Client Reviews

  “As always Daniel is a pleasure to work with! I can't wait for the next collaboration!!” 

Client: R. T. Stalba-Smith

Commission: The Other Side Of Lightning, Cover Art

Via Reedsy.com

  “Really enjoyed working with Daniel! He was communicative and professional, fostering a collaborative process with frequent check ins.”

Client: Michael Woodworth

Commission: Cityscape Illustration

Via Reedsy.com

  “If you're looking for a complete maestro of the cover design art form then look no further than Daniel! It has been an absolute pleasure collaborating with him and his skills are breath taking. He is able to capture a life and vibrancy in the design which begs the book to be read. I have been astounded by his craftsmanship and speed. Couple that with great communication and an ability to see the cover within the client's mind and you have a fantastic designer. I look forward to our next collaboration!” 

Client: R. T. Stalba-Smith

Commission: The Bonds Of Petra, Cover Art

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel was absolutely incredible. He was professional, communicative, and (most importantly) brought my vision to life. His process from the vision board creation to final piece kept me in the loop and was super easy to understand. I plan on working with Daniel for the rest of the series!”

Client: Sadie Hewitt

Commission: As The Fallen Rise, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel did great work for me. He asked good questions, was very open to my suggestions, and produced an outstanding cover in the end. His eye for design is excellent, and he does a wonderful job of finding the right balance between realism and something more painterly, blending them when it makes sense. Not only was he great to work with creatively, but he was very professional in his project management. He kept in contact with me very well, he let me know when he'd be unavailable for a while (a holiday he informed me of before we started working together), and everything happened in exactly the timeframe he promised.” 

Client: Andy Giesler

Commission: Three Grams of Elsewhere, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “I had a great experience collaborating with Daniel. He was very accommodating in making all the appropriate adjustments according to my wishes, and the end results are quality standard. He's friendly and professional and great to work with.”

Client: Trinity Cunningham

Commission: Blood Bound, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “This is the third chance that I've had to coordinate with Daniel S. on an illustration. The first being the cover art for the debut novel I'm working - A Sanctum of Swords, and the second an illustration depicting a part of that fantasy universe. Each experience with Daniel has been a wonderful project to coordinate on - and as I learn more about his skills and expertise and he about the world that I would like to bring to life - that bond continues to grow stronger. I look forward to working with Daniel on other projects - including a sequel that I plan to work on throughout 2023. I recommend Daniel thrice-over - he is professional, flexible, and knowledgeable. Not to mention his skill in the digital arts!” 

Client: John Malone

Commission: A Sanctum Of Swords, Illustration

Via Reedsy.com

  “This is the second time I have collaborated with Daniel and it is one of the best investments I have made to date in my publishing career. Daniel is incredibly thoughtful, communicative, and creative in how he works. His graphic representations of my work make me more interested in what I am doing and provide me with plenty of material to help promote the book. I would recommend Daniel to anyone who asked.”

Client: Brendan OMeara

Commission: Cut From Stone, Illustration

Via Reedsy.com

  “This is my second collaboration with Daniel and it's been amazing see what he can bring a described vision through illustration. After our first cover art appointment, I had such a great experience and admired Daniel's cover art so much, that I asked for a stand alone illustration depicting a location in my fantasy world. The results, again, are pretty spectacular. I look forward to keeping discussions and future projects open with Daniel!” 

Client: John Malone

Commission: A Sanctum Of Swords, Illustration

Via Reedsy.com

  “At this point, I’ll just say let the art speak for itself. Look up Rewyn - The Amnesiac and Rewyn - The Mage on Amazon and you will see the immaculate work he has done for me. This dude is top tier. Done ahead of schedule, constant updates, easy communication, and over all a great guy. Wish nothing but the best for him, and you definitely need to hire him if you are in need of an artist because you won’t be disappointed!”

