Art
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How are we going to put this all together? Forums? Website? Printable word file?
Would we like to add accompanying art?
As I gather the stories and edit, I could compile them with art if it's provided. That fella named ImaNoob might be a good help with any accompanying art work.
((Wilin Unders EDIT: Title))
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If I remember correctly, the original idea was to place it all in a pdf. But, work of art is always welcome! Oh yeah, we need captivating pictures of everything.
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I was thinking of making it a .PDF file. The front would be the general title ("The Chronicles of Arabel") with a rough contents page ("Rise and fall of Wyvernwater - page 34") followed by the stories. Each story (eg. House Bresk is one story, Wyvernwater is another story, and Kelteel is another story) has its own title page of sorts. Then each of these stories is split into acts (eg. Wyvernwater ACT I - the rise of Wyvernwater) which also serves as a title page.
The places which I would like to see illustrations, are the front cover, the title pages for each new story, and the title pages for each new act. Other than that, there are just general page illustrations (a light background, some medieval-istic border, page numbering, nothing too special but consistent throughout the pages except for the main front.)
So basically, we're looking at something which looks 'bookly' so that should someone wish to take it to a printshop and ask them to print it out, and make it into a book, they can do it without another load of work to make it book-ready. Not that i'm expecting anyone to do such, but it makes it easier to design it.
I'd like images to have a bit more of a gothic theme (NO that does NOT mean pale guys and gals with numerous piercings in black and white clothing and leather jackets) or dark-medieval style. Anyone's welcome to make pictures/illustrations for it, just remember what spots are open:
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Book Front/back
Let your imagination run free? I'm thinking of a design like one of those old books, the kind that used to be locked with a key to hold them shut. Large bindings, stuff like that, but don't let me cramp your style, I want to see something interesting! Look at what other books use for their front covers to get ideas perhaps. Same goes for the back, but leave a rectangle area open a bit for a blurb of sorts. -
General Page design
Plain-ish background (light biege paper colour?) with interesting/not-too-distracting border, and space for page number at bottom, and small opening at top for plot title. -
Plot title page design
Specific designs to do with the plot at hand. The title picture for the Bresk plot could show an artist's impression of the estate, at its prime or after it was destroyed. Must be specific to the plot somehow. -
Act title page design
These pages could have more specific images to do with certain plots in them. For instance, the title page for Act I of House Bresk could have a portrait of Melanie Bresk, who is the main character for that plot. NOTE: The introduction chapter will be come before this picture, but after the Plot title picture.
All these would be full-page pictures. The page size will be A5. For those who don't use this system, here's an example:
A4 is normal printer paper size and no doubt the size of paper you'll come into contact with most often. Books tend to be in A5-ish size, which is just basically half a sheet of A4 (if you fold it, you've got A5)
I'd still reccomend making any pictures you wish to make, in A4 size to allow for more detail to be put in. They'll be shrunk down to size for the final version, to put in better detail.
(and though this will all be in colour, i'll make sure to make a black and white version of the whole thing (front and back cover would remain colour of course) for anyone who actually does go and ask to have a book made of it)
Artists welcome, post in this thread if you're up for anything! I'd prefer things to be handled in this order though:
Front cover
Back cover
General Page Design
Plot Title Page Designs
Act Title Page Designs -
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Do we have somebody putting it into .pdf format? I have an ancient version of Adobe Page Writer (v.4, I think), if we don't.
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When it is done, I can make it a PDF. I can do the layout as well, but I am VERY backloged. I don't want to hold up the project, but if there is no other way to finish it, I will take it on. If you want me too.
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That's great, i'm fairly sure i've got a .pdf writing program somewhere, but if I don't i'll be sure to ask for some help.
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Here's a possible cover that I made up:
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I like the central image and the mosaic effect, looks very nice, but the rest of it.. i'm not too sure about. I'll be blunt, the corners are too bright and too "planer" as opposed to having a bit of shadow or variation in colour tone there, and easily noticable texture. The title is okay, but I think some better font might be available. Try Dafont if you want to try another font, but this one's fine too, just maybe not fitting in with the rest of the picture in my view. The background is a bit of a downer, it's too blank. If you could get a similiar mosaic effect on it like the dragon shield to give it that 'leathery' appearence it might work better.
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I was aiming for a cloth cover with a leather emblem on it. The gold edges didn't turn out at all.
I'll keep coming up with many ideas and we'll be able to take from different ones. I'm saving in the framed format, so I'll be able to take things and swap them up.
Thanks for the input!
Edit: I think I'm going to need to pull out my 3d tools to get some of this right. We'll see what I can do. I'm not a super artist. :)
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I may try at the cover if i get the time. I would like to know what you are looking for in a book cover for project arabel and what should go on it.
also, i've various art available, mostly house bhaliir's logo, house thond, LeTest (which will get a little redo) and a few character arts. I can post those in a seperate post and make them ready to use. they will all have my tag and if used, needs to show the tag.
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Hm, perhaps we could add in an appendix at the end of the stories for the major factions.
Like House Bhaliir's logo, followed by a brief history of their most notorious members and their actions, or just a list of faction members/major NPCs to help the reader understand the heirarchy, if the retainers/such already have their major plots covered elsewhere. Or both.
You're tag isn't one of those big watermarks that gets slapped on top of the picture is it?
I think Wilin had it spot on for the concept of the book cover, though if you're feeling adventurous you could aim for a more epic cover, like say a view of the city from far away, but I wouldn't reccomend that unless you're really confident at drawing medieval cities. Wil's idea is fine, just needs to be neatened up a bit.
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my tag is within the images its like a small signature.
if you look carefully on the banner in the right fold, there it is.
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Sure, that's perfect. I was a little worried that every picture would end up with a little signiture on the page which might ruin the effect somewhat. But that's completely fine, though acknowledgements to writers, artists and everyone else involved will be made as well.
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I can try to add some art here and there for a chapter if i can try may take some time though i just got a waccom tablet and been itching to try it out!!
The hard part is focusing on the screen when i'm used to looking at the paper in my lap when i'm usually drawing. -
I can try to add some art here and there for a chapter if i can try may take some time though i just got a waccom tablet and been itching to try it out!!
The hard part is focusing on the screen when i'm used to looking at the paper in my lap when i'm usually drawing.How's about you do a practice first and post it here, as a try-out. Just whatever you want, a warrior, a dragon, a wizard, an ogre.. whatever.
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any of the art i have now posted in my diary in the forum is at your disposal, you have permission to use whatever you wish if you would like that is
Dar/Rav
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Thanks, I'm sure it'll be put in somewhere. Though obviously, some of it's of more recent characters.
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if you dig through my diary..there is a bit of a mix of current with past characters (soon it will be new characters mainly once i have gotten done with some of the sketches i am working on)
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Within the Gates of East of Arabel. ((May 2009))
The Lair of the Broken Bottle Inn ((May 2009))
