Yes, the time has come for me to make a cover for Rhymer. The recording process for the podiobooks version starts this weekend, and (assuming they accept the project) I need to get the associated image ready.
Rhymer is a retelling of an ancient Irish imram (seafaring wonder voyage myth) set in a sci-fi space universe. My goal is to convey this in an image.
I’ve been digging on all the minimalist covers/posters which have been running around online, so a few circles and vectors led to this:
Green circles = space, right? And a sailboat where a spaceship would be = something unusual and ancient is afoot here.
My first draft of the complete cover keeps with the minimalist thing. The font looks like 70’s mythology text to me, very D’aulaires’.
I used this as the cover for the proof copies I Lulu’d up to make editing and proofing easier. It looked OK, but much more suited to online.
For draft #2, I poked around for 60’s and 70’s book covers to see what the masters did.
And yes, I added a distressed look because I am a book nerd. The drawing for the logo is taken from one of a hanafuda cards. Chance, games, and weather play major parts in the book, so the Rainman card seemed a natural choice.
Of course, e “covers” don’t really need all the same stuff that RL covers do. Like, ya know, words and all that. Perhaps I’ll end up just using the “icon” version. Hmm….