Artist/photographer David A. Reeves is one of my very favorite artists because he uses paper cut art to create haunting photographic scenes. I am a paper cut artist so pretty much anyone who does something cool with paper cut art is cool by me. Bonus that he does paper cut art with zombies and the video game Limbo. So he’s pretty much the love of my art life. Check him out here.
Samples of some of my favorite shots:
This great artist, Andy Fairhurst, created these great pieces of art of silhouettes of kids acting out their favorite super…and they are just awesome! I wanted to share them. They make me want to run down my street in a cape.
I need a cape.
Very, very cool sketches from Italian artist Denis Medri of super characters reimagined as rockabilly characters from the 1950′s. Superheroes for the win.
Why is it that artists and costume designers can make the 50s look so cool.
I’m not ready to talk about how the death of Maurice Sendak has effected me. Badly, is the best I can say. I spent most of that day running to the girl’s room to cry my eyes out. Everyone thought someone in my family had died, and those few who dragged the truth out of me were totally weirded out over my reaction to an author’s death. So I’m feeling a little jaded and also still very heartsore.
I will talk about it because Maurice Sendak means a lot to me. I just don’t want to talk about it yet.
Instead I’d like to share this site with you. It’s called Terrible Yellow Eyes.
Terrible Yellow Eyes is a collection of works inspired by the beloved classic, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
The contributing artists share a love and admiration for Sendak’s work and the pieces presented here were done as a tribute to his life and legacy.
Some Examples:
You guys always like the weird stuff I post, so here you go. It doesn’t get a lot weirder than this.
Somewhere between Henry Holiday’s weird paintings for Lewis Carroll and Edward Gorey’s delightfully grim alphabet fall Harry Clarke‘s hauntingly beautiful and beautifully haunting 1919 illustrations for Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination—a collection of 29 of Poe’s tales of the magical and the macabre.
They are really, really, really disturbing.
You can sate your creepy curiosity here for the full monty. Everyone likes to be scared by Poe, though. Right? I mean, that man invented nightmares.
Joshua Hoffine is one of my favorite artists in the whole world. So much so that I’ve been reluctant to share him with anyone because then everyone will love him too and then I’ll have to share. And that doesn’t seem fair.
But he’s too talented for me to keep all to myself so it’s time to let him out of my “Inspiration Links” folder and into all of yours.
What makes Joshua different from other photographers is that his work is more film-like than pure photography. We’re lucky because he likes to post details on his blog about the photo shoots, how the sets and props are built, how the make-up is done, how he chose his actors/models. Some of the stage craft is mind boggling, all for one or two photographs. The photographs blow me away. Sure, they are horror at their very best, nightmarish and reminiscent of B-movie magic, but they are also art. Part dream and part story. I wouldn’t want to live in his worlds, but I like watching vicariously.
I think KEYHOLE is my favorite, though it’s hard to pick a favorite because they are all so freaking cool. KEYHOLE reminds me of this book cover, which I also love, so I’m thinking maybe it has to do with the perspective. I’m apparently missing my calling as a spymaster.
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You can still sign-up for MonsterFest 2011 here.
Shannon Lawrence: Skinwalkers
Megan Grimit: Werewolf
Sean Vessey: Loch Ness Monster
Cybils reading is going ok – getting my hands on some of the books is harder than I expected since so many of these are so new that I’m battling people for them at the library *points to knee pads* Sometimes I win, sometimes I take an elbow to the mouth. Alls fair in love and literature.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
When the cover of this book was first released, I had a nightmare about it. I dreamed about an autumn corn field, barren and dry, and that I was running away from something trying to get to a house that kept receding the faster I ran. Anyone who has spent any time out in the country knows what this phenomenon feels like. Maybe it’s a physics thing – the curve of the earth creating some optical illusion, I don’t know, but there’s something about trying to cross a corn field that feels like eternity stretching before you. You walk and walk and walk and never seem to get closer to home.
That was what the dream was like. But nevermind. That’s only interesting in the context that the first time I saw the cover, it gave me nightmares.
A Monster Calls and Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan are two books with a strong argument for including art in novels. Using engravings to illustrate books used to be the norm, but at some point along the way adult readers and adult publishers made some conscious decision that illustrating books was for kids, drawing the dividing line between serious and not-worth-your-time novels. Many books are changing this perception, and I look forward to seeing more of it.
