Both a blessing and a bane (no pun intended towards the extremely talented artist I'm working with) about self-publishing is having the power to make all the decisions - because I enjoy picking and choosing and having the strongest voice in the process. But it's also more responsibility and more time that I lose doing all the picking and choosing. And I have to multi-task, not my long suit. But everything is really coming together and the character sketches are now just right.
After the first cover comp, I asked Dennis aka BANE at banedarkart.com to make Ella Bandita's 3/4 portrait consistent with her full face portrait. I just decided that the rawness of her features was consistent with the character, who is not considered "beautiful." She's considered "ugly" in the story and her cover image needs to be believable. Check it out.
BANE at banedarkart.com
This is much better, and her image fit the new cover concept so much better. But I was hoping for a more fierce look in her eyes, closer to the one in her original 3/4 portrait. The cold ferocity of her stare was just perfect.
BANE at banedarkart.com
Here, he's getting closer. I liked the shading around the eyes, but the pretty factor keeps coming back. What is it with men?! He admitted to using higher cheekbones and a sharper nose to create the stare, but I suggested he use just the shading and leave her features raw and blunt. And here is the final result:
BANE at banedarkart.com
Now that's more like it. There's my bitch!
Dennis was still kind of stumped on the Wanderer, but Katie - the first graphic designer who bailed once she got a loan to write for a year - sent on a pic of an old boyfriend because she felt he had the essence of the Wanderer. And the missing piece was all that was needed. The over-soft innocence was gone and Dennis was able to make the Wanderer sexy!
BANE at banedarkart.com
I wouldn't kick him out of bed! If you'd like to see the previous versions, check out earlier posts. It's not as if I have that many!
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