I picked up the book that I painted the cover for yesterday and could hardly recognize my painting. This is the case quite often these days but here is the book cover and my painting, you tell me. Feel free to say you like the the final version, I really would like your honest opinion. I can take it.
14 comments:
Katie says:
"What were they thinking?"
Nice one Treez! I needed that this morning.
Yours is much nicer as a picture, though it may be that their's is better as book cover???
But it was them that briefed you right? Why didn't they brief what they wanted. Probably just some nobbo-me-lad justifying his position in the company.
Yours could go on my wall, their's only belongs on a book cover.
Honest?
My career has been in art direction/graphic design, despite a degree in illustration. I've freelanced illustration, also, so I've had a foot in both camps. It's possible (likely) that marketing was involved with the final look of the cover and dictated a more ominous, less specific look than you have in the original piece. The cover is very moody and grim and can't be judged against the original on the same terms. "Does it sell the book?" is probably the standard in publishing, which has nothing to do with the original-and that question will be answered by the marketing department, not the creative department.
That being said-I picked up your blog from urbansketchers.com and really like your sketches. My husband likes beer and I like to sketch in bars so it's working out well.
I like your version but as a book cover it seems the final version works well for a book cover. With less colour and more monochrome- it's things like this that drive me nuts about illustration commissions! It's the feeling you get after all the hard work, only to see it melted like wax to meet someones taste and demands- Take Heart!
2 different result but one had to be done for the other to exist. Yours is the favorite but to sell a book an attention grabber had to be found and when you look without looking a red cover stand out regardless what is on it.
Yours beautiful
theirs is effective
Keep it up we all delight in your work.
I hate it too when an art director goes hog wild on my illustrations. Today it's all about making the title and author's name as big as possible to grab your attention, and the art is secondary or non-existent.
I like your painting much better than the resulting book cover. With this said, the book cover works, especially if one didn't have chance to see the original.
Alex
Your painting is the better in artistic execution, of course. But I also wonder if you can submitted it in just red tones, whether they'd have used it--or then decided the cover needed to be in ominous grays.
I guess the key is, do what you want and they'll do the same . . . sometimes the match will work out.
Stephen, I am sorry that you got blindsided like this-
I find it hard to take- empowering the Marketing people like this- though it does happen over and over again.KC-Possible, likely? ha! it is what happens-and it is because there are too many who do not know what they want and think they are being coy by not being specific.
If someone orders an original then at least have the foresight to know what you are asking for and have the common business courtesy to let us know if it changes.
WOW, I want to thank you all for your opinions on this. Actually this is the third such cover in row that has received this kind of attention. In retrospect I does make for a more powerful looking cover and mine is not to wonder why.
I'm lucky in this climate to get any job at all.
Thanks again, I really have enjoyed all you have had to say on this. Onwards and upwards.
Wow, the book cover certainly didn't do your painting justice! Your colours are beautiful, and what make the painting, and they washed it out!
???
Obviously the editor doesn't have the exquisite taste your followers and fans have.
Thanks, I'm slowly getting over it I may have to post what they did to the one before that too.
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