March/April 2017 Lite Challenge: Finding the Fleet

[Mouse]

This is the existing cover design for an ebook called Finding the Fleet (not yet published), which is the second book in a series of 5 novels I've been working on - hoping to complete all of them before I publish the first one. (makes life a bit easier than having to write the rest of the series under pressure from any fans I might get from the first - haha )

I was going to redo it anyway, so I might as well do it right now - for this challenge.

Unfortunately, I can't really say much about the story, since I haven't yet published the first in the series. Suffice it to say that there is a fleet of interplanetary ships lost on this new world. The main group of survivors have managed to establish a new settlement, and are now about to set out and find out what happened to the rest of the ships.

[Mouse]

Here's a start:




A fresh piece of parchment/paper I made this evening, and which is available at full size (this is only 50%) in my parchments album - if you want it

[Bogie]

Welcome to the challenge Mouse, I was afraid I was going to have to beg people to enter.

This original book cover is quite good, I can't wait to see the improved version.

[Mouse]

Thanks Bogie

Would that be an extra 20 rep points for joining in? (only joking).

I was going to join sooner, but I had to finish off another map before I started this one

I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to stick to the original design or not. Whatever I do I think the feather was always a bit too prominent and maybe a bit plastic - probably because its only a very simple CorelDraw vector drawing I did a very long time ago now. The original concept I had in my mind's eye was much better than the cover I actually made - I just didn't know how to do anything the way I wanted it to look before I came here and saw other people using the techniques I needed to know in order to do it right.

I guess we'll find out now if I've learned enough just yet, or if I still have a way to go...

[Mouse]

Here's an update.

I seem to have done more than I thought, even though most of the day was spent in deep thought about the desired outcome.

Looks pretty unbalanced right now, but there's a lot of text to go on it yet

[Diamond]

I really like that parchment you came up with! I'd like to use it sometime, if it's okay with you...

[Bogie]

Great colors

[Mouse]

I really like that parchment you came up with! I'd like to use it sometime, if it's okay with you...

Aw that's really flattering - coming from a parchment connoisseur like you, Diamond

Go right ahead - no ties attached. The full resolution one is in my parchments album (link above). The one in this thread is only 50%.

Great colors

Thanks Bogie

EDIT: the main depth of colour compared to the original parchment colour is down to a radial gradient fill done in burn mode to highlight Merelan City, and darken the unknowable beyond it.

The relief was created by overlaying a height map and a light map from Wilbur, using the actual FT3 world I'm mapping as Errispa as the source, so from the story point of view the map is totally accurate.

[Mouse]

Still at the stage where the design is a bit unstable and subject to vast and sweeping changes. (Sorry Bogie). I may go back to the more angry colours of the last version. Don't know yet

[Tonnichiwa]

Interesting. I like watching how you are developing this. It'll be great to see it when completed.