Pinned-Up Gymslips And Canes: A New Cover - Your Help Is Required

 (A)

 (B)

 (C)

(D)

Four versions of the latest cover pic for the book I am currently collaborating on. The title and other texts are likely to change before publication by the way, but this gives an idea of the look. The basic background is by Angela Fox, all the rest is by yours truly. The red rubber suit pic was supplied by the author -  Robin Stone - himself.  Don’t forget to let me know what you think - which elements you like, and which not so much. But what I'm really interested in is which of the above you prefer.  You'll need to look careful as some of the differences are a little subtle, but just click to see a larger version.  Perhaps next time I'll set up a proper poll based on the above, but for now please leave a comment or email me directly at   toyntanen@googlemail.com   Ta!

An Introductory Caning

From a forthcoming illustrated book I’m colaborating on: 

“...the new girl should be arriving soon, Sister. It’s a cold night out there - I do hope you’re all good and ready to warm her up when she arrives; her bottom at least...ha ha ha!"

“Oh yes indeed, Doctor Swanley! I’ll stripe her behind for her, good and proper - you need have no fear about that. I’ll soon break her spirit!”

"I'm glad to hear it Sister, because this one is a 'long-term' patient, she is to be in our care for an indefinte period - and the woman who is paying for her stay here wants just that; she wants the girl broken completly, in every way possible!"

 

Kidnap Victims and Servent Girls

Kidnap Victims and Servant Girls indeed!  I am supposed to be working on someone else’s book, looking for some elements for some cover art . But I came across a few things and couldn’t help but sling them together - just to see where it might lead.  The one below I'm going to do something with another time - there is a LOT of promise there, don't you think?  It comes from a film (I've done a bit of research) part of the plot of which (the early part - later on and further in I'd lose interest if I were watching) come have come from the plot of one of my books; certainly the imagery could (see further down).... Now back to work proper!

Breaking-In The Twins

There is a real mixture of sources used here in today's humble offering, including a scanned catalogue image, a couple of elements I have created myself and some elements taken from a couple of pictures I worked on for Roger Benson - see if you can tell which came from what. This is still not the finished version of this - just sort of a trial run; I think the finished version will be sans the psychiatric care home staff uniform in the foreground (see below) and will just feature the girls and the nurse.   

And one annoying thing I've just noticed now I've uploaded the ting is that the ends of a couple of words have got lopped off on the right hand side - I hadn't noticed that!  Bloody irritating!

So - you'll have noticed I'm sure, that I have taken heed of the many emails (and a couple of comments) I've received supporting the grey version of the latter outfit incidentally (although at the last minute I brought in a slight blueish tint - dunno why; it just seemed to work.).  

You know it's really odd, but I've always imagined my dominant characters in some shade of blue (usually navy blue).  But once I started playing with different shades (because very dark blue tends to be difficult to work with if trying to show and pick out detail) I found I quite liked the pastel shades (yeah that pink version I presented last time was supposed to be pastel pink, but I couldn't quite get the shade right) but only under certain circumstances (for example, for the dominant character in some forms of regression storyline - although I think it works for a serving girl too where pastels provide a break from the same-old-same-old black and white maid uniform).  But what I found REALLY floated my boat was - yes, you guessed it  - that grey version; although I didn't want to say so at the time for fear of influencing you all....Go figure - I really couldn't tell you why! 

Also I think the curtained screen will end up some shade of blue (I've just tried this - see below) - or any colour other than green; I've just noticed that as things stand at present it tends to look as if you can see right through our hapless duo. I chose that particular shade of green simply because it matches the bed-screening curtains in some images our old chum Angela Fox created for me a while back (a LONG while back actually - but I do wish to use them; and I really DO appreciate continuity; things should always be self-consistent if there is to be at least some modicum of plausibility).

