Looking for an artist to do cover for my novel but I am broke so I can't pay (Free)

[Enchant]

I am broke so I am looking if anyone wants to draw a simple cover it's okay too if it anime kind I just want someone to draw a adult man with blue hair and he wears black suit and in his back is a black being with black clothes with hoodie his face is covered with black fog even his body like this
And the being in his back is like this

 

[KoyukiMegumi]

Hm... I doubt anyone will do anything for free. I might be wrong, but I recommend you just do your own. Take those pictures, trace what you want the outlines, and change them to what you want. You can do this with hair, body, eyes, poses, everything you want. Coloring and doing this will take hours, but it is better than asking for a free complex drawing.

 

[joeblow12]

Well if you do somehow find someone, then please send him to me afterwards.

 

[KrisVFX]

I am broke so I am looking if anyone wants to draw a simple cover it's okay too if it anime kind I just want someone to draw a adult man with blue hair and he wears black suit and in his back is a black being with black clothes with hoodie his face is covered with black fog even his body like this
And the being in his back is like thisView attachment 9992

I don't think anyone is willing to make a custom cover for you. That is unless your book has a lot of readers, that way the artist will get some kind of compensation from that as well. For now, you should consider using a cover you find from google. (Make sure to put the artist's @ if you do so)
That's what most of the authors on this site do until they can afford to buy their own illustration!

Hm... I doubt anyone will do anything for free. I might be wrong, but I recommend you just do your own. Take those pictures, trace what you want the outlines, and change them to what you want. You can do this with hair, body, eyes, poses, everything you want. Coloring and doing this will take hours, but it is better than asking for a free complex drawing.

Well, tracing can get you in a lot of trouble. So you should probably get the artist's permission to do so. (That is of course if you are using it to earn money.)

 

[celestial]

 

[KoyukiMegumi]

Well, tracing can get you in a lot of trouble. So you should probably get the artist's permission to do so.

I meant it in the way that it turns into a completely different image from where it started. Not using the same image with different colors. Changing the image to be different, eventually, isn't the same picture. It may have the same poses, but not the same. So, I might be wrong, but I am a writer, and I think we can write the same story in different ways.

As long as it differs, it is a different story. But I guess it can if you do it the same way?

I might be wrong, I guess. But it wouldn't be the first time an artist has inspiration from a picture and attempts to recreate it. It is like trying to make a style yours when others may just happen upon it, too. Cartoon, anime, all other styles, most look alike too. So, no, don't use the same picture. Make it into your own.

As if using a skeleton, then filling it to your own uniqueness. That is how I see it. Not a copy-paste.

(That is of course if you are using it to earn money.)

If anyone is making money out of their book or plans to. They should hire instead of asking for a free picture.

 

[SailusGebel]

If anyone is making money out of their book or plans to. They should hire instead of asking for a free picture.

People judge books by covers here. An author might want to make money to pay for covers. If an author doesn't have money to do this yet, any cover would be better than no cover. A free picture counts as any cover. Kinda hard to hire someone when you PLAN to earn money to hire someone.

 

[KoyukiMegumi]

People judge books by covers here. An author might want to make money to pay for covers. If an author doesn't have money to do this yet, any cover would be better than no cover. A free picture counts as any cover. Kinda hard to hire someone when you PLAN to earn money to hire someone.

Or they could just make their own while making their money. As you said, having a cover is better than no cover. So, they should just pick a picture rather than asking for a free custom-made one. I spoke in relation to this post, not that a free picture is bad. There are websites that provide them, without having to ask for someone's time.

As I said, I could be wrong and someone might do the picture for him, but chances of that are low.

 

[LostLibrarian]

Kinda hard to hire someone when you PLAN to earn money to hire someone.

But you don't need to hire someone to make the money to then hire someone.
There are million of free images you can find and use as a cover foundation. There are also a lot of smaller artists who willingly give you the right to use their art for free. That would be "any cover".

