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[quote name='DjManix']You know Sun, you could make solid revenue with your talent. Seriously! Designing covers/posters/webgraphics. Your work is A grade man. Dont give up![/quote]Welcome to the forums, Dj! I highly recommend that you read through the Constructive Criticism thread in the main Art forum in addition to the Rules in general, and take a look around to see what is expected of you. Quick tip: describe in particular what you like about the art piece, what you don't like, and what can be improved. ;)

Generally, our rule is that if you can find it on Google with a little work, it doesn't need to be a thread question or request.

[QUOTE=ChronosDevil]may i ask for one? i would like a signiture please [url="http://tomiko-manga.skyblog.com/pics/41683486_small.jpg"]http://tomiko-manga.skyblog.com/pics/41683486_small.jpg[/url] i hope you could use this :animeswea and are you able to put words? and if so can you put on it Chrono Crusade in red please thanks alot dummo origato :catgirl:[/QUOTE]If you want a graphic made for you, please feel free to go to the Art by Request forum and make your own topic. As it is, this is just cluttering up this artist's thread and shifting the focus away from the artwork at hand. ;) [quote name='Hayama]Wow, your banners are really pretty! I too am stuck with just microsoft paint and even though my banners and avatars suck they're MINE and I feel attatched to them. So, yay for MS Paint and all its cheapness! :catgirl:[/QUOTE][QUOTE=Zara']Wow... Nice. let me, too, say that those pictures are beautiful. That's a great job, Zhara! Sorta hard to even belive they were made of Microsoft Paint... :) Keep it up! ;) And, show me when you come up with some more! Another thing... sometime, could you make something like that for me? I'd really love it! :);) Well... See ya 'round! Bye![/quote]While your critiques are appreciated, it isn't quite to the level that we would like on OtakuBoards. ~_^ Please elaborate on the constructive criticism and what you liked about the piece in the future.

[b]Reminder:[/b] Since this thread got bumped back a bit, I just wanted to remind everyone that Otakon is starting tomorrow. If you're going, you should already know that obviously, lol, but this is also the last chance to organize any sort of meeting. My friend and I just got our badges after standing in the longest line of all time for a couple hours. But it wasn't too bad, I suppose, since he knew some people and we jumped in line with them, so when they finally opened the door we were out in about 45 minutes. I've also already started planning things that I'll be doing during the con, like video and tournaments and such. In terms of tournaments, I'm going to try to get into the DDR, Melee, and Double Dash ones, haha.

[quote name='50 cent']If master chief counts then just look at my avatar. I didn't make it I just thought it would fit with this thread[/quote]I'm not really sure that Master Cheif would count as a superhero necessarily.. but then that brings Batman into question as well. The point could surely be argued, but for the sake of this thread, the initial idea would not include him. And in any case, if you didn't make it yourself and it is just an avatar, it's not contributing much as it is.

[quote name='rawopotato][color=darkorchid][font=Georgia][size=1]Fine, I'll go to this thread. Am I the only one who dosn't like DDR? :animecry: I dont see what the big deal is about it. And who seriously wants to get up and dance, (Unless you like to dance, or do any sort of physical activity). And the music gets stuck in my head. Arg. :shifty:[/size][/font'][/color][/quote]No, you're not the only one, but people who don't like it usually don't bother entering this thread, lol. But it's a fun game first and foremost, it really is. It's a video game just like anything else, moreso than something that actually teaches you to dance, but it's a video game that actually has you do something other than sitting on the couch moving your thumbs. Gamers need something like this to keep from merging into their chairs. XD And it's a good thing to want to do physical activity because it's good for you, but that doesn't make it a game just for people who are in shape and skinny; absolutely anyone can get into it and get good if they put their mind to it. I'm not saying that everyone will like it and appreciate it for what it is, and some of those that don't will probably think it looks stupid or will suck pretty badly, but that doesn't make it a bad game. haha

[quote name='rawopotato']I like the third enter sign, all of the pretty colors. :D... everyone call Hack Helba Cindy.. Muhahahahaha..:angel:[/quote]In general, we ask that when you post, you keep to the topic at hand.. as this is an art thread, please make an attempt to stay focused on the piece(s). In this forum, constructive criticism is a must, meaning that we expect a detailed response that describes your own likes and dislikes of the piece and what you think can be improved. Please look around and see what others are doing to get an idea and example of this, or read the sticky thread in the main Art page.

