here is f&v byt!!! with notes on gender stuff on the final image!!! basically lots of mixing of imperial class-gender presentations, alongside distinctly jianghu-specific presentation elements
dan is still working on selling the distribution rights for We're All Doomed! so i decided to make some DVD/Blu-ray disc jacket art!
this is my attempt at a traditional jacket design! none of the images used are mine, but i did create the concept and design:
as i was making the first one for myself, i was struck by the fact that 'well, it's for me, so it doesn't have to look like a stereotypical jacket cover' which led me to be more artsy in my approach for the next one:
i was really enjoying the creativity and space to explore, so i went looking for more inspiration for a third design. this led me to dan's favourite Muse album: Origin of Symmetry, which i paid homage to:
after the first Muse album, i looked at their catalogue to see if there was more inspiration there. i was just thankful dan's favourite was easy stylistically to mimic, unlike say, 2009's The Resistance...
thank you @danielhowell for the inspiration!
nerdy stuff & reference pics below the cut!
General notes
i don't know how to use photoshop! i entirely brute-forced my way through the whole project, and the only tutorial i looked up was for the gradient text in the 4th cover
this wasn't even the original project i was working on! you'll eventually get to see that though
and this one also inspired art for the disc itself so stay tuned 👀
i will do anything for authenticity so these are Full of intentional details
matching fonts is a nightmare
the traditional cover
took the longest, as it was the first.
the barcode numbers are the date of the first video he uploaded on dinof, and the last tour show date (in m/d/y)
i changed 'iceland' to 'poland' on the front cover, as he never actually went to iceland, and poland wasn't ever on the list even though he did go there
the orange may look a little off-center in the front, but these designs need to include space for a spine between the front and back cover, i promise it's right 😂
the black and white cover
inspired by the 'i want to believe' aliens poster
the cover art comes from his metal band merch shirt design
i had to manually shrink the text, line by line, and ensure it all lined up on the back!
i even made the logos on the back greyscale
the Muse: Origin of Symmetry cover
a shockingly perfect style for a WAD cover. i'm so glad i used the cubes, even if they couldn't be orange.
there's some versions of the art online where the sky is even more orange and it baffles me how i haven't seen any parallels like this before
the Muse: The Resistance cover
this cover was never supposed to see the light of day! i meant it when i said i was grateful i didn't have to try to adapt this complex design... and yet, i tried anyway.
i did all the grid lines by hand, including the jagged/broken edge parts, shading each section, and then drawing every star.
the hardest part was getting the gradient on the back text to cooperate. photoshop's gradient settings are surprisingly limited
gotta shout out @amazingphil for being the reason i knew what this cover looked like--it's the only muse album i knew the art of before embarking on this quest!
obligatory sob story:
i've been extremely and suddenly ill for 6 months. it is difficult to function moment to moment, but especially in doing little things just for me. this is the first and only art project i've been able to feel inspired to not only work on, but to finish, and despite the pain and long hours, i enjoyed every minute of it. thank you, dan, for creating this space for me to explore, and thank you, everyone here, for being wonderful support during this time 💞
[ID: a grayscale art piece of Gwindor (torso up). The background is entirely black and he is depicted as merging into the background, as his hair and torso are almost indistinguishable from the black background and his face his heavily shaded. The left part of his face includes a circlet that is keeping his hair back. The right side and the middle part of his face have hair strewn all over, some more intense shadows, and scars. Overall, he is looking forward with a tired and slightly apathetic expression. End ID]
Even though, for sure / You won’t remember me. / No, you won’t remember me. tolkien vibes pt 2/?
