Switching Places...The Secret Betrothal Cover Art

Hello, dear readers. Today I am taking part in The Secret Betrothal Blog Tour set up by Jakki of Leatherbound Reviews. The author of the book, Jan Hahn was my guest last month and I interviewed her for the post. Today, Jan is my guest again but she is interviewing me, since I did the covers for The Secret Betrothal! We are discussing author/artist collaboration on cover art. I hope you enjoy the switch in places! There is also a giveaway so be sure to check for the details later on in the post.

JAN:  Let’s begin with what you as the cover artist need from the author.  Do you need to read the book before you begin?  If so, why?  (I’m referring to authors in the feminine tense simply for expediency, certainly not to take away anything from our excellent writers of the masculine gender.)

JANET: Yes, I need to read the book.  I like to get a feel for the story as well as determine if any scene immediately stands out in my mind. If so, is it one that I can draw and make it grab the reader’s attention?  I want the cover to be unique, to tell something special about the story without giving away the plot.  

JAN:  If the author has no idea what she wants on the cover, how can you help?

JANET: After reading the book, I’ll give my suggestions for illustrations and see if that triggers anything from her.  If not, then we may go with one of my ideas.  Linda Beutler used my idea for the front cover of The Red Chrysanthemum, and gave her input as I worked. Then when it was time to do the back, she had specific ideas for it. The red roses on the back are not just any red rose but a specific one, 'Slater’s Crimson China' Rose.

JAN:  If the author does have an idea for the cover, what’s the best way she can convey the message to you if she’s not an artist?  Do you want to see pictures she’s found that are somewhat like what she wants?

JANET: Yes, I do.  Some of those pictures can have things added or taken from them.  In other words, pick and choose what we want.  Anything that helps me see what the author is visualizing is helpful.  Suzan Lauder sent me lots of paintings of ships for the cover of Alias Thomas Bennet.  As we progressed, she decided she wanted a man with two children waiting for the ship, which definitely tied into her story. I did a lot with colors on that cover to get the feelings/mood to match the scene.

JAN: I’m fascinated by the process you go through to arrive at a finished drawing.  I only had one absolute in mind with my latest book.  I wanted a beach scene at the ocean with a big rock because it played an essential part in The Secret Betrothal.  I thought I wanted it on the front, but then I considered the reader.  What would the ocean have to do with a secret betrothal?  So, I decided I wanted the three characters that made up the triangle on the front, and we put the beach scene on the back.  Elizabeth standing between her two suitors was about all I told you, Janet.  Can you tell us how you created the front cover for The Secret Betrothal?

JANET: The book has three significant balls in it, so we knew a ballroom was a fitting place for the three characters to be.  We talked about various ways you wanted them to stand.  Should Elizabeth be standing in front or beside the men?  Should the men be looking at her or each other?

I used a different picture of Chayseland. (Darcy)
In the pic to the right, he has a slight smile or smirk.
The one barely arched eyebrow of Kennedy (Lizzy),
made this pic a keeper.
The look on Zach's (Wickham) face was perfect. 

The clothes and hair, though roughly done,
give a better idea of the planned drawing.

Like most artists, I need something to look at when I draw.  In the past, artists needed models to sit for them.  Today, however, we have the luxury of photographs.  Since you suggested my grandson pose as Darcy and he had some friends who could be Wickham and Elizabeth, I asked them to be my models.  Because they’re teens, the hardest part was getting their schedules worked out so they could all three be at my house at one time.  I tried to pose them together, but they dissolved into laughter so often that I gave up on that idea! I ended up doing individual shots.  I told them how to stand and what I wanted them to think about to get the expression on their faces that I needed. I literally took at least a hundred pictures of them.  Then I spent hours sifting through the photos to find just the right three.  On the computer, I cut out the background from each individual picture and placed them together the way I thought you wanted.  After your approval, I then found pictures of period clothes and placed them on the models, via computer, to get an idea of what might need changing before I began drawing.  Once drawing commenced, I had to age the guys, take out the roundness of their chins and square their jaws.  I gave the guys sideburns, added shadows of beards, and changed Elizabeth’s hairstyle. 

