Balloon Hats

A few changes can be enough for a story.

The expressions didn't changed, but the silence is enough to express the moment. I hope you got a chuckle from this comic. :)

Redesign a Book Cover

Original cover

I have entered a short story contest at Figment.com before, but I just noticed the book cover contests. You redesign the cover of a new young adult book. Entries have to be original work. You must own any photos used; So no stock photos. The first chapter is provided on the website to get a sense of the story.

Judging: The author chooses ten finalists, and then the public votes for those ten.

Prizes: Finalists get a signed copy of the book while the winner gets a signed copy and recognition for his/her winning entry as the new book cover.

Last month I entered the False Memory book cover contest. My entry was not selected as a finalists, but you can vote here until November 9th if you have a Facebook account. I root for four finalists. The winner will be announced on November 12.

Here is my entry done on Photoshop.

My entry

Factors I considered:
* How to play with title?
* How much of the story to tell? (I researched reviews.)
* How to target both genders?

Thoughts after entering:
* The author's name needs stand out a bit more.
* Try altering faces more to look less like referenced faces.
* I tried a clean look, but next time try background texture, which most young adult books have.
* The contest was a good exercise for design and Photoshop.

Because contests are not just about winning, here is one of my favorite postmodern quotes from Sonmi-451's section in Cloud Atlas:

So winners, Hae-Joo proposed, are the real losers because they learn nothing? What, then, are losers? Winners?

Original cover

The current contest for Beta has been extended to November 26. The rules are the same except for ages 13-25. Here is the contest page.

I probably will not enter the Beta contest because I want to finish a few current projects. There is 11 days left if I change my mind. The book synopsis actually reminds me of Sonmi-451 .

In this case, I root for Ashley's "I am a Beta" entry. =) I left a comment on her entry. Voting for this contest is not open yet.

Ashley's entry

For any Figment contest, I recommend checking contest details at least weekly. In both of the writing and book cover contests I entered, details including the deadline were changed without an announcement or email. In the writing contest, the deadline change did not work in my favor. =/

Good luck if you enter. Make the process a fun learning one.

Selfish, but Cute, Hedgehog

As a fan of wordplay, I had to share this tee design:

"Hedgehogs Can't Share" tee for $19.95

Cute little guy with a small speech bubble.

Cowabunga!

Along with Halloween, October is National Pizza Month.  So how about looking at some big fans of pizza, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT).

"Vote Pizza Party" classic 80s tee for $20

Hello, Raphael.

Nickelodeon promoted the more recent series with this chalk illusion in London. I am sure that everyone wishes the drawing was a permanent mural.

"Ancient Ninja Xenomorphs"

More and more TMNT printed tees are coming out probably because of Micheal Bay's TMNT film reboot.

However, On the UK website The Guardian, I read that the 2013 film pushed back to 2014 because of the fans' voiced disapproval of the mutant turtles portrayed as aliens. The Guardian believes the production may be dropped altogether.

An artist, Billy Allison, did a great depiction of the ninjas like Ridley Scott's Alien.  I linked the tee's title to prints and device covers, but he has the design available as a tee too.




Here's two tees that take after the turtles' names: Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello.

"Renaissance Ninjas" tee for $22.50

"Heroes in an Art Shell" tee currently sold out.

"Ninja Rhapsody" print for $15

Did you know that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a comic before a TV show? How about that all four wore red?

Artist Hillary White knew. Her design on the right is no longer available at RiptApparel, but you can still get a $15 print. It is a mash-up of one of Queen's album covers.

Even when dressed the same, Raphael stands out.

Original TV show in the 80s

There are more TMNT tees, but don't forget to celebrate National Pizza Month.

I have always wondered if banana toppings tasted good.  Do you remember what other toppings these turtles tried?

I did not find a tee or print of this one,
but it is still worth sharing.

Half-way Through Insignia

I have been picky on sci-fi books this summer. Currently, I am half-way through Insignia by S. J. Kincaid, and I am already more trilled and satisfied than from I, Robot: To Protect and The Maze Runner. If you were in the same room as me as I read Insignia, then you would become intrigued and jealous from how much I laugh and gasp.

Insignia is a new Young Adult (YA) Sci-Fi book published this past July. I found about it from the Dark Days of Summer promotional event for YA dystopias such as Insurgent by Veronica Ruth. I did not attend the event, but it was successful if non-attendees read the books because of the promotion. The first half of Insignia has more military and cyber themes than a dystopic theme.

Reviewers on GoodReads.com described Insignia as "Ender's Game and Harry Potter." Kid recruits are divided into divisions according to talents, but the half point of the book is when it feels more like Hogwarts. The hacker attacks and divisions points reminded me of wizard duels and the houses. By the way, a hacker's target is more personal than your computer. I leave that aspect for you to find out because it is part of the main story for the series.

Still need to look good for the camera.

If those two book comparisons are not enough for you, then how about the need for a sponsor like in The Hunger Games? A sponsorship in Insignia involves more politics and businesses like the fictional war does. Teen soldiers are recruited to fight by controlling robots. The book has an interesting mix.

I recommend Insignia. The beginning may feel too young for older audiences, but hang in there until Tom Raines, the main character, is recruited. It has numerous fun moments and conflicts. The characters have more depth than in The Maze Runner.

Insignia is a series like all the other books I listed. I am not going to read the next installment of I, Robot: To Protect or The Maze Runner, but I am eager for Kincaid's book after Insignia.

Let me know if you read Insignia. =)

Using the Little Details

Click for a closer view of listed areas and details.

Johnny Cupcakes did a great job on the ice cream packages such as the sense of volume. Also, look at the suggested pressed lines in the ends. You get a sense of texture, making the image seem more tangible.

I appreciate that little detail because I do not enjoy reading descriptions that stray from the story too much and disrupt the flow.

For example, in I Robot: To Protect, the amount of detail given to food annoyed me most during a conversation. The narrator stated delight in the person on this date, but her attention was more on the food. Each described bite felt like a tree in my way as I tried to follow the conversation's direction.

Therefore, I try to describe to illustrate a character's feelings or to set the tone. If I describe to help the reader imagine an object, then giving tangible details like Johnny's pressed lines help the reader remember having felt the object before. Kudos to you if your readers feel as if they have held that object without having touched or seen it before.

The only thing I would change in Johnny's image is to make an edge of the package bend. This detail makes the representation less perfect, but more familiar. He wanted perfect symmetry though. Plus the package bend can draw your eye away from the main content.

Thank you to my sister for the Snickers ice cream bar at this moment. Now for ice cream that I can actually experience.

Cancer Walk

My sister is on the left.

My younger sister, Therese, is participating in the Susan G. Komen breast cancer walk in November. She is participating because family members have had cancer--for two of them it was breast cancer.

If you'd like to donate, then Therese's page is HERE. Donations can be made online or by phone.

Donations are tax-deductible, but you have to put your name instead of 'Anonymous." Double check with you tax adviser though. You will receive an email receipt.

No cash donations. International donations are accepted only by credit card.

Thank you for donating or sharing Therese's page. =)