r/BookCovers • u/Professional-One4757 • Feb 15 '26
Feedback Wanted Hand painted my book cover, please be brutally honest. Should I pay for a designer instead?
It’s a fantasy with a heavy romance plotline. It’s not technically Romantasy because when it was on sub with my agent, publishers told us it wouldn’t work as a Romantasy because there weren’t the expected beats/the romance didn’t develop early enough basically. (And it died on sub)
I thought a hand painted cover would be cool and “unique” but now I am having second thoughts. Especially about the bird…and the tower…….and basically everything except the moon lmao
Give it to me straight guys. (I know my name is missing from this version, I’ll add it later)
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u/Shiiyan Feb 15 '26
I really like the cover and its style. But I would assume the story is something more easygoing like The moving castle. Maybe because it's a bit sketchy, so it reminds me more of a youth book.
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u/Professional-One4757 Feb 15 '26
It’s definitely not for youth haha. There’s a lot of violence. Thank you for the feedback, it’s very helpful!!
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u/VazWinter Feb 15 '26
Hey OP, I commented on your post on the NewAuthors sub. Since this is a dark, violent novel, my best advice would be to combine the painting elements with other digital elements. The cover has charm, and as another user described it; whimsical. It doesn't fit the dark and violent theme. Combine the two to keep it unique and you, but also, to accurately capture the tone of your novel.
All the best.
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u/cedarcia Feb 15 '26
I was going to say it would be cute for a children’s book. In that case I think going with a designer would be a good move
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u/Material-Bus-3514 Feb 16 '26
Yeah, looks like book for kids. That was my first thought.
Definitely nice, though.
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u/Bare_Root Author Feb 15 '26
Would you mind posting it as an image, for those of us who can't access Imgur?
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u/Antique-diva Feb 15 '26
Can't you open the link on your browser?
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u/AdrenalineAnxiety Feb 15 '26
Imgur is banned in some countries like the UK and there's no way of opening without a VPN running.
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u/writesallday Feb 16 '26
You're a lovely artist but if you want to have an indie author career, hire a cover artist. This is not a professional cover (image or font), and it does not convey your genre. If you want to make money and build a brand, cover + title + blurb are the first three things potential readers judge. No shade to you -- I could not paint what you did -- but I have been an indie author for ten years and if you want to make money and build a lasting career, don't skimp on the cover!
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u/Aggressive-Pickle110 Feb 15 '26
In all honestly, it’s nice but the painting looks a bit amateurish, but it has a certain charm. If you’re going for a more serious, dark, tone I wouldn’t go with an amateur illustration. If it’s more whimsical, maybe it would fit. Completely up to you. Sorry if this is rude!
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u/Professional-One4757 Feb 15 '26
Not rude at all!! Thank you for your feedback :)
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u/Antique-diva Feb 15 '26
I agree. It's a nice picture, but it looks more like a childrens book than romantic fantasy. You should look at the covers for bestselling fantasy to see what sells.
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u/Material-Bus-3514 Feb 16 '26
Exactly my thoughts. Children book, perhaps painted by a kid - absolutely not offense intended to OP, it’s not easy to paint like a kid, it has a charm!
But absolutely not fitting genre.
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u/Dragonshatetacos Feb 15 '26
Yes, pay for a designer. You're a good artist, but not a good cover artist. Those are two separate skills.
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u/60yearoldME Feb 15 '26
I like it, but the tower needs more work. More detail, the windows don’t look good, the dimension is off.
But I like the clouds and the crow.
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u/Tundra_Toucan Feb 15 '26
Brutally honest opinion from a last-year student in visual communication? I hate to say this, but you may want to redo it, or find someone else to do it: The book cover doesn't really convey romance. In terms of painting, the crow looks fine, but the towers and the clouds look off (shape, color, perspective). And if you paint a crescent moon, remember that the moon is still a sphere, which is to say, you can't see the stars behind it. And the vines don't really serve a purpose. But, bonus points for opting for an authentic, painterly style!
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u/Bart_Lafon Feb 18 '26
Really like it! A strong design and memorable. I'd pick it up and look into it. The spray of flowers does not suggest violence though... you might consider replacing them with, oh, something like thorns and drippy blood? (Though that might be too fairytale like.)
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u/throwawayanylogic Feb 15 '26
It would be great for a child's fantasy story but not a more adult or serious fantasy/romantasy IMHO
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u/mikiras95 Feb 15 '26
Feels like a children's book. Very whimsical and would totally keep it if it were a children's fantasy. But if its an adult romance, then it doesn't work honestly.
