Jozef just designed three covers for the first issue of Elf~Fin: Hyfus & Tilaweed. Following on from that, we then got together and discussed the various merits of all of them and ended up knocking one out of the running. We are undecided about the final two, so we're asking for your help. Which ONE is your personal favourite?
The first marks a story point that has Hyfus swimming with dolphins and sharks.
The second also marks a story point but shows Hyfus in an action shot, thrusting his spear into something.
It will be interesting to see where popular opinion lies. You can vote on the online poll, which appears underneath the Black Mermaid Productions™ corporate logo on the right hand margin of this blog.
PLEASE NOTE that the title fonts are NOT definitive and are there for placement only. The other design elements such as the publisher's logo, the price and release date are there for positioning as well, and will not reflect the final look of the print version.
The closing date and time for the poll is Saturday 31 January 2009 at 12:00pm.
hey guys great to see some stuff from the comic ( i dont come here regularly so forgive me if you have posted other stuff already)!
ReplyDeleteThanks, P J.
ReplyDeleteHope you stick around for more as it becomes available. You can also join any or all of our trilogy of FaceBook groups if you wish – Elf~Fin, Black Mermaid and Black Mermaid Productions.
J
Hmmm. Not an easy one. Perhaps the old pros/cons game will work.
ReplyDeleteThe image with Hyfus among the sharks and dolphins could easily seem cluttered, leaving little for the eye to "fasten" on.
However Hyfus is all oranges and golds, and if the background is blue and the animals bluegrey or grey, he'll stand out simply by virtue of his colours.
The second cover is more dynamic, the perspective is fabulous, and you can feel the anger and impending violence. Nor is there anything to distract from Hyfus... Except the trident.
For me at least, it's the trident that's getting all the attention. Since you want to grab the readers by fascinating them with rich characters with depth, having an inanimate object as the main focus on the cover seems a bit off. Well, it does to me at least.
So my vote goes to Hyfus with the dolphins and sharks.
You've really thought about this, Livie. I'd hazard a guess that you are spot on about the colours Jozef is going to use for the first cover if that's the one that comes out the overwhelming favourite.
ReplyDeleteJ
Nothing in my mind is as quintessentially all things “mermaid” (or merman as the case may be) than an underwater vision involving dolphins in some way. If you want analysis: on his right you have danger (sharks) and a hefty weapon (that does not obscure his meaty abs any way) and on his left you have safety and his outstretched helping hand. The juxtaposition works nicely, cover one gets my vote. Unless of course I've got it all wrong and it's some sort of underwater picnic and Hyfus is reaching for a second helping of tuna...
ReplyDeleteLOL – love your theories and symbolism, Jay.
ReplyDeleteYou may have to wait to read it to find out the answers – but I love the idea of sushi on a trident!
J
Honestly, I like the name of the loser. But the other one looks like something I'd pick up at the comic store.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it, Julian. We'll keep you posted.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, Jozef is going to start painting the winning cover soon and we're looking into getting a webcam mounted at his drawing desk so anyone interested can check out his rendering technique.
J