Critique this sig in progress.

Well while I wait for an answer to come in on the door idea(I have posted it in multiple places) I will make other sigs. As for the door, It looks like I may need to contrive something myself.... which I fear is still above my head. I may have gotten better, but that door(at least how I want it) is going to be a very complicated effect(or so I imagine).

well here we go, I wanted to make a bigger sig for a change. Though I had to scale it down due to filesize restrictions for many forums I visit(this one included).

http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/5098/sakuraloveru2.png

amazingly enough the .gif is bigger then the .png in this case. Usually it is the otherway around for me.

--Edit--
Gah... Almost didn't bother posting this one. It didn't turn out like I wanted it to. But heh, maybe it isn't as bad as I am seeing it as, or perhaps one of you will be able to spot where I went astray.

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/2417/warriorpv6.gif

A great many of your signatures tend to lack a bottom. They seem just to be cut off after a certain height and there is no closure. This "cutting off" holds true to several of your signatures in regards to how your images are not complete, rather an object may stick out from the center part of signature and flow out of it, yet then they just abruptly halt. If you follow your own borders, you should often note that your bottoms (and to a smaller degree, your sides) don't have them.

Examples:
http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/1184/rogue1tb.png
What happened to the bottom of the arrow? The bottom of the thief? In a signature where these two elements are inside of a box and flow in with a larger image, this would be fine, but as they stand alone with a transparency, no.

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/5999/cowsig4ws.gif
I don't get why a cowgirl would be stuck in tall grass, but I like it anyways. Nice work on following the girl's curves, the grass, and then you just cut off the other half of the moon. I would agree that it doesn't necessarily need a bottom border, but the moon?

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/2417/warriorpv6.gif
I dislike this image as a whole. If the background is to give an impression of a room where you would meet the knight/swordsman, then it only got across after I stared at it for a minute. The walls do not line up properly height-wise, as the back wall looks too short to match up with the side walls, and the corners where the walls meet are not as straight as they should be. The floor is too detailed when compared to the walls. The 3D effect on the text is nice, but makes the right side of the words a bit of a pain to read; maybe a thicker outline to help stable that or reduce the contrast? And, finally, you lack a bottom.

In general, I do like your image choices, the effects you use, and your editing skills. I think you'll do fine when you more and more of your signatures, images, and works look more "whole" or "complete". Right now, not so much.

Well I have recently(read last few minutes) found out why the bottom nevershows. Stroke doesn't like doing it's thing for me unless I got 3 or more pixels open around the whole sig. I generally only do that at the end. So doubtless occasionally I forget to give a border to the whole thing. Trying to get that more pat down.

As for the En Garde one, I knew it had issues, however, I couldn't spot them all on my own. I'll try some of what you said.

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/8...girlsigyk5.png

Border on the side of the moon? like this? Not very visible on this dark background of a forum.

http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/7015/rogueck0.png
Rogue... any better here?

--Edit--

En Garde, New and Improved

http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/8223/warriorsr8.jpg
The text.... I think my border I added to it made it go really wrong. Also I haven't cut out any transparancy yet. Maybe I will maybe I won't.

hmmmm... the moon cowgirl looks fine to me. the ne with the arrow, I agree with Her majesty's you need to draw the rest of the arrow.
for that one you changed, i don't like it, sorry ^^, the background is not one of your best and you made very good backgrounds before it.
as of the pink one, it is so cute, I like it and like the way you cut it, good work.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Owen Macwere

hmmmm... the moon cowgirl looks fine to me. the ne with the arrow, I agree with Her majesty's you need to draw the rest of the arrow.

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The rest of the arrow... That I 'might' be able to do. The issue being the background on this one was tiny to begin with. I already had to stretch and shape it far more then I wanted to get the current shape. Also the render of the rogue. That is the 'whole' thing. And originally I figured it would look odd if with a full arrow and him chopped off at the knees.

I'll give it a try though once I get done with a poster I am working on. I think the poster is coming along nicely so hopefully I'll be done with it tonight(though rendering a 22inch by 28inch object can really put the beat down on your computer).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Owen Macwere

for that one you changed, i don't like it, sorry ^^, the background is not one of your best and you made very good backgrounds before it.

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heh, I am trying something new there. Something I have been wanting to do is make my own graphics for a game I am going to code. And I need to put everything in a room. So I did this too try and get the feel for placing things in the room(as well as how they need porportioned).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Owen Macwere

as of the pink one, it is so cute, I like it and like the way you cut it, good work.

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It is one of my favs :love:

Well, you can still complete the arrow and shove the render downwards alittle so his knees go down ^_-.
well, you are moving along excelent. and I can't wait to see your poster <3.

True :p . but I was more thinking that with the arrow complete it would through it off(one thing complete the other cut off. But meh won't know til I try, either way I showed the person I made it for your guys' coments and he won't be changing to the upgraded version, so you can guess that it isn't a high priority for me at the moment).


As for the poster here is a link(it is 300kb or so[even after I shrunk it to easily fit on a persons screen] therefor I won't just post it straight in the thread, I'll make use of ImageShack's linkage thing for a change) to the background for it currently. What I got left is I want to make a tree on the right side(so that not all of it's trunk shows in the poster) and have it's canopy stretch almost to the moon. Also most of the canopy won't be visible due to it being cut off up top but it will still be like 4 inches thick(bear in mind it is 22inches tall, the poster, so four inches shouldn't be too large, while still not being too small, I hope).

Also due to requirements I will have to cut out the bottom right corner by so much. That is where the name goes(this is a 4-h poster by the way).

well after much talk(as usual) here you go

Wow, nice poster, did you draw that moon? it is great. and you will put the tree on the right side ha? it will look very nice.
good work.
SP: Ehm... due to double deleted post my thread is not updated, can you take alook I posted a new sig ^^, if no trouble.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Owen Macwere

Wow, nice poster, did you draw that moon? it is great. and you will put the tree on the right side ha? it will look very nice.
good work.

