Meet My Fantastic Cover Artist ~ Francessca Wingfield!

Welcome back to FOR THE COVER CONSCIOUS. Today I have the pleasure of hosting my outstanding cover artist, Francessca Wingfield! Let's hear from her...

Okay, first of all, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Married? Single? Kids? Pets?

Hi there Mary, well I live in Leicester which is the UK. I have worked in mental health for 10 years but in the recent months have left to follow my dream and I am now my own boss in Cover Design. I also recently got married to my childhood sweetheart of 13 years, you could say I’ve got my happily ever after. I have two children both boys of 8 years and 3 years, hard work but I wouldn’t have them any other way, we also have a puppy called Skye shes a black Labrador and she costs us more than the kids already with the destruction of wires, plasterboard and SHOES!



2) Before you became a full time cover artist, what did you do for a living? Did you enjoy it?

I have worked in forensic mental health for 10 years until recently. I was a senior healthcare support worker and although I initially loved it, it was very demanding and took a strain on my family life, as well as my own mental health. I have decided in recent months to give that up and work solely on my business, which is ultimately where my passion lies.

3) How did you get into making covers?

It actually started with reading and reviewing for authors. I would make teasers to go with my reviews to enhance the experience on my website. It then developed into cover design when Kelsey Burns, author come great friend, spotted my work and encouraged me to design covers. I started by working with Erotic Dreams Publishing and the business just grew from there really.

4) Besides creating covers, I know you also design logos and run promotions for authors. Can you tell us a bit about that?

Design is the main branch of my business, however, we also work on branding for authors, so logo designs, banner designs, roller banners, for authors to work with the continuity across all their work. I have been running promotions for authors for some time. I initially began doing these informally as a way to assist authors in reaching a wider market. We now have well over 600 blogs on our mailing list. The idea with any promotion is to try and get the best possible reach, so we not only send the materials to the blogs, but we also work hard to tag each author in each individual post, as many of you know, the more interaction on a post the better visuals it will get through Facebook. We run different promotions, including different price ranges in order to help ever author. We run a £5 option which is literally a small email and request the blogs post on behalf of the author, we then do a mini reveal or release and this is £15 which would mean we create HTML and FB post and request the blogs post on a set date. There is then the main release which is £25 and this includes all of the above plus review options and dealing with ARC’s on behalf of the author and setting up a sign up form for the bloggers. We also run week long tours, events and parties. 

5) What part of your job do you enjoy most? What is difficult?

What I enjoy most is working hand in hand with the authors to create exactly what they imagine for their book. At the end of the day, this is their “baby” as such, and I want to do their creation justice, so I tend to work side by side every step of the way. That way if they're uncertain of anything, or something isn’t working on the cover, we can work together to make it PERFECT. Hmmmmm … most difficult is knowing my own limitations. I still class myself as a relatively new designer and am always having to research new techniques in order to make sure every cover is unique. Something else which is difficult is hours of trawling through stock images to find what works, but also what hasn’t been used 100’s of times on other covers, although I have to admit I love the challenge of making an image 100% unique even though it has been used before.

6) I know you were recently married and used your design skills in preparing for that. Can you share what you did with us? (If you had pictures to send, that would be great. Someone may want to hire you to do their wedding.)

Of course I made my own seating plan, invitations, save the dates, table cards, confetti cones, menus, etc. Let me show you an example of some of them here, I haven’t got the professional images as yet :

Just lovely!

How do you balance the demands of everyday life and your design 

work?

With great difficulty. It was much, much harder when I worked too, as I would be doing a 12 hour shift then the next day I’d have my three year old running around. Trying to concentrate I would end up working late into the night to get things done and ready. It is now much easier. My son is in childcare (I don’t know where I would be without the best childminder, Mel Mel. She’s more like family) four days a week now, so I get most of it done then. Although my house looks like a bombs site ha ha ha!

Do you have any hobbies you’d like to share?

I love my reading, always have. It's one of my great ways to escape reality! The majority of any time I have left I spend with my boys or hubby, just watching them grow and learn. I’m not sure that’s a hobby, but it should be because I get so much enjoyment out of watching them find themselves. Don’t get me wrong, it’s also majorly challenging at times!

Now, just for fun, choose a couple of these to answer:

If you could be any animal, what animal would you choose, and why? 

Bird – I could fly wherever I wanted.

When trick-or-treating as a kid, was there any kind of candy that you didn’t like to get? 

Those licorice, all sorts. YUK!

What was one of the best Christmas presents you ever received? 

When I was younger it was a KAREOKE machine, although I’m sure my neighbors didn’t think so!

If you owned a CB radio what would your "handle" be? 

Frantic Frans Fun and Frolics

What CD is in your CD player right now? Or what was the last song you listened to in your digital library? 

I was going to say I actually don’t own a CD player. EEEEK! But digital wise, it would have been my wedding song on repeat, Ed Sheeran "Perfect". 

Love Ed Sheeran!

Name your favorite children's story. 

Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime 

What was your nickname growing up or now? 

Everybody just shortens my name to Fran, although my Husband HATES it! Growing up it used to be Ginge. Then I was a true ginger. The image below is what my hen do did for me so I wouldn’t feel left out!

Who was your hero when you were a child, and what did you do to be like them? 

OMG! I am not proud of this one, but it was the Spice Girls! Me and my friends tried to have a band like them! Very embarrassing!

What is your concept of a fruitful day? 

One laugh, one smile from my family makes every day that more special. Now if I had completed my to do list too, I'M ON TO A WINNER!

What is your biggest pet peeve? 

CRUNCHING CRISPS OUT LOUD! ARGH!!!!!

What one thing (modern convenience) could you not live without? 

My phone, but only if it had wifi or 3g.

What is your favorite smell? 

The smell of pine. It always reminds me of Christmas!

That is a wonderful smell! Thank you for joining us today and for being an awesome cover artist!

Contact Francessca if you're interested in her work. She's easy to work with, inexpensive, and talented.


Website – http://francesscas-romance-reviews.com/

Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/FrancesscasRomanceReviews/

Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/FrancesscasPRandDesigns/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/francesscas_rr

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.co.uk/francesscasr/pins/