CAC Designer Challenge

by | Sep 26, 2013 | ,

****DESIGNER CHALLENGE****

Ever wonder what cover artists do to push themselves artistically? Well wonder no more!

We bring you the monthly Cover Art Collective designer challenge!

Every month a selection of our designers will create a cover using the same stock image.

Check out this month’s SEVEN entries and vote for your favorite by posting the word VOTE in the comments of your favorite design (not here).

Each month one lucky designer will get to hold the title of challenge champion and only YOU can decide who that will be!

To vote for your favorite design, click on the image below and post the word VOTE in the comment section of your favorite image (not the album).

Feel free to click “like” on any image to show appreciation for the designer and their design. It will not count as a vote.

Voting ends at 11:50PM on SUNDAY September 29.

The Challenge winner will be officially announced on Monday, September 30.

Photography : Print Giveaway

by | Sep 21, 2013 | ,

Yep, this is a blatant self promotion post!

Last week I started a giveaway purely to gain more facebook likes on my photography facebook page. (only 3 likes away from 100! sighs..I know, sounds so lame lol) Sadly, starting the giveaway with only 67 current fb likes (a large chunk friends and family) there’s not a whole lot of interaction on the giveaway. I was really hoping for more (don’t we all?).

I dipped my toes in with giving away a four pack of fine art greeting cards to three winners. My hope was to gain enough likes or interaction with the giveaway to slowly work my way up to giving away larger prints. We’ll see, it’s not over yet! There’s still a couple days left to enter!

If you are interested in entering the giveaway, either go to my facebook page and enter here, or to the giveaway’s webpage here.

3 Winners will be chosen, and each will have their choice of one of 6 series of 4pk Cards. Each card was put together by hand and signed by me.

Curious as to what cards put together by me look like? Here’s a pic from when I finished making the last batch from my last show:

[Note: These are NOT necessarily IN the Giveaway, those images are shown further below]

 

HERE are the images for each card pack:

FOUR SEASONS

FLOWERS

LIGHTHOUSES

 

INSECTS & SPIDERS

(a slightly different crop)

 

BIRDS OF PREY

 

ABANDONED

 

Whew! That’s a lot of images! So there you have it, the prints being given away.

So really, if you took the time to read this post, take a min to enter the giveaway! What does it hurt?

Cover: “Catered to Death” by Marlo Hollinger

by | Sep 20, 2013 | ,

I have so much fun doing the covers for Cozy Cat Press! Here is the latest cozy mystery, written by author Marlo Hollinger, “Catered to Death”.

Look for it coming soon to print and ebook!

*****

BLURB: DeeDee and Steve Pearson enjoy that rare thing––a happy marriage.  The only fly in their marital bliss is the fact that they are approaching retirement age with only one pension (Steve’s).  DeeDee hopes to remedy their financial situation by starting her own business––a catering company.  Her first job is at Eden Academy, a private school staffed by teachers who loathe one another and a principal who is strongly lacking in principles, especially when it comes to his female employees.  When this lothario winds up dead after DeeDee’s luncheon, and her first paycheck is put on what looks like permanent hold, DeeDee decides to find out who murdered the man so that she can be assured that her first catering job will be “paid in full.” As she investigates all the faculty and staff at Eden, she soon discovers that any one of them could have finished off their boss.  Will DeeDee solve the murder and get her paycheck?  Or will she end up “catered to death”?

*****

Print Editon

Cover: “Breeds” by Keith C. Blackmore

by | Sep 17, 2013 | ,

Fantasy/Horror author Keith C. Blackmore contacted me about doing the cover for his upcoming horror release, “Breeds”.

Look for it coming soon to print and ebook!

 

*****

BLURB: In a near deserted coastal village, strange things are happening.

Strangers are asking questions about the town’s recluse. A local hunter discovers naked footprints in the snow. The stray dog population has ceased to exist.

And with winter’s most powerful weapon bearing down, things are about to become much, much worse.

*****

.

Print Edition

Facebook Timeline Cover Image

Cover: “Michigan Spiders” by K.J. Ester

by | Sep 11, 2013 | ,

This next cover didn’t come about in the typical way. I wasn’t hired to do it, I wasn’t asked to. I was doing a web search one night looking for any local tarantula breeders and came across the Michigan Spiders website. If you know me at all, you know I love spiders. So finding this website was awesome, and I couldn’t figure out how I hadn’t found it sooner! It’s a great website pertaining to native Michigan spiders, myths and facts, and identification help.

As I explored the site, I discovered that the owner of the site had taken the blog’s information and compiled an ebook. I have multiple insect and spider field guides, but they are all “North American” guides, and can be a bit to dig through to find what you are looking for. So I instantly purchased this ebook. I mean seriously, a guide for MICHIGAN spiders! How can I NOT have this in my collection? And in an electronic format? I was able to download it to my phone, and always have it on me! It’s been great when I’m out in the field shooting.

So after purchasing Michigan Spiders, I was eyeballing the cover, and yes being as that IS what I do for a living, I said to myself “I can do better”. Not only could I, but I really, really, REALLY wanted to! So I found the contact information on the website and shot the owner an email asking if I could redo their cover. I was so afraid of insulting him with my offer, but he took it well and said he’d love for me to do so.

So here it is, the new cover for Michigan Spiders!

(The photography for the cover is also my own)

Look for the change over coming soon to ebook!

Facebook Timeline Cover Image

I’d also like to take a moment to mention, author K.J. Ester is donating all of his profits from sales of this book, and his other fantasy fiction books, available on Smashwords.com, to help with his father-inlaw who is fighting cancer. You can read more about that here.