Author Topic: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*  (Read 21256 times)

dawncawley

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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #45 on: December 12, 2006, 03:59:51 AM »
That image is hysterical! Thank you so much for the laugh. I was in need of that tonight.

Seriously though, Brandon, do you know anything about this artwork situation, and do you have any control over it yourself? And honestly, what do you think of it? I personally loved the first one, but this is just making me crazy with how, I don't know, like I posted before, it feels like the artist used the wrong hand to draw it.....

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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #46 on: December 12, 2006, 04:40:48 AM »
EUOL has no control over his art on his books, it's rare when an author does, also you'll find that he doesn't like to talk bad about people he works with-especially on this forum- so he'll never say what he thinks about it in a negative manner.
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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #47 on: December 12, 2006, 02:17:23 PM »
I thought, at first, that it was a picture of some random karate dude kicking someone from House of Flying Daggers or a similar movie. It took me a moment to remember that this new Vin looks like that. I mean, you've been saying "ugly face Vin" a lot in this thread, and I agreed, but it didn't come out so strongly to me before. Yeesh.

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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #48 on: December 12, 2006, 05:34:36 PM »
I really like the buildings and the street in the background. Nicely done, with this good vibe of good humoured craziness going on. Great for the Discworld. Not so great for Mistborn. It's just too clean for Mistborn. I always think of the city in Mistborn as being a lot like Sigil (from the Planescape D&D setting) in terms of looks. Both are grim, dirty cities where buildings are covered in spikes, with scattered huge buildings and towers surrounded by slums filled with 3 story tenements or hovels.

Otherwise... I had to spend 10 seconds trying to figure out Vin's position, since her arms and legs are so weirdly done. Face, again, looks a lot like something i'd expect on a Discworld cover. The grim reaper is in the wrong book, and the crows are placed so prominently that they attract attention. I don't think anyone would be complaining if the crows were more in the background. Where they are, it makes them seem important.

Really, not certain why he drew this for Mistborn, but I quite like certain elements of it as an actual picture.
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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #49 on: December 12, 2006, 10:00:18 PM »
I have long been absent from this realm, but I could not stay so after seeing this...abomination...

It's bad enough that the US ruined Steven Erikson's covers, but now I see...this?!

As "The Guy Formally Known as Bookstore Guy," I would not have put this book faced out on my shelves.  I hate to be this blunt and honest, but I may have stripped the covers of all but 2 or 3 copies had I received this in my weekly shipments. 

It. Sucks. Bad.

At nowhere in this piece do I feel awed or inspired.  At nowhere in this piece do I feel the mood of the Mistborn world.  Jon Foster claims to be a big fan of the book, but nowhere do I see that in this cover.  This cover makes me want to start swearing again.  If I were a drinking man, now would be the time...

Look, as I have said in numerous posts before, books sell because of the cover.  Part of the reason why Elantris and Mistborn in HC sold so well was that the covers were attractive, and I faced them out in large blocks.  This causes maximum exposure to browsers in the shortest amount of time.  This then caused people to pick up the book, read the first chapter or 2, then ask me for my opinion.  I sold the book 90% of the time this happened.  If the person thinks the cover is bad, they WILL NOT BUY IT.  If the bookseller thinks the cover is bad, he WILL NOT SELL IT. 

I have no problem with them wanting to change the cover of the MM PB.  I agree with the point.  However, I can think of several concepts that would have been better.  This is making me contemplate studying illustration again...if only i wasnt graduating tomorrow...

Sorry for the harsh words everyone, but this sickens me.
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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #50 on: December 13, 2006, 12:44:36 AM »
I felt kinda bad for saying such harsh words for Jon Foster's MB paperback cover, that i decided to look at his other works to see if he was good, or if he sucked.

I went to his website and looked at the different works he has done, and have decided that I either really love his work, or I absolutly hate it.  He has some incredible works on his site that are covers of books that made me go "wow" when I pulled them from the boxes.  This is why I am so confused as to his MB work.  In fact, looking at his other works makes me even more disgusted with the paperback cover.  it makes me feel like he said, "oh crap, this was due yesterday.  I better throw something out."

As a side note, he has the full rendered version of MB2 on his site.  I think it looks cool, but that it will probably look better on the actual book - just like MB1 hardback.

and lastly, in response to the karate kick pic, why is Scalzi always picking on Brandon's books?  First he beats out Elantris, and now he karate kicks Vin?

SCALZI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« Last Edit: December 13, 2006, 01:32:50 AM by Not Bookstore Guy Anymore »
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dawncawley

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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #51 on: December 13, 2006, 08:22:47 AM »
Thanks for the information Spriggan. I wasn't sure what kind of control any author has with regards to art work. I don't really know any authors, met a couple, don't really know them. Anyway, you know what I mean..... ???

And as for asking for Brandon's opinion, I wasn't really expecting a negative answer, I think I was actually hoping that he would be able to point to some positives in the work. I don't think I would ever have expected negativity from him, he seems to be a really nice person and wanting to see the best in things, even if everyone else is kind of critical.

