Art My New Signature

[JamesMay]

I decided today that I want to learn how to make uber 1337 sigs..

Im going to watch youtube tutorials and see if I can eventually make something cool...

I AM NOT A GRAPHIC DESGNER / VISUAL ARTIST. (im a musician which makes me an artist in a different respect)



Heres my first try...

[img]http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/jamesfrankmay/epicunicornsig.jpg[/img]



I will post pics of new signatures I make over time.



If any of you are pro graphic designers and have cool tips/tricks I would GREATLY appreciate it.

[SarahPatricia]

I'm not a pro and all but can I comment on your work?




I believe that the focal is the face, right? The little pink thing seems a little too bright. It would lead the eyes towards it instead of the focal. Maybe you could add some lighting in the face to just make that equally bright. Or maybe you could lessen the brightness of the pink thing. The flow is a little off. But it looks really good for a first try.

[JamesMay]

[quote name='SarahPatricia' timestamp='1292812634' post='702974']
I'm not a pro and all but can I comment on your work?




I believe that the focal is the face, right? The little pink thing seems a little too bright. It would lead the eyes towards it instead of the focal. Maybe you could add some lighting in the face to just make that equally bright. Or maybe you could lessen the brightness of the pink thing. The flow is a little off. But it looks really good for a first try.


[/quote]

good call.. im not going to change that one but I will try to implore that technique on my next one.. the pink thing on his shoulder ended up becoming the focal point when it should have been the face.

[CaNz]

[quote name='JamesMay' timestamp='1292771633' post='702958']
If any of you are pro graphic designers and have cool tips/tricks I would GREATLY appreciate it.
[/quote]
their are a few pro's here, but the only members that do banners currently seem to be Lilt and I.
I could teach you what i know... but I need to know what editing software you are using.

as for rando comments on the current sig... welll i like the art and the part of the picture you used. as for the border the black lines are actually kinda destracting when they are that big. I would use four pixels tops if you are just doing a one color border.

[JamesMay]

Good call on the borders... I made them a bit smaller.

I also made a new sig last night.

My favorite Trigun character, Wolfwood!

[img]http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/jamesfrankmay/wolfwoodsig.jpg[/img]


Im using PS CS3 btw Edited December 20, 2010 by JamesMay

[Boo]

Hm, unlike CaNz, I like the thick borders giving a cinematic effect to it. SarahPatricia was pretty spot on about the focus of the banner, but I have to say that for a first shot this is pretty ace. The picture you used for the banner is top quality, the lens effect works well and the overall feel of it is pretty much "I'm epicly awesome".

I'd recommend putting the other shoulder more in view, which in effect will put the head in focus more. Also, some kind of text would be schweet. Quotes and names mostly work well enough for forum banners. :V

[b]EDIT[/b] Oh, you updated! The focus on the second one is better, though for the effect, I'd move the stock more to the left border. Especially because the picture abruptly stops on the left wing. The colours are easy on the eyes generally. The background just looks a bit calm compared to the used picture, but contrast is a good thing mostly.

If I look at this stuff, I wish I had started out with youtube tuts and stuff. :( It's really cool material for first times. Edited December 20, 2010 by Boo

[JamesMay]

[quote name='Boo' timestamp='1292852196' post='702994']
Hm, unlike CaNz, I like the thick borders giving a cinematic effect to it. SarahPatricia was pretty spot on about the focus of the banner, but I have to say that for a first shot this is pretty ace. The picture you used for the banner is top quality, the lens effect works well and the overall feel of it is pretty much "I'm epicly awesome".

I'd recommend putting the other shoulder more in view, which in effect will put the head in focus more. Also, some kind of text would be schweet. Quotes and names mostly work well enough for forum banners. :V
[/quote]

I originally wanted to use some text but it ended up just looking goofy.. I will use text on some future banners with more "sparse" layouts.

Also, the other shoulder isnt visible in that particular render. Plus i like the off center feel. Edited December 20, 2010 by JamesMay

[Boo]

[quote name='JamesMay' timestamp='1292852527' post='702995']
I originally wanted to use some text but it ended up just looking goofy.. I will use text on some future banners with more "sparse" layouts.
[/quote]
I know what you mean. Adding text is pretty much a whole art by itself. :P You'll not want to just paste text on there because the contrast will be too great. Try to toy around with layer overlay effects to see if that makes it look any less goofy. Edited December 20, 2010 by Boo

[JamesMay]

i hear ya.. im a total text noob. I need to watch some tutorials for uber leetsauce text.

