Unit Evaluation for Unit 2

Final Book Cover

Working Progress Of Both My Jackets

Colour Schemes

After scanning in the photo and editing it on photoshop i used this base to try out different colour schemes i may use in my work. All of this work was completed on photoshop.

I first used the magic wand tool to remove the white background. This outline will be used as the base of all my work.

Monochromatic colour scheme

I decided to base this colour scheme on blue as it links with my swan theme swell as suggesting a cooler tone to the contents of the book. I first selected the outline and changed it to a deep blue to  remove the original black, as this wouldn't go with my monochromatic colour scheme.

I then used the brush tool to paint the main swan body into a light blue, which i thought will help the body look innocent as its a lighter saturation, making it lighter and more friendly.

I then filled in the rest of the swan and feather's using a faded brush tool, this tool helped create a soft end to the feathers so they didn't end harshly.

I then started adding in the detail such as the eyes. I chose to add a darker saturation, helping to differentiate from the rest of the swan, as well as adding in darker tones for the more shaded areas to add more of a dimension to the swan as well as removing the more friendly approach and instead replacing a cooler more serious final colour scheme.

Analogous Colour Scheme

I used the same area of colours on the colour wheel to keep the cool feeling of the drawing but added in some turquoise greens to help show  the contrast of the 2 different swans.

I then made the eyes use different colours so they would link together whilst being separate in their own right. The dark blue pupil is the only thing connecting both swans together and contrasting against the colours with a lighter hue.

Complementary Colour scheme

I decided to use red and green as the two base colours on this scheme. I used green as the main colour to make it seem more natural and light. Then i used the red to help emphasise certain parts of the print.

I used  the  red to make the lips pop out of the green tones as warm colours (like the red) come out of the page easier than green does as the cooler green recedes in the page. I also used the red to help create a dark tone in the corners of the wing as well as using the colour on the eyes of the two birds. This helped make them seem mysterious as well making the whole image seem more intimate with the audience as it seems to look at you directly.

My final colour schemes

Print Analysis

C.R.A.P Analysis

Mid-Point Drafting

After creating my first piece i decided that the image it was presenting was too cluttered and messy. Here are the drafts i created with the changes i progressively made, helping me create a draft for my second jacket. I changed the drawing of the 2 sided face, into swans covering the face of a person. I later developed this idea into the swans creating the face

which i thought would help create more of a poetic meaning behind  the cover instead of the more obvious connotations of the first jacket.

My own typeface

I decided to create a new, individual typeface to maybe be placed on my own front cover. Using influence from my mood board i decided to create a feathered typeface to link to my book, but in a modern, serif font to keep that mysterious feeling and not make it look to childish or friendly. 

It is going to be called Swan feather, here is the name in my own typeface

Here are the original typeface drawings i created:

 I then edited my feather typeface on photoshop to give produce the final version of my typeface.

Digital Type Choices

To help me design  my own typeface and also help me understand what typefaces i may chose to use on my artefact, i collected various typefaces and annotated each selection.This helped me grasp an understanding of what i needed for my type choices (what fonts would be suitable on my genre of magazine) as well as helping me design my own typeface.

Typography mood board

Here is the mood board i created to gain ideas for my own display font. This would be place on the front cover of my own version of The Ugly Duckling.

I have decided to focus on feathers for my type, to try and make a more intricate design portraying the delicate nature of the swan but also give it a mysterious edge, possibly by making it obscured by feathers, to create a more mysterious type, which is what i want to make my book feel like.

Emulation

These are the emulations i have created, using the specific style of the artist copy i created. I have tried to make the subject matter of my work relevant to my own book contents.










By using the inked work i created i decided to continue to draft an idea for a cover with the swan work. After editing the levels of the image on Photoshop to make it contrast better with its own dark and light tones, i decided to invert the image making the duckling become the dark focus point.

I then used Photoshop to help create a book guide for me to work with. I then made the picture 'bleed' over the spine of the book so it wouldn't look to regimented but flow nicely.

I then added text onto the project using rough ideas of what font i may use in my final piece, opting for a script font for my title and then a serif font for the other information i provide.

To try and make the pice look as authentic as possible i have tried to create a marker to help signify what the book is, and maybe suggest a involvement of an organisation. I did this by selecting the duckling (as it though this was a relevant part of the cover) and selecting tis head using the lasso tool.

I then used the rubber to erase the execs parts i didn't want to create a smooth curve. Then i used free transform to morphs the head into the size and shape i wanted, placing it on the bottom of the spine of the book.

