Retribution

[size=1][b]Sara[/b] gets my vote, absolutely no contest. Her image was extremely skilled, and I'm surprised that no one picked up on that. Drawing in the details and [i]shading them[/i] really makes the butterfly seem 3D, dynamic, and interactive. The text could use some slight rearranging ("and in that moment" placement could be better), but on the whole a superb job. [b]Boo[/b], you did alright. The white really hurts this piece, though. The text also seems rather out of place because I don't think "techy" when I see a butterfly. The colors are great, though. [b]sakurasuka[/b], I got your quote. It's from the song Butterfly (DDR, baby)... but your piece is pretty bland. There's nothing that stands out, the text doesn't support the stock, and the stock doesn't support the stock. All in all, there's just too much space that isn't used well. I'd recommend being bolder with the text next time and putting it closer to the center. [b]jigglyness[/b], I'm honestly disappointed with you. Sure, your background is great and all, but your techy brushes don't work for a butterfly in the foreground. That, and the black butterfly seems rather out of place on such an interesting background. You did pretty well on the text, but be careful using the font you used for "away" (it's name escapes me as of now). It's a pretty overused font with some folks and unfortunately it loses its originality.[/size]

[size=1]Like RaR, I'm very impressed. There's just one nagging problem for me, though. When Marlene walks, her lab coat seems to stick to her legs which is not the case in real life. It more hangs down... I'm sure you understand what I'm saying. I'd also recommend adding more sprites to your kneeling animation. Three frames isn't quite enough to make the motion look fluid. Oh, final recommendation, but this is more a matter of opinion than anything else. Make her fighting stance a bit lower, as she'd get toppled standing like that. In addition, make her shift her weight back in forth rather than up and down as you have her doing (and perhaps slow down her shift as what you have now is rather fast). Street Fighter probably has the best example of it. But honestly, this is an [i]amazing[/i] job. Perhaps when you have the chance you could post an attack or something?[/size]

[size=1]Welcome to OtakuBoards, Dixzallicx. It's great that you listed rule 6 "Follow OtakuBoards rules" when you yourself weren't doing so. Double posting, much less posting seven times in a row is strictly prohibited. Perhaps you should read up on the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php][b]Official OtakuBoards Rules[/b][/url] so that you understand what exactly we're asking of you here. In addition, I'm not sure if you want commission requests or just art critique. Please note that the Art Studio is not a medium where you can solicit work. Rather, it is a place where you can post your art for other people to critique and help you improve. Feel free to create a thread where you're posting your artwork and following the rules as they should be. Seven posts is too many to edit into one for me. Thread closed.[/size]

[quote name='Boo][size=1]Using the [i]freedom[/i'] theme is getting a bit unoriginal. :)[/size][/quote] [size=1]Seconded. I'm not sure if it was an unintentional "Oh, that's cool" or a lack of ideas on others parts, but the repetition of freedom in that specific battle thread just makes the concept flat and unoriginal now. So I guess the question is if there is any consideration given to originality?[/size]

[QUOTE=Boo][size=1][center][b]Catherine Zeta Jones[/b] [img]http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4310/catherinezetajonesck9.png[/img][/center] Come on. A woman who can wield a sword without leaving everyone around her dropping limbs and gushing blood. This woman has style. The picture I provided gives a wrong image of why I posted her, I guess.

[size=1]jiggylyness, your image is broken. You might want to re-upload it to [url=http://www.imageshack.us][b]Imageshack[/b][/url], which is much more reliable than Tinypic.[/size]

[size=1]Perhaps if you could offer us what exactly you mean by "making puzzle boxes." If you could tell us that, perhaps we could offer you a few points of improvement. That, and we don't know of yoru ability in terms of any art, so providing a few samples would be beneficial too.[/size]

[quote name='Vergeta']great ;) nice work[/quote] [size=1]Welcome to OtakuBoards, Vergeta. Please read out [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php][b]Official OtakuBoards Rules[/b][/url] as well as our [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=52171][b]Art Studio Rules[/b][/url]. Your post doesn't fulfill our post quality standards, and your comment, while nice, doesn't help our the artist at all. [i]What about it makes it nice? Are there are any points of improvement you could offer?[/i] As yourself those questions as you post in the Art Studio. Thank you for your cooperation and patience.[/size]

[size=1]Advertising on OtakuBoards is strictly prohibited as outlined in our [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php][b]Official OtakuBoards Rules[/b][/url]. I'm assuming you didn't read those, and that you're only here to advertise your site. Thread closed.[/size]

