Advice from Fantasy Book Cover Artist RENU SHARMA & Fantasy Art Giveaway!! by Kenya Wright

Hello Fellow Floozies!!

Today we have talented Fantasy Book Cover Artist, Renu Sharma talking about designing covers! To celebrate her lovely work we will be giving away one of our favorite prints!

That's right! The lucky winner of this giveaway will recieve a 9 X 12 inch print of Demise of an Angel. A smaller photo of this print is below:

Demise of an Angel

 Let's start with the interview!

What is your advice to authors who make their own book covers or up and coming book cover artists?A few things to keep in mind while designing your own cover:

• If you aren't very good with the software, avoid cutting different pictures & pasting them together. Chances are, the images won't be blended in well & the cover will look of very poor quality. Instead, try using one whole stock image.

Wind of Somberness

• Make sure the fonts are readable in thumbnail. Try using fonts that are clear & not very cliched.

Impossible Love

• Less is more. Try not to have your designs cluttered. Keep them minimal.

Ink

Heaven and Hell

• If you don't have an experience in designing, I suggest that you hire a professional to do your cover. While some indie authors do great covers, most scream home made. Show your design to people and ask for honest feedback. If the most feedback you get is negative, hire a professional.

Are you self-taught artist or did you go to art school?

I am a self taught artist.

Magical Mermaid

How did you become a Book Cover Artist?

It started a couple of years back when an Italian author found my work on facebook & bought one of my artworks for a book cover. After a few months, another author contacted me & told me about author forums where I could post my work. I did the same & got one work after another. Word of mouth did the rest.

Death Dealer

Are you a big reader? 

To be very honest, I had lost my touch with reading a long time ago. I got too busy with my job & art that I hardly got any time for reading. But then I started receiving books from authors I have done covers for and am loving those. I love fantasy & books about life.

She'll Suck You Dry

Your  cover work is very detailed. What is your process when making a book cover for an author?

 For commissions, the first thing I do is ask the authors for as much information as possible about the book & the main character who is to go on the cover. Then I do a search for stock images & give options. Once the stock is selected, I create the book cover in photoshop & send a draft. Most of the times authors like it in the first go so that's about the process. If not, whatever tweaks & revisions are required. 

City of Lost Angels

FireFlies

What do you see yourself doing in five years?

Honestly, I am someone who lives one day at a time. But I know art is my life & this is what I am going to be doing. I see myself having done a LOT of book covers & CD covers by then. What I most look forward to about the future is having improved & grown big time and becoming a way better artist than what I am now.

Renu Sharma is a digital and traditional artist, born and raised in Delhi NCR, India. She discovered her passion for drawing in 2006 and that is when she began her journey as a self taught artist. With time, her passion grew stronger and she started exploring other art forms including digital art. The variety of her artworks from charcoal drawings to digital paintings is what brings her the clients and admirers across the globe. Renu's artworks mostly portray dark tales and emotions. Her traditional artworks include drawings using media like charcoal, graphite, pastels as well as paintings using acrylics and/or watercolors. She also creates digital paintings and digital photo-manipulations. Her art is majorly inspired by music which is usually dark and gothic, also by day to day experiences which move her in some way or the other.

Contact Renu Sharma

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheDarkRayne
Artist website: thedarkrayne.deviantart.com

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