A.M. Ruggirello's Blog, page 10

What The Stock? Edition 72714

Welcome to this week’s edition of WHAT THE STOCK, where I feature a handful of wacky (and sometimes terrifying) stock photos I find while perusing the web for my various design projects. If you’re just now joining us, check out last week’s edition for even more fun!

Let’s kick this week off the right way . . .

Yup, that’s a business man. Yup, he isn’t wearing any pants. Just imagine the possibilities!

Here we have a woman in a robe illuminating a slew of catchy business words you (likely) should eliminate from your resume.

She’s really performing a civil service when you think about it . . .

Bonus: here she is again revealing a bunch of sketchy charts and graphs. Get on her level.

If the only way you can convey emotion is through the use of hand gestures (and bad ones at that) modeling might not be the right career path for you . . .

Much like the woman eating a watermelon underwater from last week, the logistics and reasoning behind this one . . . paper boats underwater . . . confuse me.

Jones, I need a photo, now stay with me, of a man and a woman who are obviously in love . . . or at least there’s sexual tension . . . Jones, are you getting this? O.K., and we need to show time has passed, something like a really old thing next to a really new thing. But wait, that’s too easy, so find a way to jumble it all up. I know you can do it, Jones.

(Hint: Jones did it)

I . . . no . . .

Tweet About This:

What were they thinking? WHAT THE STOCK? by @amruggs #mondayblogs http://bit.ly/1LNTiFy
This is the stock they don’t want you to see. WHAT THE STOCK? by #coverartist @amruggs http://bit.ly/1LNTiFy #mondayblogs

Cover Design is One Big Mistake

The article title is not meant to be an exaggeration or click-bait. It’s the truth.

At least, for me it is.

Maybe mistake is a little harsh, but it sure feels like a profession I stumbled upon, and continue to stumble within. The cat’s already out of the bag: I have no formal graphic design training. None. But you want to know what I have in return? I call it my Sixth Sense. Design is all about feeling; how does something feel? If I change this serif font to san-serif, does the design feel better? If I change the background hues from sky blue to cerulean, does the design feel better? There isn’t anything tangible to put to the decision other than whether or not a design feels like it’s headed in the right direction, or just took a sharp U-Turn toward disaster.

Much like how I’ve stumbled into this career, I also stumble upon my designs.

Essentially, when I start a project I have a loose idea of the creative direction, usually a mixture of my own inspiration and the author’s input. But a “loose idea” doesn’t make a designer. Heck, most authors already have a mental visualization of the direction they want to pursue for their cover art. You don’t even have to be creative, but your minds-eye is fully capable of coming up with a sketch. And that’s where my Sixth Sense comes into play.

If you ask me why I’ve designed something one way, or made a change another way, you’ll notice I have a very hard time explaining the reason behind the madness (and, trust me, this is more madness than brilliance). If I’m playing around in Photoshop, trying different, random techniques, it’s usually something I stumble upon that sticks. And how do you explain a mistake to someone other than saying, “it just felt right?” I believe this goes hand-in-hand with inspiration, too. Sometimes if you’re inspired just the existence of that spark of creativity can push a designer to attempt different things. And, sometimes (read: most of the time), it’s just a matter of stumbling upon something unexpected(ly great).

I always keep the author and their story in mind, but sometimes (okay, most of the time) the best designs are created because of two things:

Collaboration—having someone elses input can take a design from good to HOLY !@#$% THAT’S AMAZING.
Pushing Outside the Box—just like my previous blog post about stepping outside your comfort zone, pushing outside that proverbial box more often than not will make a design exponentially better.

Sometimes this Sixth Sense makes me a bit self-conscious when I design. I design from the feeling I experience in my heart, not necessarily from the techniques or skills I’ve learned in a class; and some people may write that off as inexperience of lack of ability. I’ve been self-teaching myself graphic design since I was twelve-years-old, and finally think I found my place in the industry with cover art. There’s nothing better than combining your two passions, and mine just so happen to be art and writing 

 

What The Stock? Edition 72015

As a digital illustrator both for my cover designs and work as a creative advertiser, I deal in stock photography… a lot. And if you follow me on Twitter, you likely see me complaining about the lack of good quality stock, or that some stock is so downright absurd I have to wonder how they’d be used in an actual application. Because I come across what I believe to be the most insane stock photography created, I thought it might be time to officially share these findings in a weekly post I’m titling What The Stock. For the time being these posts will be made on Mondays (likely after a long weekend of stock hunting), however the day is subject to change depending on how this segment falls into place. It may be more suited as a Wednesday or Friday posting, but for now Mondays it is!

