Finished Book Covers and Work in Progress

FINAL BOOK COVERS:

These are my final two book covers that I created in my exam. I created two variations of the same cover, as I wanted to use the whole of my dragon in one version of the cover and just the head and tail in another. I decided to create the second (diamond) design as I liked the idea of an older looking book and a more modern counterpart. As you can see I have used this layout, just like a dust jacket, to aid with my designing and proportions of the sections of the cover. Throughout the project I made sure to stick to the original theme of the elements and my research point of 'fire' and 'dragons'.

WORK IN PROGRESS SCREENSHOTS:

Here I have started to create my base for my book covers, I have added text to the spine and a price tab to the front flap of the cover. I have used a deep red colour for the text on the cover then added a translucent layer of golds and oranges to make the text look as if it was on fire.

When adding in the back cover designs, I used the tail of the dragon to give the back a bit more colour. I also decided to use the tail on the back cover as a link back to the design on the front cover. I made sure to use the same deep red colour for all the text on the cover as  the base of the title of the book, that way I am limiting the amount of colours I can use throughout the design.

Here I have added in the dragon design to the front of my cover and also copied the title from the spine. To stick to my original design, I only used the head and neck of the dragon and cropped it into a diamond shape. I made sure to use the same shade of green and look as the box on the back cover, to help keep it consistant.

To fill the space on the front flap I added in the reviews. This helps to make the cover look more professional, as most covers tend to have small quotes or reviews printed on them to help promote and sell the book. I also used the same font and colour as the rest of the cover to help it all match together, and also to contrast the background colour of green.

Here I created the second version (and my favourite) of the cover. I decided to use the whole body and wings of the dragon as I feel it was going to waste only using the head. I placed the dragon over the front cover and the front flap to allow it to flow across the cover. I feel that this cover looks a lot more professional than my original idea. This is why I created another version of the front of the cover.

Dragon Design and Photoshop Doc

I originally went over the pencil lines on photoshop to make it look clearer before I started to add colour to my drawing. Once i did this, i started by adding the base red colours to the dragon and wings, then I went around and added the gold details on the scales and horns before adding some lighter shading to the wings and tail ends. Finally I added some gold detail to the tail ends to finish the dragon, I then hid the background layer and the colour spots in the corner before saving it as a png file ready to be placed into another photoshop document.

Cover Mini Scamps

Theme Link 'Fire' - Dragons Research

As a part of my research into the elements, I focused my research onto the element fire. And through this research I collected images of dragons as they are associated with the four elements, mainly fire. Through this discovery into the element of fire, I decided to use dragons as my inspiration for my final.

Copies and Emulations - Brian Biggs

For my copies and emulations I chose to use the illustrations from 'Everything Goes In The Air' and 'Everything Goes On Sea' By Brian Biggs. I chose from the bottom page, the car image (bottom left) and the seagull (top right) and the WW11 Era Fighter Plane from the top page.

COPIES:

EMULATIONS:

The emulations are my own drawings inspired by the artist. I created these drawings in the style of Brian Biggs and then coloured them accordingly. The first emulation is a normal version and the second is the same but monochromatic (not counting the contrasting background). I originally planned to use this character on my designs for my book caver and the final, but I decided that I could do much better and decided to only feature a dragon instead, that way it linked better to my theme of fire and further into dragons.

Theme Links (Earth and Air) - My Photographs

Theme Links (Fire and Water) - My Photographs





Theme Mind Map

This is the mind map I created when thinking of different links to my theme of Earth, Air, Fire and Water