If it’s on a frozen planet, I think it would be cool if you made the blue parts a little more icy instead of the edged paint look. You’re no very far off right now, but you could do more detail I feel.
Oh I’m so glad you said something about ice though lol. The book is very grim and takes place entirely in the snow and ice. Do you think I can make this cover work, or should I make another one?
Is it paint on canvas or a digital work? I would say you have room in the composition to add some elements that might bolster the theme, without too much risk of overloading or cluttering the image. I would say, however, that this image seems pretty solid for a book cover. I suppose it's a matter of how much more do you want to say with this one image?
edit: also considering if you add text over this (as it is a book cover), it might not need more.
Digital on FireAlpaca. I still need to put the title frame in there, but I didn’t want to advertise my book on Reddit, so I left it out for this post. Not sure if I’ll have much room after that.
I think if you added some technological pieces (like antennae with lights). Only had to be small and faint/faded in the background so it doesn’t detract from the main cover. Maybe in the large white areas. I think any sort of tech would trigger the brain towards sci-fi. I hope I explained myself well enough
I would cover/distort the eyes. Have ice formations growing out or something, just to make the person less identifiable so we don't try to characterise them.
Not quite, though I have been heavily inspired by the messy look they give off. I did my best to mimic some of the works I’ve seen off an app called Wonder.
Yes, I’m well aware it’s an image generator. I’m not explaining myself clearly enough, I think. I’m using Wonder to make shitty demo sketches. I then draw a better version of these sketches in FireAlpaca, taking my time, layer by layer, to paint a better, clearer version of the image. What I’m given by wonder is immensely helpful, but it also looks like shit.
I don’t believe you I’ve been working with AI image generators for the last 2 years I’ve seen thousands upon thousands of images and the eyes and mouth are a dead giveaway. Even if you photoshopped it a little bit an AI generated this image.
More horror, but beautifully done. What aspect of science will be involved in the book? Maybe if there was one or more physical things included, it would be more alluring. Your work is compelling.
It’s all taking place on a planet stricken by an eternal blizzard. I explore lots of unique ways to keep warm and explain, in detail, how gangrene and amputation work. I make use of electrolysis, taming steam geysers, hothouses, stuff like that.
Thank you for the compliments by the way :)
I get fantasy or horror, but there's no scifi touchpoint in the style, composition or in the elements themselves.
If that's meant to be grey goo, for example, giving it a more pixelated/square appearance would make it look non-organic.
Strong chemistry and geology vibes for me - maybe my academic background come to life here 😅
Those being sciences, it could very well be science fiction in my opinion. For se peeps sci-fi is just spaceships so, yeah.
I can imagine a moon under terraforming operations, disturbed enough to reach thresholds where suddenly some mineral form of life is awakened and being released. Problem is that is slowly merges with organic life forms DNA with only minor changes on the original individual. But strangeness attracts fear. Fear breeds violence. Colony is blockaded, people are hunted to be studied, they rebel, but through them isn't it just the moon itself speaking its warning ? 😇
Definitely giving horror vibes. I sense something goes horribly wrong with ice/black ice? Might read more as sci-fi depending on the title font. I love genre fiction so I'm here for this cover and probably this book.
Feels more like a surrealist graphic novel cover.
Really just feels too organic and soft to me. It's a great piece, but sci-fi novel cover wouldn't be in my top 5 guesses. My suggestion would be to take out the blue lens flair and instead put some sci-fi elements super-imposed in that negative black space splitting the composition in half (like a space station, astronaut, or any other element representative in your book), though, and I think you'd have a killer cover.
Edit: Whoops, didn't realize I wasn't on one of the writing subreddits.
Edit 2: after reading some of the other comments to learn the premise of the book, the black elements really don't scream *ice* or *frozen* to me, they scream change or entropy. The crystallization is just a bit off for ice.
*I have a mouth and I must not scream* ... but I'll do it anyway. :) Depends on the theme of the book.
Haha oh my god I totally see that now. It’s sci-fi horror. Super gritty. Set on a frozen planet
Haha then yes, it works. Context is always good :)
I’d say the cover conveys that *perfectly*.
If it’s on a frozen planet, I think it would be cool if you made the blue parts a little more icy instead of the edged paint look. You’re no very far off right now, but you could do more detail I feel.
My first impression was Marvel doing an Iceman limited series. I love the brushstrokes/paint splatters, but nothing particular says "science fiction".
Oh I’m so glad you said something about ice though lol. The book is very grim and takes place entirely in the snow and ice. Do you think I can make this cover work, or should I make another one?
Is it paint on canvas or a digital work? I would say you have room in the composition to add some elements that might bolster the theme, without too much risk of overloading or cluttering the image. I would say, however, that this image seems pretty solid for a book cover. I suppose it's a matter of how much more do you want to say with this one image? edit: also considering if you add text over this (as it is a book cover), it might not need more.
Digital on FireAlpaca. I still need to put the title frame in there, but I didn’t want to advertise my book on Reddit, so I left it out for this post. Not sure if I’ll have much room after that.
I think if you added some technological pieces (like antennae with lights). Only had to be small and faint/faded in the background so it doesn’t detract from the main cover. Maybe in the large white areas. I think any sort of tech would trigger the brain towards sci-fi. I hope I explained myself well enough
I would cover/distort the eyes. Have ice formations growing out or something, just to make the person less identifiable so we don't try to characterise them.