A Monster Calls might be a young adult book, but its illustrations are profoundly beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Like a vintage, gorgeous wool coat full of spiders.
The artist’s name is Jim Kay and I love how creepy and active his drawings are. I can feel the monster lumbering across the landscape, the hoom, hoom, drum of his steps. I can’t help it. I hear Yeats in my ear, whispering, “And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”
Every page has something more than words, and I love how carefully this book was typeset. The messy India Ink drawings splash and smear and spread up and around the blocks of text, forcing the paragraphs out of their standard blockiness to fit into uneven, unnatural shapes. The white space feels contained and surrounded, and this proves an interesting effect on reading. It becomes far easier to lose your eyes inside the text, herded and corralled by the black drawings which drive out the real world like shadow. The diving into the narrative and getting trapped there is almost too easy. It provides a visual illusion of being drawn in too close to the text and characters, too close to the events, and my rational mind is tricked into feeling, for brief moments, like I am in immediate danger instead of the text boy, Conor.
While it looks like a horror, A Monster Calls isn’t traditional in any sense of the word. It’s scary, yes, but in a primal way – the same emotion that pressures you off a dark, empty street even when you don’t recognize an immediate threat. The story is sad and traumatic and haunted, but not in the way I was expecting. Like the art, the voice of the story does its own little illusion to really creep you out.
The story is written from a thirteen year old boy’s perspective and reads like a children’s book. There are simple perspectives, thirteen year old boy thoughts, but the events unfolding, the psychological hauntings, are the sort of things children are usually hidden from, their eyes covered, their curtains pulled. The juxtaposition is unsettling and visceral. Every time I put the book down I have to work to control my panic.
A gorgeous book masterfully written, language spun out of spider webs and falling leaves, characters who are neither easy to love or satisfying to hate, all culminating on a twist of storytelling that will leave you with indescribable emotions and a need to be alone for a while.
It’s only real failing is that it looks like a horror novel, a really great, traditional, experienced horror novel, and it’s not. Not in the least. The cover is very grown up, the silver metallic finish and simple, classic font choice feel too adult for the writing style found inside, and this is probably going to turn some readers away before they realize how rich the story actually is. This is a book where nothing is trustworthy – that even the cover is playing tricks on you.
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You can still sign-up for MonsterFest 2011 here.
Angeline Trevena: Bakeneko – the Japanese Monster Cat
Megan Grimit: Vampire
Kurt Hartwig: Ouroboros
Jason Beineke: Ghoul
I just want to say thank you thank you thank you to Capillya, Vic, and Amanda for guesting here on Tell Great Stories. The covers they all picked were gorgeous and some of my favorites. There are a great many beautiful covers in the YA world. They are as varied and unique as the stories they protect. I can’t wait to see what cover ends up on my stories some day.
I have a lot of favorites and it was very hard to narrow them down.
1. Do you think good cover design is important to a book? Why/Why not?
I can’t tell you how many books I have chosen to read because of the cover. I suspect that is one of the most important things about a book – getting it picked up and read.
2. Do you think cover design will be more or less important for self-published works?
More. Much more. While the stigma of self-published works as being unprofessional remains, the less a self-published work looks self-published, the easier it will be to sell. Anyone can purchase a piece of stock photography and slap a title and author name on it, but professionally designed covers have all the markings of someone who has studied arrangement, composition, and the emotional response of art. With the ocean of self-published novels and novellas showing up these days, it will be more important than ever to stand out in that ocean.
3. What design features most often catch your eye?
I love beautiful composition and arresting color. It doesn’t matter what the trend is – silhouettes, models, art – I like the interesting way the different elements work together. I’ll talk more about that with my favorite covers. I also prefer covers have a little artistic something about them.
4. Are there any design features that will turn you off from even picking up a book? If so, why do you think they cause you to react this way?
Legs. When a stock model’s legs are the only thing on the cover. I don’t really get it. I have a serious reaction to these covers in that I go the other way. I know I shouldn’t.
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My favorites.
hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick is my favorite of all the book covers I’ve ever had the pleasure of loving. Look at the details, the tiny bit of red on some of the features, the violence in the monochromatic skies. I read the designer got the model shot by having the model jumping on a trampoline. I love the position of his body, the extreme arch. This is not standard stock photography and it is both painful and violent to see. I love the triangular arrangement and how the top of the sky is bright while earth is dark and stormy. I can feel the movement, the wind, the rain, and the emotion. It’s such a tactile cover. I would like this on a poster on my office wall.