[quote name='Fasteriskhead][SIZE=1][[i]a gang of angry men with bats gag f*head and drag him out through the back door; muffled banging, crunching, yelping kinds of sounds[/i]'][/SIZE][/quote] [size=1]God bless those angry men. I was about to go do the job myself. And am I the only one who enjoys cold water more than soda?[/size]

[QUOTE=Red 6][COLOR=Sienna]Anyhoo, the best soda for me is plain, simple, Coca-Cola Classic. It's crisp and sharp and bites, but still tastes great going down. It's simple and effective and incredibly kickass. Root Beer is another thing I love. My favourite kinds are the local in-glass-bottle brews but if those aren't available I always gor for Barq.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [size=1]These are the truest words you've ever posted during your stay here on OB. I guess I'm just a fan of colas in general. Clear sodas don't do it for me; they feel like I'm drinking Skittles, which is [B]not[/B] a good thing. I generally feel slightly sick after finishing a Sprite. Although, Orangina, if considered a soft drink, is also a favorite for me. Unfortunately, almost no one sells them. The last I had one was several years ago in New York City... shame.[/size]

[quote name='dr.pepper1990']Ok I did not double post this that was the first time i posted in this thread so who ever thought i was "riotblade" i'm not i'm "dr.pepper1990". :animeangr[/quote] [size=1]Ah, I'm very sorry about the mix-up. I apologize for my error. Everything has been restored.[/size]

[size=1]Eh, it's done I guess. Aaryanna, don't be nervous. We did well. [CENTER][IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/retri_trib/round2.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER][/size]

[size=1]Advertising on OtakuBoards is strictly prohibited as outlined by our [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php][b]Official OtakuBoards Rules[/b][/url]. I suppose you didn't read them, though. Thread closed.[/size]

[size=1]The thing is, her rant isn't just targeting the obsessive types. [QUOTE]I wonder if the ninja knew, when they took to rebelling against the samurai, that their true impact on history would not be guerilla warfare, political statements, money or power, but the birth of a long, icky tradition of pimple-faced White boys living a continent away wrapping themselves in black bedsheets, twirling fake-jewel-encrusted and elaborately decorated steel sai, and trying to scale the brick wall of their college dorm building.[/QUOTE] I thinks she needs to grow a sense of humor. [QUOTE]What is it with the New Age incorporation of Confucian-Buddhist-Yin-Yang-Feng-Shui tenets into White women practicing yoga and tai chi trying to get in touch with their inner energy?[/QUOTE] Could someone tell me what the problem is with White women practicing yoga and tai chi trying to get in touch with their inner energy? If that's something they ascribe to, that's their business. This girl needs to accept (and embrace) cultural diffusion as a fact of life. Yes, there are Chinese Christians, and yes, there are American Taoists. It's not cultural bastardization. I'm sure there are people in Asia who enjoy American and European culture just as much as we do some of theirs. No one's marching around calling it cultural bastardization if they are somehow 'defiling' our culture by enjoying it. And honestly, she's an Asian living in Canada and claims we're bastardizing her culture? What?[/size]

[size=1]It's interesting to note that she's ranting about how those obsessing over Asian culture are taking something that's not theirs as Europeans and "bastardizing" it, when in fact she is Asian and [I]lives in Canada[/I]. Last I checked, "Asians" in Canada are in no way, shape, or form related to the currently prevailing Western culture. I honestly have no problem with Asians living in Canada, but when she's screaming to white people to leave her culture alone, she looks like a fool. Her blanket statements and assumptions are equally ridiculous. People like her are the reason racism still exists.[/size]

[QUOTE=DaSilva]I for one am proudly a [URL=http://www.churchofreality.com/]realist[/URL].We believe in everything that is real. Most people just call this atheism. But it is not. In a way, it is one step after atheism. Our motto is, "If it's real, we believe in it." Since no one knows all of reality, the Church of Reality is really a religious commitment to the pursuit of reality the way it really is. We think about thinking. We wonder about wondering. We try to understand the understanding of understanding. We are Explorers not followers. The phrase "What is Real?" is our Sacred Question and the word "Reality" is our Sacred Message. We talk about reality, think about reality, and make reality more important in society.[/QUOTE] [size=1]I believe realism isn't the term you're looking for. A realist (pragmatist) rejects the visionary or ideal, and instead embraces the practical. They don't necessarily "believe" everything that's real. Now, this Church of Reality business sounds rather fishy. How do you know we're not living in a Matrix of sorts, perhaps just being brains in vats in some dark room being fed stimuli? Perhaps we're all living in a dream and when we die we wake up? Is your Chuch devoted to percieved truths and realities? If so, you could be pursuing in vain if we are after all just brains in vats. The phrase "What is Real?" is so open ended, and if you asked a Buddhist you'd get a much different answer than if you asked an Atheist. All I'm saying is don't assume that our percieved reality is the only one -- perhaps we're just a variable in a science experiment.[/size]

