Cover Art Resources

[greyliliy]

The extensive use of Generative AI covers these days depresses me. I strongly believe most major GenAI platforms are guilty of mass theft from artists and unethical business practices. They steal just as much from artists as writers, so I want to encourage solidarity in not using it. [Edit: Feel free to agree or disagree. The choice for what cover art you want to use is your own, but the resources below are available all the same.]

I understand that good art is expensive, so I wanted to pool together some free and low-cost resources to make your own covers. I believe in you all and the covers you make yourself! :D

The below are things I have personal experience with, but please feel free to recommend any other resource you know!

Art Programs

Ibis Paint (iOS, Android, Window)
https://ibispaint.com/?lang=en-
Free with ads, but you can pay to remove them. This is a powerful paint program with tons of tutorials, built-in materials and traceable objects, lots of fonts, and a large community. The UI can take a little getting used to but I highly recommend it.

Krita (Windows, Mac, Linux)
https://krita.org/en/
A free, open source paint program. I'd recommend this for desktop use.

Photopea
https://www.photopea.com/
A free online photo editing program if you'd like to work from a browser.

Clip Studio Paint (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS)
https://www.clipstudio.net/en/
This one isn't free, but it is inexpensive for a full art program with resources. Very powerful and affordable with a free trial.

Fonts

Font Squirrel
https://www.fontsquirrel.com/
Free, open sourced fonts chosen for being approved for commercial work. Amazing resource.

Dafont
https://www.dafont.com/
Open source and paid fonts. Make sure you read the licenses.

Stock Art

Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/
Royalty free images and stock art. They also have a section for illustrations, both color and black and white.

Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/
Free images and stock art. Wonderful site with an explicit policy against uploading AI artwork.

Free Stock Textures
https://freestocktextures.com/
There is a limit to (5) downloads a day for anonymous accounts, but there are a ton of high quality textures here.

Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
It might take some digging, but there is a ton of photography and art here. A great resource especially for old paintings and illustrations from books.

Tutorials/Lessons

Beginning Graphic Design - Typography
https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/beginning-graphic-design/typography/1/
Clean and quick guide to basic Typography to help with adding text to your covers. Their general guide to graphic design is pretty nice overall! :D

Ask Nicely

Last but not least, if you see artwork that would work for your cover, you can ask the artist if you can use it with credit. Since many books here are available for free, I'm sure many artists wouldn't mind letting you use art with proper credits. (However, if you plan to publish for sale, you either need to use royalty free resources or pay the artist.)

HAPPY CREATING!

 

[Tyranomaster]

Luddite - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I want to encourage solidarity in not using it.

I'm going to continue using new technology unless I'm expressly forbid by force via government intervention.

 

[Nneeil]

Low cost covers aren't as attractive as AI generated ones. No one is going to boycot AI art, especially most writers. This isn't about morality, but efficiency. You either cry about it, or use it to your advantage.

 

[greyliliy]

I'm going to continue using new technology unless I'm expressly forbid by force via government intervention.

You are welcome to, but as long as this technology directly competes and puts out of work the people it is stealing from, I will continue to encourage others not to use it. :D

Machine learning can be an extraordinary helpful tool, but current models aren't it.

Low cost covers aren't as attractive as AI generated ones. No one is going to boycot AI art, especially most writers. This isn't about morality, but efficiency. You either cry about it, or use it to your advantage.

Just out of curiosity, but if someone generated a full novel based on your writing, would you hold the same opinion?

You can argue that Gen AI writing isn't the same, but it will get there if things continue as they are.

And already are. I know writer friends who have provided previews for commissions and the buyer finished it in AI instead of paying. It's awful, frankly.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

I don't think the problem is as much AI as shady business practices. People will continue to commission artists for a while regardless of AI. There are things AI will never be able to reproduce with current technology.

I don't think the problem is as much AI as shady business practices. People will continue to commission artists for a while regardless of AI. There are things AI will never be able to reproduce with current technology.

Also Krita for the win.

 

[Nneeil]

You are welcome to, but as long as this technology directly competes and puts out of work the people it is stealing from, I will continue to encourage others not to use it. :D

Machine learning can be an extraordinary helpful tool, but current models aren't it.

Just out of curiosity, but if someone generated a full novel based on your writing, would you hold the same opinion?

You can argue that Gen AI writing isn't the same, but it will get there if things continue as they are.

