Hey, Sailor! Is the new makeup line coming from MAC Cosmetics this Spring 2012 season! I obviously can’t wait…it’s pin-up/sailor awesomeness! 
Finally a line I will and HAVE to buy one of each for!! Just had to share the beautiful images of whats to come! I’m going with one of my pals Andrea to check out this line and get done-up when it releases! I cant wait!
A local animated film studio, who also created one of my favorite films “Coraline”, Laika, is coming out with a new animated stop motion animated film, “ParaNorman”. The story is about a boy who isn’t quite “normal” to those around him. He’s sort of the outcast, and a unique character. He has a love for all things zombie, and scary movies. When I saw the preview for the first time, I instantly was excited…I mean, a zombie alarm clock…a zombie toothbrush!…and a crazy lil’ boy character making foamy zombie faces in a mirror with his toothpaste while moaning like a zombie…”I LOVE this kid!” I thought! As the preview progresses you learn that Norman, see’s the paranormal. He see’s ghosts and can talk to them just like he can with a living being. He has a side-kick friend who is probably the only person living in his small town that doesn’t think he’s a freak of nature. A witches curse has come to life 300 years later, and its up to Norman, who can talk to the dead to help save his town, as the dead rise to take over the town. The movie is to be out in theaters this August…and I cannot wait! I love Laika, and I loooove that this is a movie about zombies! I can’t wait to start rocking my Norman gear soon!
To celebrate the book release, author C.S. Yelle and friends celebrated by having the cover printed on sugar paper and put onto a cake. He shared the photo with me. Too fun!
I had to create a Journeyline for work, showing my life, and the things that have had emotional significance in my life from the year I was born (1983) until now. It was actually a lot of fun to go back through pictures and try to think about the stuff that happend, obviously a lot more significant stuff since graduating high school in 2001. So Its fun to look back and see most of it.
I thought I’d share it on here, cuz its pretty neat.
enjoy!
Click Here to see the larger PDF view!
The last cover I did, “Defy” by Author Raine Thomas is Released today on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords! You should definitely download or buy the book and start reading it! She’s an amazing YA Author and her books hook you! She is also an amazing person to work with, and I hope I get to continue our working relationship for years to come!
To go along with her book release, she asked me to make a one of a kind custom hair clip themed to the beautiful hair of Tate on the cover of her new book. Sooo I did some digging around and shopping and found JUST the right pieces to make some lucky winner and fan of Raine’s new book have just as stunning hair!
Check out the link to Raine’s blog and find out the details HERE.
Sneak peak…reveal of final piece tomorrow.
Hi Nimbi Friends & Followers,
Unfortunately, due to some unexpected circumstances and recent events, I’m going to have to put my Etsy shop and additional work right now on hold. I’ll be putting my Etsy shop on “Vacation” mode and won’t be accepting any new freelance/book cover work until June 1st.
Please feel free to contact me via email, as I’ll be able to set up time/work to start after the 1st of June.
Thanks so much for all your support and patience! I’m excited to get back up and running again in June.
Best,
XoXoXo Devan
Im so excited to finally get to blog and share the cover design I recently did for YA Author Raine Thomas. Its been a long work in progress, and the reveal day is FINALLY here! Raine even asked me if I’d be interested in being interviewed for her blog, and I gladly accepted. Here is a link to her blog, as well it’s copied/pasted below. I hope you enjoy!! Would LLOOOOVE to hear some feedback!! Best wishes, and more to come in the next few weeks!! HUGS!!
I’ve never considered myself challenged when it comes to keeping surprises, but having to wait over a month before releasing the cover of Defy has definitely tested my willpower! It has helped to have the involvement of wonderful book bloggers and fellow writers participating in the release. They’ve all seen the cover and gushed appropriately, which has curbed my desire to share it with the world…a little.
And now the big day is here! What better way to honor the cover reveal of Defy than with an interview with my remarkably talented cover designer, Devan Edwards of Nimbi Design? Here are more juicy details about this person you absolutely have to get to know:
Bio: I’m Devan Edwards. I started up Nimbi Design a few years ago, as a way to have a fun creative outlet for all the different things I enjoy. Nimbi is plural for Nimbus Cloud. The name felt appropriate for living in the NW, where it rains about 7-8 months out of the year–plus, clouds are so cute. I graduated from PNCA in Portland, OR in 2008, and have worked as a Graphic Designer for Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, and am currently a UX/UI Designer for eBay Mobile in Portland.