[size=1][quote name='Dirk Lowpad (Prussian Blue Forum)']Does anyone really want to read what a bunch of White guilt ridden media brainwashed half wits have to say about something they know nothing about?[/quote] I wonder how so many racist people could [i]still[/i] exist and create such an ignorant community.[/size]

[size=1]This thread is more suited to [b]Suggestions & Feedback[/b], so I'm moving it there.[/size]

[size=1]What's up with the poll? Why does everyone feel compelled to identify as a man-made religion? Why mindlessly swallow all the dogma -- some of which you agree with and some of which you don't -- just to fly under the "Christian" or "Jewish" banner? Why not meditate on all the points of your faith and decide which ones you agree with and which ones you don't? Man-made religion is one of the biggest wedges in all history.[/size]

[quote name='BlueEyedAngel']Out of curiosity, what do you think Japan would be like if it embraced multi-culturalism?[/quote] [size=1]It would be Japan. With other cultures. You seem to think the world ends with two or more cultures coexist, when in reality this is far from the truth.[/size]

[size=1][b]@ Delta:[/b] Yeah, you knew what I meant. Collages do work better, and I was thinking about using them for my example. I didn't, though, because Dada artists used them quite a bit, and that would've been a pretty huge hole in my argument. I didn't say I regarded art with pre-made brushes as "not art," but perhaps it was implied in my Marcel Duchamp example. I guess what I mean to say is that the artist is in lower esteem in my eyes than one who could do the same effect, but without someone's brush. [quote name='Katana][size=1]It was a [i]joke[/i'], alright? He just put a mustache on; he didn't do anything else. That's like taking a pencil and engraving your name on it. =P (DON'T ARGUE THE ANALOGY.)[/size][/quote] A joke? Sure, I'll buy that. But it's also displayed proudly in museums. [QUOTE][size=1]Here's the thing, though: I'd say the vast majorty of people who use pre-made brushes didn't even know about their existence for a long time. I know I didn't. You look at my works in the past, and they're made using Adobe's (and Jasc's, during my PSP days) brushes. I developed skill from that, and learned to be quite effcient with the limited sources that I had.[/size][/QUOTE] People new to graphic design are unaware of their existance, correct. However, those with about three months experience under their belt know about them. Why? Because of all the tutorials they read, a great percentage of them say "Alright, download this brushpack so we can get started." Then, the tutorial consists of teaching them how to toss these brushes onto a layer, setting the stock on top, and color balancing the entire thing. By the time new artists learn of pre-made brushes, the vast majority of them are not of advanced (or even intermediate) skill. They compare their novice skill to the cool, flashy, and above all easy effects created, and the latch onto them. I'm glad you didn't go this route, but many do. I can't tell you of all the forums I've gone to where people [i]only used pre-made brushes for signatures.[/i] [QUOTE][size=1]Funny how I want to be a graphic designer in a few years...[/size][/QUOTE] Then perhaps you should try to develop your technical skill by attempting to create these brushes on your own? Having a good eye for design is all well and good, but if you don't know how to efficiently operate your program to recreate desired effects, what will you do when your brushes are violently snatched from you? [QUOTE][size=1]You're giving me the impression that I'm ignorant about this whole thing, and I must assure you, I'm not. When I do go into professional graphic design, I will [b]not[/b] use somebody else's brush on my work, because, in all honesty, that would be illegal and not fair to the original creator. So why use brushes now? [i]"Never look a gift horse in the mouth."[/i] They're there for me to use, so why not use them? I look at each brush when I get a fresh pack and study it and the elements in it. [i]"What did the person do to make this?" "How can I do that?" "I'll experiment on Thursday."[/i], etc.[/size][/QUOTE] I encourage you to study brush packs. It's a great way to learn from very skilled artists. However, using them is not required in your study. If you're only looking to learn how they did that, you don't need to actually use them in pieces, but merely observe the way each brush was put together. [QUOTE][size=1]Sooo...why do I not make my own brushes? I have a feeling that I don't quite have the talent to make them - yet. I've made brushes in the past, but they just don't turn out right. So while I'm trying to get better, I use pre-made brushes instead.[/size][/QUOTE] "It has to start somewhere, it has to start sometime. What better place than here, what better time than now?" I would recommend that you completely ditch pre-made brushes in your works. You'll learn to make your own faster that way. Learning can a long process, change can be painful. You will become frustrated, and you will want to go back to using pre-made brushes. I encourage you to persevere the tough times. Sometimes one must destroy in order to build even stronger and better things. [QUOTE][size=1]You know, I've realized that I've never been complimented along the lines of, "Wow, I like those brushes." Now that I'm in high school, I've been displaying my talents wherever I can - designing playbills, making posters, advertising special events - and in the past year alone, I've had people compliment me on how well the pieces turned out. Did they ever say, "I love that background"? Nein. They like the piece as a [i]whole[/i], which, in all honesty, is what makes a great graphic. If there's only one good part, then [i]that's[/i] a handicap.[/size][/QUOTE] If you're going into graphic design, you can't rely on the brushes of others to help your pieces out. Designing your high school playbill with someone else's brushes will fly, and yes, it'll work well with the other components of your picture. However, you're only hurting yourself because when you head off to college and take a course, or when you do something for a company, you will be operating without a chunk of your "skill set." [QUOTE][size=1]Brushes are only one piece in the equation. Everything in that equation needs to look good and fit together, otherwise, you've just got a worthless piece on your hand. It takes skill to make a graphic, but it takes talent to make it all click.[/size][/QUOTE] This is true, but that doesn't mean you have as much skill as someone who can duplicate those effects without a pre-made brush. In fact, it means that you probably have less. These justifications for your use of pre-made brushes are fine if you're just defending the here-and-now, and you're not talking about your future as a better artist. [B]PS:[/B] If I sound disrespectful or mean, I don't intend to sound like that. Regard my tone as concerned and slightly frustrated. Thanks.[/size]

