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What is The Bucket List?

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We provide you with all the creative designs you need to launch your new book, all in one package, ready for printing or digital use.

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We take the burden of coordinating many artists/subcontractors off your shoulders, and in case of package deals, you get all the included elements at a discounted price.​​

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We offer The Bucket List in the form of fully customizable packages, which can consist of the following elements:

Hard or soft cover

A hard or soft cover (including front, back and spine, with all text elements as well), designed and drawn by Nora Adamszki (title and author background PNG files included). This element MUST be included in the package, as it establishes the main creative direction.

Foil layer

Foil layer for effects, like metallic colors, matt effect, etc.

Bookmarks

Designed and drawn by a fellow-minded artist, who is selected for the particular task by Nora, from a list of curated partnering artists - ensuring diversity of artistic styles in the final package.

Quote cards

Quote texts, and a simple background in the theme of the book, with a simple patterned background on the other side of the card (or the main creative adapted to this format as background).

Banner

Banner (for online use).

Cover reveal post design

Cover reveal post design (showing the mockup).

Info card

A small card layout containing info on the author, book, etc.

Gift box layout

Designing the creative layout of a gift box. The provided graphic can be folded up into a real box after printing on hard paper. Designed either by Nora Adamszki, or a selected partnering artist.

Additional dust jacket

Additional full cover design incl. front, back, spine cover, with text elements, and folding flaps. Designed and drawn by Nora Adamszki.

End-paper

Designed and drawn by a fellow-minded artist, who is selected for the particular task by Nora, from a list of curated partnering artists - ensuring diversity of artistic styles in the final package.

Character cards

Designed and drawn by a fellow-minded artist, who is selected for the particular task by Nora, from a list of curated partnering artists - ensuring diversity of artistic styles in the final package.

E-book format

Cover adapted to e-book format.

Mockup

A digital mockup, showing the cover on a 3D illustration of a book.

Stickers

Simple graphics for stickers, from the theme of the book - e.g. little crests, swords, logos, etc.

Notepad (with graphics)

Adaptation of a graphic element as background graphic for notepads, as gifts.

Colored edge

Colored edge, around the 3 sides of the book. Designed either by Nora Adamszki, or a selected partnering artist.

Page overlay/"tip-in" page

Designed and drawn by a fellow-minded artist, who is selected for the particular task by Nora, from a list of curated partnering artists - ensuring diversity of artistic styles in the final package.

Header pages

Header pages (for the title/half title page of the book, or for chapter headers). Designed either by Nora Adamszki, or a selected partnering artist.

Audiobook format

Cover adapted to audiobook format.

Social media post templates

Post templates, making your life easier when posting about your new book, designed to match with the atmosphere of the cover nicely.

​Gift card

A small card layout with greeting text - background pattern and text style in the theme of the book.

World map (of story locations)

Designing a full world map, based on the story's locations. Designed either by Nora Adamszki, or a selected partnering artist.

You are free to combine these elements in any way, and in any quantity! However, the main cover itself must be a part of the package, as it forms the creative foundation of the package, which will carry over to the other elements as well.

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Please reach out to me via e-mail, Instagram, or Threads - tell me which elements you would be interested in, and I'll be happy to create a custom quotation for you! 🙂

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To get your thought process started, here are some example packages for various scenarios:

  • Prices (valid for bookings starting January 2027)
    The prices below contain ALL commercial license fees and copyrights. Character Illustrations Base price: 750 USD Additional characters: +75% of base price Simple background (plain colors, non-figurative): free of charge Detailed background: +100-300 USD Simple tattoos, jewellery (with no particular details): free of charge Complex clothing accessories, lacing, crown, armor, weapons: +50-250 USD Montage of separate, fully drawn characters: +100-250 USD (Animals and any fantasy creatures count as normal characters.) Full book cover / dust jacket Base price: 1,750 USD (1-2 characters, minimal background, full cover design, typography and text placement, formatting for paperback and/or e-book.) Extras: Additional characters: +250 USD Detailed background: +100-300 USD Additional complicated details: +50-250 USD Special finishes (UV spot varnishing, foil stamping, etc.): +100 USD Please also check out our new service, The Bucket List, where we provide you with all the additional creative designs you need to launch your new book, all in one package, ready for printing or digital use! We take the burden of coordinating many artists/subcontractors off your shoulders, and in case of package deals, you get all the included elements at a discounted price.​​
  • My current availabilities
    I do art commissions as a full time job, therefore, I book my calendar in the order I receive the enquiries in (although I always aim to adapt to the requirements of my clients as well). In this sense, I don't have a classic waitlist, as my availabilities simply depend on how far along my calendar is already booked for. My current availabilities are the following: 2025: Fully booked. 2026: Fully booked. 2027: Slots available Please keep an eye on my Insta stories, which is where I share any potential openings due to cancellations.
  • How to book a slot in my calendar?
    Preferred contact method is via email, but I can also be contacted initially via Instagram as well. However, once we are moving forward with the commission, then please let's continue our discussions via email only, as it is a lot easier to keep track that way. As you will probably be looking to book a slot that is still several months away, it is perfectly fine to not have all the details ready at this point! Don't worry, you can decide on the finer details till the very day when I start working on your piece. However, in order to be able to judge the approximate time requirement of the task, and to give you at least an approximate quotation, I will need at minimum the following information from you when booking a slot in my calendar: What use is the drawing for? For book covers, book art inlays, selling in shops as printed art, etc. How many characters do you want to be presented in the scene? How much of them would be visible? Half body, knees-up, full body? In general, how complex do you imagine the scene, and the characters portrayed? For example, will they be wearing complex and detailed armor, weaponry, jewelry, wings? If you already know if the pose will be static or more kinetic, please describe that as well. Finally, please share any ideas on the complexity of the background you may have imagined for the scene. Based on these, you will receive a quotation from me, along with a timeline. Once the proposal is accepted from your end, you will be added to my pre-booked list, which means that I will hold the slot for you until the deposit payment is due. The booking will only be finalised once the 50% advance payment is received, which is always due 3 months before the booked slot starts. The remaining 50% will be due after the final drawing has been accepted from your end. I also perfectly understand that ideas change over time - no worries, I'll do my best to adapt in every way, and if the changes effect the price, then we can just add/subtract the difference in the final invoice at the end.
  • How do you receive the final drawing?
    Once final approval is received, I will ask for the remaining balance to be settled - after the payment is received, I will send over the final piece in full resolution and full quality. You will receive the final drawing in the format discussed in the beginning of the process. If required, I can deliver the drawing with and without background as well - the one without background would be transparent in those areas which were originally covered by the background, and will be in PNG file format. I do not hand over PSDs or any other working files, and do not contribute or agree to the editing of the drawing in any way, after the handover. If you need foil layers or other effects on the drawing, please let me know, I am happy to help with that. Book covers and dust jackets will always be provided in a print-ready pdf format, but I will need the printing parameters (dimensions, bleed lines, etc.) beforehand. The final documents are to be sent to you via a download link.
  • What do I need to start the actual work?
    Please feel free to take your time to think about the details for your upcoming piece, till the day before I actually start working on it. This will typically be as per the originally agreed date, but if I am able to start earlier for any reason, then I will let you know in advance. I will need a detailed description of each character's appearance, including clothing and accessories. If you also describe their personality, that will help a lot to be able to show their actual characters more closely. If emotional portrayal is necessary in the scene, then please describe the related circumstances in detail as well (e.g. "the character is feeling tremendous emotional pain from the recent loss of his love, mixed with anger towards those who have harmed her"). It is important to define the characters' poses. The characters' poses play a huge role in showing their personality, and are also vital in telling the story behind the scene. The more explanation you can provide for the overall scene, the better - photos or reference images showing the expected poses or emotions are also very useful! I typically work in a resolution and aspect ratio which would allow you to print my work in A4 format, at 300 dots per inch. If you want me to work in a different aspect ratio and/or resolution, then I will definitely need to know that in advance, before I start. Resizing a piece afterwards may require an additional fee, and additional time as well (as there may be additional areas on the canvas which need to be filled with content, given the new dimensions). We must also agree on the colour profile (RGB - for digital use, CMYK - for print use), the file formats required (JPG, PNG, or PDF), and any additional delivery parameters you may have (e.g. optional bleed border sizes, etc). If not discussed, I default to using CMYK colour and JPG as the delivery file format.
  • Workflow and approvals
    In the first round, I will prepare the sketch based on your inputs, and will send it to you for feedback. I will only proceed with the drawing once you have approved it, or have provided clear instructions on what to change, therefore, a timely response is highly appreciated to make sure we fit into the allocated timeframe. It's important to highlight that you cannot change the pose after approving the sketch, only for an additional fee, as I would basically have to start over again at this point. Minor modifications during the process are acceptable, of course, but if you want to make significant changes to the pose, costume, etc. after the sketch has been approved, then it will cost extra. Following the approval of the sketch, I will proceed to draw a coloured version, which I will once again send to you for approval. Once this is also approved, I will proceed to add the finer details, and then finish up the piece, taking your comments into consideration all along the way. This final version will once again be sent to you for approval. If the drawing needs more modifications, or if I have questions about a particular part of the scene, then there could be additional rounds of drafts sent along the way.
