Click on the image to view it larger Here it is, the new banner for my Artisan-Sorcerer novels, designed partly with AI, (please read my recent post about this issue before spouting off!), but with a huge amount of guidance on concept design and imagery from me.The text is 100% my work, and this description has already been in use for a few years. From left to right are: Bethany Rose, Rowan, Tamsin, and Fabian. Bethany has one of her sketchbooks, Rowan has his camera, Tamsin's wearing her beloved ankh cross, and Fabian's... well, being Fabian. One of his masks is amongst the symbols tucked away in the border. In the background are the Palm House in Sefton Park, the Liver Buildings (Three Graces), and the Liverpool waterfront -- not without a bit of poetic/artistic license, as anyone with even a smattering of knowledge of the city will know that Sefton Park is definitely not on the waterfront. The park is just over the road from the Artisan-Sorcerer's shared home, though...

  In recent weeks, I've been busy creating new book covers as I have almost finished writing the first draft of the 5th Artisan-Sorcerer novel. It's been tricky ensuring the details on the covers are right, that the figures look exactly like the characters in the story in my head, and that the covers, when viewed together, present a clear visual theme to prospective readers. I'm not ready to reveal the covers just yet. I need to sit with the designs for a while, waiting to make sure they're right. The image above is an older "explainer" graphic, which I will need to update to match the new, improved covers. I've now pinned-up print-outs of the covers so I can patiently study them over the next week or so. There is so much to consider, such as text size, visual language, creating a visual hook, and so on. Back in my art school days I took two additional courses to my main Fine Art Painting subject: Design, and Critical Studies. The courses didn't touch ...