[size=1][b]What year did you graduate from High School?[/b] I will in 2007 (yes!). [b]What "clique" did you belong to?[/b] I started out part of the soccer team's "clique," but I finally settled into the nerd group after a month or so. My school doesn't really have defined cliques or groups, though, so I hung out with those who got good grades and took advanced classes, as I was with them all day. [b]Do you still remember your friends, do you still keep in touch?[/b] I imagine I'll only keep in touch with the [i]really[/i] good friends. So far that number's relatively low. [b]What state/province/country did you graduate from?[/b] I will graduate in Forestville, Maryland. [b]Do you remember your high school enemy?[/b] I don't really have enemies. People I dislike a great deal, yes, but after a month or so the feelings subside.[/size]

[size=1]I promised myself I wouldn't participate in this thread. I just hope at this point I don't lose my cool. [quote name='BlueEyedAngel']Since you've already determined that whatever church it is I go to you're going to avoid it, I will not say what church I go to. But rest assured, my church is not racist or anti-semetic, in fact, it's not even nationalist. Replacement theology is not anti-semetic. When it comes to the conflict in the Middle East, my church is more sympathetic towards the Lebanese and the Palestinians than it is towards Israel.[/quote] Well, that's somewhat understandable, but [i]why[/i] are they more sympathetic towards the Lebanese and Palestinians? Is it because those "Jewish Zionists" are trying to conquer the world over there? Replacement theology does sound slightly anti-semetic, though. I would imagine that the detractors of the Jewish would use this to "prove" their link with God is severed and that they aren't chosen, and instead Christians are. [QUOTE]I should mention that racism and separatism are not a white phenominom. Take Israel for example. Not all the terrorists are Muslims, many of them are Jewish Zionists. The Israelis basically kicked the Palestians off their land to make way for the "chosen people". What about the Native American reservations in the US? Isn't that a form of separatism? It is indeed, but I respect the Native American right to preserve their own race and culture.[/QUOTE] Actually, the Native Americans were shoved into these inhumane "reserves." Grinding poverty is common in the vast majority. They didn't separate willingly, they were forced there (Trail of Tears, anyone?). [QUOTE]If diversity and multiculturalism are so great, would anyone care to explain why the Middle East is so unstable?[/QUOTE] [i]Religion.[/i] That, and everyone hates Israel for "kicking the Palestinians off their land." The fact that there are multiple races living there has very little to do with the conflict. [QUOTE]I should also point out, since we're all anime fans, that Japan is far from being multicultural. The population of Japan is 99.3% ethnic Japanese. This is no coinsidence. The Japanese are fiercly nationalistic. Their immigration system favors immigrants of there own ethnic stock. It's ok for the Japanese to do this, but if white people did this it would be "racist". Did you know that Israel has a "Jew only" immigration policy. Did you know that Saudi Arabia has a "Muslim only" immigration policy?[/QUOTE] No, it's not really okay, and I don't see how this justifies white nationalism either. [QUOTE]Ok, so America is a "nation of immigrants". Just for the sake of arguement, I'll go along with that. But take Europe for example, Europe has been homogenously white for the last 44,000 years. Non-white immigrants didn't start arriving in Europe until as recently as the 1950's. I know that there have been non-white Muslims in places like Spain and Italy, but those Muslims invaded Europe; they weren't welcomed as immigrants.[/QUOTE] For the sake of argument? That's the cold, hard fact unless you've been taugh otherwise in school. I would also like to argue that the Muslims in Spain were welcomed there for a long span of time. They brought medicine, science, advanced technology and trade to the Spaniards, who were at the time far from the Renaissance. However, they definitely were driven out by a wave of religious fervor (Inquisition) by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. [QUOTE]In history there have been many races and tribes that have diminished. But whites hold a unique place in history; they are the first race to diminish voluntarily.