Book Cover for a Graphic novel?

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leolo

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I've sketched a really good picture that i would like to use for the cover of my unfinished project.

does anyone know the process for creating a cover?

I penciled my story out on 9x12 Bristol board. does the cover art paper have to be larger or the same size?

and to rouse up some fun, what is your favorite graphic novel/comic book cover art?

(i personally like any front cover in the vagabond manga series)
 

Layla Lawlor

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This will depend in large part on how you are going to do the art for your cover (do you plan to hand-paint it? draw by hand and color on the computer?).

In general, it does not matter if the cover art is the same size as the interior pages as long as the aspect ratio is appropriate for the finished comic -- that is, you need to know what size you intend to make your finished comic so that you aren't trying to make art that's too tall or too wide fit onto the final printed pages. (Ask me about the time I ended up drawing banners to go on the bottom of every page of an entire issue of my self-published comic because I misfigured the aspect ratio and drew & inked all the art at a size that was too wide and short for the final printed pages. Actually don't ask me about it. *cries* )

Anyway ... the bigger you do your art, the better it'll look when it's reduced to the final size, but you don't actually have to draw it bigger at all; I rarely do art on paper bigger than 9x12 myself because it's faster at the smaller size.

The website comicsalliance.com has a nifty best comic covers of the month feature. Here is November 2014, which has some cool and clever stuff!
 

snafu1056

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Sometimes a printer or publisher will send you a template for the front cover, spine, and back cover, which are created as a single image. In some cases you also have to provide interior front and back covers too.
 

leolo

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Thanks layla for that cool link on comic alliance best covers... so much skill they have!

I want a simple cover done in water color and pencil... Im just going to draw it on bristol board like i wanted to and if i cant use it for a cover at least it will make a good poster.
 
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