Jun 21 2019

Graphic Designer Avdal Design #interview

Please give a warm welcome to Avdal Design

°
Tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a freelance writer and graphic designer. After I graduated from University I worked in advertising and copywriting for four years. I still part time in this, though I’m hoping to expand and keep on growing my graphic design business which I started in December of last year.

Have you always wanted to become a artist/designer?

For the most part yes! I’ve always been the artistic one in the family while my sister was the writer. Growing up that’s how we divided up the creativity!

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Youtube tutorials mostly! I have a lot of favorite youtubers that I follow and, whenever they put up a new tutorial for a special effect, I try it myself and add my own spin on it. Most of my premade covers were inspired by special effect tutorials.

What are you working on now?

A really popular style now is for covers that are super stylized with almost illustrated elements, so I’ve been teaching myself how to replicate that look. Painted on hair, drawing in clothes, really dramatic lighting, that kind of thing. I’ve also been learning
‘photobashing’ which is when you make an image of a model out of dozens of little pieces of other images to create something completely new.

Do you have any quirks while working?

I live in an apartment building overlooking a park and every afternoon a young man goes there to play on the park piano. He’s really good and I like to time my design sessions so I can listen to him.

What are your hopes for the future?

To continue growing my design studio and develop my skills more.

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

Thank you for giving me a chance! Creating my first cover was such a big, nerve-wracking step for me but the support I got on Instagram and Twitter really helped me get through the tough times and stay inspired!

Instagram

Twitter

Website

Contact admin@avdaldesigns.com

Jun 18 2019

Graphic Designer Sarabat Design #interview

Please give a warm welcome to graphic designer Sara

Tell us a bit about yourself

Hi, I’m Sara. I’m 24 and a self-taught graphic designer from California. I’ve been designing for 4 years as a hobby for the writers of Wattpad and just this year, I’ve decided to become a freelance cover designer. I also write for fun on Wattpad as a little side hobby and make way too many graphics for my books more than I actually write chapters lol.

Have you always wanted to become a designer/artist?

Yes and no. I’ve always been creative since I was little and being artistic runs in my family – I would even tell people that my dream job was an artist as a kid but I can’t draw or paint well so I stopped thinking it could be a possibility as I was only thinking about traditional art at the time. I even once took a graphic design class in high school and didn’t ever take it seriously. When I discovered the book cover design community 4 years ago, that is when I knew I wanted to become a graphic designer because I became very addicted to it.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Pinterest and deviantart. I always find the most beautiful artwork and designs on those sites which then lead me to stalk a bunch of different talented artists that inspire me.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently making a book cover for a non-commercial commission.

Do you have any quirks while working?

Yes! I have to listen to podcasts or youtube videos.

Do you have any advice for new artists about the publishing world?

I’m actually a new artist myself (when it comes to the publishing world) so I’m not the best person to ask for advice haha. But for any new artists thinking about turning graphic design into a job, my advice would be to make sure to ask your clients for a 50% deposit beforehand because you don’t want to get screwed over. Also to have faith in yourself! I should have done freelancing a lot sooner, but I feared I wasn’t good enough.

What are your hopes for the future?

I really hope one day I can make covers for printed books. To be able to hold my design in my hand and have it displayed on my bookshelf (or even better, in stores!!) would be my dream.

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

I have a small group of supporters/friends on Wattpad (where I started my graphic journey) so I wouldn’t say I have fans, but even the thought of having just a couple of people rooting for me or liking my work, means a lot and makes me so happy. I truly

appreciate everyone’s nice comments and messages that I’ve received over the years about my graphics. Just, thank you so much for showing me the love and support when I needed it the most!! ♡

Jun 3 2019

Re-Release of Origins & Ghost by Lyla Oweds #rerelease

🌹 Official Re-Release Announcement 🌹

The second editions of Origins and Ghost are now live!

Welcome everyone! I’m super excited to share my new release with you! 💗💗💗 Redoing these books in preparation for next month’s release of my new book, Blood, took a lot of sweat, tears, and caffeine! But now, you’ll definitely not want to miss this SLOW BURN series!