[url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=28018][color=gray]Donk.[/color][/url] Please look more carefully in the future. ;)

Oh yeah, referring to cosplaying, I forgot to mention that I won't be dressing up. I have this thing about not dressing up in a costume unless it's absolutely perfect, right down to the smallest button, pocket, or rip. Plus I'd have to look extraordinarily like the character, haha; I guess you could call me obsessive, so yeah. :p I'll probably end up wearing some anime stuff in one way or another, though. I have a necklace from Berserk and a couple anime shirts, so there's a good chance that's what I'll have on if you are going. I might also try to do something that shows that I'm from OtakuBoards, too. [quote name='Killer7']Their is a good chance I am going. Most likely I will only be thier for one day, as I am low in money and cannot afford a hotel room, since I live in New Jersey. I have always wanted to go to an anime convention, but have never had transportation or enough money. Anyway, does anyone know the best day to go?[/quote]I think I should mention this in case people are unaware: there are no one-day passes being sold this year (not sure about two-day, though), and there's a chance that they might not even be selling passes of any sort at the door, so you'd be taking a chance by just showing up.

That's just wonderful, lol, but we ask that you please make topics that encourage a discussion of some sort. :) If you wish for someone to make you a signature, you can always head over to Art by Request and make a thread asking for such.

I'm afraid Solo Tremaine has retired from moderating because he doesn't have as much free time as he would have liked anymore. Hope that answers your question. :)

Yeah, everyone who is in the area should know that [b]Otakon 2005[/b] is going to be held from [b]August 19th-21st[/b] at the [b]Baltimore Convention Center[/b] in [b]Baltimore, Maryland[/b]. Man, all that random bolding makes me look like a geek. I signed up ages ago with a group of people, so I'm definitely going to be there all three days. I've been attending for the past two years, but due to scheduling problems I could only go one of the days during it. This time, though, I made sure to mark the date on my calendar, pre-register and everything, and even arrange it with my friend who lives about 15 minutes away to stay at his house (though I think we might stay at his Aunt's, who lives.. within walking distance XD). This year will definitely prove to be the biggest one yet, and I am totally ready for it. I just have to get the cell phone numbers of all the people I want to hang out with there, because you [i]will not[/i] find them by walking around. I'm up for an OtakuBoards get together of some sort, so sure. haha BTW, Dagger, if you wanted to merge this with the Anime Conventions 2005, you can find that [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=47906"]here[/url].

[quote name='Charles]I don't know, I just guess it disgusts me when people act completely apathetic and say they're not willing to help someone because it's their choice to die. It's not their choice because they're not in the proper mental health to make that choice! Barring anything related to euthanasia, rarely does anyone [i]want[/i] to die. They may [i]believe[/i'] they do but, as I said above, they're just missing something from their lives.[/quote][i]Exactly[/i]. You know, I was looking at this thread, and thinking about it a bit off-hand. I didn't plan on posting, but I had read a few of the posts and found it sick the way people were shrugging it off like that, and came to that exact same conclusion. I've convinced three people that their lives were worth living, and it was worth every second of my time. They really are not in their right mind set, that's the bottom line. Thank you, Charles.

Well, if I'm not mistaken, this is the first religious thread I have ever posted in, so.. I think I should get some type of award, or something. :) I was baptized as a Christian at a very young age. United Methodist Christian, to be exact. When I lived in my old house, we lived about two minutes from a large and very friendly church, and we would walk to it every Sunday. I would go to Sunday School and automatically assume that everything they were telling us were true; I'm not sure if I was even vaguely aware that there were other, and even contradicting, views on religion. But of course, the best part about church was afterwards with free food, sweets, and hot chocolate. The whole thing was sort of implanted into my head and part of my life, though at such an age, I didn't really use what I learned in church as any sort of revelation. It was just.. there, you know? But then we moved. We tried starting up again in other churches that were closer to our new house, but for me at least, it wasn't the same. My parents finally decided on a Methodist church about 7 minutes away, but at this point, I decided against going to their Sunday School program and just went with my parents to the normal service. It was boring. There was nothing to do, and still, I was going because I was supposed to. After a while, I began to sleep past the time it was held, and eventually stopped going altogether. That's when I started to really wonder what religion meant to [i]me[/i]. At this point in time, I'm on a brief hiatus in terms of religion. I don't think that I would really consider myself a Christian, but I haven't drifted to anything else either. That doesn't mean I haven't thought about it, though. I've generally come to the conclusion that religion is the peace of mind that we seek to answer the unanswerable, such as death, so that we can have something to follow rather than nothing at all, which is part of human nature in that we seek an explanation to that which is impossible to find otherwise. I have also realized that I may never find the religion that's right for me, because in something like organized religion, there are many common beliefs that, while you may agree with some personally, it encourages you to depend entirely on their teachings without question. In other words, you should base your religion after your beliefs, and not the other way around; this is where so many people go wrong. As such, you should explore the things you believe in before finalizing on a particular religion. If you do't fit into any of the mainstream religions, then you can still hold your beliefs in a self-religion, if you will. I do believe in God, or at least a higher being of some sort. I think it wants us to live out our lives to the full extent without restraint for what may come afterwards, because you have this time and this time alone to enjoy Earth. If we put too much emphasis on an afterlife, we lose sight of what is important now. Let us work with this, and then if something should come afterwards we'll work with it when we get there. The meaning of life is to give meaning to it, and without devotion to a completion of something, we'll wonder what the point is. The meaning we give [i]is[/i] the point. For me personally, the highest thing I can achieve in this life is inner peace within myself, but the goal may be different for someone else. If that goal may be faith in a particular belief, go for it, I respect your decision all the way. Recently, my friend was telling me a little about Buddhism, and I found that a lot of their beliefs are things that I have already come to the conclusion of and agree with. I'm obviously a little hesitant to delve further into it, since it seems to be "the cool religion to have" for some people (not saying everyone), and being an organized religion, there may be things I don't personally agree with making me unwilling to devote myself entirely to it. Of course, I may take some things from it, and mesh it with others to come up with my own religious beliefs, which I believe is the best way to embrace religion on the whole. I'm very facinated with philosophy, especially the idea of philosophy of religion, and though I haven't studied much with it yet, I do plan to take classes on such during my college career. I also eventually plan to read the bible. But.. yeah. I think I probably went off topic a bit, but I'm glad to have gotten the chance to share it with other people.

I'd say that first and foremost, my favorite type of music is Rock & Roll, without a doubt. I never listened to a whole lot of music when I was younger, and was extremely lost when it came to bands, to the point where.. I think I entered high school with [i]one[/i] CD, which was Smash Mouth. XD How embarrassing.. During the past four years, though, I've made friends with people who listen to a bunch of music and were able to recommended things that I was slowly able to decide I liked or didn't. In the end, or at least at this point, the majority of my enjoyment comes from Rock in some form, particular Alternative Rock or Progressive Rock. I like stuff these days like 311, Incubus, and Sublime, but I also like the old classic stuff like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and King Crimson. I have also been known to enjoy Electronic and slightly hip-hoppish music as well, though, such as Gorillaz and Bomfunk MC's. As for Metal and variations thereof, I find that since I don't really listen to it much, the distinction between that and Rock are somewhat blurred, though I like Primus and I've heard that called Alternative Metal, so whatever. Oh yeah, Reggae and Jazz are cool too.

1) [b]The Boondock Saints[/b]: I'm very pleased to see that someone else chose this movie as well, haha. It's definitely my favorite of all time, even based merely on the fact that I've seen it at least 30 times and seem to enjoy it even more with each one. On the surface, it's simply a bad*ss flick about two Irish brothers who just kick *** in amazing gun scenes. But it's so much more than that, as well, touching on subjects that we have all thought about at one point in time, such as the morality in killing for good. I don't want to say too much more in fear of giving things away, because if you haven't seen it, you definitely need to, but I will say that it really has the best of many genres, except perhaps for a corny love story interwoven. :p However, it isn't intended for younger audiences, as it holds much cursing, blood, and violence. Enjoy. :) 2) [b]The Matrix[/b]: The original movie had been my favorite for years without question before I finally settled on Boondock Saints, but this one still holds a place in my heart. Though I haven't seen it in a while, a little reminding and I think I would once again be able to watch the entire movie in my head (some people might call that obsessive, but.. yeah..). It's just a great movie with an awesome story line, and ultimately a classic that most of you have probably already seen, but if you haven't.. where have you been? o_o 3) [b]Seven Samurai[/b]: Now this movie [i]is[/i] a classic that was made in 1954 and, as you might have guessed, explores life in fetile Japan, done through a beautiful story of seven samurai acting as bodyguards for a village. Watch this movie, you won't be dissapointed. Might be a little tired, though; it clocks in at over 200 [strike]hours[/strike] minutes. As for honorable mentions, with my top ten choices in mind.. Star Wars original trilogy, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Fight Club, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, Snatch, and Donnie Darko.

