I think I finally have the basis for The Alice '65's dust jacket. After trying a number of sketches in various media and poses and re-workings, I surrendered to the reality of my artistic limitations and went to Shutterstock to build up a new possibility...and this is what I came up with. It's a rough mock-up but I like it.
I was already using this model for Adam's face in my sketches; I just didn't have a photo of him with the right expression and pose...nor was this guy in anything but that plaid shirt. Then I tried a composite -- shifting his head from another pose onto this one -- and it worked well. So well, it changed my mind about the shirt. This could be what he wears on the plane and during the final confrontation, once he's back in his own clothes. It is a rather Adam shirt.
Casey -- I'd looked at a number of female poses and found one I could sketch in the right way but not a face...until I looked this time. I like this woman's off-beat prettiness and like how her hair is, but I had to go through 12 pages of her before finding one I could use that didn't have the top of her head chopped off...and I still had to flip the image to get her doing it the right way.
Gertrude was easy; I just had to make do with a black jaguar to find one on a white background. You can still make out the spots. I'd need to adjust that...but that's an easy fix, as well.
What matters is, it gives the cover a playfulness I wanted. One friend suggested tilting the image of the book...and I may try that. I also need something brighter with the font; right now it just sits there. Still, I'd like to hear if anyone else has anything to suggest about it.
By the time I was done, I had a nice little headache and eye strain from the computer screen, so I removed my glasses and watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and realized something about the first two films I hadn't noticed -- not once in them is Harry ever held like a child should be...with love and care and attention. Not until Sirius Black does just before he leaves. Granted his aunt and uncle are vile people, and truth is they should have been reported for child abuse, but no one else holds him or comforts him or anything along those lines as a parent would their child.
Son-of-a-bitch, that broke my heart.
Casey -- I'd looked at a number of female poses and found one I could sketch in the right way but not a face...until I looked this time. I like this woman's off-beat prettiness and like how her hair is, but I had to go through 12 pages of her before finding one I could use that didn't have the top of her head chopped off...and I still had to flip the image to get her doing it the right way.
Gertrude was easy; I just had to make do with a black jaguar to find one on a white background. You can still make out the spots. I'd need to adjust that...but that's an easy fix, as well.
What matters is, it gives the cover a playfulness I wanted. One friend suggested tilting the image of the book...and I may try that. I also need something brighter with the font; right now it just sits there. Still, I'd like to hear if anyone else has anything to suggest about it.
By the time I was done, I had a nice little headache and eye strain from the computer screen, so I removed my glasses and watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and realized something about the first two films I hadn't noticed -- not once in them is Harry ever held like a child should be...with love and care and attention. Not until Sirius Black does just before he leaves. Granted his aunt and uncle are vile people, and truth is they should have been reported for child abuse, but no one else holds him or comforts him or anything along those lines as a parent would their child.
Son-of-a-bitch, that broke my heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment