April Proko Challenge - Favorite Book Cover with Madi Harper

Works in Progress

Post your process sketches and works in progress for the challenge here if you want feedback from the community.

This challenge is closed for new submissions. Congrats to all the winners!

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View written critiques and all winners

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Matthew K
Where were the results posted?
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Thibault Soreil
It seems results are not announced yet !
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Will
1yr
Just some thumbnails, sketches, and prework for the cover challenge.
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Shaun
Is there a preferred resolution or canvas size for our final upload? What dimensions should we upload at, as an ideal, or the parameters that would be preferred, so as to not go too small or too large. Thanks much. What a fun contest this has been. Stretching me to my utmost, scrambling for understanding, skill sets, and so much more. Haha. Fun!
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Megan Day
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Shaun
This is sort of an introduction for me. I hope I'm not too long winded with the post, so only read ahead if you are one of those who have time and curiosity, I don't want to bog anyone down with consuming valuable time. It's clear I have poor skill in drawing, hence my being here on Proko. I want to oil paint, but find I need a huge deep dive into anatomy study, learning to draw, and more, then all that is entailed with the techniques with oils, or other mediums. Achieving skill and know how is a big deal, and oh, that we could live for hundreds of years to appreciate art, and become good at creating it (to sort of rephrase what Marshall told Stan in one of their Draftsman podcasts). Well, this book cover design sounded fun. I worked on ideas, trying to develop a cute character, and I've not cracked that nut yet. I just discovered my limit of 10 image uploads here, I had 20 prepped to show my processes. I abandoned for sake of time, the first idea of a character, a little boy, and for the next idea, I'm doing a little rabbit. Huge Harold, was one of the books that came to mind, in thinking of favorite books in childhood. The most impressive page in all of that book for me was the old victorian house on the hill in which Harold enters for refuge from a storm. Amazing what sticks out to you as a kid. That house! The mystery of the architecture! What a space to explore. Here are some thumbnails of a rough cover design of a rabbit who will take possession of this mansion. I just discovered listening to a Jon Levi video on Youtube this week, about this 1885 constructed "Insane asylum" literally that stood less than 500 yards from where I am in Provo, Utah. I used that as architectural reference here for a book cover. I am improving in my thumbnail sketches, but I need to get with it to get moving on this project before the due date is up. It will be fun to see all of the amazing submissions. (And I didn't intend for thumbnails to be uploaded, hence my drawing them on the back of some junk mail, sorry for the crease and folds in the paper).
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Shaun
For the fun of it, I added more here. The bed I built in high school, which won two "best of show" awards in fairs. The sculpture was my first sculpture in college. I want to get back to sculpting but also art, and capacity to draw, and a better grasp on anatomy, one of the most challenging subjects of study of which I know.
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Natali Santini
A sketch and a rough color thumbnail for The Little Prince. I will start working on the final piece once I am sure everything with the typography, composition, etc. is working well. Critiques are very appreciated!
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Oscar Q
Hi everybody, I have a question.. What is the max resolution or file size we can submit for the final image? Thanks!
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Charlene
My WIP of The Last Unicorn. I'm thinking I need to still put some darker outlines around stuff, like darker lines around the unicorn and the girl and the unicorn, in blue and purple respectively. Any other critiques in terms of everything else like anatomy, light and shadow are also welcome!
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paper
Hello @charlene,I quite like it!The kinda pruply and blue really fit with the kinda melancholy fairytale aspect of the last unicorn.(though I said that,but I've only watch the movie >_<) anyway,I think it's kinda hard to judge it right now,considering it seemed like the darker outline is what's going to hold the picture up.But from what I see the biggest problem is that the face is a bit too protruding.It seemed like you made the jaw and nose too long and made the forehead too small.(Example of side view by Mucha,observe how the forehead and jawline are on the same lenght) I also think that you made the back of the head too big.,I suggest deleting a little bit of the hair,so it implies more of the cranium.(also if you're interested in improving the head,I suggest watching steve huston lecture on the head https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T7cDY7YDsg) I also did an overpainting,on what my personal solution to this would be if that helps. But other than that,good job,please keep going and finish it,I'm curious to see what the final product look like :D.(Also thanks for always giving feedback on these contestest,it definetly helped!)
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paper
Hello I made this cover,based on the Natsuo Kirino's book,real world.Would love some critism of what's not working(also would like to know if the font's too small)
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Alberto Grubessi
I think the composition works but the font is really too small
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utatheartist
Hi, I posted two book covers and realized nobody does so. Is that ok?
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Katey Jensma
Hi@utatheartist ! You are allowed more then one entry, but we suggest splitting them into separate posts for the judge.
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RJ Quiralta
I always have a hard time scanning or taking pictures of my artwork! :D these are some pics of my piece, I've finished all the analog work, ink on bristol paper, next is to color it a bit on digital, just a little. :)
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Shaun
Oh my word. Glorious work. Look at that typography! I'm inspired. I have been missing all of this entire comments section this entire time. No wonder things seemed so bleak in terms of community involvement. Wow. Looks great.
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Smithies
Just seen your final! This is so good - fantastic cover!
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Frank Ferrer
Are we allowed to post more than final entry to the challenge? Here are my sketches and WIP images. I did the Raven cover first and then the Lovecraft. If it's ok to post more than one submission I would like to submit the Poe as well and I have a lot of other great ideas for great book covers.
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Katey Jensma
@Frank Ferrer You are allowed more then one entry, but we suggest splitting them into separate posts for the judge.
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Pasi Leinonen
Few WIP shot
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Camellito
@Atharva Lotake Here is a little concept sketch for my book cover.
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Charlene
Looks pretty classic!
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Atharva Lotake
sorry for the late reply, but dude the composition is really working well for you, waiting for the final reveal!
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Charles Hunter
By limited palett color, does shades and tints are included? So if 1 of my 3 colors is #01b3c7, i can have all the shades and tints of that hex, right? Plus another 2 hexes with shades and tints? Thank you!
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Katey Jensma
@Charles Hunter That is correct!
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Charlene
I believe so. One of the replies from one of the officials below states this: 1. 2-3 colors (and white) with with variety overlays and opacities
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Charles Hunter
Hi! Do we have to create our own typography since it's an illustration challenge? I mean can it be handwritten? Or we use a font that already exist that we try to fit in our drawing? Thank you!
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Katey Jensma
Hi @Charles Hunter the submission will be judged on the "use of typography for the title and author's name". You can create your own font, or use an existing one.
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Jonas Wenzel
I choose the metro book series. Here’s a first little planing sketch. Final piece will be done in watercolour. I Might change to a scene that is a little calmer, not that action orientated
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squeen
Love it.
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Charlene
That's really cool - I'm intrigued. What's this story about?
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shackman
Is there a video planned? I think it's what made the Proko challenges so special, it was so much fun to see all the entries with commentary. The past few challenges it seems to have stopped, I was especially excited to see the odd bot video and could imagine that being quite popular on the channel.
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Katey Jensma
HI @shackman This Proko Challenge will not have an accompanying video. However, the March Challenge will have a video. We have heard support for both video and written feedback results. We will continue producing both formats of Proko Challenges.
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Ana
1yr
Hello! Must we do a cover for a real book that has been published, or are we free to make up a title/author/book idea to illustrate?
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Katey Jensma
Hi @Ana, we highly recommend choosing a real book.
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Mike Crean
do black and white count as colors?
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