And already are. I know writer friends who have provided previews for commissions and the buyer finished it in AI instead of paying. It's awful, frankly.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind. My writing is an amalgamation of different styles I've learned from several authors across the years. I can't say it's something original I came up with on my own. In fact, I've seen many writers with a style similar to mine. If anything, I'd say the biggest downside of using AI is that it makes people lazy.

Your friends should either stop giving free previews, or make them short. Though I'm surprised those buyers would use AI instead, considering how frustrating it actually is to write a proper story.

 

[greyliliy]

Honestly, I wouldn't mind. My writing is an amalgamation of different styles I've learned from several authors across the years. I can't say it's something original I came up with on my own...Your friends should either stop giving free previews, or make them short. Though I'm surprised those buyers would use AI instead, considering how frustrating it actually is to write a proper story.

Thank you for the answer.

For me, there is a world of difference between artists and writers taking inspiration from each other to create something new, and generative AI's outright plagiarism.

It's fairly standard for any commission to provide a snap of the progress so you know you're getting what you paid for. It also saves the artist/writer from having to redo everything from scratch if the client is unhappy.

 

[Tyranomaster]

I'm happy to pay an artist when I need consistent styled art. Asking people who want covers for a free project to learn to draw in addition to write, or pay someone for a cover is the equivalent of arguing that people need to pay a seamstress to make all their daily clothes. That's why I mentioned the Luddites.

There are situations where artists are valuable. To be absolutely honest, if an AI could write stories I'd want to read, I wouldn't be an author currently. I only partially got into this business because I want to read the kind of story I'm writing, and I had run out of those stories to read, or was disappointed by some of them.

Unless you currently pay a tailor or seamstress for all your clothes, it's hypocritical to say that people should avoid using technology to reduce their costs of operations. Before you say that it might not be similar enough, recall that the textile industry basically stole the patterns for clothes making from seamstresses (although copyright was lax back then), and drove a majority of them out of business by producing cheap alternatives to their clothing. Yes, the mass manufactured clothes weren't quite as nice, and weren't as high quality, but they were significantly cheaper.

Edit: And the Butlerian Jihad was stupid.

 

[greyliliy]

I'm happy to pay an artist when I need consistent styled art. Asking people who want covers for a free project to learn to draw in addition to write, or pay someone for a cover is the equivalent of arguing that people need to pay a seamstress to make all their daily clothes. That's why I mentioned the Luddites.

This is literally a thread of free resources to make covers easily. It's an alternative people can use or not.

I made one of my own covers in like 20 minutes using only built in resources with IbisPaint, which was probably faster than trying to generate one.

(On a side note, you really should have some sewing skills under your belt to maintain and repair clothing you own. Very handy.)

 

[CarburetorThompson]

Art used to be a determining factor in online novel covers. The better the art the more effort and care put into the story.

Not anymore lol. There is absolute dogshit with good ai covers. I no longer only look at art quality when deciding on reading something, I also look for something that isn't ai.

I'm not reading a comic book. The cover only acts as a way to see authors dedication to their story. AI covers tell me that the effort is low.

 

[SailusGebel]

I strongly believe most fanfic writers are guilty of mass theft from OG writets and unethical business practices.

Where do I sign?

 

[greyliliy]

Where do I sign?

Are you arguing that fully transformative works written from scratch are the same as regenerated scraps pieced together?

If so, I'll agree to disagree.

Also, fanfiction is as old as writing. And a lot of it is published. *points at Wicked and every Sherlock Holmes adaptation, including House.*

 

[Tyranomaster]

Art used to be a determining factor in online novel covers. The better the art the more effort and care put into the story.

Not anymore lol. There is absolute dogshit with good ai covers. I no longer only look at art quality when deciding on reading something, I also look for something that isn't ai.

I'm not reading a comic book. The cover only acts as a way to see authors dedication to their story. AI covers tell me that the effort is low.

This mindset makes a lot of sense, and it's also exactly why everyone had to jump to making AI art.

People use the cover art as an approximation for the quality of the story. -> People are going to look to use any method to make better cover art.

Now, if you don't even bother to make AI art, that's even more of an indicator that your story won't be good.

This is literally a thread of free resources to make covers easily. It's an alternative people can use or not.

I made one of my own covers in like 20 minutes using only built in resources with IbisPaint, which was probably faster than trying to generate one.

(On a side note, you really should have some sewing skills under your belt to maintain and repair clothing you own. Very handy.)

I can agree that having basic sewing skills is good.