I understand about either loving or hating someone's work, no matter what art form it is. I also totally agree about the cover selling the book much of the time, especially for a new author. I am far more critical and choosy about new authors than I am about my established favorites. Granted, I now count Brandon in that group, but before I read Elantris I decided to based on the look of the cover.

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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #52 on: December 13, 2006, 08:08:03 PM »
why is Scalzi always picking on Brandon's books?

Heh. I expect he's just jealous that even Brandon's worst cover still looks a lot better than his best cover does. (All of Scalzi's covers except for that one just have generic spaceships on them, as far as I can tell.)

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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #53 on: December 13, 2006, 08:22:22 PM »
Well, when I look at that cover, I start thinking that maybe the Mistborn PB isn't that bad. It could be worse.
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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #54 on: December 14, 2006, 04:56:00 AM »
gah! Watch out or who knows *what* Ugly Face Vin will change into.

You know, even though Scalzi's cover *is* pretty generic and boring, I'll bet it's not nearly so misrepresentative of the story and characters as the Mistborn PB is. :P
« Last Edit: December 14, 2006, 04:58:11 AM by Let It Shrain »
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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #55 on: December 14, 2006, 08:31:01 PM »
I think you have to be picking a lot of nits to say that the PB cover is a misrepresentation of the story and characters. I don't really see anyone getting halfway through and then throwing it across the room screaming "There are no crows in this book! I was lied to!"

So Vin doesn't look like you imagined her, and there's a dude with a scythe, and the buildings are too clean, and the blue lines are spiky instead of straight. Cry me a river. I'm starting to like this cover more and more out of pure obstinance, just because you all hate it so irrationally.
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dreamking47

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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #56 on: December 14, 2006, 09:05:40 PM »
I'm no great fan of the paperback cover (indeed, it may drive me to buy the book in hardcover, which I'm sure neither the publisher nor EUOL would mind), but I do think there are distinctions that should be made between how accurately the cover depicts a scene from the book, how well the cover represents the feel and tone of the book, and how well the cover helps sell the book to those who haven't read it.  Of the three I would suggest that the first is the least important.

MattD
« Last Edit: December 14, 2006, 09:19:03 PM by dreamking47 »
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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #57 on: December 15, 2006, 03:38:51 AM »
I'm all for covers that stand out. And I do think it will stand out. I really don't have a problem with the buildings or anything as far as the artwork goes--like we said above, it is reminiscent of some artwork on children's fantasy. This actually isn't a bad thing--children's fantasy is pretty big right now--but the grim reaper is odd, I must admit.

Matt's ideas above are really good ideas of the ideas that go into deciding on cover content. It's interesting to me how often the expectation of traditional fantasy covers is to depict a scene from the book--often, that's what happens with Dragonlance: The New Adventures, though I always try to pick a scene that represents the other two ideas--representing the feel of the book and drawing in new readers. What idea in the book will be the most exciting? And then suggest that to the art director, who takes it to the artist with all the attendant art direction, and then he gives us cool stuff like this.

However, that was an established look of the series, to depict the characters on the front--though in the beginning it wasn't always in a particular scene--and in other series, like Hallowmere that I linked above, it's more evocative of mood and intended audience. Teen girl on the cover usually means it's aimed at teen girls, for example.

The main objection I have to the Mistborn PB cover, though, really, is Vin's awkward angles--her face and body. But perhaps there's a meta thing going on here. Vin *is* awkward at first. Right? It's been two years or more since I've read it, so now of course I'm blanking. Even if she was graceful as a Mistborn, I do remember for a fact her awkwardness in the other portions of her life.
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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #58 on: December 15, 2006, 08:01:45 PM »
I like the Mirrorstone covers.   I'll have to sell a book to Stacer so I can have a cool book cover.  :)
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Re: Irene Gallo Discusses Mistborn Art *New MB paperback artwork*
« Reply #59 on: December 16, 2006, 12:57:02 AM »
I really don't have a problem with the buildings or anything as far as the artwork goes--like we said above, it is reminiscent of some artwork on children's fantasy.

In light of past comments ("I just really, really, really want to emphasize that this doesn't look AT ALL like a kids' book to me. At all.") that is one of the more gratifying "we"'s that I can remember being part of in recent memory.  ;)

Re: your comment about "teen girl on the cover usually means it's aimed at teen girls"...I don't like Vin's face either on the new cover, but I wonder if the publisher doesn't exactly mind if Vin looks a little androgynous for this very reason, in the hope of attracting both (or at least not alienating either) male and female readers.  That seems to me to be the theme of the cover, really.  The look of the hardcover said "here's a fantasy that's a little edgy and different" which is the kind of thing that will appeal to many hardcover buyers.  The paperback seems to be striving to be more inclusive towards ages, genders, etc. -- which is after all a trait of EUOL's work -- and to project a "if you like Harry Potter [a similarly inclusive work], you might like this" message.  I don't like the paperback cover as much as a work of art, but if that is the reasoning behind it I can understand it and hope that it brings EUOL more readers.

MattD
« Last Edit: December 16, 2006, 02:27:21 AM by dreamking47 »
"It had blood in it.  That makes it a good metaphor." -- Tonk Fah, in EUOL's Warbreaker