Art Help Me Improve...For Free!

[Lilt]

[size=1][color=purple]Hey, everyone. Welcome to my little banner and avatar thread. In case you're wondering if the title is a misprint, it's not. You can actually give me tips on how to improve in my graphic design for free! ;) Well, all sarcasm aside, I'd appreciate it if you guys could take a look at my work and tell me how I can improve on them. Also, unless other wise stated, any of these banners or avatars in this thread are free to use. [b]Just PM me for permission, first.[/b] Thanks. :D[/color][/size]

[b][size=1][color=purple]Onto the pixels![/color][/size][/b]


[size=1][color=#800080][b]Outlaw Failure[/b][/color][/size]
[size=1][color=#800080]This is one that I really, really hate. I ruined this one so badly I don't think I managed to get the point across at all. I'm out of ideas on how to salvage this one with out starting over. (But I really like this picture of Jim and Hanmyo.) Opinions? Comments? Suggestions?[/color][/size]
[img]http://img66.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Alice1/outlaw-failure.jpg[/img]


[b][size=1][color=#800080]Boogie Time[/color][/size][/b]
[size=1][color=#800080]This one's just a bit better, but I think I made it a bit long. It seems to have too much blank space. Also, I should probably have made the lines going across the picture transparent instead of white. What do you guys think?[/color][/size]
[img]http://img66.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Alice1/boogie-banner.jpg[/img]

[b][size=1][color=purple]Oh So Pretty[/color][/size][/b]
[size=1][color=purple]And this one is my favorite out of all of them. Although the colors bled through on the words, "Pretty Boy", since I saved it as a jpg, (but it's better than the pixelated look that I got by saving it as a gif.) Also, I think I'll remove that red line on the right side. It looks a little tacky. Do you guys have any more ideas?[/color][/size]
[img]http://img66.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Alice1/pretty-boy.jpg[/img]

[b][color=purple]Well, that's all for now. Thanks everyone! :angel:[/color][/b]
[b][color=#800080][/color][/b]
[b][color=#800080]EDIT: That's weird. I could see them. how about now?[/color][/b]

[Syk3]

I don't know about you or anyone else, but the pictures are just coming up as small x's for me. :/

[Lilt]

[font=Tahoma][size=1][color=purple]Thanks for letting me know, Syk. :D I could see them so I didn't know there was anything wrong. Now can you see them?[/color][/size][/font]

[Skye]

^__^ Now I can see 'em, Taryn-chan. Lovely. I love the middle one, it seems the most 'worked on'. The third ones quote is cute. ::three thumbs up::

[Lilt]

[size=1][color=purple]Thanks, Skye. :D I'm glad you like them, but do you have any ideas on how to improve them? If not, then I'll just post up some new ones soon. If anyone else has any suggestions, feel free to post them. ;) [/color][/size]

[Hevn]

[SIZE=1][B][COLOR=RoyalBlue]The third one is great for me. I totally love it. As for the improvements, The second one is great with its lines and everything, and the color is good too I just think the drawing is too plain (unless you really intend to give the background real emphasis). My idea is to place a more extravagant pic of the same hue to the right column.

The first one is cute but I think it's nicer to place two different quotes on either side of it...well that's just me and mu probably stupid comments on improvement. ^_^x[/COLOR][/B][/SIZE]

[Guest XBebop]

The second one is the best becuase of the vectors...I still haven't figured out the secret to vectors yet >_>;;. The third one is just a picture, white backround, and some text. I'll show you one of my banners so you can see what to improve on.

[color=teal]I removed the attachment because I really didn't see a point to showing your banner, as if you were showing it for the sake of showing it. -Syk3[/color]

[Pawn114]