Nimbi is a fun way for me to be more “crafty” and less technical with the skills I’ve learned through the years, and a way for me to explore other creative outlets using my hands and tools and not just a computer. I do an array of different things and sell them on my online Etsy shop. I make custom letterpress stationery, invitations (digital and layered), glass and metal jewelry, feather and flower hairpieces, greeting cards, needle felt, plushies and more. I do some sewing and just love to mess around with different things that I have in my “Tiffany” colored craft room. My latest and busiest freelance work has become book cover design. I have to say, I absolutely love it and am so grateful for falling upon it!
Now tell us something about you that your bio doesn’t include. Feel free to make us laugh!
I love the outdoors and fly-fishing. It’s my happy place, being on the river with my fly rod, something I’ve done since I was little. Other than that, I am completely obsessed with my Boston Terrier, Mac. I named him after two things I’m obsessed with: Apple and Mac makeup. I thought it might be a good idea to get a girl French Bulldog one day too, to be his friend. I discussed names with my Mom, and thought Tosh would be funny, so that I had Mac ‘n Tosh. (Get it?). Then my mom suggested I name her Fromage. Which is French for “Cheese.” My mom is witty. 
How did you get into book cover design?
A friend of mine that worked with me at Walt Disney World contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in taking on a freelance job designing a book cover for an author. I said “Yes!” Met Raine, and created her first trilogy, The Daughters of Saraqael. I enjoyed it so much, and felt like the design just came together like clockwork. From that and Raine’s fabulous networking skills and my blog, I quickly started getting contacted by other authors wanting to get me to do their next books. Since the first trilogy, I’ve finished eight book covers, and have five currently in progress with talk of more in the next couple of months.
Tell us about some of the challenges you face in designing book covers. What can your clients do to make it a little easier on you?
The hardest part is that typically my only interaction with the author is via e-mail. Most of my clients are in another city or state. I think the fact that I’m able to produce what they want says a lot about my communication, but sometimes it gets difficult to really know what someone is wanting or envisioning when they aren’t there to physically describe something to you. I enjoy working with authors on Skype, sending them files through Skype while I’m working, and being in constant communication. It’s also hard if someone doesn’t realize that book design isn’t my first and only job (hasn’t been too much of a problem yet, thankfully). I work full time 40+ hours a week, and am running my own business at home that also requires my time, not to mention my furbabies and family time. I think as long as authors give me plenty of time to work with them, and don’t expect a cover in just a couple weeks, they’ll be happy and I’ll be stress free. I really enjoy doing this work, and it’s extremely gratifying to me to give an author their vision as an image, and something they and I can both be proud to share.
Which has been your favorite book cover to design and why?
All of them (obviously). I think they all have had unique things brought to the table that challenged me in one way or another. The trickiest and most gratifying so far probably has to be Defy. That hair and model were tricky to work with, and I honestly didn’t know how I was going to pull off the look of her hair, and then…it just worked, and it was pretty awesome! I really enjoy doing scenery too, and I really enjoyed designing the cover for Blood Oath by T.L. Clarke. Creating the mist and having all the details of the girl and the background were really fun to create.
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received regarding your cover design work?
I love seeing the feedback on sites like Amazon, or reading tweets to authors tagging me. One of the best compliments I had was when someone commented on Raine’s first book, Becoming, and said that the cover is what drew her in, to want to look into the book and read, then once they read they were hooked. That let me know that I did my job for Raine. I was able to draw someone in by first glance, to make her think “Ooh what’s this?”, letting Raine’s words take it from there. I also absolutely love the “Eeek!” and “OH MY GOODNESS!” and “This is PERFECT!” that I get from my authors…it makes me happy that they are so happy.
Some authors design their own book covers for monetary reasons. Can you offer them a word of advice to help them achieve the best cover possible outside of hiring a (totally amazing) professional like you?
Keep it simple. The worst thing you can do is use too much imagery on a cover, especially if you aren’t as savvy with programs like Photoshop to manipulate images in a good, crisp way. So, doing things like finding a great photo on a website like iStockphoto.com or something similar can make a huge difference. Also, pay attention to colors and lighting. Reference other books you like and take cues from them. Sometimes black and white imagery can instantly create drama, where a lot of bright colors can show fun and adventure.
Where can we stalk find you?