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u/Snorlaxena Feb 15 '26
It does have an amateur style but not so amateur that I would say it’s only suitable for younger audiences. I think it’s charming with the exception of the green embellishment. Remove that and you’ll be good! (It’s kind of Christmas-y and out of place)
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u/FalseDisk4358 Feb 15 '26
It looks cool but what age range are you going for? I like that it's unique but does read a little MG or YA to me and I don't think that's what you're going for
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u/Whole-Page3588 Feb 15 '26
Agreeing with people saying it looks like it's for a younger audience or meant to be quirky. I do really like the texture of the clouds and the idea of it though. If you want to try again with a painting, try something that you know you can draw clearly (edges and shape language), confidently (clean or intentional-looking scratchy lines) and correctly (perspective). You could try for silhouettes against the clouds instead and see if less detail helps.
I agree the title/font needs some bulk (color, texture and/or font).
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u/Recent-Song7692 Feb 15 '26
It looks really nice … and would be perfect for a charming fantasy novel with Tim Burton vibes.
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u/FattierBrisket Feb 15 '26
Is there any way to remove only the flowering vine? Without it, it looks like it's intentionally amateurish, which is kind of awesome. With it, it looks accidentally amateurish, which is not awesome at all.
The font is also slightly off, but only slightly and I don't know in which way.
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u/bitchola Feb 15 '26
I think it's cute and charming, but I agree with those saying the cover seems geared toward a younger audience.
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u/Relative_Purpose_103 Feb 16 '26
I agree with what others are saying. This reads as a kid's chapter book not a violent adult novel.
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u/giannanederlands Feb 16 '26
I think it's totally gorgeous, but as a cover designer I'd say it doesn't fit the romantasy market. I'd recommend figuring out your comparative titles (think of where your book would sit on the shelf in the store), and study their covers. What are the common elements, font styles, colours - basically, how is the cover signalling to its ideal readers that this is a romantasy? Your cover can and should still be unique to your story, but it also needs to follow current trends to be marketable.
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u/almostselfrealised Feb 16 '26
The painting is great, I actually think you should try painting the title as well. I think the font contrasts too strongly with the painted image.
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u/Wchijafm Feb 16 '26
It doesn't give adult romantasy vibes unfortunately. It gives middle grade fantasy. I do really like it and I see you put a great deal of effort but the art style (slightly cartoonist in a painterly way) makes it seem for younger audiences. You can rework it to have finer detail but you may need to start over. Finer detail, darker darks/contrasts something that indicates romance (woman's silhouette, petals)..
You can use this art style for adult but it would lead to more a comedy type romantasy and you'd need more details showing that it was romance.
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u/Byronicboxer Feb 16 '26
From what I can see of it I like it. It’s worth a try. Even if you use a designer there’s no guarantees. I paid a designer for my first novel’s cover, front and back. Attracted a lot of clicks, so I used him again on the second novel. An expensive mistake. The cover has gained little traction so a complete waste of money.
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u/fetfreak Feb 16 '26
I love it, I would only move the vine slightly lower. I can do it for you if you are not photoshop savvy
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u/FewEgg2974 Feb 17 '26
I really like your painting, but I would have to agree with several comments here, it doesn't fit the genre quite well, I don't see the romance in it, if it makes sense. It looks like a book about magic and friends, about an aventure with cool places, kind of a book for children, but I don't mean to be offensive, it's a nice cover for a Children's book
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u/Charming-Worth-3641 Feb 17 '26
Honestly I'd take this any day over the AI generated slop. Like this clearly has character, and immediately tells your readers you care about your story, your work, that you have scruples, and you're willing to be vulnerable by doing something you may not be great at in an effort to connect with others.
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u/ConditionOk1439 Feb 17 '26
It definitely looks hand painted but in a professional way. I really like it.
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u/suburban_honey Feb 18 '26
I was prepered to say yiu should be directed seeing it.. but no you shouldn't pay anyone else to do it. Your design looks really fitting and interesting. I think that looks professional and really nice
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u/last_minutiae Feb 19 '26
It's fine. It's not polished or perfect but i think that is a plus in this case. I think the only thing missing is the authors name under the title. If the bird and tower are big parts of the book then i say move forward with this. maybe outline the letters in black for better readability at a distance.
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u/justtoclick Feb 19 '26
It is quite lovely, but I agree that it definitely doesn't say dark and violent.
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u/ClementineCoda Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
I actually really like it. Great font, nice composition, effective color choices.
And the hand-painting makes it stand out.
Possibly a different font color, or foiled, or a bit more bold and embossed would pop the title.
It does "feel" like it's something for a younger audience, I'm not sure what your target audience is.