I’ve been thinking about creating cover art and (hopefully) book covers for some time. The big thing with this is how to go about it, I couldn’t work it out and I’m quite a creative person.
That was until I read this from Christoper Doll: Drawing a spaceship a day
Now, while I’m not drawing a spaceship a day I have been having a go at some sketching and using some of the sketches on Christoper’s website as inspiration.
After dusting out the old cobwebs and having a look at what other artists have done I’ve drawn some of my own, drawing on their inspiration. This means I’ve taken some of the design DNA and added a twist of my own to make it mine.
So while this is all well and good how does an artist take sketches like these and create digital art out of them?
The answer is fairly simple, import or open the picture into a graphical drawing software package. In this case I used Inkscape and after scanning the drawing I opened it in my drawing package and drew the lines in a drawing layer above the picture.
Once the line drawing was complete using the drawing tools I could fill in some colours and shading and also have a go with some textures.
Once I had got this far I needed to use something else to take it further as I didn’t think it looked terribly realistic. So the next step was to use a photo editing program to help me. I can’t afford Photoshop, so the open source world has a really great tool called GIMP (Graphical Image Manipulation Program) Adding a texture to the design gave a it that bit more depth. Personally I think it’s could still be better – I’ve lost some of the shading effect that I had brought in – but you know even Rome wasn’t built in a day.
This design was intended to be cover art from my short story The Enemy within the Rings so this needed an appropriate backdrop. After learning how to create a starfield and a planet (this literally took about 30 minutes) I created this:
I’m really pleased with how this turned out – it’s not perfect but for now it’ll do and I can take what I learned to create even better artwork. I think I’ll be creating a few more of these works and using them here on the blog
(have a look at my blog page header) and updating the look of some of my stories.
I might start taking this up to create logos and art for others.
What do you guys think?
Simon βΊοΈ
You are very talented, Simon π
If you wish for serious to create book covers, then you need to make a post about this, as we can share with many of our writers in here at WP. All need great book covers for their books.
Greetings from Rhapsody.
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Thank you Irene, you’re right I do. I need to get some more ideas and examples together I think.
Thank you though
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I love these. It’s nice to see them transform like this. Good luck on building your universe!
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Thank you so much for coming by and the great comment π
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This is so amazing!
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I think it’s excellent! It looks like something I have seen in my dream. After that dream, I started watching science fiction.
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This dream sounds like it was a pivotal moment for you. What science fiction do you like or watch?
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Thank you Simon for your like and quick reply. I’ve seen Blade Runner 2049. I’ve seen some star wars, this is one movie I never thought I would be interested in. Prometheus, I like this one so much, like the Matrix. Avatar, Gravity, Riddick and many others. I guess I’ve experienced a shift.
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What sort of shift have you experienced? There are some gtreat filsm in there.
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I changed. I used to fine science very boring. I hated medicine. I didn’t like people… much. I just didn’t like the world in general. I wanted to just not do anything. But all that has changed in the last three and half years. Now I am so curious and want to meet people, hear their stories and make a contribution to life. I have been lucky in life (only just started seen that too) and I want to live life. It’s like I just woke up from a deep ugly sleep. I’d been blind to the beauty of life…and now I want to express that. The things that I used to not like or that I find boring, Science, medicine…biology, physics, chemistry, physiology, anatomy, my god, they interest me now and I feel am too late to learn these thing but then, … I appreciate them. Oh, I love quantum physics a lot, that’s so new.
Thanks for asking. Any suggestions of a filmΓ
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This is REALLY awesome! Your skills are AMAZING
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Thank you π
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Sounds so easy… you are a spaceship π s genius πΊπΊ
I donβt have time to draw right now, but I like it (less than writing tho, I guess π). Iβd draw mmmm faces I think, if I could/had time
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Thanks Victoria, I’m trying to develop my skills in all kinds of ways. I’m also drawing faces…
I’ll try and draw yours if you like π
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Haha π
It would be fun …but letβs wait with that π
But itβs cool you can do it – great skills!
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That’s ok no worries… Let me know how you get on with your sketching. π
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βοΈβοΈπ
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Thatβs SO good!!!
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You think so? π
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Yes!!
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Cool… Thank you ππ€
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Your universe looks pretty good, my i move in?πby the way, thank you so much for supporting my blog this much, you are huge supporter π
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I’m glad you like the look of it, anyone can come in and enjoy this universe and all are welcome. Thank yo for supporting my blog…
Happy to support you π
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That seems do cool Simon. I wish could do it myself. My talent is not drawing.
