ammmmanda

What is your name?

||Amanda Mercer is my pen name, so let's go with that ;-)

When did you start making graphics?

||I've been into digital art since around 2010, when I first bought my pen and tablet and played around with digital painting on photoshop, but never on a regular basis -- it was more of something I did once in a blue moon when I was bored.I've gotten into photomanipulations and making covers since early 2016. Before that, the only covers I've made have been for my own original work, "Twisted Kingdoms", and my catalogue for wattpad fantasy novels "Book Fantasia".

What is your favorite type of graphic to make?

||Covers, banners, anything that involves a combination of digital painting and photomanipulation, really, as it allows me to tell a story through a single composition.

Where do you get your inspiration?

||Mostly movies and published books. My most recent premade covers have been inspired by the animation film, Princess Mononoke, and another by the book "The Queen of the Tearling". Sometimes I see prompts in graphic contests on wattpad, and also have an aha-moment. Basically, almost anything can get me inspired!

Why did you start?

||Well, the very first time I started making covers was because my wattpad book needed one -- and I wanted something that was specific and unique to my story. So I created just that, and had so much fun, I decided to make more covers every now and then to break away from the monotony of writing.

Who is your inspiration in graphic designing?

||Whoa. The real question is, who *isn't*?!Seriously, all you need to do is open wattpad's "Hot List" or the DeviantArt main page, and you can find tons of stuff in there worth drooling over.I don't have one single artist who I go to for inspiration; it's more a blend of all of these fantastic works, and it also changes depending on my mood and the theme of the graphic I'm working on. I never fail to find inspiration from my physical bookshelf, though, which contains a range of different types of artwork.

What is your opinion on your own graphics?

||Clean and customised. I mostly try to go for the "manipulations-that-don't-look-like-they've-been-manipulated" sort of look. By this I mean all the models, accessories, sometimes hair and clothes, are cut and pasted together or digitally painted; and I try to make it look as natural as possible.

How long does it usually take to make a graphic?

||On average, I'd say around 5h. But this depends on the complexity of the cover -- how much digital painting I have to do (in which case it can average to 8 hrs per cover); or if it's just cutting and manipulating existing stock images, then it would average around 3 hrs just to find the right images and make sure they blend nicely.

Can you supply us with one of your first covers?

||My very FIRST cover was a temporary one, which was just an image I found on DeviantArt, slapped a title on, and used (with permission from the artist!) as a cover -- so I don't consider that as *my* first cover.

First cover made from scratch,

If you could have any power, what would it be?

||Probably coercion; the power the main character in my original story has, which basically means you can make people do what you want :-P

What would you say to those just starting making graphics?

||Have fun! And don't be afraid to make mistakes! For me, starting out in digital painting, it really helped copying existing works (photos, other paintings, etc.) to find my own style and method.Also, if you're really serious about digital art, do invest in a good graphics software (eg. Photoshop) and even the most basic pen and tablet. I promise you, it changed my life and made things a LOT easier!