For my graduate Conceptual Communication class, I had to do a project that would depict the idea of “compare and contrast.” I decided to do a genre study and create a set of book covers that showed the classic story of Red Riding Hood in six of the biggest genres on the market.
Mid-Semester Book Cover Redesigns
For our Conceptual Communications class we had to create weekly artwork based on a prompt. I decided to redesign well-known book covers based on each. Below are each of the three covers with their original photo references that I used to combine into a single image. One of my goals for these projects is to create a professional book cover using entirely free resources from Pixabay, Dafont, and other online sites (with the obvious exception of Adobe, which sadly isn’t free). Below you can see each photo I used in each cover, and you can find every resource free online.
Magic of the Real Kinetic Type Video
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVkyWKQu5F0&w=560&h=315] Last summer I was able to attend the Realm Makers virtual conference, where author ND Wilson was the opening keynote speaker. His perspective on the fantasy genre and the Christian author’s role was game-changing to me, and it really left me with a new perspective on God’s creation and fantastic storytelling throughout history. Wilson believes that we live in “God’s fantasy novel,” in that, God’s creation and history is fantastic, and is the origin for all fantasy fiction (Marvel comics inspired by the Book of Judges, for example). In the original keynote, Wilson echoed some of JRR Tolkien’s and CS Lewis’s beliefs on the fantasy genre, and charged his audience to live in God’s novel as a character they would want to read about. Since a lot of his points stuck with me and other conference attendees, I wanted to adapt his talk into a short video that explained his view on fantasy, informing them of a new and unique way to see God and storytelling.
Rivera Ardis Character Design
In my Advanced Digital Graphics class, we had to break out of our graphic design comfort zones and focus more on creating our own graphics to amplify our skillsets. One of our projects required us to do a character design or portrait, so I decided to draw my main character from my novel. While it’s not particularly my favorite digital painting ever, it taught me a lot about warm light and cool shadows, perspective, and drawing a character within a setting (something I’m pretty terrible at), so this was a really enjoyable project. I got a B+ on this project.
The Editing Process for PCC’s Fountains Publication
Every year, the Copy Editing II class works hard to produce PCC’s annual literary publication, Fountains. This year, I had the fantastic opportunity to be one of two Senior Editors, and it wasn’t until this year did I realize the awesome process of creating such an incredible product.
Published in East Region Emerging Writers
I had the privilege to publish two more stories in the America’s Emerging Writers series this year, a new publisher now nominating its best stories for Pushcart nominations. I’ve never written a horror/campfire story until the first semester of my freshman year, but staying several nights in a large Portofino resort on the end of a Pensacola island got my creative juices flowing. Four years later, the story is finally available for others to read in the East Region’s horror anthology, and anyone familiar with the island resort will notice the story’s resort bearing remarkable resemblance. The other story, published in the East Region’s literary publication, is a story I wrote as a college sophomore, and a version of it can be read here. Since penning it, the manuscript has evolved and developed, so be sure to check out the updated version in the paperback edition.
Book Design for “Beautifully Broken”
I recently did the cover and interior design for Celeste R. Warner’s book, Beautifully Broken. It was one of those crazy hectic, last minute emergency projects, so there were several sleepless nights and plenty of euphoria afterward when it was delivered to a very happy client. This project was a ton of fun, and you can purchase Celeste’s book here for only $5.57! Here’s the cover I was able to design.
Book and Design for “Timelines”
As a professional writing major at my college, seniors have to compile their best work from over the last four years into a bound, designed book. It’s been a project I’ve been waiting for with bated breath ever since I learned about it. Older students told me as a sophomore to save every paper I ever wrote, keep teachers’ notes, and to be thinking about a theme that can tie everything together. Back then, I couldn’t imagine picking out a theme that could encompass all my writing: after all, I liked to write about different things, and some of my stories were vastly different from others. But as my senior year came upon me, I found the perfect theme. My stories revolve around either hope or memory. Many of them look to the future with either a warning to society about our faults, or an expected adventure just out of reach. And when not writing a social commentary on America’s morals, I’m pulling nostalgia from the cracks of my mind. I thought “memory” and “hope” were much too generic for my theme, but finally it hit me: I also write about time. Time looking forward to the future or back … Read More
Published In “America’s Emerging Writers” National Edition
Earlier in 2018, my short story, “Fruits of the Spirit Daycare” was accepted by Z Publishing and printed in their Florida’s Emerging Writers, which makes up their national series, America’s Emerging Writers. It was a great experience, and I really enjoyed seeing my name printed alongside so many other talented writers representing the state of Florida. Little did I know that there would also be a national copy set to print just in time for Christmas — and my story made the cut. While 2,000 entries were accepted for the state-level publishing, making up all 50 states, only 136 of those 2,000 were selected to make up the national edition: America’s Emerging Writers. You can buy a copy on Amazon, or click here to buy from Z Publishing’s website. Note that there are two volumes to this book. You can find mine in the first volume.
Cover Reveal and Designs for Author Zachariah Wilhelm
Zachariah Wilhelm’s awesome new book, A Spark of Light, is now available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle. Inside you’ll find a collection of short fiction and essays that center on the universal theme of light in a world of darkness. Also, if you want to keep up with his current projects, you can visit him on his website!