Literary Journal Cover Contest

I just found out about the contest yesterday, so I started working on this after 6pm last night x)
I realized when I was nearing the end of this project that it looked a little... girly. Maybe the bright pinks ad yellows weren't such a great idea xD
So, if anything, this is fan art.
Good luck to all the other entries! They are all beautiful



*drawn digitally using a tablet and Gimp*

Good job at the drawing. The colors may be "girly" but they bring attention to the peice

This is neat!

Remember to put that it's a literary journal and that it's edited by Nathaniel Lee Caldwell!

I like it, especially the rainbow/tye-dye pillows. Okay, I'm not being any help, but... I like it :3
-Dai

Hey there, Black Sheep! I’ve been keeping a pretty close eye on the literary jornal cover submissions! I just love reviewing covers for whatever reason.

So, as fandom, I do really like this image. It’s cute and sweet if not, yes, a bit girly with the colors but that’s because they are very soft, sweet colors. So it could definitely be considered a bit off-putting to boys. Darkening up some of them and taking away that pastel quality would be pretty helpful to appeal to both genders. Or switching up the colors completely. The image as a whole is actually pretty cool and I especially love the bookcase in the background but the coloring is definitely effeminate.

I did, most of all, really like the font you used to write “Young Writers Society.” I don’t know if it’s one that you drew or if you just have way cooler fonts than I do but I definitely love the writing!

And, like Snoink said, don’t forget what the title is and that Nate edited it.

Best of luck with the contest, Black Sheep!

three

What tablet did you use? I didn't know there were any that ran gimp. So whatever tablet it is, I want it!

I remember her recommending the Bamboo by Wacom, so I assume she has that or something similar.

Cute, girly and colourful? YES! But I adore it. Really. It's fun to look at and will definitely catch my eye at a bookstore. Besides what Snoink said, I'd say : basically try to recolour the couch to something more neutral? That would remove a chunk of pink and hopefully not so girly. But either way, I really loved this!

Cheers and goodluck!
~Lava

Hey guys Thanks for taking the time to review this for me.

@ Nate- I have a Bamboo Fun by Wacom. However, I think that Gimp is compatible with anything. I can draw with a mouse and even my laptop touchpad. Of course, the tablet produces the best results ^_^ If you've never had a tablet, and were looking for one to try out, I highly recommend the Bamboo Fun because it works great and is much less expensive than the more professional versions out there.

@ Lily- That is just my own handwriting for the 'font'. I drew it first in black and then added a layer behind it to make the bright shadow effect. I'm glad you liked it

@ Snoink- Darn x( I definitely missed the rule about the title and editor. I didn't see anything about it on the contest page, so I didn't think it was necessary. Unfortunately, with my internet predicament, I will not be able to upload an edited version of this to meet the contest deadline.

Anyways, I had fun making this! Thanks again to all the reviewers who commented and gave me their support ^_^

Actually the 'edited by' isn't as important this year so don't worry about not having it on.

I think this is really pretty! But being a girl I might be rather biased :p The writing is nicely done, the cartoon style is really fun and those tie dye pillows are amazing! My only critique would be that the girl has a very short upper body compared to her legs etc.

As Lava said, you could always turn down the girly by changing some of the colours. Like, the couch could be a dark maroon instead of a bright pink and you could make the bookcase either more pine coloured than yellow or make it dark brown or a sort of light chestnut brown. The background I like as it is as it's almost bronze and then fades to yellow so that's cool and the blue of the floor is great! You might want to change the yellow for the Y and the young parts though as it gets a little lost in the background.

Good luck with the contest!

Actually the 'edited by' isn't as important this year so don't worry about not having it on.

Phew!

And those are all great ideas Kitty, thanks!