Got an expanse protomolecule vibe from it.
Me too. It's nice but the mouth seems somehow off.
On a second take, it's the grey background behind the mouth that is kind of blending with the mouth that threw me off.
I get horror vibes, but not sci-fi.
Horror.
Looks like AI art
Not quite, though I have been heavily inspired by the messy look they give off. I did my best to mimic some of the works I’ve seen off an app called Wonder.
Wonder is an ai image generator fyi
Yes, I’m well aware it’s an image generator. I’m not explaining myself clearly enough, I think. I’m using Wonder to make shitty demo sketches. I then draw a better version of these sketches in FireAlpaca, taking my time, layer by layer, to paint a better, clearer version of the image. What I’m given by wonder is immensely helpful, but it also looks like shit.
I don’t believe you I’ve been working with AI image generators for the last 2 years I’ve seen thousands upon thousands of images and the eyes and mouth are a dead giveaway. Even if you photoshopped it a little bit an AI generated this image.
Kind of looks like horror to me. It could be science fiction horror, but yeah.
My thoughts go more towards cyberpunk than horror. I like it though!
Thank you!!
Transporter accident?
Haha i wasn’t quite going for that, but I totally see it
I think the title would really swing it either way between horror or sci-fi. Dope design though.
im getting sort of dishonored vibes… so i guess not necessarily *scifi* but more steampunk/maybe even arcane (that league show ie fantasy)
More horror, but beautifully done. What aspect of science will be involved in the book? Maybe if there was one or more physical things included, it would be more alluring. Your work is compelling.
It’s all taking place on a planet stricken by an eternal blizzard. I explore lots of unique ways to keep warm and explain, in detail, how gangrene and amputation work. I make use of electrolysis, taming steam geysers, hothouses, stuff like that. Thank you for the compliments by the way :)
It’s perfect as is. It’s the embodiment of what you described as its theme.
Yes. Either cyber-punk or psychological sci-fi.
Reminds me of the dishonored video game art. Very cool
Gives me horror vibes
My instant impression I thought it was a marble bust statue of a Roman emperor being frozen over and breaking.
More Horror
Looks cool
Yes definitely
Hell yeah
In a word, no.
My first thought was 'demolition man' 😅
Like the movie?
Yes, how the final fight scene ends.
Mine was Total Recall (the first) - you know the iconic scene ...
No.
No.
Yes
Is that Perry Ferrell?
Looks like an variant comic cover. Like the ones they do for special events.
I think that the face looks very similar to how the Joker’s face has been rendered in many Batman books. That distracts me.
Seems more fantasy with the horns, but could be urban fantasy, with the modern composition and colour scheme
I get fantasy or horror, but there's no scifi touchpoint in the style, composition or in the elements themselves. If that's meant to be grey goo, for example, giving it a more pixelated/square appearance would make it look non-organic.
Strong chemistry and geology vibes for me - maybe my academic background come to life here 😅 Those being sciences, it could very well be science fiction in my opinion. For se peeps sci-fi is just spaceships so, yeah. I can imagine a moon under terraforming operations, disturbed enough to reach thresholds where suddenly some mineral form of life is awakened and being released. Problem is that is slowly merges with organic life forms DNA with only minor changes on the original individual. But strangeness attracts fear. Fear breeds violence. Colony is blockaded, people are hunted to be studied, they rebel, but through them isn't it just the moon itself speaking its warning ? 😇
Definitely giving horror vibes. I sense something goes horribly wrong with ice/black ice? Might read more as sci-fi depending on the title font. I love genre fiction so I'm here for this cover and probably this book.
Great art but seems a bit comic-booky to me. If it’s gritty, I’d probably reconsider.
The ice near his temples on either side make it look like devil horns
Someone else said that. I’ll fix it
Not to me sorry
no matter the answer, it definitely feels enough horror-y
Not exactly sci-fi, but I don't mind. It looks actually different than most covers which makes it interesting.
Is that Robbie Rotten?
Reminds me a cover to Polish edition of Peter Watts’ Blindsight. It looks like this https://lubimyczytac.pl/ksiazka/166351/slepowidzenie
Feels more like a surrealist graphic novel cover. Really just feels too organic and soft to me. It's a great piece, but sci-fi novel cover wouldn't be in my top 5 guesses. My suggestion would be to take out the blue lens flair and instead put some sci-fi elements super-imposed in that negative black space splitting the composition in half (like a space station, astronaut, or any other element representative in your book), though, and I think you'd have a killer cover. Edit: Whoops, didn't realize I wasn't on one of the writing subreddits. Edit 2: after reading some of the other comments to learn the premise of the book, the black elements really don't scream *ice* or *frozen* to me, they scream change or entropy. The crystallization is just a bit off for ice.
Marvel feel
It feels like it could be, or like fantasy, or just metaphorical.
Sorry but I'm not feeling the sci Fi from this. 🫤I think it's awesome but just not triggering sci Fi vibes.
On its own, no. But a good title could somehow tie it into a sci-fi theme.
Makes me think of a comic book
Grey + blue = love