RECENT ADDITIONS
As a first-time author, I found working with Dan & Darlene to be a great experience. They guided me through the process, helped me make choices, and were willing to answer my questions. I certainly will use them on my next project and can recommend them to other authors.
—Richard A. Sanchez, author Judah Benjamin
Though Larry Jon Davis' art for this book was very beautiful, there was a bit of a challenge for us to fit it on the cover—no fault of Larry's. His single illustration needed to span front and back covers, with parts of the hoop showing on each. However, the four boys on the left were positioned too far to the right in the original. The boy in the yellow shirt stood directly under the hoop, and would have wrapped around the spine. The random texture of the court surface presented a bit of a challenge to fill in the blank spots where the boys once stood. But Adobe Systems came to the rescue with a new feature of Photoshop called "AI [for Artificial Intelliigence] generative fill", which was able to automatically generate the randomness of the court surface to fill the gaps seamlessly and quickly.
Darlene and Daniel Swanson walk you through each step of this process. They pay attention to every detail to make sure your book ‘shines.’ This was a walk in the park compared to my previous experience. I highly recommend them—their expertise, their experience, their suggestions, and their grace and patience. The finished product made me say aloud – “I LOVE IT!”
—Carol Graham, author, Pray the Answer, Not the Problem
Prior to deciding on Van-Garde Imagery, Inc,, I would estimate that I contacted at least two dozen similarly advertised services. Darlene answered her own phone, listened to my expectations and confidently confirmed she and her husband, Dan, could execute my project on schedule and as promised. In contrast to the cookie-cutter approach to attracting new customers, Dan and Darlene went to work immediately, which was over a weekend and they proceeded to complete every task expertly. It was refreshing to work with people who treated my project with the care I'd give it myself.
—Kevin McKinney, author, SOVOK: The Memoirs of a Liar