I first came across Timea in a fantasy book cover Facebook group. She posted a premade cover and I. was. hooked. It was everything I loved about fantasy book covers – signalling the genre and subverting the tropes enough to make the images jump from the page.
I knew I wanted to work with her. Just look at her portfolio. Gorgeous!
Grab a cup of tea, because I caught five minutes with her, and asked her all about her work and what she loves about designing fantastical covers, before she dashed off to make some more...
What got you into art?
I’ve always been very creative, and my head was full of stories and ideas, so there never was a point where I suddenly got interested. It was always there.
How did you become a cover designer?
Many writers have probably heard of Wattpad the app. When I was a teenager, I had a story idea that I wanted to write, and I ended up putting it up on Wattpad. But my story needed a cover, so I downloaded photoshop and made my own cover and found that I really enjoyed graphic design. I started practicing just for myself and soon started making covers for other Wattpad users who needed covers.
I may or may not know about Wattpad ::cough:: What is your favourite thing about designing a cover?
I love seeing an idea from my head come together into a finished cover is so satisfying!
I bet! And the least favourite?
My least favorite part would have to be the process of actually finding an idea if I don’t immediately have one.
Hmm, inspiration ebbs and flows. How do you come up with cover ideas?
I usually just suddenly have an image of a cover in my head and if I need to be inspired, I go to pinterest or browse stock image sites to see if something triggers an idea.
If it’s a custom cover I ask the author to tell me some things about the book and their wishes and go from there.
What are your favourite tools to work with to bring your vision to life?
If I draw the Cover, I start with procreate. It makes drawing certain things so much easier! Otherwise, Photoshop is my comfort zone.
What's your favourite type of story?
Definitely Fantasy, more specifically YA/NA fantasy. If it has magic, dragons, or sword fighting, I’ll probably love it!
Well, magic and sword-fighting, tick!
I highly recommend Fantastical Ink for all your fantasy book cover needs. Do check out her website (note: I'm not getting paid at all for this. I love her work, and she's great to work with).