I'll start this off by noting that I didn't read many of the other posts, so I'm not entirely sure if this has been said or not. But I'm bored, and I feel like responding. haha I do not believe that love at first sight exists. Of course, never having experienced this feeling before, I can only say so much from an outsider's point of view, so feel free to take my post with a grain of salt. ^_^ To me, "love at first sight" is somewhat a mixture of feelings of lust and hindsight bias. When you first see someone, it's generally impossible to know what that person is like, and guesses can usually only be made based on physical appearance. Thus, I can't see the sense of attraction being more than skin-deep, which admittedly can still capture people to an extent. Once you get to know the person, in this case ones you would consider a relationship with, it either works out or it doesn't, and that can affect the perception of falling for someone when you first saw them as well. If it ends up that nothing happens with the person, then you won't look back and see the first meeting as anything special, no matter what you felt at the time. On the contrary, if you look back while in love with this person, you'll find that your mind will sometimes create instances and perceptions for your memory of the first time you met, even altering it in a positive, though biased, way. Basically, if it works out, you'll remember being in love from the moment you saw them. But yeah, I'm just trying to look at this from a logical (and somewhat [i]psycho[/i]logical) point of view, having never, from what I believe.. fallen in love with anyone. So there certainly might be something that I'm missing or not understanding. The point to remember from my post is that love is a very strong and deep emotion that's extremely difficult to experience to the full extent, much less explain, and I think it would be quite ambitious to believe that one could feel something like that upon first meeting someone.

Thanks for the reply so quickly. ^_^ [quote name='Retribution][size=1][b]Control Anger[/b] I love. The theme (I thought) was subtle, and well executed. The "MUTE" could be a bit more solid, it's kinda hard to make out. Perhaps that was your intention though, making your audience look for the theme. The man in the TV looks more [i]fearful[/i'] than angry, but I see what you're hinting at. His hair line looks kinda shifty, and the blood looks semi-fake, but on the whole, he's drawn well. The remote control is very good, but I'm not too fond of the ... 'stuff' to the left of the TV. It's kinda ... neutral space with floating objects.[/size][/quote]Yeah, I think I should reiterate one thing about that piece: it is, at least for me, very difficult to use pastels. :/ More than anything, it was frustrating using blunt, end-of-the-crayon type pastels, so I couldn't really get a sharp point in there, if you know what I mean, usually even on the sides. Maybe if I was using pastel pencils.. but I didn't have any of those available. Plus they smear at the slightest touch. Keep in mind, I'm not trying to act like I'm bitching about it, lol, just providing an excuse for some of the things you brought up, and giving you an idea of what I was working with. ;) I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to get that "Mute" in there without a sharp point, but I managed somehow. The guy in the picture is from the movie The Boondock Saints, and if you've seen it you'd know he was pissed, so that's what I was trying to reproduce. Let's see.. there wasn't any really darker red that I could have gotten in there for the blood, and the stuff on the left is rather dull, yeah, I just had to get something in there so I could put the controller at an angle. Edit: Here are the next four. [url="http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14398817/"]II-5[/url] [b]Title[/b]: Sleeping Cat [b]Theme[/b]: Silence [b]Medium(s)[/b]: Watercolor, color pencil [b]Dimensions[/b]: 6 1/2" by 8" [b]Grade[/b]: 12 [url="http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/17554078/"]II-6[/url] [b]Title[/b]: Depression [b]Theme[/b]: Silence [b]Medium(s)[/b]: Pencil [b]Dimensions[/b]: 8" by 10" [b]Grade[/b]: 12 [url="http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/21053917/"]II-7[/url] [b]Title[/b]: Quatro [b]Theme[/b]: Silence [b]Medium(s)[/b]: Acrylic [b]Dimensions[/b]: 16" by 16" [b]Grade[/b]: 12 [url="http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/17553382/"]II-8[/url] [b]Title[/b]: Look to Above [b]Theme[/b]: Silence [b]Medium(s)[/b]: Pencil [b]Dimensions[/b]: 8" by 10" [b]Grade[/b]: 12

[quote name='Qman1']VERY GOOD (way better than me)[/quote]Qman1, we ask that you use constructive criticism in your posts to ensure a continuing effort in improving the artist's skill and work. Please read the sticky on such at the top of the forum, and look around to get an idea of what is expected of you.