 I think in some form this  - or something like it and related to it - will eventually form the cover of my new book (but it WONT be called 'Breaking-In The Twins' nor will it have anything to DO with twins!  Not real biological twins anyway!  There! That's got you thinking!).  I'd REALLY love to know which you prefer - and why.  Or perhaps you'd prefer to see something else entirely - if so let me know; try your best to describe YOUR vision! It's all useful stuff!

Meanwhile I have spent much of today working on the cover design for another book - somebody else's book.  But I wont be sharing THAT with you - you'll have to go find the book once it's out!

The Importance of the Colour of the Dominant Character's Dress to the Imposition of Strict Discipline Over Her Charges?

 

Or – An Experiment (Of Sorts): The Perceived Importance (Or Otherwise) of Colour in Socially Conditioned Compliance and Inducing Submission to Authority

Hi folks. I had reason today to answer a couple of comments responding posted to my last posting in which I happened to mention how to my mind the colour of the 'carers' dress has a bearing on the image portrayed in addition to the styling and seems important somehow. So I said “...for example, would a pastel shade such as pink or lilac have the same effect / impact?” 

Well, you see: This is a factor that interests me so, as I sad in my reply “Perhaps I should create a couple of variations of this image and display them side-by-side, identical in all but colour”. And so I have done just that. 

Now, I don't exactly have a lot of time on my hands today and so this is very much NOT my best work and is a little rough around the edges so to speak (there is HORRIBLE fringing around the lilac version in particular) but... hmmm – well...what do you think? 

 I'd really love some comments on this please, but I'm too lazy to set up one of those 'poll' things – unless of course there is enough interest!

So is colour important in this context? Which one – if any – does it for you the most?  I was surprised once I started messing around to be honest...but I don't want to influence you.

By the way - if you have emailed me and not yet heard back, despair ye not; I'll be answering you later today while out imbibing coffee up there in Wood Green Mall's Pret-a-Mange.

A Couple of Recycled Images

Hi Folks - so today's pic is just a couple of recycled images I've cobbled together and just tweaked a bit, primarily in an attempt to develop a bit of inspiration in my own head but I thought I'd share it with you all also. Click on the image for a larger view - and as always, your comments and criticisms are most welcome.

Under The (Her) Thumb: Or: The Life Of A Well-Trained Stepdaughter

"...Maybe a few more years in that mental hospital would be GOOD for you, straighten you out a little and stop your complaining.  But perhaps that's where you belong - in a mental hospital - PERHAPS this time I'll just leave you there...PERMANENTLY!"  You can imagine her coughing haughtily or perhaps adding a little mocking laugh, the calling out to her visitor by way of greeting: "...just come on in, Edith - ignore the girl; she's just a servant!"

People often ask what is likely to happen to the girl after a few years spent incarcerated in a suitably secure institution (I always think in terms of a few years rather than months). Well I came across this image and it immediately suggested one particular scenario I am fond of - I think it was the girls facial expression of (not QUITE total) resignation. 

Of course it is important she wear something designed to keep her firmly in her place, both in her own mind and in the eyes of others who might see her around the house, scrubbing floors and so on. This outfit wasn’t QUITE perfect - I had to fiddle around with it a bit - but close enough to suggest what might be going on (and NO: I don’t want to know what is really going on!) And I kind of like the colour for some reason (which I've enhanced a smidgen): I’m sure we don’t ALL want to see those same old black and white maid’s uniforms ALL the time; and somehow THIS looks just that bit more demeaning, being I think suggestive of its suitability for a girl expected to be carrying out only the most basic of menial tasks around the house.

I’d imagine, incidentally, that by this stage psychologically speaking she’d be something of a cripple, virtually incapable of making any kind of decision for herself - even simple ones - and near totally dependent on others to give her orders for her to obey without which she’d be lost.  All this having been said: she might not quite realise herself to what an extent all this is true (I’m not sure where this bit is going  - I need to have a think about it, and the ramifications for my character’s future development, if ‘development’ is quite the right word!)

( Title with more than a nod to a certain song lyric, which spawned many an early thought back in the day!)