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest takes advantage of art and there is nothing childish about it. Like hush, hush, the designer uses monochromatic base and an emphasis of one color choice to make this cover really pop. Boneshaker is special too because the design is carried through into the book itself. The type is not black, it’s sort of this dark coppery color and there are illustrations used at the beginning of each chapter. I love the American neo-victorian details in the font choice for author and title and the treatment around the author’s name. It is very pulpy. As far as art goes, it’s just gorgeous. I love that you can see the brush strokes, the “dirtying up” of the woman, the wet lank hair, the shine of the brass. I feel like I can smell the dirty, coal-coated air and hear the whistle of the dirigible as it passes above. For me, these are the markings of a brilliant cover when I feel swept up in the atmosphere and all my senses are turned on.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness- HELLO NIGHTMARES. I adore this cover because it scares me the f-bomb out. There are a lot of horror and supernatural novels out there, but I can’t recall any covers that truly capture the horrifying heart of the story like this one does. The composition, the absolute stark lack of color, the little light in the window in that house that is about to have a very unwelcome visitor…what can I say? I got this book based entirely off the cover. This is American Midwest Gothic and like the distance in this piece of art work, I want to live this story without getting too close. This is also a great example of using, or rather, not using typeface to work a cover. The typeface is in all caps but is otherwise unimpressive. It’s plain, white, but that’s ok because it stands out but does not try to add or detract from the picture which, in this case, is more important than the title or the author.
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White is sort of the epitome of Sad Girls in Pretty Dresses, but I love how beautiful the color and composition is. Can you see a theme? I love that. I love the monochromatic background and the pink dress. I like the depth and the wind and the storm. Mostly I love the color here. I’m usually not much for models on covers, which is ironic since there are models on three of my cover examples, but when I like them I REALLY like them. I think if there hadn’t been so much movement with the wind and the sky, this cover would have failed. It’s not enough to just be a sad girl in a pretty dress. It has to mean something, and I think this sad girl portrays the atmosphere of the book very well.
There’s a message here, in the way her face looks, in the rising violence in the weather – Something is coming. Something bad.
Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison – ok, you’re probably going to get tired of hearing me say this, but look at that color and composition! 
I love the shape of their bodies against each other, the color of the title matching the color of the water and the color of the author matching the color of the beautiful autumn leaves. This cover doesn’t scream “STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY” and I appreciate that.
I know the story of Tristan and Isolde and no matter what iteration it appears in, it is always a tragic and beautiful story. Autumn usually signifies the end of something, just before the cold dark death of winter, and the tragic nature of the story of Tristan and Isolde mimics this beautifully. And the depth created with the blurred close objects and the blurred far away objects, creates such an intimate space here.
This Girl is Different by JJ Johnson
I have to thank Capillya at That Cover Girl for introducing me to this book cover. It combines several artistic mediums in such a chaotic, but beautiful way. I feel like it’s about to animate for me. And goodness gracious look at that title treatment. This is another cover I’d like in poster form on my wall. Capillya at That Cover Girl did a great post about this coverthat sums up my feelings pretty well. This is actually a cover I find I have trouble analyzing because I just want to look at it and feel what it makes me feel. It seems wrong to tear this part for more meaning. It’s one of those covers that should be experienced, but maybe not understood.
This guest post is written by Amanda Plavich. Amanda is a writer and blogger and also a photographer. I was blown away by her steampunk author photos for author Susan Dennard. She has a beautiful eye for composition and imagination!
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I totally judge a book by its cover.
Yep.
I said it.
Is it a good thing?
Dunno, but it is very realistic. The cover of a book is the first thing most consumers see and it has to grab their attention.
I’m no different. Maybe it’s the photographer in me, but I expect an attractive cover for a well-written book.
Sommer sweetly asked me to guest blog on some of my favorite covers and why, which got me really excited. I have very definitive opinions on what aesthetically appeals to me and I’m excited to share!
Disclaimer: I fully expect everyone on the interwebz to agree with my position – you have been warned. 
But I think it’s important to hear opinions from a variety of people, especially when it comes to the arts (and I totally believe covers fit into that category).
Before I reveal my favorites, I want to address the questions set forth by the lovely Sommer:
1. Do you think good cover design is important to a book? Why/Why not?
Very. I’m looking at this from a consumer-driven perspective. When I’m walking between the rows at my local B&N I’m not picking each book up and reading the blurb to see if it interests me. In an ideal world that’s what buyers would do, but let’s get real.
