Wednesday, March 21, 2007

ZERO-G PREVIEW COVER - design 3

A couple days go by and I think I'm in the clear. It's monday and the cover isn't due til friday. I'm a week ahead of deadline and feeling pretty proud of myself.

Then I get The Email from Alex Zamm. He implores me to reconsider the cover. He cites how important it is, how powerful our first impression must be. He remarks upon the passive stances of the characters, the tiny asteroid and the general lack of drama in the picture.

He knows how close we are to deadline; how impossible it would be. But he asks... almost begs me to have another look at it.

I take everything on he had to say and came to the realisation that he was right. He was totally right. It was a crap cover.

With no time to waste, I mock up a quick sketch and send it over. With the deadline crawling closer I start drawing Atom while I wait for the feedback (they're in LA, 17 hours behind me). I re-design the alien gun again going for something pointier with a more unusual firing mechanism. My idea is that there is an arc of plasma between the two prongs on the end. The barrel then shoots out a compressed hyper dense gravity ball that is then ignited by the prongs and explodes on impact with a burning concussive force. You can fire small balls like bullets, or huge things like grenades.

Again, with the days crawling by I wait, hoping that I hit the mark this time...

1 comment:

Kelly J. Crawford said...

I'm really starting to sense an edge of panic in your words now, Jason. Feels like you've got a gun to your head and someone is asking questions you don't really have the answers to -- yet. But I know you'll get there. Believe in yourself.

KJC