August 2020 - Cover Artist - WIPs

Cover Artist

Brief: Produce a cover illustration for a classic Science fiction or fantasy novel of your choice (text etc. is not required but you can do that too if you like).

Deadline: Monday the 31st of August at midnight (UTC).

This thread is where you post your WIPs (work in progress), final entries should be posted over here: cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/current-...artist-final-entries

Challenge rules and guidelines:
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challenge-rules/39-challenge-rules

Rules in brief:
- All challenge entries must be your own work.
- You should post at least two WIP images that are clearly different from your final entry and each other.
- Your final entry should contain your image (inserted so it shows up full size) and at least two links to your WIP posts on the forum.
- No chatter in the finals thread – if you have questions, post them in the WIP thread or PM an admin.
- Feedback is allowed & encouraged together with the voting and in the WIP thread.
- Deadline is given in UK time (midnight GMT) with a grace period of 5 minutes for getting the post sorted.
- Each member may cast one vote.
- No cheating! Admins may decide to disqualify an entry that does not adhere to the above rules.

Does Harry Potter count as classic? I'm not sure what defines a classic, really

I guess classic would mean anything that is still remembered some time after it was first published. Harry Potter probably would be I suppose.

I would suppose that, too...

Have not had too much luck finishing any challenges lately, but I'll see what I can do this month if I don't get in over my head and real life cooperates (fingers crossed).

I'm going with Orwell (1984).

Here's a somewhat cleaned up concept sketch for the 1984 cover. I think I'll call it "Wrongthink."

Looking good. I like the subtle broken symmetry of the layout. Exactly the kind of thing you'd want from a book cover.

Thanks. Since I posted the first WIP I redesigned some of the elements on the sketch (like the symmetrical cameras). I do like your take on asymmetry in covers. I left his pose the same but I removed the pencil holder and added a bottle of Victory Gin from the book (and a half-empty glass of gin) as well as put a glass paperweight on top of the book. Both of these were symbolic elements in the novel. He's now also holding a smoking cigarette.

*checks countdown nervously*

I did try one these today but the results were shoddy. Seemed like such a clever idea in my head but when I scribbled it out it just didn't work at all.
Back to thinking and watching the clock.

Whenever a book cover challenge comes along my first instinct is do one of those minimalist, stylized things in that graphic design way.
But I just... can't... do... them!

It still ends up looking sketchy and scribbly and smeary and painterly and rubbish. Just like this....





I am actually rereading Lord Of The Rings at the moment while libraries continue to be practically ineffective and I have just got to the bit at that door.

But as for the pic...
I may continue with it another day or two before scrapping and trying something else.