I think the negative reactions are based on the "please work for free for me" because it has to be "unique" or "fitting the vision for the novel". You also wouldn't go to an editor and say "Please edit 50k words for free, because I want to make enough money to later pay for an editor. Probably also someone else and not you."


I also use a "free cover" for my side-project because right now I don't have the money to pay for the quality I want. But to me, there is a difference between "going out of your way to search fitting images and asking the artists/putting a title on it" and "expecting that work to be done for you"...

 

[SailusGebel]

Or they could just make their own while making their money. As you said, having a cover is better than no cover. So, they should just pick a picture rather than asking for a free custom-made one. I spoke in relation to this post, not that a free picture is bad. There are websites that provide them, without having to ask for someone's time.

As I said, I could be wrong and someone might do the picture for him, but chances of that are low.

Yeah, the chances are low. And yes, it would be better to look for a free picture and edit it yourself. But your statement is the following. "If anyone is making money out of their book or plans to. They should hire instead of asking for a free picture." I can't understand how and why you should hire someone when you PLAN to make money from your book. But maybe I misunderstand something.

But you don't need to hire someone to make the money to then hire someone.
There are million of free images you can find and use as a cover foundation. There are also a lot of smaller artists who willingly give you the right to use their art for free. That would be "any cover".

I think the negative reactions are based on the "please work for free for me" because it has to be "unique" or "fitting the vision for the novel". You also wouldn't go to an editor and say "Please edit 50k words for free, because I want to make enough money to later pay for an editor. Probably also someone else and not you."


I also use a "free cover" for my side-project because right now I don't have the money to pay for the quality I want. But to me, there is a difference between "going out of your way to search fitting images and asking the artists/putting a title on it" and "expecting that work to be done for you"...

Yeah-yeah. The only thing I disagreed with is the statement that was said with 100% certainty. "If anyone is making money out of their book or plans to. They should hire instead of asking for a free picture." I didn't disagree that you should spend money on the cover if you have money, nor did I say that you shouldn't make a cover yourself. Neither did I say that asking for a free picture is bad or good, nor did I defend OP.

 

[ElijahRyne]

I am broke so I am looking if anyone wants to draw a simple cover it's okay too if it anime kind I just want someone to draw a adult man with blue hair and he wears black suit and in his back is a black being with black clothes with hoodie his face is covered with black fog even his body like this
And the being in his back is like thisView attachment 9992

Do you like?

 

[LostLibrarian]

The majority of my post was towards why people react negatively towards such thing based on the alternatives to "I want stuff for free!". I mostly used your posting as a hook, because "planning" to make money is - in my eyes - a reason more to not ask for free stuff.


I also honestly don't understand why "the author hasn't made money with writing yet" would be a problem. When I want to play in a band and make money through that, I have to buy my instruments. When I want to make money through sports, I'll have to go and buy equipment.

If you can't or don't want to invest the money in a cover, then writing is only a hobby at that point. And every hobby needs time and money invested in it, especially if you want to later make money out of it. It might be my upbringing or my earlier experiences with traditional publishing, but I find it baffling when people want covers for free when they plan to make money with that.


I mean it's the OP's right to ask for it and good on him if they find someone. No shade thrown in that direction. There is no clear "good" - "bad" here as long as you abide copyright. I just can't understand the reasoning and wouldn't do it... but again, that might just be on me.

 

[KoyukiMegumi]

Yeah, the chances are low. And yes, it would be better to look for a free picture and edit it yourself. But your statement is the following. "If anyone is making money out of their book or plans to. They should hire instead of asking for a free picture." I can't understand how and why you should hire someone when you PLAN to make money from your book. But maybe I misunderstand something.

It is a misunderstanding. Because I was typing about the post, not about a free picture. So, I basically was saying, instead of asking someone to spend their time on a costume work for free, they should just do one themselves, find it or pay for it. It can be said in different ways, but that is basically what I was trying to convey.

