New project, for feedback -- cover concept

Skoob_ym

Hoping for feedback on this cover concept.

Still needs some refinement -- but what does the photo say about the story? What inferences spring to mind?

Papi_Soñoliento

To be honest, like I'm seated in a restaurant where I can't afford (or would prefer not) to pay the bill.

The plate setting does tend to suggest something amiss.

Skoob_ym

Ah, good point; the bill would be very unpleasant. And not just for the wallet.

Ron Miller

The concept is very nice, but you need to focus a little more. All of the elements---the  type and the image---are simply too small: they float around in the midst of the cover, a sea of bland color that overwhelms them. Make everything fill the space more. Zoom in on the visual element: you can afford to lose the edges of the plate: that is an irrelevant detail. Adjust the contrast so that the colors are a little less murky. Enlarge the title---it could be at least 150% larger---and if you are going to center the lines, make sure they are indeed centered.

Ron Miller

"Make everything fill the space more. Zoom in on the visual element: you can afford to lose the edges of the plate: that is an irrelevant detail." Or use a much smaller plate.

Skoob_ym

Yes, I think a smaller plate would be in order. I had also thought of larger truffles. Type centered and enlarged, absolutely correct. I did waffle a bit on whether I needed the edges of the plate, but you're right: the truffles are the primary visual element.

The most difficult part is actually making the skull and crossbones with the icing gel.

It does sound like the idea comes across: Fancy meal with a deadly desert.  Okay, I'm going to go with the basic design, and refine the photography later this week.

Papi_Soñoliento

Would it be possible to make the icing gel more of a freshly-dried blood color?

Ron Miller

Dried blood is opaque and brown. Fresh blood, I think, would be more immediately recognizable. But I would make an effort to make the skull and crossbones more like blood than some sort of jelly. Corn syrup and red food coloring create a superbly realistic stage blood.

Skoob_ym

I did try it with just food coloring. Unfortunately, plates tend not to be completely flat. Even with adding salt to increase surface tension, my skull shape tended to go lopsided.

I can try going to a food-coloring / corn-syrup blend, with maybe a bit of cornstarch to thicken it. The gel is from a tube for cake-decorations. I was going for the same as the drizzle across the tops of the truffles, but couldn't find a close match.

Papi_Soñoliento

Use corn starch to thicken and once applied gently tap the plate to see it it stiffens more.

Ron Miller

voidwheretaxedatyahoodotcom said:

I did try it with just food coloring. Unfortunately, plates tend not to be completely flat. Even with adding salt to increase surface tension, my skull shape tended to go lopsided.

I can try going to a food-coloring / corn-syrup blend, with maybe a bit of cornstarch to thicken it. The gel is from a tube for cake-decorations. I was going for the same as the drizzle across the tops of the truffles, but couldn't find a close match.

Yes, straight food coloring is not the right consistency. Here is some pretty good advice 

Dick Smith's classic formula has been successfully used by several film-making friends of mine, to say nothing of major makeup effects artists. Adding cocoa or chocolate syrup helps make the fake blood darker and less transparent.

Skoob_ym

Well, with food coloring and corn syrup, I managed to make the kitchen sink look like a crime scene. Other than that, I don't think I'll be able to draw a decorative skull-and-crossbones.

So I went a different route.

I need to redo this -- crop the bottom photo for proportions, and move everything lower on the page (it's all crammed against the top) but I think I'm moving in a better direction.

Skoob_ym

Incidentally, if I re-shoot this, I'll need to get more truffles. Once bitten, they must be eaten, you see... *cough*

Skoob_ym

Alternatively, there's this.

Tighter focus, less dead space to the left. Not much room for the title -- it has to come down next to one of the truffles.

I could send the "A" over to the far right, for matching justification. I could also drop the "A" entirely and just call it "Trufflesome Murder." That doesn't read right in my head, but maybe that's just me.

Thoughts, comments, war stories?

Ron Miller

The truffles kind of overwhelm the skull and crossbones. I would either make the latter larger or the former smaller. Either way, make them more similar in size.

I'm not 100% sure about the new skull and crossbones: it doesn't really make much sense being there. You have an otherwise totally realistic image...so what is the skull and crossbones?

Here is a thought: Why not replace the skull and crossbones with a third truffle? Find a plain one and add a skull and crossbones to it in icing. It could be a white truffle with a red skull and crossbones or a chocolate one with white icing. Perhaps even better yet, this is the one the bite is taken from.

Papi_Soñoliento

As in have the bitten truffle upright with skull and crossbones (or remnant thereof) showing?

Skoob_ym

Well, the new skull and crossbones comes from my struggles to draw in icing... But I might be able to use the paper for a template. I have a larger cut-out skull and crossbones, so simply adjusting the proportions would be easy enough.

I did think of having the skull and crossbones on the unbitten truffle, but the icing issues were what redirected me towards this solution.

I'll work on it this week -- My truffle supplier might have icing stuff, also.

Hopefully I can avoid the skull that looked vaguely canine.

Paul_Lulu

what about a knife that's cut through one of the truffles? Might have a similarly ominous feeling and avoid the skull and cross bones.

Papi_Soñoliento

Another option might be using a small skull as a third 'truffle'.

Ron Miller

I think it would always read as "a small skull" rather than "a truffle shaped like a small skull."

Papi_Soñoliento

Use the small skull to make a mold, pour in chocolate, remove from mold?

I've seen sugar skulls, why not a chocolate one?

Ron Miller said:

I think it would always read as "a small skull" rather than "a truffle shaped like a small skull."

Skoob_ym

Okay, a chocolate skull might be sufficiently ominous...

Paul, I'm not sure that a knife would carry the same note. The skull/crossbones not only sends "mortal danger" but also "poison."

Thanks for the thought, though...

Papi_Soñoliento

Apologies about not being clearer with the pick of the small skull.

A chocolate skull with some icing drizzled on it like a truffle, was what I had been thinking when I took the pic while wrestling with a short demon warrior princess to keep the camera lined up.

A bite from that might get the message across about 'mortal danger' or at least predict bad indigestion.

Ron Miller

A chocolate skull is a great idea.

Papi_Soñoliento

Ron Miller said:

A chocolate skull is a great idea.

Also a lot less tempting to bite into when making test shots.

Skoob_ym

Alien Truffle.

Okay, icing as a drawing medium is just out. LOL.

Skoob_ym

Larger Death's Head.

Skoob_ym

third truffle and death's dead as decoration (though not icing).

Skoob_ym

A chocolate death's head. Let me see what I can find...

Memo to self: Write next book about a slab of cement for ease of photography... LOL

Papi_Soñoliento

I checked Amazonia and found chocolate skull molds; odds are you can find skull and crossbones molds as well.

Skoob_ym said:

A chocolate death's head. Let me see what I can find...

Memo to self: Write next book about a slab of cement for ease of photography... LOL

Ron Miller

Skoob_ym said:

Alien Truffle.

Okay, icing as a drawing medium is just out. LOL.

I think it looks pretty cool. It is clear what it is supposed to represent and still looks like icing. A fairly creepy effect.