So it is my great pleasure to introduce to you the inaugural What The Stock.

What The Stock? Edition 72015

For all those times you have a hankering to eat watermelon and swim at the very same time*.

*Completely disregarding the 30-minute rule. Amateur.

 

You can’t take the snow out of skiing, just like you can’t take the suit out of the business man.

Is this some sort of Cerberus deal? How am I supposed to work with something like this?

I’ve shared this one before, as it’s one of my all-time favorite stock options. Bonus: there are multiple versions and angles, so you can make it work in any situation!

 

This one isn’t particularly crazy, but I searched “Front of Subway” in hopes of finding the front of a subway car. It seems my search engine was set to “literal.”

Tweet About This:

What were they thinking? WHAT THE STOCK? by @amruggs #mondayblogs http://bit.ly/1GwJzws
This is the stock they don’t want you to see. WHAT THE STOCK? by #coverartist @amruggs http://bit.ly/1GwJzws #mondayblogs

Recipe // Super Spicy Drunken Fish Tacos

In an effort to eat healthy, but still tasty, food, the mister and I experiment a lot, mostly with left over ingredients found in our pantry and fridge. One evening, while he was listing off everything we had in the house, I thought to find a recipe for fish and avocado. That lead me to the inspiration of Fish Tacos. Which led to this super spicy recipe we half came up with, half based off of this delicious recipe. Officially I should call ours . . .

Beer-Battered Fish Tacos with Spicy Tomato and Mango Salsa

*Though I much prefer when my fish is labeled “drunk” as I can better relate to it*

Ingredients

8 ounces mahi-mahi fillet, cut into 1-inch strips or cubes

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/3 cup beer (I used Walgreens brand “Big Flats” which you can get for around $3/6 pack and it’s great for cooking!)

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin (I added a little more than an 1/8. I love cumin!)

1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 medium-sized mango, skinned and cut into 1-inch strips

Half a medium-sized green pepper, diced

1 or 2 tomatoes, remove the guts, and dice

1 packet of spicy salsa mix seasoning

Corn tortillas

1 can of black beens with jalapeños.

Salsa:

Mix the mango, tomato, green pepper and spicy salsa mix packet together with a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside to let it marinate.

Batter:

Combine the cumin, salt and flour in a bowl. Whisk in the beer.
Add the fish strips or cubes to the batter, generously coating each piece. Add to a hot pan with olive oil, and cook through. This only took about 3-5 minutes with a hot-hot pan.
Keep fish warm in aluminum foil while cooking. Warm up the tortillas on the stove or in the microwave right before serving.
And assemble! We use the can of beans to add to the tacos, as well as have on the side. If you need some leafiness to your tacos, try spinach or kale!

Health Nut Tip // Remember, you could always cut out some carbs by assembling without the tortilla, and replacing with a piece of lettuce.

 

I don’t have any good pictures, here’s a picture of a drunken fish:

And beware, salsa gets increasingly hotter as it sits over night—we found this out the hard way at lunch the next day.

 

Tweet About This:

I’m not the only one getting drunk in the kitchen tonight: Super Spicy Drunken Fish Tacos by @amruggs http://bit.ly/1HVAtKM #recipe
Need #dinnerinspiration? Try these Super Spicy Drunken Fish Tacos by @amruggs http://bit.ly/1HVAtKM #recipe #yum

A Writer’s Google Search: Coffee Table Book

I’ve had this idea swirling around in my head for quite some time now and I think it’s time to try and make it happen. I’m talking about the A Writer’s Google Search coffee table book I’ve been dying to create. Let me better explain:

The A Writer’s Google Search book a compilation of different and wacky Google searches authors make while writing their stories (e.g. “How to make bombs with soap” I’m sure you know who would have Googled this

Weekly Review // Cover Reveals!

This week was an exciting one for me, REUTS and Cardboard Monet—not only one but two cover reveals! I love all the covers I make, but these two in particular have a special place in my portfolio, namely because they’re SO DIFFERENT and really allowed me to flex my creative muscles. If you’re wondering what I mean, you can see my entire portfolio at CardboardMonet.com

Split the Party by Drew Hayes (sequel to NPCs)

Fleeing from a vengeful king has sent the former NPCs across Solium’s borders, into the kingdom of Alcatham. As wanted fugitives, they head to the small farming village of Briarwillow, hoping to blend in, lay-low, and avoid trouble at all costs.

