one of the heroines of the Gifts of Vorallon.
TheFireofFalraan500.jpg
 

Addison

Auror
the artwork is amazing, great color and shading.

It looks like you cut off the lighting effect in a straight line before it could reach her. It separates the title from the character.
 

ThomasCardin

Minstrel
Thank you Addison. As the writnig progresses on this story, I am piecing ideas together for the final background.
 
I am a bit late to commenting on this thread, but...wow. Lovely artwork. I especially liked the third one. I showed this to my husband, and he said, "Wow! Now I really want to read those!"

I agree with him. I am not the most attentive Mythic Scriber, so I hope you mind if I ask if you've already published these somewhere. 'Cause hubby and I really want to read these. Like, right now.
 
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