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The moon I used PaintShop Pro to make/draw/render/whatever you want to call it. Just like I did with the CowGirl Moon Sig. I followed much the same procedure except I 'improved' upon it in areas I thought the CowGirl's moon was lacking. By your response I assume I succeded :p

Anyways I use Paintshop because my default install of it has a bunch of built in tools nifty for a moon(particually one of the Marble Brushes, though I don't remember it's number...).

What I do for the moon is I draw a circle(not a filled in one, just the outer lines) on a new layer in the place(and size) I want it. I then set my foreground color to a light blue and my background color to white. I use a Foreground to Background gradient that has a built in transparancy(not sure which one it is but it was a paintshop default) set up so the white works to highlight the rest of the moon. I then use the magic wand set to opacity to select the circle outline I made and delete it. Using the foreground blue I then Use the marble brush to make highlights all around the edges of the moon. These leaves an ugly trasnprancy in the middle.

To fix this I play around with various brushes. I found a single click of a large spill brush in paintshop fills it in nicely. I then Gausian Blur it at .... well I don't remember the exact it was 6 or so pixels or maybe more due to the size of the poster.

At this pint it is nice, but you can see the stars through it. Using the magic wand set to opacity I select the moon I have made. I then shifted to the stary background layer and cleared that area of it. Now you can see the transparancy behind the moon. I then set my foreground to black and my background to white. From here I used a solid gradient set up so the white would highlight the underside-rightside of the moon.


There you go, now you got a moon.(not a good tutorial. if I get time and there is interest I will write up a good detailed one with examples etc). However due to how I use my programs it will likely be unfollowable if I do the whole sky(I make the sky background in gimp, the grass in photoshop and the moon in paintshop. :tongue:). However the basic idea and methodology should be the same I hope.


Edit- I just had to throw this in, unless I really mess up on the tree the poster background may become my new desktop background :D.

Thank you, I will try that ^^. nice tutorail.
and if you finish it I would be more than happy to set it my desktop too... good work Buddy ^_-.

Thanks, and I will try to write a true tutorial(I am pretty good at them once I set my mind to them[usually], I just spend several hours on them, so I gotta get some free time first) later when I am less busy.

also because elsewhere I have people telling me the link isn't working properly I will post it here directly.... It shouldn't be too big for anyone's screen.(the original you must still folow the link to... I don't want to bog this down too much.

I HATE trees!

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/7...rbgtreell0.png

Can anyone give me tips on making a better tree... I really don't like that crappy one I got going right now. Anyways, the tree stands out too much so for now that is what I will work on(since I can't think of any way to make it look better in design itself.

Also I must say I do fear it may be too 'crowded' for a poster(though I won't find out til I actually try).

I think you missed my points, ShunNakamura.

The Rogue one is not so much better because it is still just part of an image. If the rogue ended at the knees, it would have been a good idea to either construct his legs and use him as you did, or scrap the idea and use the rogue in a more contained signature. A transparent signature is too open for an incomplete image. What you have fits more into a banner rather than just standing alone.

As for the cowgirl signature...no, you are missing the other half of the moon. Cutting out half of an image looks strange and out of place:
http://www.akusui.net/_lynxius/_leec...thepicture.png
You can see what I'm saying, yes? A full, uncut moon is best.

The En Garde one still misses a bit. An image to illustrate the advice:
http://www.akusui.net/_lynxius/_leech/warriorsr8-le.jpg
The walls still do not match in heights; the lighting on the walls are uneven and do not match up, not by any angle. If the light is coming from the front of the image, the darker tones of the side walls would end at the top of the darker brown on the back wall. Also, the shadows of the text and the character would also stretch out behind them, rather than at any angle. Consistency goes a long way.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Her Majesty's Agent Umaro

I think you missed my points, ShunNakamura.

The Rogue one is not so much better because it is still just part of an image. If the rogue ended at the knees, it would have been a good idea to either construct his legs and use him as you did,

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I doubt I can construct the legs... It was hard enough to add a shirt to the girl in my current sig(her vest didn't cover as much as I would prefer). I doubt I could make a persons legs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Her Majesty's Agent Umaro

As for the cowgirl signature...no, you are missing the other half of the moon. Cutting out half of an image looks strange and out of place:
http://www.akusui.net/_lynxius/_leec...thepicture.png
You can see what I'm saying, yes? A full, uncut moon is best.

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hmm.. prehaps... however, I never planned the image with a full moon to be visible on it. And you are the only one who has commented on it that way. That and I know I picked up cutting the moon off elsewhere. I'll go read around, likely I did too hard of a chop off or some such.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Her Majesty's Agent Umaro

The En Garde one still misses a bit. An image to illustrate the advice:
http://www.akusui.net/_lynxius/_leech/warriorsr8-le.jpg
The walls still do not match in heights;

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Can you be a bit more specific? is it still the back wall that is too short? etc. Or is it because I didn't cut it into a trasnparancy like last time?

anyways I will work on the lighting.. but me and it don't like each other llast I checked :D.

Edit---

Any better now?

http://img464.imageshack.us/img464/4880/warriornb9.gif

http://www.akusui.net/_lynxius/_leec...iorsr8-le2.png

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Her Majesty's Agent Umaro

http://www.akusui.net/_lynxius/_leec...iorsr8-le2.png

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Thanks.. that is what I needed, I think. Anyways I didn't blend it the best, however, I did try to get the wall sizes right.

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1171/warrioroc2.png

It is still a bit too tall[on the side] from what you have drawn,