Musingly Mindee

New Header Reveal and Spotlight on Artist Cat York.

I’m so happy to be writing this post and showing you the fantastically awesome new header for this blog designed by artist extraordinaire Cat York. I have also commissioned Cat to design the header for my website which I hope to have up and running soon. I’m planning on holding a query + 5-page critique contest for the unveiling. So stay tuned.

Now about Cat. A few words come to mind: talented, professional, super-easy to work with, imaginative, genius, expedient, enthusiast, fun. Seriously, I could go on and on. I’ve enjoyed every single minute of this process, and I recommend her to anyone even remotely interested in hiring a professional artist.  As someone with zero talent for drawing, I’m completely in awe of Cat’s abilities. She has also been extremely generous throughout this process. For example, just as we reached the final color stage, I realized that the size of the design wouldn’t fit in the website template. Cat graciously came up with a new design which you’ll get to see with the website unveiling. And it is beautiful. I’m jumping up and down with excitement to show it to you.

You can find more about Cat here. Her work speaks for itself!

Now about the header above. This artwork not only represents me as a person (hello beautiful horses and adorable kitty cat) but also my work, specifically The Nightmare Affair (duh!)  I’d like to tell you more, like what the story behind the power button is, but I’m afraid of being spoilery. I guess you’ll have to read the book (wink, wink).

One of the most challenging things I’ve ever had to do is settle for just one of Cat’s stunning designs. In fact, I liked all the different looks so much that I’m showing casing some of the different color designs below, not only to give you an idea of how difficult choosing was, but also to showcase a small measure of Cat’s talent.

So above we have what would’ve been an individual header page for the website. The initial plan was to have differently labeled headers depending on where you navigated, such as Short Stories or Bio. I adore the “open book” and how inviting it is. I think the black-on-black on this one is wickedly awesome and dark. It’s actually kind of scary, and that’s a win in my eyes.

Here we have a stone-colored background which really sets off the intricate design. It’s a minor variation of the header I ultimately chose.

This one is just completely different, but still stunning. I think it looks like an actual engraving. Maybe on the side of tomb…?

And finally, this one has a more purple background, which once again highlights the beautiful design.  

Thanks so much to Cat, and happy writing!