One of my creative outlets is designing book covers for eBook and print books. It also helps to bring in a little spending money. Several years ago, I took a photography course by Amy Earle. In the class, she also gave us an intro to Photoshop Elements. Thus, began my playing with family pictures. A family member asked me to try a hand at creating covers for her books and I did. And so it began!
Probably the most difficult and time consuming aspect of designing covers is finding images similar to what you are looking for to manipulate. When this happens and when possible, I recruit family or friends to pose. 🙂
This week, the cover I’m designing is for a mystery where they find a dead man in a sleigh pulled by a dog. Try finding a dead man in a sleigh on a stock images website. Ha! I had no luck. So! I dressed my eldest son up in the required clothing for the scene, and had him lay in a wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow was the closet shape I could find similar to the sleigh the author was wanting on their cover.
Above is the sleigh, I had to put him in.
What do you think?
Yuletide Slaying will be out this coming holiday season. You can check out more of Paty’s books at her website.
If you’re interested in looking at my portfolio, check it out! I’d love your feedback!