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ksmithI noticed a few days ago that the Incident E-arc at Universe possessed something that looked suspiciously like artwork. It doesn't blow up well--I tried--but it's sized perfectly for use as an icon.
And once again, Jani-of-the-baggy-coveralls is poured into second skin Spandex. And the weapon's too big. But her hair is short, which is a nice change of pace**. And Annalise (the young girl/other main character) looks pretty much as she ought, from what I can tell.
Artwork, be it covers or other first page stuff, is designed to attract readers. I know this. The Jani covers, which some folks have really liked and others have labeled "Baen surplus", imply certain story elements--adventure, violence, crime, explosions, some sort of military/espionage/whatever. Not quiet. Not a cozy. I'm not sure if the Spandex-clad limbs imply sex. Female characters in space opera have worn revealing clothing for as long as I've read the books and watched the movies/programs. I tend to think it's more anatomy as scenery as this point than 'come and get your love'. As an aside, that's one reason why I enjoyed Alien and Aliens so much. Ripley and the other women dressed appropriately for messy, physical jobs. No makeup. Functional haircuts. Not that miniskirts and knee-high boots don't have their place, but I'd hate to have to shimmy up a ladder in them.
But I digress.
I'm not sure if anyone would buy a Jani book if it bore what I would consider a true representation of Jani Kilian. A Claudia Black look-a-like with short, black hair, brown-gold skin, and green-on-green eyes, wearing a functional trouser suit or baggy coverall, holding a sidearm that would actually fit into a holster, and staring out at the reader. Glaring, maybe. Or just waiting to see what their intentions were. The image might make me feel better, but whilw it would imply much on a character level, I'm not sure it would telegraph all the information to the prospective reader that they would need to see in order to determine whether it was a book they wanted to read.
**although the possibility exists that the cover for J5 may feature Jani-with-short-hair.
And once again, Jani-of-the-baggy-coveralls is poured into second skin Spandex. And the weapon's too big. But her hair is short, which is a nice change of pace**. And Annalise (the young girl/other main character) looks pretty much as she ought, from what I can tell.
Artwork, be it covers or other first page stuff, is designed to attract readers. I know this. The Jani covers, which some folks have really liked and others have labeled "Baen surplus", imply certain story elements--adventure, violence, crime, explosions, some sort of military/espionage/whatever. Not quiet. Not a cozy. I'm not sure if the Spandex-clad limbs imply sex. Female characters in space opera have worn revealing clothing for as long as I've read the books and watched the movies/programs. I tend to think it's more anatomy as scenery as this point than 'come and get your love'. As an aside, that's one reason why I enjoyed Alien and Aliens so much. Ripley and the other women dressed appropriately for messy, physical jobs. No makeup. Functional haircuts. Not that miniskirts and knee-high boots don't have their place, but I'd hate to have to shimmy up a ladder in them.
But I digress.
I'm not sure if anyone would buy a Jani book if it bore what I would consider a true representation of Jani Kilian. A Claudia Black look-a-like with short, black hair, brown-gold skin, and green-on-green eyes, wearing a functional trouser suit or baggy coverall, holding a sidearm that would actually fit into a holster, and staring out at the reader. Glaring, maybe. Or just waiting to see what their intentions were. The image might make me feel better, but whilw it would imply much on a character level, I'm not sure it would telegraph all the information to the prospective reader that they would need to see in order to determine whether it was a book they wanted to read.
**although the possibility exists that the cover for J5 may feature Jani-with-short-hair.
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-25 03:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-25 03:17 am (UTC)That cover is an experiment that kinda failed. If you hold the book at an angle and look between the E of Kristine and the S of Smith, you will see a lightly embossed face. Yes, it's supposed to be a hint of Jani, but the proportions are completely whacked. She was also stuck with a weird bowl haircut. The aim was to make her look Asian. It might have worked if they hadn't run out of book cover.
If the J5 cover resembles the preliminary shots, we will all see more of Jani's face.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-27 12:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-27 06:10 pm (UTC)Actually, my first sketch (rejected) depicted Jani in coveralls Here is a link
http://www.angelfire.com/realm3/leekuruganti/index/index.album?i=46&s=1 (It was pretty bad, the sketch, not Jani.)
I loved the Alien movies also. The women wore comfortable functional clothing. I imagine Jani as wearing loose urban-edge future wear with asian-style. LK
no subject
Date: 2006-11-27 06:27 pm (UTC)I imagine Jani as wearing loose urban-edge future wear with asian-style.
After she comes out of hiding and is able to dress relatively professionally, yes, this would be a cool style for her. During the time she's in hiding...it's a time when she is going out of her way to make herself appear unattractive because she doesn't want/can't afford the attention, and I can see that while a sketch like that might be interesting froma character study pov, it would not be the sort of image that would likely attract a reader.
I've reached the point with covers/illustrations where I really do tend to look at the image and reader attraction above all else. Not a scene in the book? OK. Jani put into clothing that she would ever wear? I can deal. My editor ixnays the cleavage and spike heels, and I totally agree. But there's still a lot of leeway there, and not all of it may be strictly representative of the character as I see her, but if it conveys the mood of the story and draws in the reader and looks cool, I'm pretty happy.
Hi, btw. Thanks for stopping by!
no subject
Date: 2006-11-28 02:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-28 11:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 12:05 am (UTC)It's the most Jani-like Jani yet. Dark skin and everything. Wow.