[SarahPatricia]

[quote]Also, some kind of text would be schweet. Quotes and names mostly work well enough for forum banners. [/quote]

This.&Text don't need to be really fancy. And also, when adding text, you might want to use Sans Serif. They fit on almost anything

[quote]Try to toy around with layer overlay effects to see if that makes it look any less goofy.[/quote]

and this ^_^

[quote]If I look at this stuff, I wish I had started out with youtube tuts and stuff. :( It's really cool material for first times.[/quote]

Me too XD I never followed anything for my first tags/sigs.

[Kre]

Yeah, like everyone else has said, you have a good start. CS3 is a good tool, and has a wide array of things you can use and get good at using to create some fancy effects. It seems you've used some brushing and smudging stuff, and I'll admit I didn't look too closely at either of your works, but have you considered using any C4D's to add any effects?

Text is another thing entirely like Boo said. Text can be very difficult to do well, and I myself have only recently gotten 'decent' at it, but I'm still not that great at adding text. The main thing, like others have said or implied, is to make it blend with your background, obviously not so much that it can't be seen, but enough so it doesn't distract from the focal. That's the challenge, in my opinion :P There's layer effects, but I'll sometimes mess around with smudging just the edges of text so it blends slightly, or doing like a clipping mask like my current sig. Just experiment and have fun with it, and tutorials are a great resource to be used, so keep hitting them up as well. Edited December 21, 2010 by Kre

[JamesMay]

[quote name='Kre' timestamp='1292909124' post='703025']
Yeah, like everyone else has said, you have a good start. CS3 is a good tool, and has a wide array of things you can use and get good at using to create some fancy effects. It seems you've used some brushing and smudging stuff, and I'll admit I didn't look too closely at either of your works, but have you considered using any C4D's to add any effects?

Text is another thing entirely like Boo said. Text can be very difficult to do well, and I myself have only recently gotten 'decent' at it, but I'm still not that great at adding text. The main thing, like others have said or implied, is to make it blend with your background, obviously not so much that it can't be seen, but enough so it doesn't distract from the focal. That's the challenge, in my opinion :P There's layer effects, but I'll sometimes mess around with smudging just the edges of text so it blends slightly, or doing like a clipping mask like my current sig. Just experiment and have fun with it, and tutorials are a great resource to be used, so keep hitting them up as well.
[/quote]

I used about 6 or 7 c4d renders in each one of those sigs... I just made them very subtle. the only brushes i used were to create the dots and lighting effects. Then next one i make i will try to make the c4d's more obvious as well as add text.

[b]UPDATE[/b]

Okay... Here is my attempt at some basic text.. My name is James Frank May so the "FM" stands for my middle and last initials.

I also whored 23498098234 C4D's in this pic. They are not so subtle this time : )

Its my 2nd favorite GG character, Chip! (1st being Sol... but this render was too sick not to use.)

[img]http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/jamesfrankmay/ChipSig1.jpg?t=1292924403[/img] Edited December 21, 2010 by Boo
Double postin'.

[CaNz]

[quote name='JamesMay' timestamp='1292851975' post='702993']
Im using PS CS3 btw
[/quote]
awesome... cause I use CS5
as borders go, if you are going for the cinematic look then yeah that black thing does look like a wide-screen image, it works well... but it does sound like a theme to me. ummm I like the wolfwood one, you certainly find great base pictures. as for adding text... for cramped pictures you may want to alter the opacity. making text see through allows the image to stay intact, but lets you fill up more space.

As for text in itself, look for true-types on the internet that match your theme.[url="http://www.1001freefonts.com/"]1001[/url] is a site I use a lot.
also the trick to make great text is trying tons of stuff out. once you have a base text, you can do more advanced tricks with that.
write something, then make a duplicate layer, and move it slightly (a pixel or two) then turn the top one into a type of overlay, you will get some really cool effects.
(as for moving the text... try selecting the movement tool and using the arrow keys)

[SarahPatricia]

The text looks good. Try to brighten up the focal a little though. And just a suggestion, why not try to sharpen the whole thing a little? Just a little bit ^_^

And I'm not feeling the empty space there. And I dunno, the border looks a little too thin IMO. 

[JamesMay]

[quote name='SarahPatricia' timestamp='1292927719' post='703038']
The text looks good. Try to brighten up the focal a little though. And just a suggestion, why not try to sharpen the whole thing a little? Just a little bit ^_^

And I'm not feeling the empty space there. And I dunno, the border looks a little too thin IMO.


[/quote]

lol... you dislike EXACTLY what I was going for.. hahaha.. dark and soft with a big void. xD

[CaNz]

tis the beauty of art my friend.

[SarahPatricia]

James: Soz. XDDD Well we do have different tastes xD

[JamesMay]

[quote name='CaNz' timestamp='1292929498' post='703042']
tis the beauty of art my friend.
[/quote]


[quote name='SarahPatricia' timestamp='1292930352' post='703047']
James: Soz. XDDD Well we do have different tastes xD
[/quote]

hehehe... Exactly!! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


Ok.. I think I figured out my trademark. The cross JamesFM logo and black cinematic borders.