It ain’t happenin’.
Instead, I’m looking for covers that catch my attention. It may be bright colors or a kick-butt character I wish I could be that draws me in. It might be something that begs me to wonder what in the world the story could be about. It might be a cool image that feels really conceptual.
Regardless of what it is, the fact remains that something has to draw the customer to pick it up and investigate it further.
Is the cover the only thing that sells the book?
Well, no.
But you have to get your foot in the door somehow, so to speak.
And to be perfectly honest – I expect the publisher to invest in a quality cover if they believe in the book. If it looks like crap, what does that say about their belief in its ability to succeed?
2. Do you think cover design will be more or less important for self-published works?
In all honestly, I think it’s even more important than books that go through a traditional publisher. Self-published works are already fighting so many hurdles to be viewed as legit, so if you slap up some stupid, cheesy clip art with papyrus font, consider your credibility gone.
I have to be really wowed by both a cover and blurb to invest in a self-published book. This is not because I think self-published books suck, but there is a lot of true crap out there to wade through.
I want to know you believe enough in your book to invest in it.
3. What design features most often catch your eye?
I like covers that use models, but there are a few things I want out of that type of cover. I want the face obscured in some way and I do not want a literal photograph. I want unique editing, etc. to blend the model into the background.
I want to build my own idea about who the characters are and I don’t want a model messing with it; mainly because we know how publishing can be in terms of their marketing direction regarding models (Justine Larbalestier’s Liar anyone?). This isn’t a must in terms of my picking up a novel, but it’s something that does catch my eye (I’ll give an example or two later).
If the cover looks too realistic, it’s hard for me to get into the fantasy of whatever story I’m being told. I want the editing to reflect the mood of the novel and if that can be effectively done artistically, I’m hooked.
I’m also a fan of whimsical art that has a modern edge to it.
4. Are there any design features that will turn you off from even picking up a book? If so, why do you think they cause you to react this way?
Artwork that screams ‘stock photo’ is a major turn off.
That and cheesy text.
I know, so weird! But if your text has overdone shadows, is in some silly font, or is in a TOTALLY random color (like, lime green when the picture is sepia) and unbefitting to the rest of the cover…yeah, that’s a negative.
And the why is simple – it screams CHEAP! UNINSPIRED!
Did I mention cheap?
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Now, to my favorite covers. Let me preface this by saying this is only my opinion of the cover art, not the actual novel. I’m also a YA girl, so these are all covers in or near my genre.
Matched/Crossed by Allie Condie
First is the Matched/Crossed combo. I love these.
Simplicity!!! They tell a story without filling the paper with a ton of crap that makes my eyes bleed. And then the imagery of the girl in the bubble tells you right away what the MC is experiencing – trapped in her society.
The theme carries over to the sequel and though I haven’t read it yet, it’s obvious this book will be about her breaking out of the mold she’s been put into.
Plus, it’s pretty. 
I knew I wanted to read it from the cover alone.
Torment by Lauren Kate
Another favorite is Torment, the sequel to Fallen. The Fallen cover was nice, but it wasn’t anything particularly original.
I feel differently about Torment and it’s because of a teensy-weensy detail – the curve of her upper back as she leans to the right, her hair pulling in that direction, as well. It’s beautiful compositionally, as it takes a subject that is dead center, but pulls your eye to the upper right of the image. The way her hands are tangled in her hair says so much about the anguish she’s in.
<3
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
This one is actually a middle grade novel, but I’m in love with the cover.
The original is one of my favorites and I still haven’t figured out why they changed it (you hear that Bloombury?!?!).
It was beautiful! The art work captured the essence and emotion of the entire novel. It’s whimsical, yet had the faint feel of grime that would be associated with mine-life.
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
It’s rare to get two-for-one when it comes to covers, but Across the Universe delivers. I’m not typically a sci-fi fan, but this cover told me I needed to investigate further and upon reading the summary, I knew I had to buy it. The color scheme was perfection and it almost looked like one of those old woman/young woman illusions.
I saw the pink universe first and only after someone pointed it out did I see the shapes of the faces in the purple. Maybe I’m the only one, but I got really excited because I was able to see so much in just that one image.
Then to flip it over and get the blueprint version – yeah, perfection.
So there is my opinion in a nutshell.
