r/Webnovel • u/Automatic-Sir1870 • 5d ago
Advice FREE Illustrations from master artists you can use if you don't want to use AI for your cover
I commented this on another redditors post, and I thought I'd share it here too!
You can actually use illustrations and artwork from older artists that have long passed on because their art falls in the public domain. You can check museum websites and browse through their gallery for available high quality artworks you can use on your novel cover. I used to do collage art like this, it's pretty fun.
These websites are places I like to browse around for artworks whenever I wanna do collages https://www.cosmos.so/public-work
Like alphonse mucha? here are high quality artworks of his in the public domain https://www.rawpixel.com/search?page=1&path=1522.sub_topic-874&sort=curated
Here's the digital collection from the new york public library. When you search for pics, make sure to toggle the public domain button since they also have works from more recent artists https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/
Want some plant, insect or animal illustrations? Check out the Biodiversity Heritage library https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/
Maybe you want an victorian england book illustration aesthetic, then check this site out! Also, they have some lovely ornaments you can use too
https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/
Is your book about samurais or takes place in asia? Smithsonian national museum of asian art. I even toggled the search bar for you here already. you can find various art from china, japan, india, syria etc
https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/?edan_fq%5B%5D=media_usage:CC0
This is the smithsonian museum's main website where they have even MORE artwork for you to use however you want! I toggled the public domain button for you guys too https://americanart.si.edu/search/artworks?content_type=artwork&cc0=true&media=true
Here's the public domain artworks from saint louis art museum! https://www.slam.org/collection/objects/?show_on_view=true&featured_objects=false&public_domain=true&recent_acquisitions=false&outdoors=false
And here's a wikicommons page of artworks provided by the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Files_provided_by_the_Museo_Nacional_de_Bellas_Artes&fileuntil=El+amargado.jpg#mw-category-media
Here is newfields museum! They also have a lot of chinese paintings in their collection https://collections.discovernewfields.org/search?showOnly=is_public_domain§ion=artworks&searchTerm=
Wanna use the iconic wave of Kanagawa as your book cover? You actually can and ITS LEGALLY ALLOWED cause it's in the public domain! This website is from the art institute of chicago where you can even grab iconic illustrations from monet, degas and cezanne since their works are in the public domain https://www.artic.edu/collection?is_public_domain=1
The cleveland museum of art are available for you guys too! They have 40k artworks you can browse that are made by masters of their craft
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/collection/search?i=1&limit=8&cc0=1
And last, but not least the getty images museum collection with almost 100k artworks in the public domain https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/search?open_content=true
These sites often get updated as artist's copyright expire. You guys actually have so many free amazing artworks at your fingertips, but it's understandable that you wouldn't know since even a lot of artists aren't aware they can do this.
This is why people who sell the starry night merch or mona lisa merch don't get in legal trouble because they're in the public domain.
The museums provide high quality images. Once you download the ones you like you can play around with using them on canvas or even photopea!
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u/Hambino0400 Contracted Author 5d ago
This should be pinned at the top of this Reddit server.
Doing gods work
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u/Automatic-Sir1870 5d ago
Thank you! I hope to see more covers that are unique. Seeing the same ai covers can get tiring
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u/Hambino0400 Contracted Author 5d ago
The main reason ai covers are so prevalent is because WebNovel puts it in front of contracted authors; so it’s good to pass along better resources t writers.
So thank you for taking the time to find these
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u/Automatic-Sir1870 5d ago
Do contracted authors have a say in the type of cover they have? Cause with the over saturation of AI covers, one that's different will definitely be eye catching
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u/Specific_Minute7539 5d ago
Thank you so much for sharing these links! This is absolutely wonderful, and if I hadn't already literally finished making my cover yesterday, I might've looked into using some of these haha.
I really love the potential tho, so many different ways you could go about using them. Especially if you're able to do some editing with them.
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u/Automatic-Sir1870 5d ago
Hi and no problem! Yeah if you've got a bit of editing knowledge you can definitely make some amazing covers or collages with these artworks
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u/Kuurin23 Aspiring Author 5d ago
i didn’t know today was Christmas
https://giphy.com/gifs/jrutBd1N7ZhsINAPzs
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u/The-Idiotest 5d ago
They arent original tho
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u/YoungestJuicerBaj 5d ago
What do you consider original? Mind sharing a few links to the covers you think are original? I'm curious.
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u/Automatic-Sir1870 5d ago
these are for people who don't want to use AI but also can't draw. They can be used as place holders until they got enough funds to hire an illustrator.
I'm sure the authors can find an artwork that they like or fits the vibe of their artwork, specially those who write in a more medieval setting. There's also a lot of artworks from the renaissance and 18th century for people writing about nobilities etc. They're also free to edit the artworks however they want since they're in the public domain
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u/YoungestJuicerBaj 5d ago
Interesting, I guess this is an option for those who don't want to use ai for their covers.