Fantasy Book Cover Design
A complete book cover design course by Cauldron Press Academy
About This Course
Judging a book by its cover is not a bad thing!
A good cover helps sell books and authors depend on cover designers to deliver book covers that will take their books to the next level. There are good book covers, and then there are book covers that get a reader's attention and keep it.
Fantasy books have been on a consistent rise in the market and demand for the genre is growing exponentially. If you're a cover designer looking to get into fantasy design, now is a great time to start! Readers are looking for an out of this world escape and what better way to get it than by reading a fantasy book.
With so many books on the market, it is becoming harder for authors to stand out. Which is where you, their cover designer, come in. They are looking to you to design a fantasy book cover that will not only show the reader what to expect from the book, but one that will sell it.
And a good fantasy book cover will do just that! It will sell the fantasy...
If you're looking at this course, then you are ready to take the next step in your cover design journey. Good cover designers are often booked out well in advance and it is truly a career that is incredibly rewarding. You get to create art for a living, and fantasy art at that!
The better your skill, the more you can charge for your artwork and designs. By taking this course, you are going to elevate your cover design career and develop skills that will aid you in becoming a sought after designer.
Some of the things you will learn in this course:
- How to prepare with clients
- Setting up your Photoshop
- Image extraction
- Environment compositions
- Model painting
- Fantasy hair painting
- ... and so much more!
Take a look at the curriculum below to see everything you will learn!
As a promise to you, I will be with you every step of the way. The course is designed to work with your schedule and I will be designing a book cover with you from start to finish. All the modules are recorded in real-time so you don't have to worry about missing a part. You will see each and every detail as I work on designing a fantasy book cover and teach you as we work.
If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the community or in the discussion for each class. I will do my best to answer them within 24 hours during business days.
In order to succeed in this course, you will need to have basic knowledge of Photoshop. If you are an author looking to design your own covers, we recommend you familiarize yourself with the program prior to taking this course. The Photoshop program is not included in the course.
This is an ongoing course and when signing up, you receive lifetime access to all the lessons offered, including those added as the course gets updated in the future.
Meet Your Teacher
Inessa Sage has been a photographer and digital artist for almost two decades. Having previously worked as a senior director of creative services in large-scale marketing firms, Inessa has a wide range of experience in the creative field.
Her work led her to the world of book covers, where she fell in love with the art of cover design.
Since then, Inessa has built a successful and thriving book cover design business which specializes in fantasy design.
Course curriculum
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01
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Introduction
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02
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Module 1- Recommended Tools
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Module 2- The Legalities of Book Covers
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Module 3- Initial Preparation and Client Paperwork
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Module 4- Photoshop Setup
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Module 5- File Setup
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Module 6- Composition Basics
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Module 7- Model Body Extraction
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Module 8- Face Extraction and Swap
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Module 9- Background/ Environment Composition
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Module 10- Background and Model Color Correction
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Module 11- An Introduction to Luts and Color Grading
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Module 12- Model Painting and Detailing
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Module 13- Fantasy Hair Painting
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Module 14- Lighting: highlights, backlights, shadows, hair lights
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Module 15- Fantasy Elements
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Module 16- Control Work
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Module 17- Magical Detailing
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Module 18- Final Touches
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Module 19- Typography Selection and Composition
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Module 20- Typography Styling
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Module 21- Paperback Design Bonus Class
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Module 22- Bonus: Finding Cover Trends
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03
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Final Thoughts
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04
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Introduction
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Module 1- Hair Dynamics
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Module 2- References
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Module 3- Base Layer Painting
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Module 4- Base Layer Shading
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Module 5- Second Level Painting
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Module 6- Second Level Highlights
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Module 7- Model Body Extraction
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Module 8- Strands and Top Level Painting
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Module 9- Final Shading and Depth
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Module 10- Details and Backlight
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Module 11- Overpainting
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Final Thoughts
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What students are saying
Course reviews
“I was blown away by this course. I've taken a few different courses, and this was by far my favorite! I learned more in this course than I've learned in any this far. Inessa is so thorough with her explanations, and the way she teaches is very eas...”
→Read More“I was blown away by this course. I've taken a few different courses, and this was by far my favorite! I learned more in this course than I've learned in any this far. Inessa is so thorough with her explanations, and the way she teaches is very easy to comprehend. If she launches any more courses in the future for design, you better believe I'll be taking it! 10/10 recommend taking this course! ”
→Read Less“I must preface this review by stating that as a newbie in this field, this course absolutely made me fall in love with the art of fantasy cover design. Everyone can share knowledge, but to share in a way that inspires, speaks for the teacher. P...”
→Read More“I must preface this review by stating that as a newbie in this field, this course absolutely made me fall in love with the art of fantasy cover design. Everyone can share knowledge, but to share in a way that inspires, speaks for the teacher. Pre-requisite: One must have a fairly decent working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop. Given that the entire cover designing process is carried out in this software, lack of knowledge of photoshop will effect the learning curve. This course does not cover photoshop learning as stated in course notes. Review: Summary: Absolutely Recommended Course Detailed thoughts: This course covers from the basics of tools and legalities of contract to the ultimate finished fantasy cover design (e-book and paperback). Each module of the course covers in detail various aspects of the cover designing process. I was grateful for the module around composition basics which helped improve my understanding of the basic design structure around which the cover was built. From model body work and face extraction, to background image, lightning, hair painting, fantasy and magical elements incorporation (hey this is fantasy cover course afterall!), i found the course complete and easy to understand and follow. Personally, this is the type of course i would keep referring back to in order to improve my skills.”
→Read Less“This is a great course for learning how a designer goes about taking stock images and putting them together into a cohesive piece. I learned a lot, and the cover I made along with the lessons looks great. Lots of practical photoshop tips, tips...”
→Read More“This is a great course for learning how a designer goes about taking stock images and putting them together into a cohesive piece. I learned a lot, and the cover I made along with the lessons looks great. Lots of practical photoshop tips, tips to choosing stock art, painting hair, magic effects and more.”
→Read Less“I found the course very helpful. I learned a lot of tips and tricks on how to be a better graphic designer and create fantasy book covers in Photoshop. I definitely would recommend to anyone interested in creating fantasy book covers for fun or pr...”
→Read More“I found the course very helpful. I learned a lot of tips and tricks on how to be a better graphic designer and create fantasy book covers in Photoshop. I definitely would recommend to anyone interested in creating fantasy book covers for fun or profit. ”
→Read LessFAQ
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When does this course start and finish?
This course is ongoing and works on your schedule. You can start as soon as you sign up and you will have access to it forever. It is a self-paced course so you can take all the time you need to complete it.
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How long will I have access to this course?
You get lifetime, unlimited access to the course and any new material that gets added in the future.
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What if I decide this course is not for me?
No worries at all! We offer a 15 day full refund policy if you sign up for the course but change your mind about taking it.