Cover Photographer – Dean Bradshaw

If a picture says a thousand words, then photographer Dean Bradshaw’s career is an epic novel. Originally from Australia, he fly to Los Angeles with a Biology degree and the dream of becoming one of the world’s top photographers.

In a market saturated with talent, Dean’s eye for idiosyncratic subjects has become fused with his post production skills. He created a niche in the commercial photography market, and brands like American Express, National Geographic and Wrangler have all sought his unique photograph art.

The thing I had in common with Dean when we first met was we were both foreigners that were living in California. Until you have ever actually lived in another country it is hard to fully understand what it’s like. Dean shared this understanding with me, and when he learned how much passion I had for coaching pro skateboarders he approached me and asked if he could shoot a feature on me for website witnessthis.com, (which is where I got the headshot I use everywhere, thanks Dean & Dersu).

A few months after I got back from spending Five Weeks in the Amazon, Dean and his beautiful wife Catherine went to Peru to spend a week with the same shaman. So not only was he able to provide great imagery for my cover, he knows better than anyone the power of the jungle, the psychotropic jungle medication Ayahuasca, and of course got to meet Otillia, mi espiritu madre.

Like I mentioned before, we all know the saying, “you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover”, but the one thing it doesn’t apply to at all is books. We all judge books by their cover, so having Dean give me the images I used for the final cover design is awesome! Thanks Dean!

Want to see Five Weeks in the Amazon?

Cover Designer – Rory Doyle

‘You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover’ Everyone has heard this saying, but it doesn’t mean as much when you are publishing your own book. People will judge its cover. A large part of my selling, or not selling, will come from the initial judgment people have the instant they first see the cover. This is why I knew I needed to find someone to create something that will jump off the bookshelves. If you want to be the first to see it when it comes out, click here.

Just like I know Ryan Krusac is going to make me an awesome hand-made fountain pen, there’s no one I trust more than Rory Doyle to make an awesome cover design. A friend for over a decade, as a teenager I only knew him as a skateboarder. It was only in the last few years that his talent started being noticed on a global level, and it make sense that he had always been an artist with a passion for graffiti and drawing. He knew from the beginning of his career that if an artist combines their fine art ability with a set of digital skills, they will be much more valuable. Doyle did just that and has not only taught digital design courses, but he’s also been employed as a 3D artist making video games EA Sports.

When it comes finding inspiration

Doyle says you’re more likely to find him thumbing through an old collection of vinyl records than trolling online. As for preparing for a project (like designing my book cover), he likes to research areas related to the theme, or vision of the project. That way his finished work contains an informed understanding, which began in the creative process, and concludes in high-level concepts. For Doyle, the Vancouver art scene is unique because of the amount of talent, and the variety of styles that it is made of. He believes growing up in the Pacific Northwest has been a big influence his work, and he enjoys living where the he can ride a skateboard in the summer, and a snowboard in the winter.

Prohibition Brewing Co.

Prohibition Brewing Company makes craft beer in Vancouver, B.C. They approached Doyle with the idea to create a brand image that spoke to the prohibition era. What made their idea stand out to was that the art he created would be screened right on the bottle. Limited to four colors Doyle incorporated the bottle itself into the outlining and shadows.

Pick Your Poison

In a town filled with cowboys, the Commonwealth Bar & Stage in Calgary, Alberta stands out. They commissioned Rory to hand shape and paint huge slabs of oak in a series he named “Lethal Toxins”

Chronic Taco

Everybody loves Chronic Taco. Their niche in the mexi-fusion restaurant market couldn’t have more fitting illustrations their Las Vegas storefront. There is a fusion in the art itself and Doyle hit the nail on the head on this one!

I can tell Sean is extremely passionate about this project. I want to make sure I help visualize that passion through to the cover and compound it with the ability the Amazon has to draw you in. I look forward to the challenge of finding the best way to do that.

In Rory’s words

“I can tell Sean is extremely passionate about this project; that’s what I want to bring to life through the cover. The Amazon has a natural ability to draw you in and I look forward to finding the best way convey that through my design”

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Tag: partnerships

Who Are The Best Self-Publishing Partners For An Indie Author? Dean Bradshaw