Client: T.D. Ward

Commission: Rewyn - The Mage, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Fantastic freelancer. Absolutely a joy to collaborate with. Very driven to deliver a product that you are happy with. To give some background, I'm an indie fiction author. I'm about to self-publish my third book in a series and decided to up my cover art from the last book. I started looking around and found Daniel Schmelling. I've never used Reedsy before this. I saw his portfolio and loved the art style. I sent out a request to Daniel and a few others with a rough direction of where I wanted to go with my cover. Daniel presented another direction and gave a few ideas before we even began collaborating. From the start, it was evident that I'd picked the right freelancer. Daniel was involved throughout the whole process. He'd make suggestions and listen to mine. He'd present different concepts and tweak them until I was satisfied. He's very easy to work with. He's friendly and committed. Prompt and tactful. I did my research on cost for his quality of work and he's extremely fair on his price. This was important to me, as I'm sure it is to many indie authors who are working with a tight budget. I'm ecstatic about my final product. I love it. It's far better than my original concept for it was. Daniel's incredibly talented and I'm so glad we were able to collaborate. He'll definitely be one of the first people I look to for future books. Thanks so much, Daniel!!!” 

Client: Nicholas Authement

Commission: Reflection - The Final Principle Of Light, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “This is not my first review for Daniel, and I hope it won't be the last either. Daniel is such a great person to work with. Excellent art, speedy delivery, professional attitude, and the patience of a saint to boot! Seriously, he's your guy!”

Client: T. A. Bruno

Commission: At the Threshold of the Universe, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel was a pleasure to work with. We had terrific communication throughout the process and he paid close attention to my requests so the book cover matched my vision when it was finished. Highly recommend him as a cover designer and I look forward to working with him again.” 

Client: Alan Priest

Commission: Skyworld Saga Foundation, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel was an incredible resource and provided valuable insight on the cover he created for me. In addition, his communication was outstanding, answering all of my questions while delivering my requested materials without any delay. I would (and hopefully will) work with Daniel again on future books.”

Client: Brendan OMeara

Commission: Cut From Stone, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “As the first Cover Art designer I've ever hired - I believe I struck gold with Daniel. I had a feeling our minds were on the same wave length in the style and atmosphere when searching through the artwork in his portfolio. Daniel is flexible - always willing to make changes and open to suggestions to meet the client's vision, but experienced and skilled enough to make his own suggestions or improvise where a client may desire a second opinion. Our ability to coordinate and meld our perspectives on the original vision of the cover art was my favorite part of the design process. Daniel communicated often and provided consistent updates throughout the design process. His is professional but relaxed and easy to bring ideas and suggestions to. He was always the same way when bringing ideas and suggestions back to me as well. For the quality Daniel channeled into the finished product when combined with all the other aspects of our cooperation - I'm more than satisfied with the asking price. I'd rather a smooth coordination effort with an end result that realizes what I envisioned through the perspective and artistic skill of the artist than compromising for something that wasn't quite what I wanted or not entirely happy about. I look forward to working with Daniel again! :)” 

Client: John Malone

Commission: A Sanctum Of Swords, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel just completed my second book cover. As with the first, Daniel maintained excellent communication during our collaboration. My first cover (Crimson Lucre) received numerous compliments from buyers. No doubt, Red Dragon's cover will receive similar accolades. Thanks Daniel!”

Client: Brian H. Roberts

Commission: Red Dragon, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “He did wonderful. Exceeded my expectations, and I will definitely hire him on for the rest of the series since I can see the passion that he puts into his artwork.” 

Client: T.D. Ward

Commission: Rewyn - The Amnesiac, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “From the fonts he used, to the photo-realism I sought for my Sci-Fi Thriller book cover, Daniel met or exceeded my expectations. I look forward to working with him for my entire series.”

Client: Brian H. Roberts

Commission: Crimson Lucre, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “It was absolutely great to work with Daniel. He produced a fantastic cover for me, and he was able to go through different designs and make changes very quickly. He also always gave me timely updates and involved me in every step of creating the cover, so I could always see how different elements were progressing. I highly recommend working with him for any project.” 

