Show us your series poster & why it’s designed like that

skyfarron · Jan '21

This is my current book's cover, without the text. It's called Grim & The Vampire.

The central subject is Graham, dressed up like a vampire. His high-collared jacket blends in with the silhouette of the living shadow that stalks him, and he's surrounded by crosses - maybe gravestones, maybe something else. Bats and birds and leaves are swirling around in a windy autumn vortex, under the crescent moon. The background is slightly pink, as well as the apple in Graham's hand (a subject of the book and minor allusion to Twilight), while Graham himself is in black and white, to suggest a silver-screen monster movie tone for the story. It is unclear whether Grim is the hero or the villain, whether the shadow is his own, and which one of them is the Grim and which one is the Vampire.

The overall effect is two entities leaving unmistakable impressions on each other, both bound by deathlessness and struggling for their own identity through supremacy over the other.

And... I might change it! I think it makes it too confusing as to which one is which, and it comes from an earlier build of the story where Graham WAS the vampire. I'll share the new one when I make it.

skyfarron · Jan '21

And here's the new one I just whipped up.

I decided to use my old toon style again.

I turned the shadow into a more defined figure of its own, imposing on the central subject, Graham. The protagonist is now more clearly the one who's Grim, while the shadow is the Vampire. A prop from the story, a scythe staff that's missing a blade, is aligned with an enlarged crescent moon that forms an optical illusion of a blade.

The soft pink tone has been relegated to the hoodie on Grim, as it's the most reader-adjacent object on the poster, creating an impression of depth through variation in saturation.

And the background objects, the crosses, are now taller and more imposing as well, creating a warped space that's perfect for a good scare.

Finally, the overall tone was kept pretty friendly to make sure people know what to expect from a PG-13 story.

sarahmcsquish · Jan '21

For my cover I wanted to convey a dash of mystery. She wants you to go with her; follow and see where the waters take you. Also, for obvious reasons, paw prints in the sand. But shouldn't it be human foot prints? More intrigue for the reader! And if you look to the water, it has the faintest pride flag gleaming in the highlights, letting you know that everything in this comic is gay, including the entire ocean.

danitasibert · Jan '21

this one is going to e replaced, over the last few years I've realized that i can do better this was made in 2015 and I'd like to show what the series can truly represent better. :slight_smile

I wanted something to reflex the idea of the comic..... blood and action to be honest i don;t really plan what is a title cover cause i just wanna draw my characters the best i can

AHaplessFool · Feb '21

This is also a chapter cover for chapter 2, which happens mostly during day, so I wanted to kinda reflect that in the cover (though I think I might look into making a new one before the chapter's out because I changed the art style by literally just a couple pages into it). Most of the comic takes place in the corners of cities, so I figured an alleyway would fit, plus that's literally in the title.

As for the fire, I wanted for it to look as if the comic itself was being set aflame, since fire is such a big deal in the comic (like even within the first three pages tbh).

lucifervermilli · Feb '21

This is for my novel series.

Nothing much. It's just the main characters of this series.

WhiskeyMadDog · Feb '21

This cover was inspired by the film "The Man Who Fell to Earth" starring David Bowie. Bowie plays an alien character with a human appearance and there's this awesome part in the film where one of the characters gets an x-ray camera and sees the alien he really is inside, under the layers of human flesh. I took that idea and formed it into a metaphor, that under our soft skin there is this ticking. The person one may present on the outside, isn't the same on the inside and that's what my character Jung is. Jung is on the cover and he wears a mask to cover the scars of his past. On the outside he looks calm and quiet, but inside he has this raging storm of self-hatred. If one could take a camera and scan through all his layers, the pain he feels would be revealed. But technology is unable to read emotions well, and humans are the masters of making oneself look happier than we really are.
I used colored pencil on black paper. Usually, I go for watercolor because colored pencil takes too long, but I wanted to add more realism. The paper is bit textured to add the emphasis of a disturbed past. Jung has had a rough life and I wanted to show that visually.
The bicycle, train, guitar, dragon, and other weird things that are going on the picture are inspired by the film, "Paprika". I love surrealism and Satoshi Kon films and wanted to add to the chaos that Jung experiences in his life. Jung is very similar to Walter Mitty. He has an unusual imagination and often gets in trouble for daydreaming too much. He gets distracted easily as he sees imaginary worlds that no one else can see. He literally lives in his own head and it takes a lot of effort to bring him back to reality. Of course, his imagination is a sign of his intelligence as he is more creative than others, but many people don't see it as such as he is often spaced out in conversations. That's what I like about Jung, and this is all I have to say about my cover

