Dani

[An Ember in the Ashes] I’m excited to finally show off the bookmarks I designed for @fairyloot earlier this year! The book is by @sabaatahir and I loved the designs of the characters and getting the chance to work with a taller, thinner composition. I also referenced actual Roman mosaic work for the backgrounds, which was a fun throwback to when I briefly studied Greek and Roman art history!

If you’re not interested in my early morning musings, you can stop reading here!

(Disclaimer: this is not about Fairyloot or this project)

Okay, so something that’s been on my mind recently is the reader-client-artist triangle. I’ve been doing commercial work for about a year and a half now, and there have been both good and bad times as I get more experience in this beautiful creative industry. So, here’s some transparency.

It’s true, most book art would be more accurate if the artists were able to read each book they create for, and ideally even chat with the author. Realistically, this isn’t always feasible. Many clients do offer their books or ARCs for me to read, and one bookbox even offered to pay me for the time spent reading it. I know it may seem like a scam, or overkill, to think about paying an artist to read (especially when the books are often so great!) but for a lot of artists, there is only so much time in the day, and reading can hop the line between relaxation and homework pretty quickly. I try to read what I can. It *does* help with imagining the story and getting a good idea for the design.

But it isn’t always possible, and a majority of the time an artist has to work with the brief they’re given. Many times I have had to spend hours writing up emails asking for more information about characters, historical references, and so on. Some of my briefs, even by huge book box clients, have been ONE SENTENCE LONG. Some briefs have referenced scenes in the book that do not exist. And artists are definitely part of a team, and these things happen! Collaboration is part of the fun. By the end of the piece, many eyes have been on it, including the author’s. Any mistakes were not intentional.

(Running out of space, will finish in a comment below. <3)