Quick Note: The Friday Flash story will be posted this weekend. Sorry for the delay. Instead Enjoy Artistic Musings with Syneca. :-)

Selena

Artistic Musings:

Bio and Links:

My real name is Syneca (yes really). I ams the Graphic Services Manager for Jasmine-Jade Enterprises. An artist, videographer and photographer, my work has appeared in national magazines and online magazines, in ads, film and video and on book covers. To date I've has created more than 2000 book covers. I write under the pen name, Ciana Stone. Married and with children (grown thank goodness), I live with the love of her life in Florida where I enjoy photography, disc golf, swimming, running, weight training,yoga and the rodeo.

Q&A:

1) When did you know you wanted to be a Graphic Artist?

That's a good question and I don't know that I experienced one special moment when I knew I wanted to be in graphic arts. It was more of an evolution. I started as a portrait artist and photographer, moved into fantasy art and graphics as technology provided the tools.

2) How long does it take you to do a (design, book cover, website)?

That depends on a lot of factors. If I have the resources I need (photographs for example) I can create a couple of book covers in a day's time. If I have to take several (or a dozen) photos and cut them up in order to “Frankenstein” a person together it takes about a day. Websites take far longer for me because I'm not really programming oriented. I can reverse engineer a site much better than start from scratch. Some sites take a couple of days and there've been others that took a few months. Like I said, a lot of factors come into play so there's no set rule on these things.

3) Where do you get your inspiration from?

When it comes to book covers, from the blurb or synopsis of the book. If I know the general description of the main characters then reading the blurb usually inspires an idea. Authors often suggest ideas and if what they suggest sparks something inside my mind's eye I develop it. For my own person artwork inspiration comes from … the cosmos? I never have figured that one out. I just feel grateful when inspiration hits. :-)

4) Any tips for aspiring Graphic Artists?

Regardless of what branch of the arts you're in, you have to be in it because you're passionate about it. Not for how much you can make or whether you can become famous. There are so many talented artists in the world. Far more than there are jobs. And not all jobs in the field are as creative and exciting as taking photos for covers and ads or creating covers and advertisements. I'd suggest that you think long and hard and make sure you have a true passion for it. If you do, then go for it and when life trips you up or knocks you down, just get up and try again.

5) How do you calculate your price for one of your (figures, book covers, websites)?

I don't do freelance book covers. I'm under exclusive contract with Jasmine Jade Enterprises, the parent company of Ellora's Cave, Cerridwen Press and The Lotus Circle. If I do a portrait (photography) for someone I charge around 200.00. If it's a hand-painted portrait the fee is 2500.00. I don't do websites anymore except for myself because the coding gives me the creeping willies and is way too frustrating. For other graphic and design work I charge 100.00 an hour.


6) What is your favorite (book cover, figure, website) that you've created?

I guess my favorite sites are my little art site (www.originalsyn.us) and the one I created for my pen name (www.cianastone.com) . Right now my favorite piece of art is Stairway to Heaven (http://www.originalsyn.us/gallery9.htm). I created this last May when my niece was in hospice on her death bed. It was part of the grieving process, I suppose. I wanted to honor her memory and what she meant to me so I gave her wings and sent her on her way. My favorite book cover? I don't know that I have a favorite. Each time I create one it's my favorite - until I do another one.

7) Is there a place other than your website, where we can view your work?

Hmmm, well on the Ellora's Cave website(www.ellorascave.com) since I have a lot of covers there. And on Cerridwen Press (www.cerridwenpress.com) and The Lotus Circle (www.thelotuscircle.com). I did the site for The Hussies(www.thehussies.us). That's the site for a group of writers I've partnered with to write a series and I created a site and did the art for a really great friend and her new book, Man Overboard by Lara Diamond (www.manoverboard.us). Aside from that, you can see ads I create in Realms of Fantasy magazine.

8) I know there a few programs that an Artist uses to create their work, such as Daz or Photoshop, what do you use?

I use Photoshop almost exclusively unless I need an effect that I can't create on my own or with PS. Then I use After Effects, which is really for film, but has some nice effects that can be exported as images.


9) Silly Time, what would a lion, elephant, zebra, penguin and snake look like smooshed together to create one animal and what would you call this new creature?

A mess? Eeek, I'm not sure I even want to imagine something like that. But if such a poor creature existed I suppose it would have to be called a E-zeuinake? Or a mess J


10) Anything you want to say or add? Anything you want to ask me? And for the record, yes I am crazy so you can't ask that. LOL

Well darn, there went my question. No not really. What I'd like to ask is what you find most attractive on book covers. Do covers with people catch your eye more than those with an abstract scene or a shot of an object or landscape? And also, what's YOUR favorite cover?

And I'd like to thank you for inviting me to participate. This was a lot of fun :-)


If you are also an author, please include a blurb of your latest work as well as a buy link and excerpt.

My latest release is A Taste for Jazz

Bounty hunter Jazz Boudreaux wouldn't believe it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. One minute she's scuffling with a "collar" in California. The next she's in a Scottish castle, being recruited by an ancient order of Hussy Warriors sworn to use their special powers to rescue the world in times of danger.

Her mission: Keep some geek scientist alive long enough to develop a technology that will save the planet.

Jazz soon discovers Dr. Rockwell Burns is anything but geeky. Delicious, maybe. Dangerous, definitely. Hard and a powerful, like his name. Suddenly, it's more personal than saving the world. It's about saving the man she loves.

It's available at Ellora's Cave http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419915925