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Do you fancy trying it? What would like to draw if you could?
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People and pets
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People I can help with – I created a post about it. I’m not an expert though, but I think I’m passable. I’m still learning my craft.
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Nature
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Looks cool, 30minutes sounds not long, there was and the always will be something special about universe, mystery makes it more interestingπ€
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Well quite… what’s 30 minutes?
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I am really impressed, Simon. You have some great drawing skills. π
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Thanks Kerry… I’ve been working hard on my drawing. I wish it was something I could spend more time on.
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Reblogged this on Vijayagiri views.
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Thank you for the re-blog π
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Love these great job! Perspective drawing can be difficult so I admire anyone who does it well. Canβt wait to see more in color π
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The should be some colour in there towards the end. I find perspective helpful in many ways.
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I agree even though past 2D I find it more difficult. Iβm more of a βfree-spiritβ artist so too many restrictions can be worse for my creativity & mixing blending color/medium etc. But I do think & have learned in interior design & doing basic drafting etc. & perspective courses, that it is very useful, needed, & also helps in art to bring out roundness or a 3D-ness that you canβt achieve any other way always. Anyways I like it & am
Impressed. Color or not π
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Thank you Mandi, that’s appreciated ππ
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This is awesome! What a fun skill to learn
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It has been pretty fun and I still have much to learn.
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Thanks for tagging my post π
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love your sketches and was great seeing how you built it into a digital image. I have never managed to get myself into digital art, I did recently get a new graphics tablet and am eventually going to do something similar (scan in sketches and turn them into something more digital).
I never realised how well GIMP worked re textures, I’ve never had to use it for that. I guess I might play around with it more π Great article.
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I’m please I could inspire you, I hope you have a go at GIMP because it is pretty powerful π
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Wow, impressive. Itβs amazing what we can achieve when we set our minds to things.
I loved your guest post over at Ariβs site. π
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Hi Lorraine, thanks for coming over and looking up my little corner of the internet. Are you an arty creative type as well?
It’s good to know that my guest post was well recieved. π
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I studied art and interior design, but I havenβt drawn in years. Iβll leave that to my daughter, sheβs far more talented, and Iβll stick to writing. π
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You’re not even tempted to pick up the pencil anymore?
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I can so relate to what you are saying. I am intelligent, but at the same time, I have difficulty learning from others unless I can visually watch it step by step, and even if I do, most of the time I will do it slightly differently, as I envision it. I am an artist, among other things, and when I have taken art classes, I can absolutely never do exactly what the teacher is doing. It bores me, and I might have paid attention and see what she is doing, but at the same time, I want to interpret it in my own way. I may use the same technique, but I will tweak it until it is my own. And you found something you could relate to in order to do it, and that is wonderful to be able to trust your own instincts and your own sense of how things work. Most folks are afraid to do that. This is how we really come to understand something, be it a process, or a thing, or whatever else it is we are striving to know.
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This is all very true, no artist will be content to follow another’s method.
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I think it is totally inspiring the way you wanted to do something and found a way to teach yourself how to do it. You are very good at what you are doing, and it tells me that you are making my mom’s statement, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” very true. Reblogged on Google.com.
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Thank you for your kind words and the reblog. It’s always been my way to find my own way to do something becasue sure as hell no one else is going to show me π
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Do it! The best time to start is now!
There are so many people who’d love to hire someone so talented and passionate to create their logos, prints, and other designs.
Start sharing your designs on Instagram, and create an Instagram page specifically for them. Advertise your services, and have a contact email on there. It might take some time to build up, but if you keep posting your designs regularly, you will start to see the fruits of your labor take hold.
You were given this talent for a reason… π
Big love, Xx,
Antasha
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I think I’m going to take your advice here. Thanks Antasha, sending big love πβ€οΈ xx
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Wonderful Simon! Loved the sketches
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Thanks Lucy, I always appreciate your support π
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This looks great! I enjoyed walking through your process in your post. Where will you be trying to publish your short story? I’m working on compiling a list of good sites for fiction work and essays and I’d love to get your take on great places to try.
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Hi Angela, thanks for coming by and showing interest and commenting. At the moment the only place where my work is published is here in this site, if you like I can show you where. I hope my work could make the grade for the list in your site, either way I have a few people I know what fully deserve to have they’re work showcased. π
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We’re in fact finding mode right now, my writing group and I. I know there are lots of places where writing is published, like literary magazines OTV and many others. But I don’t know much about that world yet. Maybe when I have a good list going I’ll post what I know!
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