The Process

Step 01:  Collect Info.  I'll send you a questionnaire so I can get an idea of what your book is about, what your inspiration is, and your genre. This will help me make sure your cover is to-market so it can be as successful as possible! To get this started, feel free to fill out the questionnaire below.

Step 02:  Thumbnails.  At this stage I send you 3 thumbnail sketches of your cover.  You pick which one you like the best, and we make any major changes to it.  This will serve as our layout.

Step 03:  50% Payment.  Now that we have the layout and you’ve figured out the total price for the cover (based on the menu I sent), you can now send the first 50% payment through paypal to Melody.M.Knighton@gmail.com  

Step 04: Rough Draft.  With the first payment submitted and we have a layout, I move onto the sketching process.  This is the stage where we make the BIGGEST changes. If you don’t like a pose, or the clothing or hair style, this is the time to let me know.  It’s much easier to change a drawing than it is to change a painting. So be sure to speak up!

Step 05:  The Black and White Painting.  We will only move onto this stage once you’re 100% happy with the rough draft.  Remember, all major changes should have been made before now in order to avoid any added fees for making corrections.  At this stage you’ll be provided with the black and white painting. We can now make MINOR changes. If you want something tweaked, this is the time to do it.  Want the hair a bit bigger? The nose a bit smaller? Her coat a bit shinier? An extra buckle on her belt? These are all things to do now.

Step 06:  The Colored Painting.  Once again, we only move onto color once you’re happy with the previous stage.  In this stage you can now make tweaks to the colors. Want her skin tone to be warmer?  Want her hair to be red instead of blonde? Want everything more saturated? This is the time to do it.

Step 07:  The Typography.  If you’re 100% happy with the illustration and have chosen for me to do the typography for the cover, this is where it happens.  We’ll work through some font choices and input any text you want until we’ve got a finished product that will fly off the shelves.  

Step 08:  50% Payment.  Now that we’re all done, you submit the final 50% payment through paypal to Melody.M.Knighton@gmail.com and in return I will e-mail you the high resolution images.  Everything sent to you before this stage will be smaller versions and low res, to ensure we’re both comfortable.  You’ll also be sent the print/web rights to the art and a smaller version of the art without the text to use for promotion.  If you chose to buy merchandising rights, you'll also be sent the high resolution version without the text to use as you see fit.