Please welcome Emma Petersen, the Managing Artist of Cobblestone Press

This is what I started with

Unfortunately as cover artists we only have so many photos to work with. And since websites that provide reasonable, quality, royalty free photographs aren’t as plentiful as some of us would like, we do have to be creative while manipulating our photos.

I have a hard time finding pictures of women with red hair. Either the model is looking directly into the camera (a personal pet peeve of mine) or she just doesn’t have the it factor I’m looking for.

For example, I received a cover art request form that called for a heroine with red hair and green eyes. So the first thing I did was go through my Red Hair Heroine light box. None fit so I searched for a redhead that fit was a reasonable fit of the author’s description.

Finished product

Of course, it’s rare you find a photograph that fits the author’s description perfectly so you have to tread a fine line while searching. The most time I will take searching for a photo is an hour.

I came across this picture. She was perfect, her features, her expression. She looked vulnerable, pensive and a little scared. And she had an appealing look that would enhance any cover. Only problem? She didn’t have red hair.

As an artist if I can’t find it, I must create it by manipulating the photo while making sure it doesn’t look like it’s been altered.

Are you a cover artist and have a cover you want to show off? Email me and I’ll hook you up!

This entry was posted on Friday, November 23rd, 2007 at 11:47 am and is filed under Show and Tell. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.