I am everywhere. On Twitter you can find me @devanescence, Facebook at Nimbi Design, and my blog, which has links to a lot of what I do, including book covers. I try to keep it fun and interesting! I’d also lovemore followers and comments on my blog/posts, to make it a bigger and more interactive blog. You can also shop on my Etsy shop. I have all kinds of fun things on there and LOVE taking on custom orders. There isn’t a whole lot I can’t try to create and work with, so always feel free to contact me or message me for advice or questions, etc.
Thanks so much, Devan! You know how much I <3 you, gal. You’ve made the self-publishing journey wonderfully fun!
And now, I’d love to present the cover that proved to be such a challenge for my brilliant cover designer…Defy!
Seventeen-year-old Tate is about to make her parents’ dreams come true. Unfortunately for her, their dreams foretell her death.
Eager to explore more of the Estilorian plane and prove her abilities, Tate goes against her parents’ wishes and leaves the area of protection surrounding her home. Her choice puts her on a deadly path…one that leaves her alone, severely injured and battling for her life.
Her possible savior arrives in the form of Zachariah, a male who has removed himself from Estilorian society for more than fifty years. Fighting an unexpected connection to Tate, he must decide whether saving her life is worth destroying his.
As Tate struggles to find a way home, she ends up drawn into a dark Mercesti plot involving multiple murders and a powerful ancient artifact. With the unpredictable Zachariah as her only source for aid, she’ll soon find out if her abilities are strong enough to help her defy her Fate.
Don’t forget to add Defy to your Goodreads To-Read list!
Today I start my new adventure of actually using my gym membership that I’ve been paying for since October. I honestly didn’t think I’d get my butt up this morning, but having everything ready the night before made it easier. I encouraged my friend to join the same gym and we both have one near our homes and one central. So starting today I am going to the one by me, and tomorrow and Thursday we’ll meet at the central one. Having a buddy helps encourage you to go. Like having a trainer it’s that accountability. My goal
is to loose 40 lbs. Here we go!!
I got tasked to make a graphic that would be in a Verizon Wireless commercial. You barely even see what I made, and they only used 1 of the 3 screens I made, but still, sorta cool that I got to create a graphic in a commercial. And to see the pre-commercial sketches to the final thing on tv was pretty exciting.
I got to go on a fun business trip to San Jose and then to San Francisco to the 2012 MacWorld convention. It was so much fun. And the Bay Area couldnt have looked any better. It was soooo warm and sunny! Just made for an even better trip and lots of wonderful Vitamin D!
So much fun happend, we ran into comedian Dave Chappell at MacWorld, and I got some awesome fun new gadgets for my iPad, iPhone and software for my iMac. Including, new stylus pens and paintbrushes for my iPad, a cool attachable camera for the iPhone that lets you take Fisheye shots, wide-angled shots, and macro shots with your iPhone. I bought a little plastic deal that connect to your iPad that moves the sound from the back of your iPad forward towards you which makes the sound loud. If you have an iPad or iPhone you’ve done the whole hand cupping around the speakers…well this solves that.
My favorite the Mimobot people were there! They have the cuuuuutest USB drives, custom designed to be awesome pop-culture characters. Last year I bought a Hello Kitty one, and this year I bought a Emily the Strange, Darth Vader, Chewy, and Wonder Woman drives. And I received a awesome Darth Vader t-shirt with my purchase. I got a new keyboard for my iPad that is separate and connects to any blue tooth device like your phone, Apple or Android. And my favorite which I am currently installing now is my new Topaz Software. Its all these different Photoshop plugins that allow you to do amazing photoshop tricks that I can’t wait to use on my new book covers coming out soon!! (4 currently in the works).
Here are some pics from my trip. Ohhh I miss the sun already.
So today my journey towards MacWorld started. Last year my best friend and I went to MacWorld and had a blast, and decided we needed to do it again. It’s been a trip I’ve been looking forward to. Not to mention the addition of both of us winning the $500 shopping spree each to spend AT MacWorld!
In my full time job day-to-day, I am a mobile app designer. Basically I create the pretty graphics and buttons you click on in a iPhone or iPad app on your device. I love my job and it’s an exciting avenue in design. Tomorrow I get to go to work and meet with my colleagues in San Jose and work with and meet new people who do what I do, and I’m very excited about it, and making new connections. I want to blog this week about my week as the days go on, so here it goes:
Earlier this morning…
I was in a bit of a frenzy after realizing that I actually had to start packing and getting my stuff together for this trip. It wasn’t until 2:30-3 that I finally got to leave my house and get coffee and a quick bite at Starbucks on my way to the bank and store. To tell you how frazzled I was and in dire need of some caffeine, after I purchased my coffee and got my change and receipt back from the barista, I started out the door and grabbed my keys, before I realized, I left my coffee and banana loaf bread. Fabulous.