[/QUOTE] What? Is this another point for your argument in white superiority? [QUOTE]How do my parents feel about my white nationalism? I'd say my Dad is, more or less, understanding. My Mom is not quite as understanding. As far as she is concerned, race isn't even an issue.[/QUOTE] Young man, listen to your mother! [QUOTE]One time I made a racist remard and my Dad warned me that I could warrant violence from a person of another race. I replied "but if they made a racist remard about me, could I use violence against them?". He said the I could, but Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics are the ones doing most of the killing. So he pretty much made my point. I disagree with him about the Asians, though, they are actually, for the most part, less violent than whites.[/QUOTE] You'll be suprised to learn that according to the US Department of Justice, Whites commit 45.9% of homicide in the US (census taken from 1976 to 2004). [QUOTE]Did you know that the average IQ for Asians is 120; for whites,100; for blacks, 80? That's not a racist remard, that's statistics. If you disagree with me, I encourage you do do your own research on the correlation between race and IQ. I believe my IQ is about 124.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE][url=http://skepdic.com/iqrace.html][b][Full article here][/b][/url] As far as I know, nobody has yet found a correlation between the genes that determine, say, musical talent or the power to visualize or to think abstractly, and the genes that determine a set of physical characteristics that most would readily recognize as European or African. If you want to find out why Asians are over-represented in California's universities while blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented, you will probably search in vain for a genetic answer. Those who are interested in such things would do better to look at family structure, ethnic traditions, and social conditions.[/QUOTE] The guy has done his research (if you'll kindly check his sources at the bottom), and I couldn't've said it better myself.[/size]

[QUOTE=Delta][SIZE=1][COLOR=#d55555][u]Marcel Duchamp's [i]Readymades[/i][/u]: [indent]There is this particular sculpture, one of the first from the Dada movement I think, called [i]Bicycle Wheel Ready-Made[/i] by Marcel Duchamp. If you're too lazy to Google it, let me describe it for you: a bicycle wheel attached to a stool by its fork and hub. Did Duchamp craft the wheel himself? [b]No.[/b] How about the stool? Did he make it? [b]Nah-ah.[/b] Where is it now? [b]MoMA.[/b] Is it art? [b]Postmodernists, anti-essentialists and anti-antiessentialists agree: Yes.[/b][/indent][/color][/SIZE][/QUOTE] [size=1]I liken Ready-Mades to photography. In both you are taking what is essentially not yours and making it so (you did not build the bridge you're shooting). You are finding the beauty in real life. Dada artists were more intent on getting a message out there, and essentially creating anti-art. Many don't consider Dada "true" art anyway, but that's another debate. So I'm going to argue that Marcel Duchamp did what a photographer did, essentially. He found the beauty in real life (as other Dada artists did), assembled refuse, and it was art. This differs [i]greatly[/i] from using someone else's brushes, which would be like having your friend pain half a picture and claiming it your own. Here's a great example. I don't consider Marcel Duchamp's [url=http://www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.pattern/MonaLisa.gif][B]L.H.O.O.Q[/B][/url] "true" art. Rather, it was a joke, a statement he was making about society, but I don't consider him putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa having skill. The Mona Lisa was the equivalent of a piece based entirely on pre-made brushes, with very minimal editing done. My biggest problem with brushes is when artists rely on them to the point where they become a crutch instead of a tool. The majority of the time, that's what happens. Tell someone to make a piece without pre-made brushes, and their world crumbles apart. They relied so heavily upon them, and now they have no idea how to duplicate those effects, how to make their work functional without them. No one will consider you a legitimate artist if you use pre-made brushes. If you're doing graphic design for fun and not looking to make any real improvement, then go ahead. If you're looking to improve, to better yourself, you're only hurting yourself.[/size]