Cover/First Impression Critique (Animated Book Cover? No?)

[DanielRKM]

Hey All,

Note- please don't apologize for a bad review. All reviews are welcome!!!

So this is kind of a two-part question about covers/first impressions:

1) Has anyone had any luck with Gifs as book covers? Am I doing this right/anyone have a preference over these 2 gif options?

Option A:

Option B (same thing, but the dragon's eyes glow throughout):

Also, am I making the best possible first impression for my series (cover/genres/summary)? Sometimes I feel a little lost when it comes to marketing my own work so any pointers would be much appreciated. I've failed at gaining ground on social media in the past and Sub for Sub has provided me with a sea of apathy to wade in. I'm currently devising a plan and researching marketing methods to pull in more viewership, but right now I just want to make sure my actual work in the comic is working hardest for me.

If anyone cares to critique the full first impression of my series, the link is here:

Read Valor: Family Tree | Tapas Web Comics

Once again, any pointers would be much appreciated and thank you so much!

[darthmongoose]

I think that while the animation isn't badly excecuted... the way it's both hiding the cover art almost completely, and then drawing my eye to movement right over at the edge of the image, away from the faces, maybe isn't ideal for being eye-catching. There's already a lot going on in this cover in terms of scenario, and it's going to be hard enough for a viewer to parse at Tapas size even without hiding it every couple of seconds.
I don't necessarily think animated covers are a bad idea, but I'm not sure this one is working in the current state (sorry! I'm sure you worked hard on it!)

I have a Pinterest board where I collect excellent comics covers (and at the bottom, some tutorials on comic cover layout) which might hopefully help?

https://pin.it/wFX6eD2

For Tapas covers, I think it helps to remember the image will be small, so make sure to us contrast or animation and the general composition to draw attention to faces, and have the characters be nice and big in terms of space taken on covers. Also, since with comics, we don't get the blurb alongside, only the cover to sell the audience on our concepts, it's really vital that the cover sells the core appeal of the comic from the point of view of a Tapas audience.

All that said... from everything I've seen, anthro characters seem to be a really hard sell on Tapas. No matter how well-drawn the comic, and how interesting the plot, comics with anthro characters tend to struggle, and do better on places like ComicFury.

[DanielRKM]

Awesome! Thank you! I'll absolutely look into ComicFury and will either tone down the animation for clarity or revert back to a static imagery for the cover.

Also, no worries/need to apologize over any aspect of the critique! No hurt feelings here (believe me, I would have been MUCH sadder if no one popped over to give their opinion). Thank you! It's awesome getting a chance to snag your opinion.

[Katzalcoatl]

@darthmongoose pretty much said everything that needed to be said about you hiding the art. That being said... I don't really get attracted by your cover design. The font style is boring with a black background.

Your cover tells me nothing about the story. Your drawings make a good GIF but not a good cover. The first thing I see in your Cover is the light in the fist. I can't really recommend attracting the readers attention so much to a fist if you want them to read your story.

When you do a GIF cover keep the focal point of the viewer in the same place and let them see everything your story will be about. I would say you should keep the gif for a separate project and redesign a cover that tells the viewer that the story is about this and that.

I think you are a great artist but I don't think you designed your cover with the reader in mind. You have to remember viewers know nothing of your story. They don't know any characters. Think about what you want to convey to your readers and what the story will be about. Keep in mind your tittle doesn't tell a new viewer what your story is about. You have to make up for it with your cover.

P.S. If possible try to tell your reader through drawings the main genre of your story. So far idk if your story is fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, action, comedy, etc. Although I doubt it is comedy it is likely fantasy? But is it modern fantasy? Is it about demons or fighting monsters? Is it about a family (judging by the tittle)? What is it about?

P.S.S. Only judging what it's about with the cover alone. The summary is the second or third thing a viewer sees.

P.S.S.S. I don't know if I sounded rude but if I did I apologize. This review is only meant to help you see how you missed some things while designing your cover. It is not meant in any way to criticize your art since I really like the art.

[DanielRKM]

Thank you! And I really appreciate the critique (and no worries, with critiques come constructive criticisms. I am legitimately happy to read your notes because I want to do better (I was probably smiling through the parts you thought that you may have seemed "rude." They came across as caring and very succinctly put. As excited as I am to have shown growth in my artist's journey, I know there's so much more growth left, and I appreciate being shown the way.

I really appreciate the focal point note and this advice also gives me good food for thought about my themes. I always juggle a lot of themes, so conveying it in a single image is always tough. I'll do some soul searching on this one, for sure.

Thanks for giving it a look as well as your time!

[carvalhomanzon]

This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.

[lakakhan0097]

I'd be happy to provide a critique of your book cover or first impression! However, since we're communicating through text and not visually, I won't be able to see the actual design. Nevertheless, you can provide a description of the cover or any relevant details, and I can offer feedback and suggestions based on that information. Please go ahead and share the details of your book cover or first impression, and I'll do my best to assist you!
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