Digital Art and Design: Book Cover

I wanted to create a book cover celebrating Pete Seeger because he was an influence on my early years and as it would be timely, due to his death a few months ago. My mother used to sing "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" to my siblings and me when we were little. My parents took me to one of his concerts when I was little and I also saw him perform at the Clearwater Festival when I was in college. What resonates with me most about Pete Seeger is that though the specific details of the strife faced by multitudes throughout the world vary, his message for peace, which is direct and almost naïve in its simplicity, resonates universally. I wanted to create a book cover that references Seeger's If I Had a Hammer as well as his heart wrenching Where Have All the Flowers Gone. I thought the title Gone to Flowers would work well as it also suggests his own passing as well as the theme of rebirth in the natural cycle of life. In the planning stages, I also thought about creating a cover for my colleague and friend, Gian Tornatore, a jazz musician, but I abandoned that idea for Seeger. In the making of the cover, I applied some new skills I've acquired over the past few weeks. I used the "clone stamp" extensively, merged layers, used the selection tools more effectively along with the fill, played with opacity, added filters, and downloaded a typewriter font to give the book cover a more dated feeling. I even created a new brush in the shape of a bell, as one iteration of my design had the silhouette of a tree with bells for leaves. I feel as though I have looked at my design for too long to have an objective opinion, but I think it carries the feel of Seeger's folk artsy vibe. It incorporates symbols of his music and celebrates the music of a man who had a profound impact on humanity.