New story cover: The Doll’s Interrogation

[ElijahRyne]

For the current story I am writing, I decided I was far enough to create a cover. Tell me your thoughts, and general vibes you get from the image. Is it good or bad? Would you read a story with this cover? Why/why not?

P.S. I am an fairly bad artist, but I think this is of okay quality.

 

[Author_Riceball]

For the current story I am writing, I decided I was far enough to create a cover. Tell me your thoughts, and general vibes you get from the image. Is it good or bad? Would you read a story with this cover? Why/why not?

View attachment 43255
P.S. I am a fairly bad artist, but I think this is of okay quality.

Bro looks like he got rejected from art school but you can use AI

 

[ElijahRyne]

Bro looks like he got rejected from art school but you can use AI

I would rather not, ai covers more often turn me away from a story rather than twords it.

 

[TheEvilDuckLord]

I would not free hand the writing at least. Other than that, more interesting background than just grey would also be a plus. The character is a bit rough, but it's interesting so probably wouldn't need to change it, as it may get people to check it out (could refine it a bit though)

 

[ElijahRyne]

I would not free hand the writing at least. Other than that, more interesting background than just grey would also be a plus. The character is a bit rough, but it's interesting so probably wouldn't need to change it, as it may get people to check it out (could refine it a bit though)

Does this look better?

 

[Eldoria]

I appreciate your artistic commitment as an artist. However, as a (potential) reader, I'm sorry, but I'll just pass this cover by along with the other stories I scroll through on the homepage. Reason? Personal preference, I love anime covers (whether they're hand-drawn or AI-generated).

 

[ElijahRyne]

I appreciate your artistic commitment as an artist. However, as a (potential) reader, I'm sorry, but I'll just pass this cover by along with the other stories I scroll through on the homepage. Reason? Personal preference, I love anime covers (whether they're hand-drawn or AI-generated).

Np.

I would not free hand the writing at least. Other than that, more interesting background than just grey would also be a plus. The character is a bit rough, but it's interesting so probably wouldn't need to change it, as it may get people to check it out (could refine it a bit though)

Or is this better, I think I might be doing too much on this one…

edited to match the wall color under the armpit to the actual wall.

 

[MasterY001]

It's mostly the handwritten title that's turning me off, but the lack of light, shadow, shading, and detail is also a factor. As a learning artist myself, I recommend getting a proper setup (not MS Paint) and learning some fundamentals (structure and shading) before trying to draw a cover. Practice by copying artwork that is similar to the style you're going for before creating anything original.

In about a week of focus, you should be able to produce something moderately eye-catching. If you lack the time and energy, unfortunately, AI might be your only other recourse.

 

[Wenlock]

why not just use a doll's image which has no copyright. You can edit it however you like it then.

 

[Little-Moon]

Try softening/curving the edges of your character and maybe blurring the edges of your characters shadow (except if the light is really really harsh then ignore that part) and add Shadow to your Character, you have a shadow you have a light, light influences everything on a image.

Also for the Typo, now it's Handwritten but you don't actually need to do it by hand to give it that feel, there are plenty free to download and use typos on google fonts compatible with most apps.

 

[ElijahRyne]

Try softening/curving the edges of your character and maybe blurring the edges of your characters shadow (except if the light is really really harsh then ignore that part) and add Shadow to your Character, you have a shadow you have a light, light influences everything on a image.

Also for the Typo, now it's Handwritten but you don't actually need to do it by hand to give it that feel, there are plenty free to download and use typos on google fonts compatible with most apps.

Do you mean something akin to this?

 

[pangmida]

Very interesting so far! It’s awesome you’re fixing it based on all the comments you got so far. May I ask the vision you were going for? I’m seeing a white-faced character, which I assume is the “doll,” with a hole on their forehead. Seems like we’re looking at the character through an interrogation window? It looks like a very interesting composition, but I think I’d like a description of what you had in mind so we could offer better suggestions?

 

[ElijahRyne]

Very interesting so far! It’s awesome you’re fixing it based on all the comments you got so far. May I ask the vision you were going for? I’m seeing a white-faced character, which I assume is the “doll,” with a hole on their forehead. Seems like we’re looking at the character through an interrogation window? It looks like a very interesting composition, but I think I’d like a description of what you had in mind so we could offer better suggestions?

I imagine this as a scene. The camera is the pov of the interrogator. The camera and the person being interrogated are in an old interrogation room. As the one being interrogated tell’s their tale their body becomes one that looks like a plastered papermache doll with a hole on its forehead. Be it through a hallucination or something else. The grey half is to be there for the title + so I don’t have to draw the legs. Originally it was supposed to be a table, but it didn’t turn out looking like one.

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

I imagine this as a scene. The camera is the pov of the interrogator. The camera and the person being interrogated are in an old interrogation room. As the one being interrogated tell’s their tale their body becomes one that looks like a plastered papermache doll with a hole on its forehead. Be it through a hallucination or something else. The grey half is to be there for the title + so I don’t have to draw the legs. Originally it was supposed to be a table, but it didn’t turn out looking like one.

