Final Book Cover Designs

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Art Journal

After the Christmas holidays I was given two projects at the same time.
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​The first project, is about creating two pieces of paperwork book covers (front covers only). I've been asked to have them focused on two main subject each with a title, called "The Tree", and "The Chair". I also needed to decide what genre I would like to use for "The Tree", and "The Chair", and before I did any work in them I needed to research some artists, two in black and white media and another two in colour media. The artists I researched is Rockwell Kent and Faith Jaques in Black and white media, and Peter Blake and Charles Keeping in colour media.

I start with researching about these artists first, and learning their art techniques during the first week. On the second week, I finally got to work on drawing ideas for the book covers. One for the tree (in black and white style) and the other for the chair (in colour media). The idea I wanted to create on "The Tree",  is in colour media (in Peter Blake’s art style), using collage paper of images, photos and some of the artwork I've done already. "The tree', I wanted in is a Psychological thriller (horror) genre with a lot of darkness around during the night. “The Tree”, is in a haunted set with a figure walking past it. Along side them is an abandoned railway track, a lot of fog covering most of the book cover (to make you feel spooked on what's on the other side), and somewhere in the fog a ghost train quietly comes toward the book cover. The idea I wanted to create for "The Chair," is in black and white media (in Faith Blake’s art style). Using a quill pen and black ink to draw, I'd use some pencil to sketch out the shapes and details of what I want the cover to be in. The idea of "The Chair", is a western and crime genre. “The Chair”, will be seen in the backside with a mystery figure sitting on with a drink in one hand and a gun in the other. The figure would either be wearing a hat or on the chair. Seeing this book cover as a crime would make people nervous and interested, but as an Western it would be very exciting for anyone to be there. The idea of making "The Tree", into a psychological thriller (and possibly a horror) with the ghost train was something I was thinking from my childhood. When I was 3/4 years to about 8 years I was very into Thomas the Tank Engine both in books, toys and tv, so when I was thinking of what I wanted to do with "The Tree", the thought of the ghost train just popped into my head. So I gave it a go and the idea seemed to make good effect. The idea of making "The Chair', didn't come into mind, but one of my tutors gave me an idea, when they mentioned a movie, Once Upon a Time in the West from a opening sequence with a cowboy sitting on a rocking chair and getting annoyed by a fly, flying around his face. That is where I got my ideas from.

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Learning the Techniques From the Artists I researched

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Ideas for "The Tree," and "The Chair"

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Where I got the Ideas from...

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My Own Artwork

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The First Designs

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Art Journal #2

When I presented the work I produced to my tutors, Dwayne and Tony here is what they said:

1. The Artists – you can see the research you've done regarding the artists, you need to try and work more spontaneously and less methodical – try to be more exploratory, you need to just get on with it to produce a lot more work

2. The book Jackets –you were required to use techniques to create the theme and genre of the book cover

The chair 
·       the typography doesn’t quite fit but the font chosen is a good 

Choice
·       there is no sense of directional light
·       there is however good visual variety

The tree
·       this cover is too busy, you did not need to include the train or the person it takes away from the main focus

So with some spare time I did some more artwork in both covers to develop on what they were saying. Hearing the feedback, was a little hurtful, but I took it well to improve the artwork at the end. The second project was a challenging task, because I had a week to do it. This project was creating an illustration for an article that's already been written.

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Developments