  • Payment options and terms
    Payments are accepted via: Credit card/debit card (preferred): Currently supporting Visa and Mastercard, you can pay me directly with your bank card in USD via a secure gateway, managed by an independent provider. I have absolutely no visibility over your bank card details. Once you receive my invoice, just click the "Download invoice" button, and you will see the "Payment by credit card" option there. Wise (formerly known as TransferWise): Fast, secure, and cheap service. Let me know in advance if you want to use this, and I'll give you my Wise account details. Wire transfer via your bank: You can wire transfer the amount on to my bank account number which is shown on every invoice I issue. Additional bank charges may apply. PayPal (least preferred): Due to the high fees applied by PayPal, as well as its very inappropriate currency exchange rates, I will have to ask you to add an additional 7% to the total invoiced amount in order to compensate for these losses. Invoice is issued for every payment received, using a dedicated invoicing program (not through PayPal), which is legally approved and acknowledged by the tax authorities of my country of residence. Invoices are sent via email in electronic format, digitally signed. Payment terms: 50% advance payment of the total fee is required no later than 3 months prior to starting work on the piece (or due immediately when booking dates which are closer than 3 months away). In case I am unable to start working on the piece on the starting day of the booked slot due to the fault of the Client (e.g. not received the necessary briefing, or the 50% advance payment), then the booking is cancelled, and any advance payments received for that booking are non-refundable. In case the Client decides to cancel the commission later than 2 weeks prior to start (i.e. advance payment has already been made), then the advance payment received is non-refundable, as I am highly unlikely to be able to sell that slot to anyone else in such short notice. The remaining 50% of the commission fee is due after the drawing is approved by the Client. In case of multiple bookings, the remaining 50% is due for each drawing separately, after each piece is done and approved.
  • License terms
    My prices include the commercial license to use the drawing for any commercial or promotional purpose, including both print and digital. However, some uses other than the above (e.g. printing on merchandises, etc.), require separate arrangements, so please always clarify how the drawing will be used. Licenses are exclusive, no other Client can license the drawing. I, as the artist, maintain the right to share and showcase the drawing on my website and/or social media, as my reference work (date of sharing can be agreed upon to ensure that the Client shares first, or share via collab posts). I maintain the right to cancel any existing bookings, with full refund of deposits received (except in cases of delayed starts due to the fault of the Client, and cancellations after 2 months before start of booked slot - as detailed in the previous sections).
  • The Team
    As always, the main creative direction is lead and managed by Nora Adamszki. Nora personally designs and draws the main design (hard covers, dust jackets) of the book, however, certain additional art pieces, such as end-papers, page overlays, bookmarks, etc. are done by other like-minded artists we have partnered with (artists are selected and recommended to the client by Nora, based on the specific requirements of the task). This ensures a good mix of artistic styles in the package we offer, and also saves time, as these pieces can usually be drawn in parallel. An additional experienced graphic illustrator is responsible for creating the less artistic but more technical tasks, like creating foil layers, general pattern designs, etc.
  • What we need from our clients to get started?
    As usual, a detailed briefing is the basis of every work we do - we will ask you to describe in detail the scenes, the atmosphere, the characters, the backgrounds, etc. We will also need you to provide us with printing templates in case of creatives going into print (you can get these from your printing shops) and any necessary technical specifications for either print or digital creatives.
  • Customizable elements
    We offer The Bucket List in the form of packages, which you yourself can build up from all the elements we are offering, based on your preferences. Just simply let us know which elements you would be interested in, and we will gladly prepare a custom quotation for you! Depending on the amount of elements included, various levels of discounts will apply! Also, other elements (which are not currently listed under any of the packages) can also be added if needed. An example of this would be animated motion designs for cover reveals, which is something we can also do, but have decided to not include it into our standard list of elements. Either way, just let us know if you would require any other elements apart from the listed ones, as we are very likely to be able to do it! 😊
  • License terms
    Our prices include the commercial license to use the elements for any commercial or promotional purposes, including both print and digital. However, some uses other than the above (e.g. printing on merchandises, etc.), require separate arrangements, so please always clarify how the drawing will be used. Licenses are exclusive, no other Client can license the drawing. We, as the artists, maintain the right to share and showcase the drawings on our websites and/or social media, as our reference work (date of sharing can be agreed upon to ensure that the Client shares first, or share together via collab posts). We maintain the right to cancel any existing bookings, with full refund of deposits received (except in cases of delayed starts due to the fault of the Client, or cancellation by the Client within 2 months of the booked commission slot - as detailed in my general payment terms here).
  • Payment terms
    We will ask you to make a 50% deposit of the total agreed price 3-6 months (depending on the scope of the project) before the booked commission slot. The remaining 50% will be due upon the final acceptance of all commissioned elements, before handing over the final deliverables. All payment related terms detailed in my general payments terms (here) are valid in case of The Bucket List as well.
  • Timings
    Timings are entirely dependent on the complexity of the project, and the availability of our team, therefore they are provided individually upon enquiry. As a very rough and general estimate, a full package can be delivered in a period of 3-5 weeks.
  • Availability
    Packages from The Bucket List can be booked for the following dates: 2025: 3 slots available in November. 2026: 5 slots available in Q4. 2027: Slots are available starting January. The first week on each month in 2027 is specifically reserved for The Bucket List in my calendar, but this can be expanded based on demand. For packages involving art created by other artists too, availability is dependent on the availabilities of the selected artists as well. The Bucket List is also available as an upgrade alongside your already existing bookings! If you already have a booking for a cover design commission with me, then please feel free to let me know if you would like to upgrade that booking into a Bucket List package! I'll be happy to calculate a custom quotation for you, and discuss all the details with you! 😊
  • What do we deliver?
    We deliver a comprehensive digital package of all agreed elements. Elements that are intended for printing will be in print-ready format, ready to be sent to your printing company. Digital elements will be in the agreed formats, and sizes. We will of course share with you the current state of each piece involved, as we progress - you will get two opportunities (or more, if the circumstances require) to look at drafts along the way, and request changes.
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