Lucca_Vendramel · Feb '21

My goal is to show that this family is united and all of them have different characteristics. Nimbus (to the left) is protective of her family, so she's holding a gun and looking stern. Keen (to the right) is more relaxed and doesn't get stressed very easy, so she is thoughtful, but also cautious. Cozmata at the center is the protagonist and wants to explore the universe, but she is sheltered by her moms. So she is looking in awe at the star crossing the sky at the top of the cover. The fact that they are in space is meant to represent just how vast their universe is. The darker tones are meant to propose that there is something shady happening in the story and they are in some kind of danger. Overall, It's mostly meant to showcase the characters and setting to potential viewers.

chickknightgreenleaf · Feb '21

inspired by old medieval illustrated manuscript, church stained glass window, old paintings
the entire series with many difference stories are played as if they were real and actually were historical record or folklore of the fantasy world being retold to the readers via the author's journal

Berserker · Feb '21

Cover of my new series. My last couple covers were focused on the action, but for this one I wanted to make sure the character's faces were more emphasized.

This cover hints at the action to come with the shadows along each side of the wall. Can you make out the lion and snake sillhouette on each side? I want to bring up the question, is this two separate creatures or something else? And of course the heroine Rhunal stepping forward boldly to protect her injured friend Thesh, the orc behind her.

CosmicLeon · Feb '21

For my cover, I wanted to show a looming threat over the character. I kept that threat as a shadow for the mystery and to incorporate smaller imagery in it. Suck as the ferns and crystals. At the time of crating this cover, I only had 1 main character, for the my senior thesis. Although I have more characters, I need to keep it simple enough, only pertaining to the 1st chapter. I have been thinking of changing the cover later with more characters, now that I can put more into it.

Macarenaoftime · Feb '21

I guess I wanted something mysterious, disturbing, eye-catching, and at the same time simple.
It's vaguely related to the later identity themes in the story.

I think I could done a better job, but none the less I'm proud of how it turned out.

Reveal · Feb '21

With the cover for Rewrite, I wanted to have black and white elements in there due to the comic being BW so I added comic panels as the background to give it that look but also I did want a hint of color sprinkled to kind of let it be slightly eye catching when people see it so I colorized the main character and made her the foreground

Koneko-chan-hai · Feb '21

This is the cover of my comic Hetero Sakura.
It depicts the series' main character, Sakurako Haruki, a young girl with Heterochromia escaping dystopian pursuers. Crying is one of her main traits, but she also puts on a brave face to not be brought down by her circumstances and to continue surviving for the sake of her lost family and friends. Her glowing eyes are a sign of the great powers within her.
The white halo and heavy clothes hint at the story's setting, a post-apocalyptic nuclear winter. The setting is also one of the reasons why Sakurako needs to face off many enemies

Koneko-chan-hai · Feb '21

Oh wow, I love the cover! Especially the oranges, they're so creepy and intriguing!

CursedBeasts · Feb '21

the old cover of Bestia's Wrath, that is now just the cover of the Prologue, shows Bestia kneeling in the ashes holding a cloak, The cloak belongs to her daughter, who Bestia thinks dead. There's a ghostly image of the daughter, facing away behind her, sort of covered up by blowing ashes.

