IMAGE work (book jackets)

Roughly sketching out ideas for my book covers, image driven. I am considering format, therefore layout.

 

Applying to book cover format - roughly sketched

 

I painted chosen book cover format imagery, using watercolours onto watercolour paper.

127 Hours (top) and Slumdog Millionaire (bottom)

The ideas behind these two images, related to the scratching of when the hours go by onto a wall, representing stress and time running out (127 hours). And representing a journey, his journey, sat on train (featured in film), as is traveling through periods of time through his life.

 

Paintings for 28 Days Later (top), and The Beach (bottom). 

Ideas behind being the struggle of trying to escape, over the brick wall (shown as the barriers within lies protection from army). The palm trees was a simple idea, representing the beach, however I thought about elongating the sea so I could add a shark into it, either painted (or possibly spot varnish?) The repeated palm trees represent repetition, predicted paradise, that isn't genuine.

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developing paintings, and picking holes...

 

127 Hours - the idea of scoring off the hours as they went by. I realised after I had finished it, that he wouldn't have both hands free..because one is stuck under a rock all blue and dead. I didn't really like it anyway...

 

28 Days Later - This was an idea I had that represented the man trying to escape from the institution. I liked this image the most out of all the ones I produced, just in the sense of how it's kind of spooky and communicates elements of the book/film (danger, feeling you can't escape, trapped etc..)

 

Slumdog Millionaire - I struggled with producing an iconic image for this particular film/book. There was a lot of imagery throughout the film but I felt in terms of a watercolour painting, nothing seemed either, self-explanatory or bold enough to use as a front cover image. I settled with using this image of the boy on a train, I felt it communicated the idea of how the story is, without the whole 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire', his journey (he also does travel on a train a few times)

 

 The Beach -This was an idea that was probably the strongest on paper and in my head. I think the style of the painting ruined it's expectations slightly. It seemed a bit too wishy-washy, and I wasn't pleased with it. As a really well painted image, it could've been a lot stronger, but I don't think I have the right tools (and skills..and time) anymore to produce something really picturesque.

Here I just played around with them in Photoshop, aiming to enhance colours and images:

 

 I felt that the colour made the images look too much like cartoon drawings, for children's books. I had also imagined the covers being quite minimalist. No colour?

 

These do work slightly better, but am I just trying to get something out of what I spend a whole day doing? When really I should just take another approach?

 

I don't really like any of these, I feel the image isn't strong enough to work alone, or without colour, or after being edited on Photoshop. And the combination of block, non-painted colour with quite a weak illustrative line doesn't seem to be working. 

I think I have wasted enough time on this idea... new approach..