ORIGINS: https://amzn.to/2JWlvRE

GHOST: https://amzn.to/2WFj383

BLURB:

The things I see aren’t for the faint of heart.

And I am no longer willing to ignore them. Not even when my family, and my best friend, tell me to keep quiet about what’s happening. They say people will think I’m crazy.

Maybe I am.

But the spirit haunting my professor’s house is definitely trying to tell me something, and I’m the only one who can see it.

The one person who can help me is my best friend’s brother. But I don’t know if I can trust him or his friends. Or if I can step outside the protective bubble I’ve built around myself.

At this point it’s a toss up: the ghosts will kill me or my panic attacks will.

Either way, I figure I’m going to die.

🌹🌹 Official Re-Release Instructions 🌹🌹

Origins and Ghost (book one and two of The Grimm Cases series) are now available on Amazon! If you haven’t picked up this series, do so now. The edits are AMAZING and I’m super happy with the end result.

If you have read the books already (on Kindle Unlimited) or own them, there’s a few things you’ll need to do to get the updates:

📚📚📚📚

KINDLE UNLIMITED

❶ In some cases, KU is caching the older versions of the books if you go back to borrow them. You’ll know if you have the newer version if the second page of the book (the credits) has the text in the attached image.

❷ If you do not have that, you’ll need to contact customer support (their chat feature is super quick) and tell them to push the NEWEST edition of the books to your device.

Chat: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/contact-us/

📚📚📚📚

PURCHASED

❶ If you go to your Kindle device or app, you should have a content update available for Origins. That’s all you’ll need to do for book one.

❷ Ghost will not have that option. To update Ghost you’ll need to go to step two of the KINDLE UNLIMITED instructions and request the NEWEST edition of the book from customer service.

Any new borrowers and purchases should already have the updates!

Happy readings.

The Grim Cases ❤ Reader Group

Author Lyla Oweds Interview

Jun 3 2019

Model Ugo Arimo #interview

Tell us a bit about yourselfMy name is Ugo Arimo aka The Black Spiderman. Born in Lagos, Nigeria.. professional Mens Physique competitor and BJJ 1st degree Black belt.°°Have you always wanted to become a model?I didn’t start modeling till 2006 and no I honestly never really had any aspirations to be a model.°°°How did you get started? I started modeling in 2006 but I didn’t get into book covers till 2014 when I was with team Blackout. (group of Fitness models and competitors)°°°Do you have any quirks while working?No quirks..lol°°°Do you have any advice for new models?Advice for any new models is just to have fun with it. Be prepared and listen to the photographer.:)°°What are your hopes for the future?Some hopes for the future is to hopefully be on more book covers!°°°Do you have anything to say to your followers? Keep following :)°°°

All links

Linktree

°°°

Cover for Charity Parkerson

°°

Jun 1 2019

Graphic Designer Selfpub Designs #interview

Please give a warm welcome to Silvana

Tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi, I’m Silvana. I’m a cover designer but I’m also many other things: a wife, mother of precious twins, mother of Shih Tzus as well, a writer, a drummer, and an Ophthalmologist! Phew! Let me catch my breath, lol.

Have you always wanted to become an artist/designer?

Definitely. I’ve been inclined to the arts since a very young age. I started to treat art seriously when I was in high school. My biggest project back then was street painting a section of the Sistine Chapel (The Delphic Sibyl) for an ephemeral art exhibition. The judges liked it so much they preserved it!

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Art in all its forms inspires me. Whether it’s music, an amazing film, or a fantastic illustration, I’m always discovering elements that I like to reinterpret and integrate into my work. I’m especially drawn to surrealism because it breaks the rules of reality and that gives me so much creative freedom.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently redesigning an author’s entire series, it’s a pretty exciting project that I’m looking forward to sharing soon. I’m also working on new designs incorporating 3D rendering scenes and models. Computer generated graphics are taking over the book cover arena, probably because of the wide variety of morphs and the endless possibilities it provides to us designers—3D models are more versatile than human models.

