Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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Featured Artwork: “Celebrity Cat Capers” Book Cover

sketch of cat with bra
The final cover.

Author Patricia Fry has published her sixth novel in the mystery series “Klepto Cats”, this one titled The Celebrity Cat Caper.

In this story, Rags begins work as a therapy cat in a children’s reading program, a film crew filming him in action films…something else, and Rags becomes a celebrity!

So how does the cover above reflect that? Well, as always, our cover designs wander a bit. The children’s reading program takes place in a lovely walled outdoor garden and that is where the filming happens. The first quick sketches I did showing a little girl reading with Rags and someone filming just looked…creepy. I took the camera out, and they looked like a children’s book and not a mystery.

sketch of girl with cat
One of the first sketches.

We discussed a few other ideas and decided to borrow something we’d done on the cover for Cat-Eye Witness to show Rags and children and lots of color, but make it clear there was something else to the story.

book cover design with cate
An early cover design.

That didn’t quite do it either. We discussed a few other parts of the story and decided to use an interior from the house where Rags and his people lived and where some of the filming happened as well, and, sinister events occur and a mystery is solved. Really loving the Victorian look we chose Rags on the steps, and as a part of the story comes back around to the first book, I used Rags from that cover, but but this time he’d stolen a blue bra instead of pink. Below is the actual sketch.

sketch of cat on steps
The final sketch.

For this sketch I used my multi-media art paper and pastel pencils because it had so many tiny details and patterns.

I’ve illustrated five other covers for Patricia: Catnapped , Cat-Eye Witness, Sleight of Paw, Undercover Cat, and The Colony Cat Caper. All books are available in both electronic and print versions on Amazon.com.

About the illustration materials

bookmarks
A two-sided bookmark for the four books in the series so far.

I don’t use paper for most of these illustrations but chose Ampersand brand Pastelbord, which is a piece of Masonite with a very fine clay and marble-dust coating that has very little texture but holds layers of pastel so I can both do my finger-painting thing with blending softer pastels and sketch with harder pastels and pastel pencils, and it stand up well to multiple changes.

The original illustration is actually 8″ x 10″ so it fits in my scanner. I began the painting with soft pastels to cover the major areas with layers of color. I finished up the details and edges with pastel pencils.

You can find these books and more by Patricia Fry on Amazon.com. Reviews have been good, and a few reviewers have even mentioned the covers! I hope you enjoy these books, and Patricia and I are already beginning the cover for the fifth book in this series. That woman can write!

We also designed a two-sided bookmark that includes all four books so far which Patricia can hand out at book signings and book shows.

. . . . . . .

Read more about book covers I’ve designed. Also, click here to read more about the Purrs of Wisdom cover and bookmarks, and also about books I’ve designed on my blog, What’s New?

Are you interested in illustrations or a book cover, or book design? Please contact me, I’ll be happy to discuss your project.


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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.


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Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters
Tuesday: Rescue Stories
Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork
Thursday: New Merchandise
Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy
Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats
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Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

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