streaming

Vanessa Davis | Lexington, KY

Vanessa Davis Kentucky based singer songwriter. She asked me to design the streaming music cover art for a new EP composed during the 2020 Coronavirus quarantine. She provided a few elements to get me started on the art, and then she put me to work.

Streaming music cover art story

Print poster variant of the streaming music art

Vanessa sent me a rough sketch of her incorporated into the foreground of a painting by her grandmother. She also provided sheet music for songs on the album, and requested that I add those in if they  fit.

First, I removed the background from her photograph, smoothing out the edges of her curly hair. I then set out to blend her seamlessly into the painting. In Photoshop, I combined an “oil painting” filter with an embossed second copy of her photo, thus mimicking the painting’s texture. Next, I modified the colors in both her picture and the painting in order to create consistency.

I then incorporated the sheet music into the image. A variety of eraser brushes gave the composition a weathered, ethereal feel, as if they were a dream by author, floating amongst the sky and landscape.

Finally, I chose a classic serif font to represent the album title. Based on our discussions revolving around her rootsy, folk based musical style, I typed out Vanessa’s name in an elegant script font. After completing the painterly art, I opted to keep the text minimal and not add any effects. I simply added a faint black feathered box under it to help its legibility.

Vanessa also requested that I design a print quality poster to complement the album art. She would send these posters out for publicity purposes. I first blurred copies of the painting together to create a new background. Then, I extended the music notes above and below the streaming EP art. Regarding the finished poster and CD, my client declared, “I LOVE THIS! I am thrilled with the work you’ve done on this.”

Check out Vanessa’s music on Youtube and follow her on Instagram.