Do you have any quirks while working?

I listen to music according to the genre I’m working on. For instance, if it’s a dynamic cover with loads of action going on, I’ll listen to something by Korn or Disturbed. But if the design is high fantasy, I’ll play Tina Guo, Enya, or Saint-Saens… I have a pretty eclectic taste in music and work with a variety of themes and genres.

What are your hopes for the future?

I love working with authors and meeting their creative visions, and I hope to keep being part of their journeys as writers for a very long time. Expanding my knowledge in the field of illustration is something that definitely interests me, I’d like to get to a point where I am able to invest more time in developing my own designs… Working on it!

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

Um, hi!!! Lol. I really appreciate your support, especially those of you who’ve been there from the start!

Being a cover designer is more to me than a creative outlet; it’s the privilege of belonging to the most amazing group I’ve ever known: The Writing Community.

Thank you for trusting me with your visions, I look forward to being part of your writing journeys for many years to come!

Covers by Selfpub Designs

May 29 2019

Graphic Designer Raven #interview

Please give a warm welcome to graphic designer Raven

Tell us a bit about yourself

Hi! 😊, my name is Raven. I’m a 20 year old book cover designer from the Netherlands!

Have you always wanted to become a artist/designer?

Actually, no. When I was younger I really (really really really) wanted to become a police officer and solve crimes haha! But when I was 12/13 years old I got the old laptop from my mom which had Photoshop CS3 on it and that’s how my journey with Photoshop and Book cover design started!

I’m currently also studying to become a designers (I study communication and multimedia design), so i’m not sure where time will bring me. But book cover design always has a special place in my heart and I will definitely keep doing it, cause it makes me happy and it has brought me where I am today!

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Everywhere and nowhere, I get inspiration from looking at stock images, watching movies with beautiful scenes, browsing on pinterest, looking at what other designers are making, just living my life, etc.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently on a break because I really need to focus on school! So not a lot at the moment haha.

Do you have any quirks while working?

Ehm, no I don’t think so. I work a lot in the evening and at night. Sometimes even through the night! – but that’s never a good idea because i’ll be a zombie the next day haha 🧟. But next to that, I can’t come up with anything else!

What are your hopes for the future?

Tough question and to be honest, I don’t really know! I’ll just see where live takes me. But of course I hope to be happy and to be doing what I love, which is designing and creating new things!

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

I’m not sure if I even have fans haha. But if there are people out there that love my work, I just want to say; ‘Thank you for your support and kind words, I would have never been able do this without you! I’m sending you all a virtual hug. 🥰’

Contact links

Raven Covers

May 21 2019

Inked Imagination Author Services

Please give a warm welcome to Inked Imagination

Inked Imagination is an author services business focusing on covers, graphics, and interior formatting for both e-books and paperbacks. The covers are done by Jarica James who has produced her own covers since she started her publishing journey while interior formatting is done by A.J. Macey.

Jarica James and A.J. Macey started Inked Imagination randomly one day after a discussion about how difficult and expensive formatting was when they started writing and publishing novels. After learning the ins and outs of both programs they use for formatting they started up Inked Imagination to offer affordable options for other authors.

Contact:

Facebook

May 19 2019

New Covers for Eva Chase’s The Dragon Shifter’s Mates #CoverReveal

Gorgeous new covers for The Dragon Shifter’s Mates.

Dragon’s Guard

Dragon’s Tears

Dragon’s Desire

Dragon’s Fate

Dragon’s Joy

The Complete Series

Author links

Eva Chase’s Minions of Magic

May 15 2019

Graphic Designer Maria Spada #interview

Please give a warm welcome to graphic designer Maria Spada

Tell us a bit about yourself

Hi, my name is Maria, a 28-year-old graphic designer from the tropical island of Cebu, Philippines. I’m also a book and music collector, and a lover of green tea 🙂

Have you always wanted to become a designer/artist?

