Posted this in the WIP gallery, but not getting any response, so I'll try again here...

Okay here's the deal:

I like the way the portrait and the planet turned out, but...

As this is a SF cover, I think a spaceship in the background is required by law. The only real options for that is a pinnace or the Q-ship Sirius. I would favor the Sirius. So...

Before I spend 2-3 days building a ship model and texturing it, I would like a second opinion. Does this image need a ship element in the background? Or would you be more likely to buy this book without the ship?

IMHO a ship would just ruin the negative space and obscure the reflection. I wouldn't change a thing.

Gorodin, I don't think you need a ship since I agree it would spoil the reflection. However, you might concider a frame for the viewport. It needn't surround the port in you cover, but a single edge at top or bottom would help to give a reference. mike

I beg to differ. A ship would be nice or some element that gives the reader the idea that the person is on board a ship and not just in front of a painting a planet.

I think a ship might fit the space nicely (although it looks pretty without)... However, if you throw the ship in, a big deal for me would be "how do I give a sense of scale?" The ship will need to be relatively small so it doesn't crowd the space, BUT you don't want to give a false sense of scale. Is the ship as big as the planet? Is there a way to cheat the scale without anyone noticing? etc. etc. You don't want anyone thinking its about a little mini space ship that will fly into that person's nose. That said, I do think a station orbiting the planet, or some type of space craft would make the image better if implemented well. As is, looks fine. =)

This is excellent work, but I'm going to be professionally nit-picky here, since this looks professional. A space ship leaving the planet is traditional, and I've done a few space ships of my own, but I'd like to assume that readers of science fiction know all about planets and orbiting space stations, and even that editors at the major publishing houses are familiar with the concept. A ship with a lurid orange trail would be a distraction rather than an asset. There are times to be fussy and times to be bold, and this cover should be bold. A frame edge for the viewport would help make it obvious, BUT it would also destroy the balance. I like the layout as is. The negative space works well, and the twin streaks help with the glassiness. (I can't tell where they are from but it almost doesn't matter?) The light source on her face is not the same as the one on the planet, yet it appears strong enough to be from its sun. (Because her reflection is fully-lit, it indicates a certain angle.) You might consider changing the lighting on the planet to match. If the upper left corner was more shadowed, it would make the planet more rounded and might make the composition a bit tighter yet. You appear to be using a decent shadow map size on that light, but can you step it up a bit more? The shadow of hair on forehead is jagged-edged, and can be corrected either in lighting or in postwork. The highlight in her eyes isn't from the sidelight behind her or the sun in front of her. A tiny thing, but I really prefer to have highlights match light sources. If this is to be printed, remember that about 5-10% of the detail is usually lost in the process, and 4-color inks don't cover the entire spectrum. I like the reflection, but worry that it might get lost. This is something that you may wish to discuss with a printer. Also, her shoulder patch right next to the viewport could be brighter to indicate depth. Her white shirt collar has a higher albedo than the skin of her neck and in the reflection should be a tad lighter as well... especially since that side is in full light. A basic principle of composition is that the eye goes first to the area of greatest contrast and then travels around. We have control over what the viewer notices and when. There are 2 areas of high contrast here: her cheekbone and the author's name, and the eye goes first to the name. The author might want his name to be that prominent. However, I'd argue for muting it by maybe 10-15%, picking one of the blues in the planet. (If you are using PhotoShop for postwork, you can tint that layer and then "fade" it back until it looks good to your eyes.) This will make her profile the definate focal point, and the eye can travel from there. All in all, this looks as good as what is on the shelves, so I hope that you will take my comments in a constructive way, to make a lovely piece of work even better. Carolly

Hauksdottir - the next time I post a picture, I definitely want your opinion on it!

Crescent, I don't have time to browse the galleries, but if you give me a pointer, I'll do my best to help you correct any weaknesses and reinforce the strengths. Carolly

Attached Link: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0671721631.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Great tips on the lighting aspects hauks! Gorodin, I'll add something to your question about "would you buy it"...cover art doesn't sell books, blurbs do. Genre cover art gives fast identification when browsing (i.e. most stores mix the fantasy and sf so what's on the cover helps let you know what it is) and may entice someone to pick up the book and read the blurb. While many people (like me) appreciate the artistry on the cover for its own sake, it has never once convinced me to buy any particular book. I've got books with absolute crap covers that I think are brilliant novels, and others with astounding covers that are a waste of paper. For a series, the cover should instantly identify the book for fans. Your's does this, but mostly because of the "badged" titling used for this series (which is perfectly OK as this is very common for SFF series). Hauks, this was the first book in David Weber's Honor Harrington series (9 or 10 books now). Unless they are doing another reissue or something, I believe Gorodin is doing this for his own practice. That doesn't negate anything you said of course, and I agree it looks very professional :) FYI: The link is to the original Baen cover on Amazon (and is typical Amazon crappy quality). I think Gorodin's is way better!

You guys have all been great. There's a lot of really great feedback here and a lot for me to think about. When I am sitting in front of my computer for hours on end staring at the same image, it can be invaluable to get another set of eyes to take a look. It's even better when as much thought and consideration is put into the feedback as you all put in. Thank you all. BTW, SFGuy is right in that these Honor Harrington covers are not for a contract... though I widh they were... I plan on doing a cover for each book in the series as I re-read through them. I've got the 1st 2 now including this one (though I don't consider this one finished, and the other is subject to revisions...) I hope I can get feedback this good on my future projects. Thanks again.

Scifiguy, Thank you for letting me know about the established series aspect of this. I haven't read much pure sf in the last few years, preferring fantasy and mystery. Gorodin, The World Science Fiction Convention (aka WorldCon) is in San Jose, California this Labor Day weekend. They will have an art show, where the big league publishers will indeed be among the thronging hordes. You might not think that you are ready to fill a panel yet, but you can keep track of the WorldCons (they do travel around the world), and pounce when you have enough work of this quality. Because of copyright issues, you probably shouldn't have the images for sale (lest someone be deceived into thinking that these were covers in some printing somewhere), but state that this is a portfolio, and that you gladly accept commissions. There are other major conventions for various regions or sub-interests. Damnity, I just burned the biscuits! I shouldn't type and cook at the same time. ;p Anyway, check out www.conjose.org for this year's Worldcon information. Carolly

Okay boys and girls! I have made some changes, much of it thanks to feedback from you guys. Please take another look and give me your impressions. Comments?

Wow...the change in lighting on the planet makes a huge difference! It looks great Gorodin.

Gorodin, Not only does the lighting give volume to the planet... you added a whisper of atmosphere. Good! :) A much more viable world. with the highlights in her eyes, the light on the planet, and the light on her face all from the same source, it just looks more real, because there is no falsity to niggle at the viewer's subconscious. We know there is a sun out there, and probably other worlds besides. The entire composition is just slightly tighter all over, and much sleeker and more effective overall, too. Moving the 2 contrails closer together, helps... even if I'm still not too sure what they are (no contrails in vacuum, but it works for StarTrek). With them and the arc of the planet's edge, the viewer's eye may leave her face, but not for long. If I did anything at all to this image, I might saturate the author's name a bit, making it bluer so that it is clearly a color, and tieing it with the blues in the planet. However, I have killed pieces by overworking them (darned perfectionist tendencies), so my recommendation at this point would be to declare it finished... and a job well done. I am looking forward to seeing your next piece. Carolly