How to paint a book cover fast
by https://www.creativebloq.com/author/brett-bean · Creative Bloq
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I was asked to do a third printing late at night, and the question is always “how fast can you turn this in?” I’ve worked in production for 20 years – it’s always that question. And I’ve given the same answer for 20 years: “I will make it as good as I can with the time I have.” Deadlines always come first.
But by the third printing of D’Orc, I was swamped with work and deadlines. It’s a great problem to have! The first cover was story related, and the second cover was a close-up character study. I knew I wanted a hero shot for the third cover, and I had to do it quick! This gave me only a day, and in production that’s a normal thing.
It’s problem solving, not always art solving. I needed something fast, but still quality to the best I could do.
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The big reveal of the major characters had been shown on social media and various variant covers, so I knew it was necessary to have them all in the cover. I also believed that if I did a nice hero shot, I could use it for the graphic novel collection. Factor in your decisions and make sure to work smarter, not harder!
For more inspiration, see Tony DiTerlizzi's tips on how to design book cover art.
How to paint a book cover fast
01. Pick a highlight
This image is not a moment from the issue, but a snapshot of what the audience is in for. By adding common elements, it’s easy for someone to interpret what the world is about and let people know where this will take place.
I did this drawing for a poster earlier and cut it out for the third printing cover. I thought I could do a more aggressive stance for my hero shot
02. Draw your cover star
I knew that I didn’t have time to ink an entire cover, but I still really wanted the hand-drawn feel. I decided to meet myself in the middle and do a combination of digital and traditional.
This way, I manage to get the speed of digital and the look of traditional – where it counts! I inked the heroes so that I could scan and slap them over the background painting
03. Arrange the background
I added more fire and special effects to the background; elements that surround the character and refocus eyes to the shot. Normally, I do this with the logo on the cover so I can make it feel ‘on purpose’.
I also added swords and blood upfront to change the elements I snagged from the poster, but also to create a nice foreground, middle ground and background element.
Cover art tips
Use layers
Keep your elements of tonal range on the important parts in your illustration. I retain a layer that turns colours on and off as I paint and switch back and forth.
If I’ve done my job, the highest contrast elements (black to white) are in the characters and the arrow pointing at them. I try to keep the eye looking in the centre – that is, until we slap a giant logo on the cover and change it all…
Don't worry about realism
For the fire, I made shapes in the background that felt pleasing to my eye. When I have shapes, I use the motion blur and smudge tools in Photoshop to elongate and create visual interest and energy.
I couldn’t care less about reality; let photographs and anal-retentive artists handle that kind of stuff!
Stay varied
Simple to busy: dirt, grime, spots, patterns, mechanical greebles, flames, shapes of the light and any element you wish. They bring focus in a scene, create variational interest, give the eye a moment to rest and follow, and draw attention to what’s important in a scene.
Pick your moments. It’s an artist’s choice, and they influence style and design.
But keep to the theme
I try to make art that reflects the character and hopefully makes the audience smile. The technique, brush or flick you use don’t matter; find your purpose and set out! Always have something to aim for in a character design, environment, scene or illustration.
Don’t design in the dark. If you have a purpose or a keyword then you can successfully problem-solve. But without it, there’s no answer that you can work towards.
Brushes
If people like your art, they will not care what brush you used. That’s an excuse for hard work. Put in the time, and you won’t regret living a creative life.
It doesn’t have to equal money or fame, nor should it. But your eyes will open, your smile will get bigger and your heart will expand if you can find being creative in your life.
Start drawing!
Put down the videogame, phone and excuse to not create, and start creating. Hell, put down this article and stop as soon as you read this!
It’s better to just create something, fail and learn from it then read this article like it will change you. It won’t! But living life, drawing, creating and painting will change you, I guarantee it. So here’s my butt in a seat, living life and creating in balance. Your turn!
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