                Unfortunately, Briarwillow has problems all its own, and its troubles quickly become theirs. If they hope to survive long enough to escape, they’ll have to tackle an all-but-forgotten mystery buried at the town’s border, as well as seek the wisdom of a mysterious group of mages.

                With time, magic, and at least one god against them, it will take everything they’ve got to save Briarwillow, and themselves.

The Untold Tale (The Accidental Turn Series, Book I) by J.M. Frey

Official blurb coming soon, but for now here’s the unofficial one:

THE UNTOLD TALE follows Pip, who is pulled against her will into the epic fantasy novel series she’s loved since she was a teenager. However, the world is darker, and far more dangerous than she could have ever predicted, especially when it turns out the hero is a much bigger misogynistic ass than she knew.  Pip knows how to circumnavigate the Hero’s Journey and the pitfalls and loopholes of this particular world – but what will happen to her beloved characters outside of the comfort of the fantasy they were written for?

Both books will be out later this year, and you should definitely plan on carving out some time to read both. And I’d love to hear what you think about these two designs. Start a conversation in the comments below, or on Twitter.

Cover Reveal // Dancing in the Athenian Rain by Katie Hamstead

Cover reveal? I love cover reveals! Drinks all around!

I’m so happy to participate in author and friend Katie Hamstead’s cover reveal for her next title, DANCING IN THE ATHENIAN RAIN. If you aren’t familiar with Katie, she’s the Amazon bestselling author of the Kiya series, and has a new book out with REUTS Publications, titled Deceptive Cadence (do yourself a huge favor and check it out—she’s fantastic at making you cry and fall in love at the very same time).

Here’s the blurb for Dancing in the Athenian Rain:

When Donna is sent back in time to Classical Athens, she’s furious at Dr. Stephens for sending her against her wishes. Then a Greek soldier purchases her to be his wife.

She’s forced to learn a new language and culture, and faces her fears of never returning to her own time. The society hates her, especially because they think she’s an Amazon, which forces her to confront her issues—being compared to her genius brother, borderline abusive friends, and a cheating boyfriend.

But her husband, Peleus, is kind and patient. Although against her best judgment, she allows him into her heart. He counters all the negative voices from her past, but those voices drive a wedge between them. She must let go of her fears, her inhibitions, and insecurities, and admit her feelings, or she could lose him and the life they’ve built.

 

Add to Your TBR List

Born and raised in Australia, Katie’s early years of day dreaming in the “bush”, and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.

After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.

She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She currently works as an Acquisitions Editor with Curiosity Quills Press to help support her family.

Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.

Find Her Online

Twitter  //  Facebook  //  Blog  //  Goodreads

 

#Covelution: LINK by Summer Wier

It’s been a while since I’ve had a good Cover Evolution (a.k.a. Covelution) to share, where I show you how a cover evolved from starting mock-up to finished product. I should have quite a few of these coming up once the final covers are revealed, and I’d like to kick it off with the cover I shared in a previous post, LINK by Summer Wier. This one in particular didn’t have a ton of variations before landing on the final, but it does show how the creative process works and how each suggested revision (COLLABORATION!!) makes a design better, stronger. You’ll notice a theme within all of these, and each one builds off the next. Summer was great to work with and had a good eye for both design and how she wanted to represent her story.

 

I’m always curious to hear people’s thoughts, so let me have ’em! Or Tweet me @AMRuggs.

And don’t forget to add LINK to your Goodreads TBR list!

Karaoke, and Overcoming Fears.

Funny title, huh?

Trust me, I never thought I’d write those four words in the same sentence.

But there it is. Big and bold. Karaoke, and Overcoming Fears. If I’ve overcome the fears, why do I feel the slinking of dread in the pit of my stomach as I write this? Why does it still feel like a social handicap still follows me like a shadow? And why did I ever think this was a good idea?

Let’s back track a little bit, shall we? I’ve always had a bit of social—or maybe the right word would be presentation—anxiety. The kind where just the thought of having to step in front of a crowd of any size causes your muscles to tense, and your sweat floodgates to open. It doesn’t even matter who the crowd consists of. For my wedding I had a few-sentence speech to present my new husband with a groom’s cake and, in front of family, friends, the very people we wanted there, I felt exactly the same as I imagine I would delivering a speech in front of a sold-out stadium.

Utter terror.

Maybe it’s a bit of the perfectionist mentality, where I don’t want to get anything wrong and thus over-think and begin to stumble over . . . everything. A part of it is pride–caring about what other people think, even though I shouldn’t. But we’re also human. How can you control that side of human nature? It’s not impossible, but it sure as hell isn’t easy.

