Author Topic: More Art for You to Digest  (Read 15343 times)

charity

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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #30 on: November 14, 2007, 05:11:37 AM »
I'm going with the majority here... the white dress looks better. i like it a lot more that way. all around it looks better, really.

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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #31 on: November 14, 2007, 05:27:11 AM »
1) I like the white dress a little better (i like how viberant the yellow is thought), but I think a dress more modest would look better. And since she is releasing the breath, is the color going to go from her dress as well, and is that a transistion that could be shown?

2) The breath still needs work as well

3) As to whether you include a background scene, I would have to reserve judgment and actually compare the two.

4) I do like the script, and I like the title too, Warbreaker sounds good to me, and I think with the cover as is might be more apt to sell, the cover is only seen while facing out, I often pick-up books because of the title. WB has just got more umph!! to me.

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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #32 on: November 14, 2007, 06:34:05 AM »
Yeah, I agree, I like the white dress better. It pops more, that, and the orange one had a kind of south american feel. It just doesn't fit as well.

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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #33 on: November 14, 2007, 07:21:19 AM »
I like this cover better than the new ones. Though the dress isn't as elaborate or skimpy as I think it should be. The second version, I really don't like because of the Native American -ish of the dresses. I think it should be a brighter color and the blood on the sword is definitely a plus. It makes it more interesting because without the blood on the sword it seems kind of pointless.
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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #34 on: November 14, 2007, 06:25:26 PM »
CtrlZed and I seem to be reading eachother's minds.  The first glance at the first picture made me think "Holy Mercedes Lackey, Batman!!!"  There was something about it that seemed too elaborate to me.  I asked my co-worker who sits next to me what she thought (she's never read anything of Brandon's, and doesnt read fantasy...yet heheheh), and she said it looked like a romance cover.

However, the 2nd cover with the white/silver/greyish dress is much better and has been growing on me.  The new way that artists have been grabbing attention is with simplicity rather than extravogance.  I like the more simple contrast these colors bring - it's much more forceful and eye catching.  I dont believe a scene needs to depict action for it to be good, or be a scene from the novel. 

The purpose of a cover is to grab you attention and get it in your hands.  When a buyer has a book placed in thier hands, or they pick one up themselves, numerous studies have accuratly shown that the majority are MORE LIKELY to buy the book.  That is all this cover has to accomplish.  I think keeping the title "warbreaker" would be better than Mythwalker because the cover grabs certain people while the title grabs others.  Diversify.

Another thing that has not been discussed here is it's potential "strikingness" (other than a brief CtrlZed mention) next to Brandon's other novels, and other author's novels next to it on the shelf.  This stands out.  Period.  Faced out, this cover can really grab a person.  Ive decided I like it and the direction this art is going.

On a completly different train of thought, Brandon, you need to work out with Tor a way to get the SPINES of your books to stand out.  In a bookstore where shelve-space becomes limited, a series of books that can grab you from the spines is a grat marketing/sales ploy.  The Donaldson covers that form a ring are a good example.  Also, I was at Borders with Rob (Errent on the forums) and we both stopped in our tracks seeing the Kevin J Anderson paperbacks spined out for his Saga of the Seven Suns (you need to see it on a shelve to understand).  It's just another way to boost potential browse-buyers.  Most people in a store are browse-buyers.
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charity

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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #35 on: November 14, 2007, 07:52:56 PM »
 
Quote
This stands out.  Period.  Faced out, this cover can really grab a person.  Ive decided I like it and the direction this art is going.

I agree. And I like the second (white) dress just fine, don't make it more skimpy (please). I like how everything is crisper, and the sword is shining.... I'm interested to see what is next.

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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #36 on: November 14, 2007, 07:54:24 PM »
I liked the original better, and I prefer the orange dress by a mile and a half.
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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #37 on: November 14, 2007, 08:33:45 PM »
I prefer the white dress but I also think the breath should be more etherial than her hair.  I liked the drops of blood on the sword and I miss that with these ones (if it's there I just might have to blow it up to see it).

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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #38 on: November 14, 2007, 10:37:25 PM »
Love the white dress (more than the yellow)

...I also want her eyes open, though.

