Raven - cover design

Posted Jun 10, 2005, 8:10:30 AM UTC
My first ever commission. I did this as a book cover for a gothic poetry book (received the money order this morning). All done in pencilcrayons, no black used (except on the raven's wings).

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  • Jan 21, 2006, 9:43:19 PM UTC
    Oh my god. Oh dear...i love this. Me and ravens have a long history so this particular drawing rang a bell... I love this Minimaid, you know i already love your artwork but its such a pleasure when i stumbled on a piece i missed. Smile I repeat my pledge to you...I LOVE YOUR ART. Of all the artist i've seen here you remain my favorite. This one with the Raven, is soooo special for me you'll never know how much.
    • Jan 22, 2006, 10:27:52 AM UTC
      Vous Γͺtes tros gentille, lillymayhem. This piece took me a long time to get right - breaking glass is hard to draw! I'm glad it could touch base with you. It was made as the cover to a poetry book called Flight of the Rayven.

      I love it when my pieces can reach people like they do you. It makes all my efforts worthwhile. Smile
      • Jan 22, 2006, 10:45:28 AM UTC
        And this one did touch me, i gape for a full minute when i saw it. If you ever have the inspiration to draw a raven again, let me tell you you'll have a fan forever in me (im already am, but i might consider starting a cult or something Wink ) Your art is truly incredible Minimaid, i cant express how much.Smile Merci pour les petits mots en francais, ca fait plaisir!
        • Jan 22, 2006, 11:50:31 AM UTC
          Now you know I will -have- to draw a raven soon. I just have to do my commissions, first! *lol*

          Well, my dear, I'm back to work. Have a lovely day, dahling.
          • Jan 24, 2006, 5:48:53 AM UTC
            YAY! I'll prepare myself so that i dont go in catatonic shock when i see it! Smile
  • Sep 25, 2005, 5:14:58 AM UTC
    Hey, this one looks familiar Wink
    Would make a great book cover indeed!
    • Sep 25, 2005, 10:11:31 AM UTC
      Which reminds me - he's wanting me to send him this file through my server...

      Tongue I have the copy with all the lettering and such as well. When I made it into a book cover, I had to fade out the top and bottom of the mirror... *sigh* All that detail, gone.

      Glad you like it! I like yours too. Bounce
      • Oct 3, 2005, 12:52:36 PM UTC
        That's a bummer :p I was also thinking of where the lettering had to come when I was making my version; that's one of the main reasons for the black border/sea in the bottom of my pic.

        Can you send me your version-with-letters? Just curious what it looks like^^
        • Oct 5, 2005, 7:26:01 PM UTC
          I can, yes. But it will have to wait for a little bit. Tonight I am exceptionally busy, and won't have a moment to spare (I don't think) after I'm done replying to comments. lol! I made the background on this one easily extendable, though, so it wasn't a big problem when I had to extend it for lettering. I was actually intending a centered drawing with the writing as a sort of top-and-bottom border. That's not really how it turned out, but our minds are strange things - they're always changing. Wink
  • Aug 15, 2005, 7:35:06 AM UTC
    That's brilliant Rob, and a money money money commission as well eh? Congrats on that!! You're on your way now. This is great though, the mirror design is fantastic and all the blood on the glass looks delicious... I mean great... *retracts fangs back into gums*
    • Aug 15, 2005, 7:44:02 PM UTC
      Yurs, money money money. Not very much, but enough that I can say I've done paid artwork. LOL! And the blood might be a little dry by now, but you're welcome to it.
      • Aug 16, 2005, 1:40:44 AM UTC
        Well done with that Robbo, I'm still looking for my first paid job. Good work getting your foot in the door!
        • Aug 16, 2005, 2:17:42 PM UTC
          Tongue That's the funny thing - I wasn't actively looking. This guy wrote to me after finding my elfwood gallery.
          • Aug 17, 2005, 4:11:18 AM UTC
            I've had a few of them but never for money... it's quite a good way of getting spotted... oh, by the way, I'm gonna stick a link up to your elfwood page from mine when my ticket clears if that's ok with you?
            • Aug 17, 2005, 10:19:43 AM UTC
              O.O Yers... That's fine with me indeedy. Thanks, Andy! Now I feel all loved and stuff.
  • Jun 21, 2005, 6:35:28 PM UTC
    Gorgeous! The design of the mirror is so lovely. So... well I don't know, victorian I guess. Smile You should be very proud!
    • Jun 21, 2005, 9:07:43 PM UTC
      Thanks! I'm sending this one off to the client on the morrow. Big Smile
  • Jun 18, 2005, 1:26:48 AM UTC
    You did a beautiful job on this Robin, you should be proud and the person you drew it for extremely honored.
    • Jun 18, 2005, 1:29:09 AM UTC
      Well, he's got the cover of his book posted all over his website - and this is it. I have to find a good mat for it before I can send it off to him, and that needs to be done soon (after all, he DID pay for it). I was sort of proud of it until recently... When someone rather belatedly pointed out some mistakes that I can't fix. Sick With any other piece, it wouldn't have mattered, but with a published commission? It sort of depressed me.
      • Jun 18, 2005, 1:37:49 AM UTC
        Never let critism bring you down my friend, if I had listened to peoples critism about my art I would of stopped drawing when I was 12.
        • Jun 18, 2005, 1:39:55 AM UTC
          It wasn't mean criticism, just -very- late. I posted this WAY before the final stages asking people if they could see anything wrong with it, and they all gave me the OK, so I proceeded. Now I get a message showing me the mistakes. Kind, well-meant constructive criticism - but the tardiness made me want to rip my hair out and sob all the water out of my system.
          • Jun 18, 2005, 1:41:45 AM UTC
            Majority rules, its a very good piece!
            • Jun 18, 2005, 1:43:57 AM UTC
              *hugs* I can do better. lol. Thank you, my friend.
              • Jun 18, 2005, 1:46:38 AM UTC
                Your welcome. Now kick some ass with that pencil!
                • Jun 18, 2005, 1:47:27 AM UTC
                  Actually, It's bed-time. But I think I'll bring my sketchbook.
  • Jun 11, 2005, 4:49:56 PM UTC
    Wow.
    This looks even better colored. O_O
    It's incredible. It's something I'd hang on my wall.