But there are few things I’m a firm, passionate believer in, and one of those can be summed up in a simple sentence:

The best [things]* exist outside of your comfort zone.

*You can sub out “things” for just about anything: experiences, friends, etc…

Where does karaoke fit into this?

See my comfort zone sitting over there? It’s the little two square feet of things like design, and video games, and reading. Well, you see, karaoke is approximately on the planet Mars in comparison. Just a bit outside of my comfort zone. If you would have asked me five years ago if I’d sing karaoke, I’d probably laugh in your face. I had done it once in college, but that was to Bohemian Rhapsody and it had a vocal track behind it, so it was more a sing along than actual karaoke. And I love singing, but I’ve always been told I was tone deaf, something that doesn’t go hand-in-hand with karaoke (correction: it totally does, but then again I don’t like making that big of a fool of myself . . .)

Then I moved to Wisconsin, and one night we decided to hit up a karaoke bar. Queue all the symptoms I mentioned before–chills, sweat, stuttering. We sat in the back, away from the bar, so I figured it was my lucky night. That is until we moved, and alcohol with peer pressure caused me to do the one thing I never thought I’d do:

Sing karaoke.

But I did it, and I didn’t die, or shrivel into a pit of embarrassment. I wasn’t fantastic, but it’s karaoke, by definition it’s not supposed to be fantastic (correction: “karaoke” actually means empty orchestra, which is hauntingly beautiful). That one night, a night I’ll never forget, has since changed my life. Now it’s 2015, I’ve been doing karaoke for about two years, and might consider myself an addict. I’m not fantastic at it, but there’s something about letting go of your inhibitions and just not caring that makes karaoke fun.

In case you’re curious (and I know you are), my go-to songs are:

Somebody to Love or Don’t Stop Me Now, Queen
Won’t Say I’m In Love or Part of Your World, Disney
Don’t Know Why, Norah Jones
Jar of Hearts** or A Thousand Years***, Christina Perri
I’m Yours, Jason Mraz

So, in addition to this post being largely a ramble, it’s also a PSA to do something you’ve never done, something well outside of, or just a step outside of your comfort zone, and see how the change effects your life. I can’t promise it’ll be positive, but anytime I’ve found myself a good distance outside of my comfort zone, good things happen.

**Fun Fact: This was my first solo karaoke song . . . ever.

***Yes, I bust out a little Twilight soundtrack every once in a while.

Cover Reveal // LINK by Summer Wier

I’m always happy to participate in my own cover reveals since I’m proud to have been a part of an authors journey to publication. LINK, by author (and good friend) Summer Wier is no different, and an especially fun one to reveal because it’s a bit of a departure from my typical design aesthetic but I’m really (really) happy and excited with how it turned out. There are three books in Summer’s THE SHADOW OF LIGHT series, so I have the opportunity to apply a really cool brand across two more covers! Well, I’ve said enough, here’s the blurb, and if you can’t wait just scroll to the bottom to see the cover:

For seventeen-year-old Kira, there’s no better way to celebrate a birthday than being surrounded by friends and huddled beside a campfire deep in the woods. And with a birthday in the peak of summer, that includes late night swims under the stars.

Or at least, it used to.

Kira’s relaxing contemplation of the universe is interrupted when a piece of it falls, colliding with her and starting a chain of events that could unexpectedly lead to the one thing in her life that’s missing—her father.

Tossed into a pieced-together world of carnivals and gypsies, an old-fashioned farmhouse, and the alluring presence of a boy from another planet, Kira discovers she’s been transported to the center of a black hole, and there’s more to the story than science can explain. She’s now linked by starlight to the world inside the darkness. And her star is dying.

If she doesn’t return home before the star’s light disappears and her link breaks, she’ll be trapped forever. But she’s not the only one ensnared, and with time running out, she’ll have to find a way to save a part of her past and a part of her future, or risk losing everything she loves.

Dreamy, fluid, and beautiful, LINK pairs the mystery of science fiction with the minor-key melody of a dark fantasy, creating a tale that is as human as it is out of this world.

 

Summer Wier is an MBA toting accountant, undercover writer, and all around jack-of-all-trades. Link is her debut novel and the first in The Shadow of Light series. She has three short stories appearing in the soon-to-be-released anthology Fairly Twisted Tales For A Horribly Ever After and is working with a co-author on an upcoming web serial, Splinter. When she’s not digging through spreadsheets or playing mom, you can find her reading/writing, cooking, or dreaming of the mountains in Montana.

 

FIND HER ONLINE.

Facebook  //  Twitter  //   Website // Add LINK to your Goodreads