SPN: Cover for In the Company of Demons, by stele3

[phantomas]

First of all, let me say, THANK YOU for your support. I need to keep up my dad, you all keep me up.
Thank you.
Thank you.

It's now 4.33 am and I let out my anxiety by fooling around with Photoshop Elements.
Colors and shapes, words won't come by.

This cover/image/wallpaper, however you want to call it,  it's for the story In the Company of Demons, by stele3 - which is a dark DARK DARK story, and worth each moment you spend reading it. Because sex and violence, just like life and death, go together.

Very tiny version, to give you a tiny idea of what's behind the cut.
I could play with this sort of final version some more - there are several effect you could go for, but I limited myself, just tried variations on the text.




Faded text




Complex text




Heavy text

Comments

[barbsfic.livejournal.com]

Oooh, lovely! (I really like the text on the first two most of all.) I'm planning on reading that one very soon.

*hugs* ♥

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

Text is always so tricky :)
*hugs back*

[stele3.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh. Are you KIDDING ME?!?!

I love you. This is so cooooooooool!!! Damn, Mary looks rough. Beautiful.

[stele3.livejournal.com]

The only note I'd give you would be to make Sam a bit bigger. Dean's looming large there. But beautiful, beautiful work.

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

Glad you like :)
If inspiration strikes, I'll try something different (like icons)...and you're totally right about Sam ;)
There are three reasons why he's not as much in evidence as Dean is:

a) [the serious reason] his position (as I understand it) towards Mary is much more mixed up and fucked up than Dean, because Sam believes he can control himself, and, gah, can he? really? I don't know, but it's seems delusional on his part. Fucked up succubus, there.

and
b) [the NOT serious reason] I was going to make a Dean/Mary thingy. I forgot Sam and added him only later. Erm. *pets Sammy* I DO love him. Just..not as much as I love Dean. *hides*

and
c) I have very few pics on this pc and didn't feel like browsing to find better Sam pics to use. Which I will have to do for the next idea I want to try. But this wasn't the time.

Glad you like :)

[stele3.livejournal.com]

a. Ohhhhh, not really. Naw, they're both equally fucked up. We just haven't gotten to Dean's special brand of fucked up yet. He's still quarantining himself from her, but as one commenter said, "Dean doesn't fall often, but when he does, he falls HARD."

b. Heheheheheeeeee. You and half the fandom. Oooooooo... Maybe make a cover version with SAM as the large face and Dean as the smaller? Or separate ones for Dean/Mary and Sam/Mary, with just them?

c. If you want me to browse for you, I'm totally willing. I have no life, and this is too awesome not to.

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

a. We just haven't gotten to Dean's special brand of fucked up yet.
Somehow, that sounds SO VERY promising *g*

b. Yep, I'll do something more 'equal'. *pets Sammy again*

c. Oh, any pics that says to you 'this is Sam/Dean/Mary', do throw it my way :) I don't even have my Dvds here, or I could cap what I want. For example, I think good caps of Dean grabbing/slamming Sam on the bridge in WiW and the reverse scene in DT could make ofr a nice composition. Emedian might have something. And I know wonderful people have posted lots of grabs, but because I take mine usually, I didn't save any of those :(

So, yes, please :D anything that strikes your fancy, throw it my way. And thank you :D

[squee1123.livejournal.com]

these are fabulous. i just can't stop looking at them.

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

Thanks!
I always find difficult the final stage of a composition, because once the gist of it is composed, one coupld play around with effects and colored layers for ages. :) I went for a sort of 'classic grunge' at the end.
Glad you like :)

[coiledsoul.livejournal.com]

It's weird, but I mistook Jensen for Stuart Townsend when I first clicked over. Huh, Beautiful work she's done for you though!

[coiledsoul.livejournal.com]

This is your blog, not stele3's. Beautiful work you've done then! I love the pic you've chosen for Sam, it's hard to find pics of Jared where he's just hot and sexy. It's hard to not get him to not be adorable too.

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

Thank you :)
it's a promo pic from DT, from emedian - Sam's black eye doesn't show much ;), but I liked his pose there.

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

I love JP/Sam's face when Dean checks John's breathing in DT. JP/Sam is a mountain of a young man, basiclaly, and yet he manages that small child look so well :)

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Dramatic and beautiful. I like the first best; the lettering of "Demons" on the third is a little dark on my computer, which tends to show things that way, but I like the style.

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Text is such a pivotal part of a cover, in so many ways - and again, there are so many possible and still working variations. I always make a few, it's rare that I find the one that makes me say 'yes, that's it'.

The third is quite dark in itself; I wanted a layer between the dark red/black decoration and the almost-white behind, and the dark blue (with the added shadow) gave me that, in therms of color and shape. It is dark, but anything lighter didn't seem to work (at least for me) unless, like in the second example, it wasn't something clearly graphic in style.

thank you :)

[morgandawn.livejournal.com]

nice nice and more nice! I am partial to the second one (it looks more clear and focused). I cannot see the lettering on the first.
ps. loved your reasons why Sam is not so much...there.

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

Wow. I know what the differences are between first and second, and you have a very good eye, because those are such light touches :) happy you like it :)
The lettering on the first is almost invisible, especially on lighter screen settings (mine tend to verge towards dark).

I like Sam, I do! :D I just don't think of him first. Erm. Dean wouldn't approve :)
thanks for commenting :)

[apieceofcake.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous! The third one is my favourite :-)

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

I can't decide yet, but I like the 'heavyness' of the thrd one too, and the touch of blue against the warmer background colors.
thank you for letting me know.

[murielperun.livejournal.com]

You've inspired me to go read the story, hoping it's as dark as the beautiful cover you made. I like the third lettering best.

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

OH!
I'm so happy!
The story is a WiP, but stele3 DOES deliver. I hope you won't be disappointed - I don't think so, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you could let me know how you find the story, that'd be awesome.
Thanks for commenting :)

[murielperun.livejournal.com]

If you could let me know how you find the story, that'd be awesome.

I just read the first four parts, and I like where it's going. My taste runs to dark themes. I especially like seeing the darkness come out from Sam and Dean's best qualities, and I'm looking forward to the inevitable explosion between them. I will definitely keep reading!

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm happy if my fan (art? manip? blend?) promotes the stories I like :)

Personally, I'm all for witnessing an explosion of Dean's violence...
I guess we'll see where stele3 goes:)

[starhawk2005.livejournal.com]

Wow, very nice.

*hugs you for all the RL crap you're going thru*