Monday, January 16, 2006

INTERVIEW WITH JINGER HEASTON

L.T.:
In the world of publishing, the cover art is critical to an author's book. No, we should not judge a book by it's cover, but we often do. In the world of cover art, you have good, great, and then you have Jinger. Jinger has proven to be the best in the business of cover art, and I am honored and privledged to have her here today. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the best in the business, Jinger Heaston.

L.T.:
Thank you for joining me Jinger.
I want to say that it is a real pleasure to have you here today. I am truly a fan of your artwork.

L.T.:
How do you draw inspirations for your artwork?

Jinger:
Well I don’t know if you would call it “inspiration” but I do like to listen to Celtic music, Enya stuff like that when Im working. It kind of depends on the mood as to what I listen to. I can go from Patsy Cline to Janis Joplin while working!

L.T.:
Cool. What an ecclectic selection.
How did you get started in the business?

Jinger:
I worked for PawPrints POD and wondered if creating covers was something I could do, I attended Kansas State University were I studied Art, so I had the education, just never applied it. So I applied at Whiskey Creek Press and was hired!

L.T.:
When you get an assignment, what determines the outcome of the book?

Jinger:
If you are talking about the outcome of the book cover, it depends on several factors. The Authors wants, my ideas, their ideas and a combination of both.

L.T.:
You are so diverse, how do you deliver such accurate beautiful work each time?

Jinger.:
Thank You!! I'm glad you like my work, working with you was so much fun and I look forward to doing it again. This may seem silly but sometimes I can see the cover in my mind and I just set out to create it. It is a tough job to reach into the mind of someone you do not know and bring to life their vision of the perfect cover, Im very blessed to have my job.

L.T.:
How long have you been doing this cover art?

Jinger:
About 2 years, maybe a bit longer.

L.T.
What other art work do you do?

Jinger:
Mostly draw unicorns over and over for my youngest daughter! I have also painted a few murals on bedroom walls *kids themes*

L.T.
Did you have to go to school to learn your trade?

Jinger:
Yes and No. I majored in Art, but learned how to apply that to covers on my own.

L.T.:
Do you love what you do?

Jinger:
I absolutely adore what I do!!!

L.T.:
What about the authors that you do art work for? Is the process part author/ part Jinger, or is it Jinger?

Jinger:
It is half and half. Most of the Authors I have been blessed to work with have wonderful ideas express those in the AIF and really help bring the vision to life. They are also open minded enough to look at another direction I may go and think, “Hey..actually I like that!” A team effort all the way.

L.T.:
What's your favorite cover?

Jinger:
The next one!!

L.T.
And we can't wait to see it!

L.T.
Let's talk about Kate September's The Siren's Bloom(Ocean's Mist Press Publishing) That cover rocked! How did you decide on that book cover?

Jinger:
Kate had provided a drawing that her Mother had done *wonderful job by the way Kate’s Mom!* and I kind of took that and ran with it. What struck me on the AIF was the color of the eyes, so I wanted to really work those into the artwork.

L.T.
What's next for you?

Jinger:
More covers and making new friends with all these wonderful Authors!!

L.T.:
Thank you for spending this time with us.

http://www.jingraphix.com

8 comments:

GLBT Promo said...

I enjoyed reading this interview with Jinger Heaston. Jinger is an artist I highly admire. She designed the cover for my new lesbian erotica anthology. The moment I saw what she had come up with my heart skipped a beat!

Anonymous said...

I was one of Jinger's first covers. She had the daunting task of designing the cover for the third book of my trilogy. I gave her an idea, she produced and... it was awful! My idea, not her work! Then we started over and created a cover for 'Til The End Of Time that was all I could have wanted and more. Jinger is the best, pure and simple! I'm fortunate to have worked with her and will accept only "the" Jinger for my future covers.

ME said...

I really feel blessed to have a cover artist like Jinger. She is an amazing artisan and she blesses us with her creativity with each cover.

Brenda said...

Jin-Jin Rocks! Love her work, love her bubbly personality. She's a super person to work with and it's awesome she's moved up in the line of art command at Whiskey Creek Press. I'm Jazzed, but unfortunately not in Kansas.

Anonymous said...

Since I am PawPrints, I am lucky enough to spend lots of time with Jin. She is an amazing woman. I watched her grow up and I've watched her grow into a sensational cover artist!
I am so impressed with her willingness to reach out to the author for input (something not done very often in this industry) She is intuitive. She seems to be able to 'feel' what the individual author wants. For that reason, I don't think she will ever run out of ideas or 'repeat' herself and just change color or background like many other cover artists tend to do after a while.

Linda Voth

Anonymous said...

Working with Jinger for the cover art of my upcoming release at Venus Press, LIFE IMITATING ART, was a pleasure throughout our collaboration. Our meeting of the creative minds delivered what I deem my favorite cover! She is an extremely gifted woman, and I'm blessed to have worked with her. Here's to more cover art collaborations in the future!

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed working with Jinger on the cover for my release, Journeys From a Boy to A Man. Jinger took great detail to make the cover of the book to enhance what was inside the contents of the book. My girls and I were very impressed with her work. She is like family and has incredible talent.

Linda L. Lattimer

Cheri Valmont said...

Jinger was awesome to work with. Since this was my first book, I feared not having any say in the end product, but working with Jinger alleviated my fears. She is truly a professional and a very talented lady.
I look forward to working with her in the future.

Cheri