[img]http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/jamesfrankmay/wolfwoodsig3.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/jamesfrankmay/coolsiggundam4.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/jamesfrankmay/ChipSig3.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/jamesfrankmay/asukasig2.jpg[/img]

[CaNz]

[quote name='JamesMay' timestamp='1292931992' post='703050']
hehehe... Exactly!! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Ok.. I think I figured out my trademark. The cross JamesFM logo and black cinematic borders.
[/quote]
its a nice looking one.trademark... I came up with one too, but I have been doing stuff for other people for so long i have forgotten to incorporate it in the projects i do for myself.
maybe I will make a new set just so that I can do it. d:

[SarahPatricia]

Your trademark looks good. I wish I had one xD

I like the text on the 1st, 3rd,  and 4th. Then 2nd one didn't really fit. Try changing the color or the blending mode or maybe the opacity a bit ^_^



Is the 4th one a new sig? It looks kinda..... well the render didn't fit. Maybe because there are still black lines from the rendering. Or did you do that on purpose? And again, the focal point. The white thing looks a little too bright. And the colors don't compliment each other. I do love the text in it :3 Edited December 21, 2010 by SarahPatricia

[JamesMay]

[quote name='SarahPatricia' timestamp='1292932420' post='703052']
Your trademark looks good. I wish I had one xD

I like the text on the 1st, 3rd, and 4th. Then 2nd one didn't really fit. Try changing the color or the blending mode or maybe the opacity a bit ^_^



Is the 4th one a new sig? It looks kinda..... well the render didn't fit. Maybe because there are still black lines from the rendering. Or did you do that on purpose? And again, the focal point. The white thing looks a little too bright. And the colors don't compliment each other. I do love the text in it :3
[/quote]

text on the unicorn gundam sig gave me a headache. I tried to blend it in better but it became illegible. Finding that balance is very hard. The asuka sigs render had the black lines on it originally.. I would prefer if it didnt have them, but im not pro enough to remove them.

[CaNz]

the colors seem to match her eyes more than anything else...which is kinda cool... but my main issue is the girls hair has giant jagged edges were the hair flows into the background... blur is your friend.

as for opacity issues, you can see were some stuff got discolored.
when this happens to me I do one of two things:
1, alter the opacity in sections, the spots where the discolorations happens can be made more solid (also photoshop lets you alter the fill of the layer. you can sometimes use that instead of opacity, giving different effects)
2, alter the background. offen these discolorations occur from certain anomalies in the background, and you can get rid of them by taking a color that works, and replacing it with the one that does not work.

or the third thing is just leave it... some spots don't look all that bad, and with editing I always say that you are never finished, you are just close enough. (you can always find something to make a little better, but you can ask yourself if you need to or not... if it looks good and you like it... you made it close enough)

[JamesMay]

[quote name='CaNz' timestamp='1292933647' post='703056']
the colors seem to match her eyes more than anything else...which is kinda cool... but my main issue is the girls hair has giant jagged edges were the hair flows into the background... blur is your friend.

as for opacity issues, you can see were some stuff got discolored.
when this happens to me I do one of two things:
1, alter the opacity in sections, the spots where the discolorations happens can be made more solid (also photoshop lets you alter the fill of the layer. you can sometimes use that instead of opacity, giving different effects)
2, alter the background. offen these discolorations occur from certain anomalies in the background, and you can get rid of them by taking a color that works, and replacing it with the one that does not work.

or the third thing is just leave it... some spots don't look all that bad, and with editing I always say that you are never finished, you are just close enough. (you can always find something to make a little better, but you can ask yourself if you need to or not... if it looks good and you like it... you made it close enough)
[/quote]

Im going with the 3rd option!

Im an audio engineer and musician. I find myself tweaking my mixes for weeks and even months at a time. Sometimes its best to just move on to the next project.

I really appreciate everyones comments and suggestions. Im doing this as a fun little hobby to kill time over winter break. Im not too concerned over the minuscule details.
"if it looks good and you like it... you made it close enough", is definetly my motto for this little project.

[SarahPatricia]

hmm, well you don't need to be a pro to remove them really. Well you can try just erasing them. Or maybe use the lasso tool. 

And yes, it does look jaggy. Blur it a little, but not too much. 

[JamesMay]

Changed the coloring and lowered the opacity of the text on the unicorn sig

[img]http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/jamesfrankmay/coolsiggundam5.jpg[/img]


Blurred Asuka's hair.

[img]http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee135/jamesfrankmay/asukasig3.jpg[/img]