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.

Photo's of subject matter

 Here are some contact sheets of all the photo's i took of my subject matter. I circled the ones with interesting angles or lighting which could be used in a book cover.

I circled the ones above as i like the dark tones in the 2882 and also like the reflection taken in the 2888 and 2889.

I like 9503 as i like the soft focus on the background but the contrasting hard focus on the feather, and the same goes for 9511 and 9513.

I like the breaking of the water in this shot as it makes an interesting shape.

I then like 1647 as it adds a close up with a nice background, and then 1656 as it gives an idea of a different world underneath the water.

Pinterest Resaerch

Using pinterest, i collected a wide variety of book covers which i found appealing. 

Proposition for Book Cover

This is the proposition i created to help me get an idea on what my Book Cover would be working around. It helped me develop some ideas for later in my project. It also helped me decide that i would be creating a darker (and older) version of the children's book 'The Ugly Duckling', using more sinister themes throughout the cover to convey this type of story line.

Scamps of other books

I chose 12 separate book cover designs to do scamp copies of. I think all have of them have elements i might want to incorporate into my final design, such as the typeface, composition or layout used on the cover.

These are the original scamp drawings i created.

These are the same scamps where i have added the colours used on the original design. I did this by scanning them in and then adding layers of colours onto the scamp, trying to be pick up some colour schemes i may use on my own cover.

Brainstorm of Ideas for Book Cover

I made a mind map of ideas i could use for a book cover with the theme 'Earth, Air, Wind and Fire', to help me establish what i could base mine on.