Idk, I don't like it when people expect something for free. Unless the artist offers. When they offer to do work for free, that is 100% different. But also don't expect them to come through too. It is free and they can change their minds. Especially on something that people spend hours on. Like on my own draws, I spend hours sometimes days trying to perfect and they still lack. So, I have a healthy understanding of an artist's time and work.

Heck, if I had money, I would pay for my own covers, save the time and effort, but I don't. So, I do what I can do best. And that is what I suggested to the OP.

 

[greyblob]

Yeah, the chances are low. And yes, it would be better to look for a free picture and edit it yourself. But your statement is the following. "If anyone is making money out of their book or plans to. They should hire instead of asking for a free picture." I can't understand how and why you should hire someone when you PLAN to make money from your book. But maybe I misunderstand something.


Yeah-yeah. The only thing I disagreed with is the statement that was said with 100% certainty. "If anyone is making money out of their book or plans to. They should hire instead of asking for a free picture." I didn't disagree that you should spend money on the cover if you have money, nor did I say that you shouldn't make a cover yourself. Neither did I say that asking for a free picture is bad or good, nor did I defend OP.

 

[Jesse.S.Pierce]

Unironically better to have this than an empty canvas as your cover. Just saying.

 

[SailusGebel]

The majority of my post was towards why people react negatively towards such thing based on the alternatives to "I want stuff for free!". I mostly used your posting as a hook, because "planning" to make money is in my eyes a reason more to not ask for free stuff. But that's probably based on my worldview...


I also honestly don't understand why "the author hasn't made money with writing yet" would be a problem. When I want to play in a band and make money through that, I have to buy my instruments. When I want to make money through sports, I'll have to go and buy equipment.

If you can't or don't want to invest the money in a cover, then writing is only a hobby at that point. And every hobby needs time and money invested in it, especially if you want to later make money out of it. It might be my upbringing or my earlier experiences with traditional publishing, but I find it baffling when people want covers for free.


I mean it's the OP's right to ask for it and good on him if they find someone. No shade thrown in that direction. I just can't understand the reasoning and wouldn't do it... but again, that might just be on me.

Then why are you replying to me? I don't like this as well when someone wants something for free. So what? What do you intend to prove to me? @KoyukiMegumi said that I misunderstood the message. With this fact, our small dialogue is finished.

 

[greyblob]

Unironically better to have this than an empty canvas as your cover. Just saying.
View attachment 9997

I'll be honest... I'd 100% click on this.

 

[lnv]

The reason why people get upset when asked for free art is because it is a bit insulting to the artist. Drawing takes time, and lots of practice.

To put it in a way an author can understand, it is like saying "Hey, I got a great idea for a story. Can someone write the story for me for free?"

Of course there will be cases where artists offer to do covers for free, there is also AI generated art that can be used for covers. They can at least provide a person, and adding some smoke via blur or a brush is pretty easy.

 

[tiaf]

Unironically better to have this than an empty canvas as your cover. Just saying.
View attachment 9997

Ironically is quite catching as a thumbnail.

in his back is a black being with black clothes with hoodie his face is covered with black fog even his body like this

You know, there is too much black and not enough contrast. It will look like a black blob unless you meet an artist that is good with greyscale coloring or that being is simply not completely black.

I can't get the image out of my head that the black being is being carried in the back [of the suit].

Also, this photo edit took about half an hour?
Pixabay and hiclipart have enough free png (background-free) images that fit your needs. There are enough free programs that can do simple edits.

Fyi, the illustration in the background took 4hours. How simple does the half/full-body illustration have to be so that it is free and customized? Here's the answer:

View attachment 9994

I love stick figures. They make my day. Would 100% use a stick figure cover for my next work.


So what did we learn?
- black being+black hoodie+black fog= black blob
- stick figures are the best
- fast edit covers are sometimes more catching than time-consuming illustrations
- SH peeps are great at editing pictures together

 

[K5Rakitan]

Before I got kicked off Wattpad, I remember it being pretty easy to get free covers there. Things may have changed a bunch, though. I heard a rumor that they completely eliminated their forum section.