My best friend and I got to the airport in plenty of time, and sat around and chatted, got onto our plain to San Jose, and we’re talking about what we’d expect to find this year at MacWorld, that we can guilt free spend our $500 winnings on.
When we landed we grabbed our bags and headed for the car rental center, got our car info and rode the elevator to the car port where our shiny white Chevy Cruze was waiting for us. We load up the car with our luggage, and get inside. “Where the hell is the ignition?” I asked. Ooooh the technology with a “Push this button to start and feel like an idiot because when you bush this button the car won’t start and we won’t tell you why button”. So after 10 minutes of figuring it out then realizing like any car foot on break first while starting the car, you will have magic appear. Wow did I feel like a cave woman. (and I’m supposed to be super into technology….I’m sorry my ’99 VW Jetta is now considered almost classic, with it’s old school key ignition.).
We headed out of the car port, and started on our way before “…wait..why isn’t the car shifting?” I said. Then Liz asked, “Why is it soooo loud?” so we pulled off to the side of the road, and we’re trying to figure out what the deal was…ohhhh…so this car automatic car has a “manual” option….seriously? So once the car was finally in “drive” and able to shift on its own, we headed to our hotel with the wonderful fragrance of ode de skunk on our way.
Tomorrow I get to work and spend time with some pretty rad people, and then, Wednesday, off to drive to San Francisco, for MacWorld 2012!!!
Until tomorrow.
I created this custom plate design on illustrator from an image of my own Boston Terrier, Mac. I went and made a set available now for order on Etsy. I think they turned out awesome! Again, I used Boxcar Press for my plate making needs, and they were extremely speedy in the return of all my new designs, I think it took only 3 days to get it sent to me FROM New York! They are amazing! Best customer service! What do you think of the new notecard set? (more designs to come in the next few weeks!)
(original image of Mac below)
One of the types of jewelry I make a lot are glass pendants. People always compliment them and mention how pretty they are, and then are impressed by the fact that I made them. And honestly, they are one of the simplest forms of jewelry making that I do, and I love it because of the ability of mass-production I can have with them. They aren’t as unique type of jewelry making by any means, everyone and their grandmother make them. I see them all the time. But none-the-less they are a fun zen way to make a lot of cute and stunning jewelry.
I wanted to show you how easy it is to make something like this, but wanted to focus mostly on the main part, gluing your image to the glass/plastic. So Im focusing on that by creating a Pin-Up coaster.
What you’ll need:
1. A piece of square or round flat glass or plastic (you can find these at Jo-Anns or
Michaels).
2. An image, you’ll want to use either scrapbook paper or an image that is printed on thicker paper, not just out of your printer (there is an entirely different process to do with that type of ink, and if you do this method on an ink jet print, you’re image will bleed/change colors).
3. 1 Bottle of Diamond Glaze
4. 1 Square flat tipped paint brush
Step 1
Take your image on a flat surface, your brush and diamond glaze, and make sure your table is covered with something to protect its surface.
You are going to squeeze a little bit of diamond glaze on top of the center of your image. And then use your paint brush to help spread out the glaze on your image and remove bubbles.
** When you are done with this process quickly rinse off your paint brush so that the glaze doesn’t ruin your brush when it dries.
Step 2
Take your piece of glass or plastic and carefully lay it on top of your image.
Then press down on the glass or plastic (it’ll probably slip and slide a little bit at first, but just square it up on your image how you want it), and push down and move all the “blue” colored diamond glaze out so that it squeezes out the sides, removing all bubbles under the glass/plastic.
See the blue ^? You want to push that “out” of underneath the glass/plastic, like this…
You’ll need to hold it like that for a minute or two so that the glue under the glass dries and the edges dont seep their way back in. Then just take your paint brush and brush away the excess diamond glaze, and just let it sit. You’ll want to let it sit about 15-20 minutes on each side, so that back of the paper dries too.
After its dry you cut away your excess paper with scissors or an exacto knife.
Some people put backings on their images, and for this you should probably use some cork baking (also available at most craft stores).
I’ll get into the other tips and tricks of diamond glaze and pendants/coasters in another blog.
Hope this is helpful though!
Design + Craft = <3