I cannot agree with the idea that, "Well, I have art skills already, so just take the time to learn it, or use lower quality art." Authors want to write. Some percentage of authors enjoy making art, and more power to them. I'm a huge fan of Hans's work. Most authors don't want to spend hundreds of hours learning how to make mediocre covers, nor do they want to spend money on artwork for an exploratory story.

Are you arguing that fully transformative works written from scratch are the same as regenerated scraps pieced together are the same?

If so, I'll agree to disagree.

Also, fanfiction is as old as writing. And a lot of it is published. *points at Wicked and every Sherlock Holmes adaptation, including House.*

Alright, I now am starting to think that you're content having plenty of contradicting beliefs in your head at once.

House -> New character names, new situation, same general plot.

1 in 5 stories on this site use titles like "Reincarnated in Naruto as my OC", and proceed to simply insert a single new character into an existing plotline. This is arguably worse than using AI artwork, which is at least hard to determine who exactly individually is being plagiarized.

In fact, your statement that fanfiction is as old as writing applies to art too. How many "replica" art pieces get sold all the time? If I pay an artists to make me a cover "In the style of x artist" am I doing something wrong?

 

[SailusGebel]

Are you arguing that fully transformative works written from scratch are the same as regenerated scraps pieced together?

I'm arguing that "fully transformative work" is a very interesting term that is used to hide unethical business practices. Some use it fairly. Some use it unfairly. As long as it's not 100% fair, I see no reason why I should not use AI.

Also, fanfiction is as old as writing. And a lot of it is published. *points at Wicked and every Sherlock Holmes adaptation, including House.*

Stealing is an even older concept.

 

[NineHeadHeavenDevouringSerpent]

You have my support but the law of nature is we follow the path of least effort always. Unless there's another viable route of being able to comission free art, I'm afraid ai is not going anywhere...it's only going to get worse.


To play devil's advocate here, i think AI has done more good than bad. Sure basing itself on other's work without consent or credit is criminal, but for the first time ever the ease of access to quality art is unmatched. This has eased the road to becoming writers, to express your creativity so much faster and really heightened the value for writing. Prompt engineering is a thing, precise description and writing skill is a major part of it. AI has removed the need to have extensive background in various fields to perfect your works, what once required tireless amounts of research and help from many people can be done by just one search away.

This has brought the baseline standard of writing as a whole to another level all together. I see this as only helping people reaching higher limits with the added help, rather than seeing it as ruining "traditional" creators.

Sure, AI has still a long way to go before it can help writers aiming for the Pulitzers but it can help aspiring writers with amazing ideas, but who find the writing part daunting.

 

[greyliliy]

Most authors don't want to spend hundreds of hours learning how to make mediocre covers, nor do they want to spend money on artwork for an exploratory story.

How is asking someone to use stock art instead of genAI asking them to spend 100s of hours learning art, when most people have to add their own Titles already?

House -> New character names, new situation, same general plot.

House MD is a modern hospital AU of the Sherlock Holmes formula. :P

1 in 5 stories on this site use titles like "Reincarnated in Naruto as my OC", and proceed to simply insert a single new character into an existing plotline. This is arguably worse than using AI artwork, which is at least hard to determine who exactly individually is being plagiarized. In fact, your statement that fanfiction is as old as writing applies to art too. How many "replica" art pieces get sold all the time? If I pay an artists to make me a cover "In the style of x artist" am I doing something wrong?

This is where things get more subjective. Someone having fun with writing for personal use is very different from publishing it for profit.

(Coincidentally, that's why I read stories here with AI covers when I refuse to read or purchase books for sale that use them.)

As far as recreations go, that gets more into specifics with permissions, licensing, and purpose. Bigger topic than I care to cover today. But the TLDR is someone replicating a style by hand is generally more ethical.

Now, if you don't even bother to make AI art, that's even more of an indicator that your story won't be good.

I laughed. I'm sorry. I just need you to know I laughed.

I'm arguing that "fully transformative work" is a very interesting term that is used to hide unethical business practices. Some use it fairly. Some use it unfairly. As long as it's not 100% fair, I see no reason why I should not use AI.

Never read a good fanfiction. Got it. *thumbs up*

And you are free to do whatever you like. I'm providing alternatives, that's all.

To play devil's advocate here, i think AI has done more good than bad.

Sadly, I can't agree. Between deep fakes, rampant spreading of misinformation, intentional scamming, and the harm done to jobs on top of the theft, it's hard to see any benefits.

 

[Tyranomaster]

I laughed. I'm sorry. I just need you to know I laughed.

