Seeing Night Reviews is the next stop in the blog tour for Firefly by Belle Whittington. I have a special guest today, Linda Whittington, who is the designer of the Cicada covers and Belles daughter. Don't forget to check out the full blog tour at Books & Broomsticks to enter the giveaway. Plus I have an egg for the hunt located here!
SNR: What brought you into the art world to design covers, trailers, logos, etc., did something inspire you?
LB: Well, first came my introduction to the world of photomanipulation and digital art. I was heavily influenced by deviantArt artist aegis-strife and many others. Much later I was asked to create my mother’s book cover and discovered that my artistic skills perfectly align with the needs of so many other indie authors. Not only that, I enjoy creating covers and advertisements for YA fantasy and paranormal because they fit my artistic style.
SNR: Can you show us some of your work? (other than the beautiful covers you did for your mom)
LB: Absolutely, my gallery is up for anyone to see here: Beware Calamity
My favourite pieces include:
ECOS Flyer | Screw Boundaries | The Daughter | Drink That Baby Down
SNR: What was the process in designing the covers for Cicada and Firefly?
LB: The first step with both of them is to figure out what message my mother wants to convey, then take her ideas and put my own creative bend to it. Finding appropriate stock images is highly important and probably the longest part of the process. That can take up to several months because I search high and low for something that has relatability, mystery, and beauty. From there, I take the images into photoshop to play with lighting, colour, texture, placing, design… That usually takes about two days. The last step is finding two fonts that work well together and focusing on the typography, which is a more daunting task than it sounds.
SNR: What have you enjoyed most about being a blogger/reviewer?
LB: To be honest, what I’ve enjoyed most is promoting and interviewing authors and video game designers. I’ve been considering condensing down the blog and focusing less on reviews. It’s not that I don’t think reviews are important, they’re super important for indie authors and designers. However, as a student, the extra work load of reading so many titles isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Not to mention, it’s just not my favourite aspect of blogging. I have a tendency to be overly critically, but that’s not what I want to be known for. I would much rather be able to interview people and meet different types of people to promote their work. That’s what I find joy in.
SNR: When you read your mom’s book for the first time, what were your thoughts?
LB: I haven’t actually sat down and read either books. I know that’s a big shocker. There are a few reasons for this; the biggest is because I’ve seen so many behind the scenes of the actual writing of the stories. I’ve helped my mom come up with ideas and names (Blair owes her last name to me, after all!) And my mom so often will read me something to get my opinion. So, it’s more like I’ve lived the story, I guess? Which I’m so lucky to have done. I also know so many spoilers, like what the third book is called… bawahahahaha!
SNR: What has been the best experience with your mom while working with her promoting Cicada and Firefly?
LB: Getting to know my mom in a new light is hands down the best thing that’s come out of this for me. I mean, I’ve always known I’m so blessed to have a really wacky, awesome mom. Growing up, all my friends loved her so much THEY would call her mom! I had a really magical childhood thanks to my mother. But, I guess I never really saw just how magical SHE was until Cicada. I’ve met a lot of different authors and they’re all unique in their own way, but there is something special about Belle. It isn’t just because she’s my mom, either. She sparkles around people, I mean… she just glows and has this whole presence of playfulness and mystery. She’s a true extrovert, which is so opposite of me. And her fans are just the best kinds of people, I love getting to meet them too!
SNR: If you could be any character is Cicada or Firefly who would it be and why?
LB: Blair, duh! I mean, she’s awesome and fierce. Not to mention she gets all of those awesome powers. However, the character I relate most to is Everett. My favourite characters are David and Natalie, I want my mom to write more on them!
LB: Well, first came my introduction to the world of photomanipulation and digital art. I was heavily influenced by deviantArt artist aegis-strife and many others. Much later I was asked to create my mother’s book cover and discovered that my artistic skills perfectly align with the needs of so many other indie authors. Not only that, I enjoy creating covers and advertisements for YA fantasy and paranormal because they fit my artistic style.
SNR: Can you show us some of your work? (other than the beautiful covers you did for your mom)
LB: Absolutely, my gallery is up for anyone to see here: Beware Calamity
My favourite pieces include:
ECOS Flyer | Screw Boundaries | The Daughter | Drink That Baby Down
SNR: What was the process in designing the covers for Cicada and Firefly?
LB: The first step with both of them is to figure out what message my mother wants to convey, then take her ideas and put my own creative bend to it. Finding appropriate stock images is highly important and probably the longest part of the process. That can take up to several months because I search high and low for something that has relatability, mystery, and beauty. From there, I take the images into photoshop to play with lighting, colour, texture, placing, design… That usually takes about two days. The last step is finding two fonts that work well together and focusing on the typography, which is a more daunting task than it sounds.
LB: To be honest, what I’ve enjoyed most is promoting and interviewing authors and video game designers. I’ve been considering condensing down the blog and focusing less on reviews. It’s not that I don’t think reviews are important, they’re super important for indie authors and designers. However, as a student, the extra work load of reading so many titles isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Not to mention, it’s just not my favourite aspect of blogging. I have a tendency to be overly critically, but that’s not what I want to be known for. I would much rather be able to interview people and meet different types of people to promote their work. That’s what I find joy in.
SNR: When you read your mom’s book for the first time, what were your thoughts?
LB: I haven’t actually sat down and read either books. I know that’s a big shocker. There are a few reasons for this; the biggest is because I’ve seen so many behind the scenes of the actual writing of the stories. I’ve helped my mom come up with ideas and names (Blair owes her last name to me, after all!) And my mom so often will read me something to get my opinion. So, it’s more like I’ve lived the story, I guess? Which I’m so lucky to have done. I also know so many spoilers, like what the third book is called… bawahahahaha!
SNR: What has been the best experience with your mom while working with her promoting Cicada and Firefly?
LB: Getting to know my mom in a new light is hands down the best thing that’s come out of this for me. I mean, I’ve always known I’m so blessed to have a really wacky, awesome mom. Growing up, all my friends loved her so much THEY would call her mom! I had a really magical childhood thanks to my mother. But, I guess I never really saw just how magical SHE was until Cicada. I’ve met a lot of different authors and they’re all unique in their own way, but there is something special about Belle. It isn’t just because she’s my mom, either. She sparkles around people, I mean… she just glows and has this whole presence of playfulness and mystery. She’s a true extrovert, which is so opposite of me. And her fans are just the best kinds of people, I love getting to meet them too!
SNR: If you could be any character is Cicada or Firefly who would it be and why?
LB: Blair, duh! I mean, she’s awesome and fierce. Not to mention she gets all of those awesome powers. However, the character I relate most to is Everett. My favourite characters are David and Natalie, I want my mom to write more on them!
Thank you! <3
ReplyDeleteGreat interview with a brilliant artist! :-) I believe it happens to be her birthday today! ;-)
~Belle