You suggested a simple background in subtle shades of blue, but I felt like it needed something more, so I proposed the idea of an orchestra.  You did not want the orchestra to be as prominent as the three main characters, so I let their feet shade out and kept the color muted.  That’s when you thought they looked like ghosts!  I also only drew three musicians at first, but more were needed to fill out the picture. Then I went back to the drawing board, added more color to the feet and legs, put in a floor and several more musicians with their instruments.

JAN:  How can the author and artist avoid misunderstandings?  I know we had a few even though we’re friends, see each other often, and talk on the phone at least once every week.

JANET:  It’s difficult to read each other’s minds.  One of the biggest obstacles for me as an artist is trying to understand and ‘see’ what the author is visualizing.  Even with pictures it can still be hard to do. [FROM JAN:  And a like obstacle for me as an author is trying to tell you what I’m seeing.  You’d think someone who works with words could do so, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.] 

Photo of back cover
 before any touch-ups and
without the shoes.  The
shoes add perspective.

On the back cover, we had looked at various paintings to get ideas for the beach scene and large rock that you wanted.  I got it partially drawn and decided to show you what I had done so far. Big mistake!  What you saw was completely different from what I saw because I knew where the drawing was going, and you didn’t.  Where I saw a rock and sky, you saw a mountain!  That’s why most of the time I don’t show the picture to the author until it’s finished. I guess it's a bit like you showing someone a few chapters of your book or the beginning and ending without the middle and expecting the person to know where you are going with the story.

JAN:  How late in the process can you change a drawing?

JANET: That depends on what part of the drawing the author wants to change.  Some things I can alter and some I can’t, depending on the colors and pigments or how major a change is involved. Some things can be adjusted on the computer like noses, lips and/or tweaking the colors. Sometimes I even clone something from another part of my drawing.  A good rule is if you want to make changes, tell the artist as early as possible.  I will tell the author if it’s something I can change or not, or what I can try to do. For obvious reasons, lighter colors are more conducive to change than darker or brighter colors. Most importantly, do discuss it. After all, it is the author’s book and the cover is just the visual representation of it.

JAN:  I know you’ve done original covers for Meryton Press authors.  Are you available to other writers, or are you under exclusive contract with Meryton Press?  Besides original drawings, do you ever do graphic design work for authors?

JANET:  First of all, I’m not under contract with Meryton Press.  Each cover is contracted separately.  I really enjoy working with Meryton Press writers, but I enjoy working with other authors as well.  I also do graphic design for covers where I combine stock photos or parts of paintings that are in the public domain to make a new and completely different picture. I recently did two front covers for author, Cassandra Grafton. Both covers are made up of parts of several pictures that I have put together to make a new picture. I then turned the new picture into an oil painting. You can view them on the Cover Art page of this blog. In the near future, Ms. Grafton will be posting chapters of Lizzy Bennet’s Diary with both of the above mentioned covers at Austen Variations.

JAN:  I thoroughly enjoyed our collaboration on the front and back covers for The Secret Betrothal, Janet.  Since I know nothing about art other than what I like and don’t like, it was a learning experience for me.  I believe the most important thing for artists and authors is frequent communication.   You do beautiful work, and I’m very proud of the cover art on my latest book.

JANET:   Thank you, Jan. I enjoyed working with you on your covers and felt it was quite an honor to do so. You are right about the importance of communication. As much as we talked about the pictures and cover ideas, we found there could still be miscommunication. I think that was a surprise to both of us. It takes time and patience to put everything together to achieve that final desired goal, a cover that stands out and grabs attention. I’m so happy that you are proud of your cover art. That makes it all worthwhile. Thank you also, for being my guest today and interviewing me. That put a fun twist to the post!

Jan Hahn is generously giving away The Secret Betrothal to two lucky people. A domestic winner will have the choice of a signed paperback or eBook. An international winner will receive an eBook. To be entered leave a comment below as I always love reading your 'share in the conversation'!  Good luck to all. Be sure to include your email address in the comment. To prevent unwanted spam, put your email address with (at) instead of @. Winners will be chosen in a random drawing. Giveaway will end at midnight, April 17, 2014.