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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #39 on: November 15, 2007, 12:15:47 AM »
Yea verily I declare that all who like the white dress better are foolish heathens and must be ignored.  Yea, for the orange dress doth be greatly superior. Jerks.
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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #40 on: November 15, 2007, 08:02:55 AM »
Personally, from a purely artistic point of view (I have not had the opportunity to read the chapters yet...will fix that shortly) I much prefer the colored dress. It is much more vibrant, and begs the eye to pay attention, whereas the white dress is ...too grey, especially on the black background. The yellow brings the image to life, while the white makes it all feel cold and static, and it tends to fade back too much. It won't catch attention on the shelf as much as the yellow. If you want the white dress, you might try warming up the background a bit to make it fade less.

I like the subtle blood on the sword, and the drops that scatter across the dress, and once again, the yellow dress works much better for that- they can have more color to them without blaring out their presence, and not look like ink splots like they become on the white dress.

The type may need a little work as well. I like it as a font, but I think the 'w' might need a little tweaking to read better. As it is, I am having some difficulty picking out the word, between the scrolled 'w' in the background (which I do like) and the gothic calligraphy 'w' in the foreground. It does not read as a 'w' right off. It might be as little a task as minimizing the lines that are connecting the tops of the peaks. That would make it register as less of a closed rectangle, and more of a symbol.

As for the hair...This image looks like it is being created in Photoshop for the most part? Judging by the progression, I'd say it is. If that is so, I've used photoshop enough to know that hair is if anything more daunting in a digital medium than it is with more traditional media. If you look, you can see the large, blocky brushstrokes, so out of keeping with the delicate work of the rest of the image. The hair is merely 'in progress', and will be finished later, probably once the artist is certain no one is going to say 'move the head' or 'change the pose'. So, I'm not worried about that yet.

I would say, as for the color, everyone keeps calling it 'breath'? If so, it needs fewer lines. That would make it feel less substantial, more airy. It might be another 'in progress' portion of the picture, though...Oh, and to make it appear less like a tongue, either remove the fork at the end, or add more splits and feathers to draw away from that image.

It is really a beautiful image, and I have to agree, I am loving this current trend towards simplicity. And I think that dress is beautiful.

charity

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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #41 on: November 15, 2007, 10:39:36 PM »
well, I had to go look at them again... just to give these yellow lovers the benefit of the doubt but, nah! the white once still better, sorry guys your outvoted  ;)

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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #42 on: November 15, 2007, 11:32:19 PM »
My favorite thing about this discussion is the apparent in ability of several people to tell Orange apart from Yellow.

But I'm with Skar, the Orange dress is much better, the white one is not only drab but nothing really stands out in it and make for a very un-intresting cover.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2007, 11:34:07 PM by Spriggan »
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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #43 on: November 16, 2007, 12:27:44 AM »
I know the book (which I have not read) uses a color-based magic system, so maybe there's some world-building reason for picking the white dress, but on pure looks alone the orange dress is superior. It's brighter, more eye-catching, more intense, and will get more people to pick it up from a bookshelf. The white dress just looks like they forgot to finish coloring the image.
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Soryn

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Re: More Art for You to Digest
« Reply #44 on: November 16, 2007, 02:43:59 AM »
Having neither read the book nor knowing really anything about it, these are my first impressions put briefly in my opinon:

The orange is neat, it is eye-catching, bright, etc. but also it just makes me think of a giant pumpkin. Also the combo with the bluish green is nicely done to tie in some complementary colors, but I just don't like how they clash.

The white dress on the other hand, goes with her hair beautifully--they're both light, white-ish colors but while the dress is more tan, the hair is more blue. It emphasizes a certain delicateness to her qualities.

I do think that the picture is missing something without the blood on the sword. It would be a wonderful focal point of the picture with a dash of crimson instead of the yellow light; the rainbow craziness has a variety of colors but doesn't consist of any red other than the tiny bit at the narrow end. Ooh, and think of the small blood stains there could be on her dress near it! I always love the poetic appearance of red on white.

As for the wispy breath thing itself, I don't really think they're any necessity to dispose of it entirely, and instead mist it up a little and make it more detached from her face. When I first looked at the picture, I was extremely confused at what it was, but that made me interested!

I don't really want her eyes open; they would look awkward in her particular position if she was just staring at something. I dunno, it looks odd in my mind.

Overall, in the state it is in right now, I would definitely pick it up off the shelf and at least read the summary, and be strongly tempted to just buy it for the art (wouldn't be the first time). She's so beautiful.