Cover Artist
Anya Kelleye
Posts: 10 | I have a question and want to know what everyone else's take is on it. Why are so many covers lately just the body of the person with the heads cut off? It makes me think the cover is rather unfinished. Is it supposed to be artistic? Or can cover artists just not find a person that matches their characters' descriptions? Just my thoughts on the subject.
|
|
|
2012 Jun 12 06:06 pm
|Quote |
|
Cover Artist
Cora Graphics
Posts: 7 | Hi Anya, it happens also in the Italian covers. Sometimes you need to put so many items and you are forced to cut the character's head. However I agree with you. I also prefer the full figure.
Excuse my English is not perfect but I try to do my best! |
|
|
2012 May 04 01:05:11 pm | Quote |
|
RNC Administrator
Cover Model Jimmy Thomas
Posts: 190 | There are various reasons. I myself will cut off my own head on one of my images before uploading it to my stock image website. 1.) Usually in Erotica images it is all about the body language, so when faces are shown the attention either goes to the faces naturally, or equally to the rest of the cover, so the desired focus is not focused on, similar to a retail ad. If the model is too attractive, if something stands out in the ad/image and not the item being advertised, then the ad is not doing its purpose. I cut off our heads in images so that your eyes only go to the body language I want you to go to. This is the eye/talent of a great cover artist as well. Notice that you are forced to look at our bodies on this cover, which is the intention:
http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/picview.php?pageno=147&user_id=1&id=8 Cropped head help you focus on other things than the faces as faces are naturally what our eyes want to go to as our faces are what identify us. Same with focus on bondage images. These images have more to them than what you see, but the cover artist cropped them tight so that the emphasis is on the bondage; what they want the attention to be on. Notice what your eyes focus on as soon as you see the covers:
http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/picview.php?pageno=39&user_id=1&id=8
http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/picview.php?pageno=11&user_id=1&id=8
http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/picview.php?pageno=104&user_id=1&id=8
http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/picview.php?pageno=94&user_id=1&id=8
http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/picview.php?pageno=76&user_id=1&id=8 2.) Heads are also cropped because the expressions may not be what are desired for the feeling or style of the cover. Maybe they were smirking, smiling, screaming, etc., or maybe his expression didn't match hers, but the rest of the image was loved so much to be desired for the cover. 3.) The model(s) were not that attractive, maybe the ethnicity was wrong (Asian face, but body looked Caucasian). 4.) The model wasn't that talented to pull off a great expression, it looked fake, insincere, boring, etc. 5.) Some publishers, cover artists and authors think that readers want to imagine their own faces on the hero/heroines, so they crop them off. I not only select the images I'm going to work on and upload, but I'm meticulous on my cropping of them first as well, even if just 1/8". Slight amounts of cropping can make a big difference as to what your eyes go to and the balance of the image. Jimmy Thomas |
|
|
2012 May 05 10:05:56 am | Quote |
|
Cover Artist
Cora Graphics
Posts: 7 | Jimmy is true!
It is not easy to find the faces that reflect the characteristics required by the author. Is easier to find instead a beautiful body. Sometimes you also need to emphasize other aspects of the covers, such as the background or a detail. Nevertheless I consider that a pretty face can improve the final result.
Looking at the covers bondage I see immediately her wrists linked then, my eye, moves on the faces. Personally, as reader I need to see the faces of the models, or at least part of it, like the lips or eyes.
|
|
|
2012 May 07 07:05:19 am | Quote |
|
Cover Artist
Anya Kelleye
Posts: 10 | Wow! Thanks for the wonderful reponses! I knew there was some reasoning behind it. I'm still fairly new at creating cover art so really wanted to know. I guess it just depends on the what is needed like you said, Jimmy. It's what you want the focus to be. It has to be done correctly though I think or it really does look unfinished. |
|
|
2012 May 07 01:05:59 pm | Quote |
|
Author
Lauralynn Elliott
Posts: 3 | Thank goodness Anya is my cover artist. LOL. I don't like cut off heads, either. It's just a personal thing with me. I understand all the reasons given for it, so Anya just has to work that much harder to find bodies and faces that I want.  My romances are heavier on the romance than the sex, so facial expression is so important to me in most cases. And, really, who would want to cut off Jimmy's head? ;) |
|
|
2012 May 07 02:05:14 pm | Quote |
|
RNC Administrator
Cover Model Jimmy Thomas
Posts: 190 | This is why I love this website! It gives a place to teach, advise, give opinions, ask, suggest, refer, etc., for many, from many |
|
|
2012 May 07 06:05:39 pm | Quote |
|
Author
Jane Pillatzke
Posts: 6 | Jimmy stated it all perfectly.
Depending on what you are trying to say about your story, covered faces or deleted faces can actually say so much more to the reader, if it's a romance story perhaps his hand holding hers in black and white with a scarlet rose in between.
Or if it's an erotic story and you are trying to convey bondage, a woman reclining on a sofa her hair covering her face perhaps in red shading this time with white scarves tied around her hands...
The choices are endless but it can be VERY effective in portraying what your story is about.
Of course we all love faces, we are attracted from childhood to people's expressions but without this very feature we can be very cleverly drawn purposely into the true meaning of the story in a unique way.
Best wishes :-) |
|
|
2012 May 07 07:05:21 pm | Quote |
|
Author
Dee Gibbens
Posts: 20 | Quote:
This is why I love this website! It gives a place to teach, advise, give opinions, ask, suggest, refer, etc., for many, from many |
Well, I for one have started two loose-leaf notebooks just for this site: 1) one for Q&A references, such as these forums and other tid-bits that pop up; Jimmy interviews; samples of novel covers for each genre...and of course, my fave Jimmy pix, many taken at various conferences with fans/attendees 2) one just for RNC FRIENDS: bios and photos. I've been here about two weeks now and already have about 40 new friends from all over the world...I love it; so rather than flip-flop through my online list all the time, I can just refer to my handy-dandy little notebook file. This will also include a list of books that each author has written. Anyway, that's just a little FYI. |
|
|
2012 May 08 01:05:52 pm | Quote |
|
Cover Artist
Anya Kelleye
Posts: 10 | Quote:
Well, I for one have started two loose-leaf notebooks just for this site |
Wow, Dee, how organized are you? ;) |
|
|
2012 May 09 06:05:21 am | Quote |
|
Cover Artist
Taria
Posts: 5 | Another reason is simple. Some publishers have a no full faces policy. It makes it a bit tougher to find what you want, but not much you can do but give the publisher what they want. I prefer full (or 3/4) body/heads on my covers too. I can't tell you how many times I've gone blind searching through stock sites to try and find what I want or something even close to what I need. Thank GOD I'm a trained photographer with a studio so I can shoot what I need if necessary. Sure that means my cover price for that project goes up but it's a guarantee that the author/publishers get what they want. |
|
|
2012 Jun 11 12:06:39 pm | Quote |
