Hop scotch under the Cherry Tree

1...2...3...4...sky?


A suggestion from Linda. I nixed it immediately but it stuck in my brain all night until the next day when I came up with a solution to make it work.

"Sky", may become "home"...but Linda swore the end word when she was growing up was sky....

I could have sworn it was "home", but I was the shy kid at recess under the tree with my nose in a book.

He's just not that into you...

Maybe if you introduced yourself.

Maybe when the timing is right.

Maybe when you get that new shiny bike for your birthday.

He'll notice you then, right?

Looking at her in color it seems to me that she is plotting how to get his attention then feeling rejected because he doesn't know she exists.

I still need a new scanner...

A good book.

A good book.

A vivid imagination.

A grassy knoll and a tree for comfort.

Travel without the suitcase.

Not sure if in the color version I will keep the castle.

Tree House and Hot Air Balloon

Wouldn't you want to go on an adventurous hot air balloon ride?

Wouldn't you want to live in a tree house on a rolling idyllic hillside?

I thought so...

Star Antlered Deer

This is the sort of deer, or gazelle, that leaps through dreams at night.

It started simply enough, one antler, but then it multiplied.

"Why not?", I thought.

The addition of the stars was another, "Why not?"

Swinging Free

Happiness is best found in the simple things.

The rush of air on your face, companionship of a good friend, a beautiful day.

Cover Confusion—When two book covers use the same base image.

Never judge a book by it's cover?


On left: The Girl in the Glass; A Novel, 2005
On right: Life is Short but Wide, 2009

Oh, mighty confusion for the customer.

Two different books, published within 3 years of each other. The one on the left came first, the one on the right I saw in my Barnes & Noble email this morning.

Two different publishers, did they hire the same designer? What about the Art Director? Did anyone notice this design faux pas or was it deliberately done to increase the new book's sales? Yes, in most cases we designers pull images from the same stock...but this much similarity in design, including the tiny text within the door panels can't be coincidence. Or can it?

Cover differences:

Text treatment.

Butterfly instead of boots.

One is cropped slightly closer to the viewer.

Higher saturation in image on right.

At any rate, I recommend reading Jeffrey Ford to anyone, The Portrait of Mrs. . Charbuque was an exquisite read. He's the author of the book on the left.

Which cover design do you prefer?

Update: Googled for more info and better written too!