EDIT: I completely neglected to mention the other images :o so I scrapped the first part of the post, and organized it better. I read the stickies, and am pretty sure that I'm not breaking any rules, but if I am, please PM and I'll change it post-haste.
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[B]Outlaw Failure:[/B] I don?t think you should scrap it at all, I rather like it, actually. I didn?t quite get a message from it, but I also don?t watch too many anime's (I probably should, but never get around to it ^_^). So the joke may be an inside joke to the series, on terms of color, etc: I feel that the space that is used with "You are the only one for me" Is a little off, it just strikes me like that. I think it is because the bottom (to me, at least) extends out past where the top reaches the furthest, if that got changed, I think it would be more pleasing to the eye. Question; did you use stock images and cut/paste them, or draw the images yourself?
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[B]Boogie Time:[/B] I like this piece the best, Where normally, Purple or different tints shades thereof (to me, its pretty much all purple ^_^) is not exactly my number one choice of color, but that?s only me, I think it does work well with the character. It may just be a tad long, but that is easily changed: just cut a little of the transparent-like space to the right off, and to the left off, and I think that would work. Alternately: Just Include some words, a quite by the character, an inspiring line from an anime/movie/game etc. That would work well, too. I actually prefer the white on the lines, instead of transparent.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[B]Oh, so Pretty:[/B] All right, I like this one, as well, although, I liked all of your images here ^_^. I think this one has a totally different feel, as though you can almost tell time has gone into it, whether it has, or not is a different matter, It's whether it feels as if. It also appears to have finer lines to give more exquisite detail, whereas there other 2 seemed a little more unrefined (in line shape and size, but in now way worse, just a different 'feel'). I have to agree, the red line on the right did, indeed seem tacky ^_^. I didn?t notice and color bleeding into the words at all, actually.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Anyways, Kudos to you for 3 wonderful images, I hope I presented my thoughts in an organized and easy to read way, and as constructive as possible.


-Pawn

[Lilt]

[color=purple]Thanks for your help, Pawn. ;) (And everyone else.) And if you're talking about the image of the boy and the girl, I did not paint them. It's a picture from the show, Outlaw Star. Anyways, I think the third one is my favorite just because of the quote, but since everyone else seemed to think the second one was the best, I decided to rework that one first. Here is the improved(?) version.[/color]
[color=purple] [/color]
[color=purple][img]http://img66.photobucket.com/albums/v201/Alice1/boogie-text.jpg[/img][/color]
[color=purple] [/color]
[color=purple]In case you were wondering, I got the text from the song "World I Know" by Collective soul. (Great song, by the way.) [b]So what do you guys think of it now?[/b][/color]
[color=purple][/color]

[Hayashi Hansuke]

I really liked all of your banners. I liked the blending of the colors i the three banners. Also the font you used in the 3rd banner is cute. I also like the way you improved the second banner b'coz it just gives the banner more life I guess?

[PiroMunkie]

[size=1][b]Outlaw Failure:[/b] I am still debating whether I like this one the best or not. The picture was cropped well withing banner, and I cannot find anything that particularly bugs me. I could nit-pick and say I do not like the rouch edges on the rounded blue area where the text is placed. Other than that, I think it is fine.

[b]Boogie Time:[/b] This is my least favorite, even after you added the text. It got worse when you did that in my opinion. It is just kind "blah," and I do not like how the white lines cut through the character. I do not really have much to say about this one.

[b]Oh So Pretty:[/b] This was the other one I was debating as a favorite. While lacking a bit more in file quality than the Outlaw Star banner, I believe its aesthetics are better, at least potentially. Personally, I would have taken out the red area you made for the text and made it the same off-white as the color surrounding the character. I think the dramatic use of white space would be to your advantage on that one. The text would probably have to change, but I cannot imagine how. I like what it says though, lol. It is amusing. ^_^


What graphics program are you using?[/size]

[Pawn114]

[COLOR=SeaGreen]No problem... But the text seems to bring another small set of issues:

[B]1.)[/B] I think it seems cluttered now, maybe space it out some more, maybe not quite to the previous extent, but to unclutter it.

[B]2.)[/B] I also think that the text seems... wierd. The font is very simplistic, and It almost doesnt fit the theme... though it really should, being smooth, plain lines and all, but it seems [I]Too[/I] simplistic. Not exactly sure what would be a good font and such, but experiment a little. Of course, I'm nitpicking to the max, but hey, why not, the small things make big differences.

Anyways, Nitpicking over ^_^. And yeah, I have to agree with Hayashi Hansuke about the changes giving new life to the picture. I'm was asking what to change about my image and some hints on how to go about it, but all I got was too responses saying "Ooh, I like, good job." -_- . Thats for another thread, however.

-Pawn[/COLOR]