The cover I drew later in 2018, plays with the same location and idea as the prologue cover. Bestia still has the torn cloak and is still on the ashen ruins of the planet. She is more determined in this one.

the current cover. Mostly the rule of cool and shows the 2 main characters, back to back, about to fight something. The halos are there mostly because I think they look neat.

alliascompany · Feb '21

Suppose I'll post the one for Circus Freaks.

The comic takes place in a circus so I wanted the cover to reminiscent of vintage circus posters.

In the center I put three characters of the circus performers. (There's a couple but I wanted to keep it simple so I stuck with the main ones)

I drew Mago, the one in the center, making magical illusions to show she's a magician and to hint that the circus they work at is not a normal one.

Tromroan · Feb '21

This is a neat idea for a thread! I'll join in, although I don't know if this will be my official cover... I might draw a new one... someday... haha

My comic is called "In The Woods Somewhere"

I know it's a relatively simple cover, especially compared to some of the others here, full of symbolism! It also doubles as the first page of my comic. I guess my cover is less about symbols or foreshadowing, and more about creating an atmosphere? The comic is traditionally drawn and in greyscale, and largely takes place at night. The burning building will be important in the environment the characters live in, and it implies a distant danger, viewed from afar. Paired with the title, I think a distant, anonymous burning building and the phrase "in the woods somewhere" implies that something dangerous/mysterious is occurring in secret.

Hard to put into writing I guess! Here's a link to me comic, if you're interested
IN THE WOODS SOMEWHERE

Dialusion · Feb '21

Wow this thread was started back in September, how bout that? Here's my poster for SUMMON! The Nameless Relic!:

The series focuses on two protagonists.

1: The Man in Red: a crafty, card-dealing con-man from the West. Behind him is Egyptian Hieroglyphics as his journey starts in Egypt where he unlocks his hidden power through a pair of mystical items. He holds the Ace of Hearts declaring how more open he is with himself, despite being a card player. He's headed to the left as his character goes West with the wind on his back.

2: The Child in Blue: a strong-willed and devoted child from the East. Behind them is a Chinese painting to represent their strong connection with their home. Their design is meant to allude to YinYang seperated only by their Blue Sash. Their discipline and dedication embodied by the Dragon behind them. They head to the right as this character goes to the East with pride.

3: Checkerboard Divider: Games are an integral part of the story's themes. From playground games to casino games. The pattern make a more prominent appearance in a major location shown early in the series. As well as the idea of things being "Black and White", both in morality and in aesthetic as this series features a primarily Black and White with a splash of color for emphasis.

4: Posing: Both of out protagonists are in identical poses with minor differences. Our Red Protagonist has his back towards the camera, not in cowardice, but in a gambler's confidence. Freely exposing a weak area, certain he has a trick up his sleeve. A confident expression that may or may not be a bluff. Our Blue Dragon hides nothing, freely showing their claws and running in head first, assured of themselves and their upbringing. While also giving respect to who or whatever is in front of them. Their expression one of determination and focus, fangs bared, ready for the challenges before them.

Overall -- the theme of parallels, origins, one's character and most importantly games are all what I hope to emphasize with this poster. Easily for both a serious and entertaining series.

Kaydreamer · Feb '21

This is my official series cover/poster for now! I'm pretty proud of it. There are a few reasons I made it the way I did.

The Scruffy Dude: He's the lead protagonist. I have him looking up, because despite being rather world-worn, he's still very earnest at heart. His spirit can still be captured by the wonder of what the universe can offer. Also, the readers will primarily experience this story through his eyes, so I wanted to have them as the focal point.

The Blue-Haired Elf: She's also a leading character. I have her with glowing eyes because a) she's manipulating magic, and b) it lends an air of other-worldliness and mystery to her.

Camera Angle: The high camera angle imbues some action and dynamism to the piece.

Space Setting: Makes it immediately apparent that this is a sci-fi story.

Magic Water: Hints that the sci-fi setting has fantasy elements as well. Also, it leads the eye around the figures to the focal point.

The Planet: The blue-ringed planet is the symbol of the Blue Star Rebellion.

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Show us your series poster & why it’s designed like that

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