I knew I had it since I was a child. My father was a very good watercolor artist, and my mother is a grade school teacher, so I was lucky enough to have the resources and materials needed to develop my talent. I joined a lot of art competitions, until my interest in art just slowly disappeared. It wasn’t until 2005 when I discovered Photoshop by accident. I learned by myself, and then used the knowledge and skill to support my local arts and music scene, made invitation cards and posters and other stuff for friends and family. In other words I only considered it a hobby. After college (I took Political Science), I landed a part-time job at a publishing company where I learned a lot about book cover design. I found out that I could make a living with my skills so I decided to become a full-time book cover designer. 🙂

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Fantasy movies and TV shows, children’s books, folk and symphonic black metal music, and Asian myths/folklore

What are you working on now?

My website, and a couple of fantasy covers that has dragons in it 🙂

Do you have any quirks while working?

I don’t know if listening to metal while working counts. It gives me energy X)

Do you have any advice for new artists about the publishing world?

It takes a lot of effort and patience to develop a skill. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, to try new things–experiment, and don’t be afraid of failures. Learn from them instead. Also in the publishing world you must pay attention to details and be informed with the technicalities and legal stuff, including copyrights, etc. I know it’s boring, but it’s a must.

What are your hopes for the future?

A better world where there is equality, and love, and new inventions are more helpful than destructive.

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

I have fans? Hehe. Hi! I love you!

Buy links

Social media links

May 11 2019

Graphic Designer Nichole Witholder #interview

Please give a warm welcome to artist Nichole Witholder

Have you always wanted to become a designer/artist?

I’ve been making art since I could hold a pencil. I’ve taken lessons in drawing and painting. My father was strongly against my becoming an artist since he saw family members with similar talent struggle so much.

I also happened to be immediately in love with computers. At 5yrs old in 1986, this wasn’t as common as it is now lol. I quickly realized that making art on a computer didn’t require me to ask my father for art supplies.

I never planned to make money from my art. I was worried about adding the stress of money to something that’s so important to me. But I happen to be an avid reader. When the indie author world blew up and I had access to more and more awesome books I noticed that the talent for writing wasn’t always well represented by the cover art. I thought to myself, “Maybe I could help out there.” May 10 marks my one-year anniversary.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

I people watch. I’ve studied artists techniques in every piece of art I look at. I pay attention to how light interacts with everything. I’m constantly listening to music, constantly reading, and keeping a close eye on pop culture. I think a lot of my inspiration comes from there.

What are you working on now?

Several covers, a logo, and researching new techniques I can use in my artwork. It’s important that I’m discreet with my client’s info so I can’t say more than that lol.

Do you have any quirks while working?

I can’t handle unsolicited advice or critique lol. Like someone leaning over my shoulder saying, “hey you should do this”. And this may be part ego. Though I think that mostly, it’s my needing to focus. I have plans upon plans in my head when I finally get out of my mind and start to do actual work. When someone tries to edit while I’m in the middle of that, I tend to lose my temper. This is good and bad. I should definitely be more open to listening to other ideas, however, my ego insists that I’m the artist and I’m the one who knows what I’m doing. It’s a struggle lol

Do you have any advice for new artists about the publishing world?

Become involved in the community.

Read the books you’re trying to design for.

Interact with author groups.

Join the design marketplaces and research pricing.

If you design a flop that no one wants, keep making new art. Art is a constant process of growing and learning. You can’t expect everything to be a masterpiece.

Study marketing techniques used by new businesses to gain a customer base.

Work with integrity and good morals. Karma exists.

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope to expand on my techniques and skills to include more, always. I’m no good at staying still and I want to grow until I drop lol. Rainy Day may possibly be branching out even more toward promotion in the next year or so.

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

After being told for so long (by my father) that my art would never amount to anything. That I could never make a living. Every single time one of you supports me, comments on my artwork, buys a piece, I am so incredibly shocked and grateful. Slowly you are all healing that scar on my heart. Thank you ♡

Links

Website

Instagram

Rainy Day Artwork