    I really love the glass.
    • Jun 11, 2005, 5:33:33 PM UTC
      Ooh, you did find the time to drop by! Thanks, Tsuki. I could see if my client would mind me making prints of it...
  • Jun 10, 2005, 12:52:00 PM UTC
    OMG, this is so cool! Where did you get the inspiration for this??
    • Jun 10, 2005, 12:57:25 PM UTC
      Well, as it says in the description, it was a commission. My client asked me to make a raven coming out of a mirror, so I did a -lot- of research on ravens and mirrors, and this is what I came up with. Smile Glad you like it, luv.
      • Jun 10, 2005, 2:20:27 PM UTC
        Awesome! I knew it was a comission, but I was'nt sure how specific they were about what they wanted you to do. It's beautiful... *sigh* Smile
  • Jun 10, 2005, 12:12:48 PM UTC
    Awesome! It reminds me of the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds" (after watching that movie, you never look at birds the same way again, ha ha) The mirror looks great, I like the blood, and how the raven's wings are spread...everything looks good. Wonderful job, and congrats on your first comission! Smile
    • Jun 10, 2005, 12:31:11 PM UTC
      Thanks, EBS, for the encouragement and comments. Corky Smile
  • Jun 10, 2005, 10:24:08 AM UTC
    I love the red on the outskirts of the broken glass, it makes it so...human I suppose. And the raven has the look that says, "You could be next." Very creepy cool... Ponder
    • Jun 10, 2005, 10:54:40 AM UTC
      Big Smile lol. Thanks very much for the critique.

      The red was originally supposed to be blood, though I don't know if it gets read that way...
  • Jun 10, 2005, 8:14:07 AM UTC
    This is gorgeous! You should be really proud. What book is it, may I ask? Is this the only picture you have in the book or have you done other illustrations for it? I love all of the minute details you have put into this piece. The mirror is beautiful!
    • Jun 10, 2005, 9:58:20 AM UTC
      This was the cover picture for the book. It's not out yet, and it won't be big, I don't think, as it's the guy's very first publishing, and I think he's quite young (but I couldn't say). It's called Flight of the Rayven: The Writings of Rayven Aileron.

      Yup, I did an illustration for inside the front cover. It's in my gallery here - I posted it right after I posted this one.
  • Jun 10, 2005, 8:00:57 AM UTC
    Very nice effect on the mirror. It must've been really hard to draw something like that. I just adore the coloring (but then again, when do I not?)
    • Jun 10, 2005, 10:00:00 AM UTC
      It wasn't too tough, actually, I just had to do some research, since I'd never really drawn birds or mirrors before, and I wanted to see especially how the raven's anatomy works. Thank you very much for your lovely comment!
  • Jun 10, 2005, 2:02:16 AM UTC
    Awesome!

    *rusty gears turning inside his head*

    Err... I, umm... I'm speechless...
  • Jun 9, 2005, 11:51:00 PM UTC
    Wow this is really neat.
    • Jun 10, 2005, 12:22:35 AM UTC
      Thanks very much! My first attempt at drawing a mirror, too. Fortunately, it didn't call for reflections. Tongue