I decide that the back looked too bare so also encorpaorted another aspect if the cover onto the back, enlarging and changing the levels of the feathers to help dull it sown, giving it a mysterious edge, as if the feathers are fading into darkness gradually.

 the started to use Dafont to try and pinpoint more appropriate typefaces for my book, allowing them to become more individualistic and stylish. I tried to pick a font which was not childish, presenting a almost secretive mood in the reader to helping the book seem more mysterious and dark. This is why i chose a serif and script typeface to be used across my book jacket as these both represent a more serious tone.

To finalise my cover i added in the flaps information and also decided to invert the head back to its normal state, helping it contrast with the rest of the books background. Ive tried to keep it in the same colour range so the whites really contrast with the mainly dark background. The white heads help divide up the information i provided on my book flaps and are also repeated on the cover. This repetition  helps keep the cover constant all the way through, whilst also incorporating the idea of a change in the ducklings identity. The last one being larger shows the progression of the duckling, maybe hinting at the books content.

Lastly i added the small conventions of a book cover like the barcode, price and also dividers on the spine.

Final emulation and draft idea

Copy of artwork

I decided to do a copy of this artwork to help get ideas of what techniques i could use on my books front cover. 

I started by drawing the outlines of the figures free hand in pencil and then layering a base layer of ink over the top.

I created the grey tones using a big brush, then gradually added in the darker tones with a smaller brush and ink. Then after that had dried i highlighted the whiter areas with watered down Gouache to bring it out more. Then i went around the outlines with the black ink to define eveything. 

I then placed the picture on photoshop to edit it, making it more contrasting, ensuring the black and whites were prominent in the picture.

I think that this style of working could be interesting on a cover of a book, giving it a distinct individual look.

Atmospheric perspective drawing

This is the drawing i did trying to convey the  perspective of hills fading into the distance, with closer objects being darker and clearer. I used pencil for this drawing and used it to test out different drawing techniques to influence my final book cover.

My Scamps

When i had collected some ideas from my research and scamps of other designs, i created my own designed scamps annotating them  in more detail. My annotations included what colours were to be used and also was style of typefaces i would use on the jacket. I created 12 different designs, incorporating the theme of the original book but making it feel more like a novel than a children's book.

Conventions of a book cover

Front cover

• Title of book-bold, top of book and stands out
• Authors name-contrasting font, bold and contrasting different colour to background
• Illistrators name- smaller, less important but same font as author

Spine

• Title of book-black but same font used
• Authors name-same font and lighter shade of type colour
• Educational press- recognised, smaller font but contrasting blue

Back

• Nothing-no writing but one picture to bring back to life

Flaps

• front- talks of history of book, sans serif black font
• back- talks of austrailian newspaper, reviews of paper, gives niusness name and address to contact

front cover

• main title-authors name, collection of stories from 1 author- black serif font
• subtitle-'original illustrations'- more worthy
• adds pictures

Spine

• Title of book-black same font used
• Authors name-same font and black
• Logo of company which produced book

Flaps

• front-Name of author, brief insight into author and book, picture
• Back- the author- history of her life, picture, barcode

Back 

• title- smaller font, listing peter rabbits friends featuring in the book
• pictures same layout as front

 Front cover

• title- red serif font, contrasts with black background
• AUthors name-white sans serif font, contesting with black again
• Endorsment/award- best seller, sans serif grey, less contrast

Spine

• title of book-same type + colour as before
• Name of author-same type + colour as before 
• Name/logo of company who made book
• picture front front cover

back

• quote from book-intitail line larger, red serif font, continues quote form book
• quotes from desciption/review from experts- white serif font, stands out
• PI tires showing previous 3 books and this one
• Barcode

Flaps

• front:
• quote from book-red serf it font
• synopsis of cook-black serif font
• opinion- intakes reader
• UK price given- black sans serif font
• back:
• picture of author
• brief history of Stephenie Meyer and previous books red serif font
• links to website for more info on her and her books, red serif font
• jacket designer, photographer- small sideways black sans serif font

Drawings of subject matter

These are some drawings i did of my subject matter. I did them to help me understand what i would be focusing on for my cover and what i might include in my final design. It included the idea of swans, feathers and water as the main focus points as well as wildlife. I also included people, highlighting the more serious tone i want to include in my cover to make it less childish.

I used an hb pencil for this page

And then used a biro pen for this page to help create darker tones.

Here are some more drawings i did in a biro pen, and then gone over in water colour. I have tried to recreate the style of Gipi in these drawings as i could then use this style of painting on my own jacket design. I tried to only use 1 dominant colour in all the paintings like Gipi in his own artwork as well as making rough stokes with the brush like he does.