*whispers* Queen of typos, let's go!

What type of graphics do you make, and which type is your favorite?

I tend to stick with making book covers, but I do tend to dabble in logo design and other advertising as well. It may not come as a surprise to anyone who is familiar with my style, but I really do love typography. Playing with text and making all of the letters weave together is just such a relaxing and beautiful kind of cover to make. And it may not come as a surprise to any of my students, but I do love me some dramatic lighting! Any cover that gives me the opportunity to paint lighting realistically is a good one in my book. Being someone with a background in digital painting, doing something more involved like lighting is a breath of fresh air.

My favorite genre of book covers to make (what a surprise) would be fantasy, but I also love branching out into genres like horror, historical fiction, dark romance, and science fiction. In the past few months, I've been trying out a lot of new genres and cover types, so I'm really looking forward to expanding my interests and strengths.

How long have you been designing graphics?

Although it may surprise many, I actually started my graphic design journey way back in 2009. Only in early 2015 did I start making book covers. I started making pixel art, digital paintings, and page layouts in the beginning. Eventually, I found Wattpad and my love for art and books melded together.

How did you start?

Continuing off of the last question, I started designing on a silly pixel horse game called Howrse. There, I ran my own "graphics group", if you could even call it that haha, of page layout designers. I took orders for layouts for years on the site but I eventually grew tired of it. I found Wattpad soon later and it was only natural for me to branch off into book cover design. Although it was hard at first, I am very thankful that I had such a background in art that allowed me to switch over the cover design fairly quickly. I really do admire a lot of the designers on here that start with little to no experience and grow to such an amazing level in a short period of time. It really does blow me away. I couldn't imagine myself being able to do that.

What is your favorite part about graphic design?

Despite running into a few nasty requesters along the way, my favorite part would have to be the people I get to meet. It's an absolute honor to make a book cover for something that someone put so much hard work and love into. It's a magical experience to hear just a little bit about these stories and bring them to life through my covers. A satisfied customer is one of the most beautiful things and really does warm my heart. Being able to reach so many people with my work is one of the things that makes me most happy about my career choice. I'm gaining experience from every order, yet making that final piece of an author's soul is one of those things I'd never trade for the world.

I swear, I just go off and get sappy with these things. Someone stop me.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I'd say that I get inspiration from my own experiences rather than other people. I tend to get most of my inspiration from emotions and my surroundings instead. For example, frustration may inspire art with a mighty warrior or sadness may inspire art with muted colors and strong themes of tragedy.

How long does a graphic typically take you?

Oof.
Major oof.

*clears throat*
Well uh...

It depends. I'd say that my average time nowadays is about two hours, but it's a really wide range. I've spent 30 minutes on a cover and I've spent 9 hours. It all depends on what I have to do. If I have to paint stock images myself, then it does tend to take a long time. If I get lucky and find the perfect stocks, then it may be a quick cover. But as a perfectionist, I credit most of the time to not being satisfied with my work. The time really just depends on the situation.

What advice would you give aspiring desires?

If I were to go back and tell myself something, I'd tell myself to stop comparing myself to other designers. Although it may be a good push, you should never let it consume you. It doesn't matter if they make better art. It's not about them, it's about you. It's all about your journey. Allowing yourself to get so caught up in others will only slow your journey and cause you pain. What you need to do is focus on that passion and your own goals. You can definitely make your goal to be at the level of someone you look up to, but you should never hope to be on the same path as them. All of our journeys are our own and the only thing that truly matters is the expression of your own creativity.

A fun fact about yourself:

I went through a major vampire phase when I was 9. I used to write in my diary claiming that my secret vampire boyfriend was coming to save me every single day that my parents asked me to clean my room. Then I wore my vampire fangs to school every day for recess and one of the girls from my school still thinks I'm a vampire to this day. Joke's on her because I got all the vampire boys c;

We were all interesting children, just ask my friend that thought she was a werewolf.

Phew, now to wait to see if I failed at checking for typos.