I have sort of a lukewarm feeling toward Valentine's Day. I love my husband. I don't need a single day of the year to give/receive romance and appreciation. That said, it's a great excuse to find a babysitter and go out on a date. I'm never averse to a little extra romance amidst the everyday romance.
But that's not what this post is about. It's about LOVE, yes...but it's about something I LOVE about writing that, uh, has nothing to do with writing.
I love making mock covers for my books. I'm not an expert in graphic design, and I don't even have Photoshop. My covers are pretty basic; I have two steps.
1. Make a list of words that reflect your book's themes, plot points, and characters. Then do a Google image search for those.
2. I pull the images I want into a freeware program called GIMP. I do some tweaking, effects, rearranging, image combinations, and text creation for the titles.
And voila! I get a temporary face for my book. Here are some designs I've played with for my current WIPs.
This is the cover for Devolutionaries. I had a hard time coming up with a cover for this one. I think this one looks awesome, but I'm not sure it really captures the book. [image removed]
This one is for Black and Blue. While the story is currently waiting its turn because I got wrapped up in another project, I love the cover! [image removed]
And now for my favorite...the cover for The Unhappening of Genesis Lee. A few effects turned the basic picture into something that reflects the story. [image removed]
So, my friends, what fun things do you do with your WIPs that have nothing to do with the writing of it? Have you ever made your own covers, just to put a face on your book?
And don't forget, you can enter to win a critique from agent Sarah LaPolla and editor C.A. Marshall-- and help five kids in Africa get an education!
Oh, these covers are really gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHah, making covers is so much fun!Particularly love the third one. I had a post on the same thing a few days ago, only I used Picnik :)
ReplyDeleteoh, I love your covers. I think about mine, but never sit down and do anything like this.
ReplyDeleteThe hubs is learning photoshop right now, maybe I will get him to make me a cover or two for my books.
Enjoy the extra romance today.
Love em! And I love GIMP. I basically live on it.
ReplyDeleteI draw pictures of my characters all the time, and then go back and manipulate them in GIMP.
Although I've considered making my own book cover in GIMP, I haven't taken the time to do it.
These are very cool covers! And thanks for the info, very helpful!
ReplyDeleteYour covers are stunning, especially the one for Devolutionaries. I only recently found the delight of making mock covers and now have one for both my novels.
ReplyDeleteSweet covers! I've been guilty of doing the same thing - nothing elaborate. The blue stone picture on the side of my blog is one of them. It adds a touch of accomplishment, plus it's a lot of fun giving your words something to look at. Nice work! :)
ReplyDeletewow, those covers are amazing, esp. the one for devolutionaries; very intriguing - that cover would entice me to pick up the book and maybe read the first page or two.
ReplyDeleteThe third one is epic!!! You did a great job! I can't do stuff like this.... I'm horrible at doing paint and stuff on the computer...
ReplyDeleteThese covers are beautiful. I've heard great things about GIMP, but I've never tried it. I'm a Photoshop nerd.
ReplyDeleteI always have trouble designing stuff for myself. I can never get it PERFECT and then I get mad. Maybe I should try it though. Next time I'm procrastinating...
Love your covers. I use GIMP to make mine too! Your last one is incredible.
ReplyDeleteThose are great covers! I like the first one--it interesting that there's so much technology and I love the virtual feel to it.
ReplyDeleteI made a cover for a WIP once--it was simple, based on one of Word's templates, but there's something about having a cover that adds a little to the novel. :)
Shallee, I love them all! And I love GIMP! The third is my favorite, too. :) The picture is so beautiful, it makes me really wonder what the book is about, awesome!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome idea! I've never thought of doing this but now I have to go and make me some covers :).
ReplyDeleteI especially like your third one, but they're all great.
Those are awesome Shallee! I totally want to do that sometime! And that third book? My curiosity is peaked! :)
ReplyDeleteHoly flaming cow! The girl on your cover for Black and Blue is *almost* a carbon copy of how I imagine one of my characters looking. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI like the other ones too, by the way ;)
nice covers! esp the last one--reminds me of the about-to-be-released book
ReplyDeleteThe Unbecoming of Mara Dyer--which is a pretty big compliment, cause that book's cover is STUNNING.
i make my covers too--its so much fun! :D
Popped over here from a post by Karie Marie who's doing the A to Z Challenge. I'll have to check out your advice. Sounds fun and useful.
ReplyDeleteContrary to my usual practice of subscribing to comments, to save time during challenge I will not be doing so during April. If you want to respond to my comment , please email me directly from your email notification for the comment.
Thanks.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Twitter hashtag: #atozchallenge