I have always taken a lot of pride in the graphic designs for my albums. It gives me a chance to allow my artistic side to take center stage. For example; the images portrayed in the design for Like The Freak You Are are of various acrylic paintings that I have done and the voodoo dolls and stage setup for Crazy Like A Fox were 100% hand made. With my last 2 album releases, I focused more on photography and digital editing rather than on artwork. The photography approach was fun, but I am anxious to do something handmade again. If my idea can come to fruition, then I guarantee that the graphic design for The Fools Mask is going to be a classic!! Very shocking and unforgettable. The underlining theme for much of my music can be summed up by one old adage "God, the devil and the conscience in between". Simply said, I write from the crossroads, the good the bad and the ugly. Life is full of decisions, some are good and some are bad. Sometimes we give into the temptations, sometimes we rise above them. Nobody on this Earth knows everything, we are all just doing our best to get by and live our lives. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail. To further elaborate; some songs that I write are dark and disturbing, others are happy and fun. Collectively they all work together and create balance. This approach allows me all the freedom that I need to be an effective creative writer. The idea that I have for the front cover of The Fools Mask is going to be very deep and will center around the 7 deadly sins and the 7 heavenly virtues. That is all I can share for now, because it's just an idea at this point in time, but the good news is that I'll be sharing the evolution of this idea right here in this post.
October 15, 2015 - Here is where it all begins! I love Halloween time!! Got a mannequin head, voodoo skull mask, a blank white plaster mask, adhesive lettering, a top hat with a red rose on the side, paint and paint brushes. Just the basics, nothing extravagant or overly expensive. One thing I have learned over the years, that applies to both songwriting and artwork, is to keep it simple. If you try to throw too many ingredients in the soup it just isn't going to taste good anymore. The old saying is "less is more".
October 16, 2015 - The Fools Mask is born!!! This was much more fun than carving a pumpkin. Simple but effective. The stickers didn't want to stay adhered to the mask, so I ended up using them like stencils. I did a little research online to see which colors corresponded with the 7 deadly sins before painting them. I still need to create a backdrop that will incorporate the 7 heavenly virtues and other religious symbols, but having the actual mask already completed is a huge step in the right direction.
October 15, 2015 - Here is where it all begins! I love Halloween time!! Got a mannequin head, voodoo skull mask, a blank white plaster mask, adhesive lettering, a top hat with a red rose on the side, paint and paint brushes. Just the basics, nothing extravagant or overly expensive. One thing I have learned over the years, that applies to both songwriting and artwork, is to keep it simple. If you try to throw too many ingredients in the soup it just isn't going to taste good anymore. The old saying is "less is more".
PSALM 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
The 7 deadly sins and their corresponding heavenly virtues are;
lust (chastity), gluttony (temperance), greed (charity), sloth (diligence),
wrath (patience), envy (kindness) & pride (humility)
October 31, 2016 - It is Halloween time, I had to share something new!! This is a cool promo flyer that I made which features an old deserted church with the 7 heavenly virtues written in blood red.
December 15, 2016 - Here is the official front cover design for The Fools Mask. I am very happy with how everything turned out. I didn't want the cover to be too scary so I used cartoon and other effects to dull the overall appearance and make it more playful. The 7 heavenly virtues are in the background and the 7 deadly sins are on the actual Fools Mask. I chose yellow for my name and the album title because it represents caution.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
The 7 deadly sins and their corresponding heavenly virtues are;
lust (chastity), gluttony (temperance), greed (charity), sloth (diligence),
wrath (patience), envy (kindness) & pride (humility)
October 31, 2016 - It is Halloween time, I had to share something new!! This is a cool promo flyer that I made which features an old deserted church with the 7 heavenly virtues written in blood red.
December 15, 2016 - Here is the official front cover design for The Fools Mask. I am very happy with how everything turned out. I didn't want the cover to be too scary so I used cartoon and other effects to dull the overall appearance and make it more playful. The 7 heavenly virtues are in the background and the 7 deadly sins are on the actual Fools Mask. I chose yellow for my name and the album title because it represents caution.
December 20, 2016 - Here is the front cover with the inside sleeve panel. It took a lot of work, but I am very happy with the results. With the inside panel, I was able to elaborate on the theme of the album 'the ongoing battle between good and evil'. I was also able to show a more in depth image of the Fools Mask with all the various colors for the 7 deadly sins (I did research these to make sure that I got them right).
December 20, 2016 -This is where the magic comes in! Check out this image from a distance. Doesn't it look like Jesus with a cross on his forehead? Kinda like a Shroud Of Turin? The actual image was of a wall with a window and flowers on both sides. I chose the original image because the frame in between the window represented a cross and I wanted something religious on the back panel to offset the intensity of the Fools Mask on the front cover. After I fed the original image into my digital editor and did a little experimenting, THIS is what emerged!! How perfect is THAT!! God is guiding me on my journey and good will always defeat evil.
January 9, 2017 -This is the 2 panels that will make up the inner sleeve for the CD. I decided, once again, to keep things nice and simple. The Fools Mask on the cover and on the actual disc (next image) can be a bit scary and intimidating, so I wanted to make sure to emphasize the 7 heavenly virtues in the inner sleeve. Afterall, good does ultimately prevail. YES, the QR Code does lead right here to this blog. I will also be creating another post that will contain all the song lyrics. I thought it was a clever idea.
January 9, 2017 - And here it is, the image that will appear on the actual disc!! I am very happy with how it turned out. Once again, I used a cartoonish effect to dull the scariness of the actual image. I also thought it was cool that I was able to blend the mask into the background with the money. Greed is after all .... the root of all evil!!
May 19, 2017 - This was the day! I officially signed off on the graphic design/music and everything was sent out for replication. I should receive all the copies in about 3 weeks. I am aiming for a 4th of July, 2017 album release!!
Promo Flyers
The Fools Mask CD Sampler Video
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