I too have been laughing, because I've been reading about half your statements in alternating capitalization with this meme in my head.

Sadly, I can't agree. Between deep fakes, rampant spreading of misinformation, intentional scamming, and the harm done to jobs on top of the theft, it's hard to see any benefits.

Again, all the more reason to go back to tailored clothes. During the industrial revolution (which largely started in the textile industry), 35,000 people died A YEAR in factories, of which a significant portion were children.

The bad parts of the technology will get regulated out, but never disappear. Factory deaths annually now are still at ~5,500 in the US according to OSHA. All technologies come at a cost, but people like to sweep other costs under the rug.

I used to work as an automation engineer, and went into chemical plants to do safety checkups to make sure problems wouldn't occur. The only difference you have with this technology compared to the majority of technologies you use is just that you haven't been informed of the actual costs of the other technologies, so you think they're problem free. AI art at least doesn't actively kill people. Most other things you buy from a store do. Keep that in mind every time you participate in society.

 

[PancakesWitch]

my cover art resource is that i pay money to an artist and they make my cover

 

[greyliliy]

I too have been laughing, because I've been reading about half your statements in alternating capitalization with this meme in my head.

Glad to know? I guess. That has to get annoying, though.

The only difference you have with this technology compared to the majority of technologies you use is just that you haven't been informed of the actual costs of the other technologies, so you think they're problem free. AI art at least doesn't actively kill people. Most other things you buy from a store do. Keep that in mind every time you participate in society.

Improved safety regulations for industrial automation would be good, yes. I also disagree with unnecessarily dangerous working environments in the name of profit.

And funny enough, I do follow some tailors on social media that lament the encroaching death of the trade due to fast fashion and unethical labor practices.

AI Art isn't causing the harm that industrial machinery does, but it does cause harm. I can care about both.

And again, you and everyone else are free to do as you like.

 

[Sleds]

my cover art resource is that i pay money to an artist and they make my cover

But isn't some of your covers made by AI?

The extensive use of Generative AI covers these days depresses me. I strongly believe most major GenAI platforms are guilty of mass theft from artists and unethical business practices. They steal just as much from artists as writers, so I want to encourage solidarity in not using it.

But I also understand that good art is expensive, so I wanted to pool together some free and low-cost resources to make your own covers. I believe in you all and the covers you make yourself! :D

The below are things I have personal experience with, but please feel free to recommend any other resource you know!

Art Programs

Ibis Paint
https://ibispaint.com/?lang=en-
iOS, Android, Window

Free with ads, but you can pay to remove them. This is a powerful paint program with tons of tutorials, built-in materials and traceable objects, lots of fonts, and a large community. The UI can take a little getting used to but I highly recommend it.

Krita
https://krita.org/en/
Windows, Mac, Linux
A free, open source paint program. I'd recommend this for desktop use.

Clip Studio Paint
https://www.clipstudio.net/en/
Windows, Mac, Android, iOS

This one isn't free, but it is inexpensive for a full art program with resources. Very powerful and affordable with a free trial.

Fonts

Font Squirrel
https://www.fontsquirrel.com/

Free, open sourced fonts chosen for being approved for commercial work. Amazing resource.

Dafont
https://www.dafont.com/

Open source and paid fonts. Make sure you read the licenses.

Stock Art

Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/

Royalty free images and stock art. They also have a section for illustrations, both color and black and white.

Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/

Free images and stock art. Wonderful site with an explicit policy against uploading AI artwork.

Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

It might take some digging, but there is a ton of photography and art here. A great resource especially for old paintings and illustrations from books.

Ask Nicely

Last but not least, if you see artwork that would work for your cover, you can ask the artist if you can use it with credit. Since many books here are available for free, I'm sure many artists wouldn't mind letting you use art with proper credits. (However, if you plan to publish for sale, you either need to use royalty free resources or pay the artist.)

HAPPY CREATING!

No?

I wouldn't stop using AI, will I prefer to have a hand drawn cover, I don't have the money to make all the illustrations for my story when I didn't get paid for it.

If most of the writers here didn't have AI to make their covers, they would steal images from anywhere with google help. It's better to have the AI create something.

Also, depending of the AI, it was trained to be able to drawn like that, they don't steal all the art from somewhere. They may use some art at the base for the training purpose, but guess what? That how real artist trained too, by copying what they like, and you can see that in every area of drawning, even more for the manga, a lot of them have started by copying another mangaka style and with training and little change, they adopted their own styles.