Book Cover Design: Illustrate Stories with Evocative Images

Learn how to distill the words of a book into a single image using watercolors, handmade textures, and Photoshop

• Introduction
• Creating Reference Material, Exploring Visual Ideas and Generating Roughs
• Creating the Final Artwork
• Editing the Final Book Jacket
• Showing Off Your Cover in Your Portfolio
• Final project

Book covers are the perfect bridge between our world and the one created within their pages. Artist and illustrator Owen Gent uses subtle, intimate, human imagery to create his covers using watercolors and Photoshop. He has worked with publishers including Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, and Vintage.

In this course, Owen guides you through the steps you need to create a meaningful book cover of your own using a variety of both digital and analog techniques. Delve into the world of book cover design and bring your favorite story to life through illustration.

• About Me
• Influences
• Presentation of Materials
• Choosing Your Book and Creating Simple Reference Materials
• Thumbnail Sketches and The Power of Composition
• Developing the Strongest Thumbnails into Initial Roughs I
• Developing the Strongest Thumbnails into Initial Roughs II
• Creating Full Jacket Roughs
• Transferring and Drawing Out the Final Illustration
• Watercolour Painting
• Scanning Into Photoshop
• Separating the Painting into Individual Layers
• Adding Colour Using the Selective Colour Tool
• Bringing in Found and Handmade Textures
• Finishing Touches
• Tracing the Type and Final Graphic Design Tweaks
• Bringing Your Book Cover to Life with Mock-up Templates
• Sharing Your Cover Online
• Book Cover Design: Illustrate Stories with Evocative Images