The Color Palette of Reviews by Cat Ellington

The Origin of the Hues

Reviews by Cat Ellington is a collection of nonfiction books authored by me, Cat Ellington. With the first volume in the series debuting on April 28, 2018, the distinctive series of literary criticism, set in the language arts & disciplines, communication studies, and academic & scholarly subjects, is proudly produced under the Quill Pen Ink Publishing imprint.

For the cover art of my brand-new nonfiction book series, Reviews by Cat Ellington (originally a weblog of the same name), my initial idea was to feature a collection of watercolor flowers in the cover art details. But unfortunately, those plans were forced to change as I was unable to secure the specific art effects that would have been required. Thankfully, there was a plan B—a plan B that I mused about for weeks: in the event that I was unable to obtain all of the supplies that I would need for the considerable series, then I would move forward with a set of preexisting artworks in their place. And that is exactly what I did. I moved forward.

Rather than an assemblage of watercolor flowers featured on the covers of the Reviews by Cat Ellington series, Quill Pen Ink Publishing instead commissioned a watercolor graphic showcasing a pair of full lips in an array of bright, vivid colors on a painted black background. In point of fact, the full, painted lips are meant to reflect my very own. This cover art theme, simple yet eclectic, has been selected by Quill Pen Ink Publishing to solely represent its literary catalogue in the Reviews by Cat Ellington series.

During my fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth years of life, I would read Jet magazine and Ebony magazine and fantasize about working for the great Eunice W. Johnson and assisting her with the Fashion Fair Cosmetics line. Naturally, it had been the lipstick collection that I wanted to oversee—mainly because I love lipstick to a fault. And I wanted to be the one with the sauce to render each shade its very own name. Incidentally, I also entertained the same fantasies about the lipstick lines of both Posner and Flori Roberts. I had always thought out loud, “Oh, I would love to be able to name some of these lipstick shades!” I always imagined the names I would have given all of those gorgeous shades had it been my job to do so. Because I was simply awed by the identities of some of my favorite brands, including Posner's "Get Down Brown," "Blast Off Burgundy," "Monte Carlo Red," and "High Kickin' Wine." I was a giddy fool for Flori's "Cinnamon Coffee," "Jungle Fuchsia," "Raspberry Sizzle," "Forever Red," and "Purple Flame," just to name a few. I have always believed, even to this very day, that it must be so much fun for the person who has the job of naming cosmetic lines. And that is why I have elected to live out my dream through the cover art for the Reviews by Cat Ellington series.

For every volume in the series, I have personally named the shades of each pair of painted lips that will feature on the cover art. For the first release, Reviews by Cat Ellington: The Complete Anthology, Vol. 1, I have named the shade "Sultry Cerise," due to its passionate intensity; and for Vol. 2, I have chosen to name its bluesy hue "Robin's Egg," in honor of my dearly beloved Tiffany & Co.

As I indicated earlier, the color-coded cover art for each individual volume in the entire series of Reviews by Cat Ellington has been given its own unique identity. And I am over the moon with excitement. For it is a dream come true.

My dear men and women, I hope you all enjoy this series and have just as much fun with it as I’m having.

Say, hey, who's the REAL queen of shade, huh? Huh?! (Laughs) Oh, I'm just jivin, I'm just jivin'.

Say, hey, here's to ya!

Reviews by Cat Ellington. A unique critique.

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