They aren't too bad on the whole. Everything seems to be in order in terms of outlines, and the lines are very smooth, but they also leave a lot of room for improvement, heh. When shading, try to get an idea of creating a black and white version of the color-counterpart. What I mean by that is.. basically, the darker the color, the more shading you need. In the Vash picture, the lines and outline are pretty good, but it's hard to tell what it is because the shading is a little off for the reasons I mentioned above. Once you get that down, work on creating a large contrast between the darkest and lightest points of the picture, so that you cover the whole scale of things. As for the Bebop picture.. the first thing that comes to mind is proportions, particular in the facial area, which look like they could do with a little realistic improvement. ^_^

Just as a quick note, I think I should be closing these competitions once they are done and a winner is decided. :) Edit: And now, thanks to a suggestion from Hack Helba, I'll be editing the title to say the winner as well.

We ask that you please request one set every 7 days or so. Seeing as the other one was made after this, perhaps you want that one more, so I'll close this because one will have to be done anyway, lol.

I really like the idea of this thread, haha. Lately I've been on a music craze, trying to complete my collection for a number of bands, and doing my best to go through CDs whenever I go to a friend's house, lol. There are quite a few albums I see in this thread that I wouldn't mind getting, and in exchange I'll send you some of my own, because chances are we each might have something the other doesn't. ;) But yeah, send a PM my way.

Done and done. Thread has been [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=48674][b]created[/b][/url]. :)

[color=teal]Before I get started, I'd like to thank Retribution for coming up with this great idea. :)[/color] [color=teal]Have any of you ever wanted a banner and wondered.. what happens to all of those old pieces that just sit around on someones hard-drive after they're done using them? [i]This[/i] is the answer to that question, my friends.[/color] [color=teal]In this thread, members will be allowed to post banners that they have created in the past and no longer need. As such, and you might be able to guess from the aptly named title of the thread, others will be able to look through and choose whichever banner they wish to use on OtakuBoards for the time being. Not only will this cut back on request threads in general, but it will keep those banners from laying useless on many computers.[/color] [color=teal][b]Edit[/b]: [i]This thread now accepts avatars. However, if you wish to submit them to the default gallery, it is asked that you still use the [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=560966"]Avatar Submission Thread[/url].[/i][/color] [color=teal]There are, of course, a few things you must keep in mind.[/color] [color=teal]First of all, each member is only allowed one post in this thread. Whenever you want to add more banners, simply edit your post and do so, which will keep the thread from becoming unnecessarily cluttered.[/color] [color=teal]All members who wish to use a banner in this thread [b]must give credit where credit is due[/b]. Please note whose piece it is that you're taking, and and thank him or her in your signature, perhaps something as simple as, "Thanks to [i]whomever[/i] for the banner!" If you're caught doing otherwise, I can promise that there will be consequences.[/color] [color=#008080]Oh, and use common sense when putting up banners. If it has your name on it, don't post it unless you can take it off, or if you don't want people to use it, just don't post at all. And make sure that you keep within the 500 by 100 pixel limit (150 x 80 for avatars).[/color] [color=#008080]When considering whether or not you may ask the person who made a banner to add your user name, I've come to the conclusion that it's probably best not to since it leaves the impression that it was actually you who created it. Matching avatars are a possibility that you can ask through PM, but it's up to the banner-maker whether or not they feel up to the job.[/color] [color=teal]If anyone has any further questions or comments, feel free to PM them to me, because these posts will be deleted immediately. When members do enter this thread to look for banners, it would be best to avoid them having to sort through posts that will not help them in their search. And if really good questions are posed, I'll edit this post for clarification. ^_^[/color] [color=teal]Good luck, and enjoy![/color] [color=#008080]I actually have a few myself, so I'll go ahead and post them. I'll admit they're not great, and rather old.. but if you'd like any, so be it.[/color] [indent][size=1]Boo: The links expired. ):[/size][/indent] [color=#008080] I hope this doesn't overload my bandwidth for 250free.. [/color]