Greetings, Edenites! Despite being immersed in the final edits of Planet of Eden, I found a little time to work on the book cover design again. If you remember, my first mock-up included a stylized female face—almost like a watercolor portrait—against a semitransparent space background. I liked the concept, but really wanted to use a photo of the lovely Leslie Craven from our photo shoot back in January. So, I reached out to Amy at Pretty Sleepy Art, who created that original image, and asked her if she could produce a similar one with my own photo. Amy was glad to help, and she designed the image you see below using Leslie’s face.
I so enjoy collaborating with other artistic people! I thought about attempting the design myself. I might even have done a good job of it. But doing so would have pulled me away from my editing, and I also would not have made a new creative friend (who will hopefully also become an Edenite). Sometimes, guys and ladies, we just need to let others help us.
Amy’s art is—quite literally—fantastic. She has the ability to envision otherworldly and surreal scenes and recreate them in her own unique style. Check out her work at Pretty Sleepy Art.
Okay. I’m off of doing the book cover and back to editing now. I’m on the last few chapters and super excited to be nearing the finish line on this part of Project Eden. In the meantime, keep being an excellent YOU. There’s only one person qualified for that job, and the world needs you to fill it!
- Image design by Pretty Sleepy Art.
- Photo and cover design by Dan Whicker.
- Modeling by Leslie Craven.
- Body paint, makeup, and video by Juan Pantoja [Also check out Juan’s film studio, Dolphin Image Studios.]
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6 comments
Lovely!
Thanks! It gives me a vision for how the printed book will look on a shelf at a bookstore.
The changes made to the book cover are great. Even though I liked your original cover concept and art work, the photo of a real face gives the book personality and depth. I love seeing the new book cover on a book as you shown us in this post. It’s exciting to see the whole project come together.
Yes! I agree with you about using a real face. It brings a some reality into a genre that most people associate only with the fantastic. You don’t see many science fiction books using realistic photos. As usual, I have to be different!
Awesome looking cover!
Thanks! The modeling, body paint, photography, and design all came together to make this the perfect image for a cover. It definitely captures the mystery of one of the main alien characters, Eah. Don’t forget to check out my other art galleries!