Black out the room, make it look like there is a spotlight shining on the doll maybe...

The shirt/ arms bother me a bit

Or

maybe go for a set of cuffs sitting on a table top? no doll at all.


Honestly, I probably wouldn't look twice at the book as it, though I am not the target audience... /shrug

 

[ElijahRyne]

Black out the room, make it look like there is a spotlight shining on the doll maybe...

The shirt/ arms bother me a bit

Or

maybe go for a set of cuffs sitting on a table top? no doll at all.


Honestly, I probably wouldn't look twice at the book as it, though I am not the target audience... /shrug

For the arms, I want them to look off, like you stuffed a poorly made paper mache doll into a sweater. The spotlight might make sense, but I don’t really think it fits the scene I am imagining if that makes sense. Although if I keep iterating, I might end up with that.

The set of cuffs on the table might be too generic, and with my skill would probably look even worse than this at its best.

 

[pangmida]

I imagine this as a scene. The camera is the pov of the interrogator. The camera and the person being interrogated are in an old interrogation room. As the one being interrogated tell’s their tale their body becomes one that looks like a plastered papermache doll with a hole on its forehead. Be it through a hallucination or something else. The grey half is to be there for the title + so I don’t have to draw the legs. Originally it was supposed to be a table, but it didn’t turn out looking like one.

Ahh I see! That’s a really cool concept. Juia is right, a spotlight or some kind of lighting for some dramatic, grim effect is definitely going to make it pop. If you have the time, you could make the background into a textured brick wall to set the scene. Adding some metallic lighting to the table could work too. I’m using the interrogation scene from the game Detroit: Become Human as an example for reference. The table probably didn’t look like a table because it’s too big? If you centered the character more, make them bigger, then you could make it look like it’s angled in a way where the table takes up the bottom half, and you can slap the title on there. Oh, and adding the interrogator’s own hands on the table may be a really cool way to show it’s their POV? I might have to sketch all this out to show what I mean.

As for the paper doll, I think that’s brilliant! Is the hole on their head just a black void? Or is it like an actual, torn-through hole where you could see through it, like cutting a hole out of real paper?

 

[ElijahRyne]

Ahh I see! That’s a really cool concept. Juia is right, a spotlight or some kind of lighting for some dramatic, grim effect is definitely going to make it pop. If you have the time, you could make the background into a textured brick wall to set the scene. Adding some metallic lighting to the table could work too. I’m using the interrogation scene from the game Detroit: Become Human as an example for reference. The table probably didn’t look like a table because it’s too big? If you centered the character more, make them bigger, then you could make it look like it’s angled in a way where the table takes up the bottom half, and you can slap the title on there. Oh, and adding the interrogator’s own hands on the table may be a really cool way to show it’s their POV? I might have to sketch all this out to show what I mean.

As for the paper doll, I think that’s brilliant! Is the hole on their head just a black void? Or is it like an actual, torn-through hole where you could see through it, like cutting a hole out of real paper?

It was a hole cut through/in the forehead, but due to it being a void in the story being told by the one being interrogated, the hole becomes a supernatural void.

 

[pangmida]

Here’s a quick sketch I made just to kind of show you what I mean? I’m not that good of an artist either haha so this was the best I could do based on your descriptions. I gave the person short sleeves to show the weird paper arms. I made the hole in their head look like a cut-out or burned portion of the paper instead of a round hole.

 

[ElijahRyne]

Here’s a quick sketch I made just to kind of show you what I mean? I’m not that good of an artist either haha so this was the best I could do based on your descriptions. I gave the person short sleeves to show the weird paper arms. I made the hole in their head look like a cut-out or burned portion of the paper instead of a round hole.
View attachment 43279

Looks nice, here is mine atm, might crop the image abit so that the canvas isn’t as tall.

I don’t know if it is visible, but there are lines on the face and hands to mimic the shape of paper under the plaster on mine.

 

[pangmida]

That does look a lot better! The dramatic lighting definitely adds a lot. I think instead of a warm yellow light, maybe a colder white/light bluish light would fit the grim, cold atmosphere of an interrogation room. The warm light right now feels like sunlight, making it almost optimistic in a way rather than the eerie effect you want (I assume).

I still think the table may look a bit too big for the angle you’re going for? It should be a bit flatter. You could crop it so the doll is more centered. Add some streaks of light grey on it to make it look more metallic! Also the shadow of the doll could probably look more natural if it overlaps them more, so that it looks more like shadow rather than a mysterious phantom… though I’m not sure if your program has the layers function. I also think adding a shadow of the doll to the table would look more 3D, like they’re actually looming over the table. I did see the paper creases on yours btw! I just didn’t add them on mine because it was a quick sketch haha. If you have layers on your art program, you could download a wrinkled paper texture and slap it on. If not, try to draw blocky shapes of various shades of grey to mimic the wrinkles instead of just lines. You can look up wrinkled paper references. These are all just some suggestions, no need to use all of them!