Client: Asa S. Rubin

Commission: Children Of The Origin Project, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel is awesome to work with! I've now worked with him multiple times and I plan to do so again. His covers always draw attention and stand out in a crowd. Great work yet again!”

Client: T. A. Bruno

Commission: On The Winds Of Quasars, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel is the best - and to prove it, I’ll begin with a bit of comparative analysis. When I first submitted my brief for a cover art commission, I received two offers right away. One was a form letter - obviously a prefabricated message that the guy sends out to everybody. The other was Daniel’s - his message was personalized - it really seemed to kick off the actual partnership. It also did not hurt that Daniel offered a finished cover in roughly a third of the time and at half the price as the other guy. There was really no choice at all. Working with Daniel, it was clear from the start that no higher price or longer wait could have granted me a cover I was happier with. His initial sketch came quickly and it was breathtaking. Throughout the process, he made light and short work of every request and nitpick from me. He struck a wonderful balance between availing me of his professional experience and respecting my wishes. It could not have been a smoother partnership! I have every intention of hiring Daniel again for future installments of my own series. He is handily my illustrator of choice, and I would endorse him to anyone looking for both the awesomest cover and the best value for their money and time!” 

Client: E. L. Ward

Commission: The Chocolate Prophecy, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “It was a pleasure to work with Daniel. He did a great job bringing our vision to life and saturating it with the exact kind of emotion I wanted it to convey. During the process, he updated me every day and was incredibly open to all of my requests and suggestions. I would definitely recommend his services to anyone looking for high fantasy illustration or cover.”

Client: Natalie J. Holden

Commission: The Outworlder, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel produced work of extremely high quality in a timely fashion. He worked with me extensively to determine what I wanted and then quickly produced an initial design and then immediately responded to all of my feedback and suggestions. There may be less expensive designers to work with, but you get what you pay for when you try to do things on the cheap. If you want the best possible work, I think it is more than worth the money to hire Daniel.” 

Client: Ric Simmons

Commission: Diary Of A Chronic Suicide, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel is incredibly skilled. I highly recommend him to any author. He had great communication and is awesome with corrections. This is my second time working with this artist and I am very happy with my finale product.”

Client: Colin J.D. Crooks

Commission: The Shards Of Etherious - Eclipse, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel is a true professional. He is prompt and clear with communication. His easy-going nature made the whole process simple. Daniel is extremely talented and brought my vision to life.” 

Client: Colin J.D. Crooks

Commission: The Shards Of Etherious - Arisen, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel has been great to work with, and very attentive to my ideas. He has done an amazing job giving me a cover that will turn heads, and I believe it's the perfect face to represent my novel. Daniel not only was easy to work with, but very informative as well. If I ever had a question he was ready with an answer. I highly intend to work with him again in the future!”

Client: T. A. Bruno

Commission: In The Orbit Of Sirens, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel is easy to work with and consistently professional in his approach. He takes pride in his work, and produces high quality results.” 

Client: Adam B. Davy

Commission: Lost In The Moments That Follow, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel was an excellent artist to work with! I submitted queries to five different artists for my project. Daniel responded very quickly and his offer was the most competitive I saw. I’m so glad I decided to work with Daniel—he had the finished product ready before the estimated completion date and every time I asked for a modification, he was able to take my feedback and create exactly what i imagined in my head. I really loved working with Daniel. He will be at the top of the list when I am looking for artists for my next project!”

Client: Patrick Ament

Commission: Somnas, Cover Art and Design

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel is fast, good, and professional. I hired him for all three covers of my main series as well as recovering the original book 1 art done by someone else. The fan reaction to his covers has been enthusiastic and spot-on with the audience we wanted to court.” 

Client: Rachel Aaron / Travis Bach

Commission: Forevery Fantasy Online - The Once King, Cover Art

Via Reedsy.com

  “Daniel wow'ed me right out of the gate with his ability to quickly hone in on the cover art I wanted. He was great through out the whole process.”

Client: Rachel Aaron / Travis Bach

Commission: Forevery Fantasy Online - Last Bastion, Cover Art

Via Reedsy.com