Oodles of Art!

[Kairu]

Oodles of art, huh? Not that much showcases here, hm? Bit misleading... but there I go, knit-picking once again.

Not to be rude, but I don't find much here to be at all spectacular. To be honest, the style you tend to use is pretty repetitive. The same diagonal boxes, the same style of text, even the same textures and brushing. Mix it up every now and again so you don't end up in a creative funk. I'd say develop a new technique entirely...all of this is a bit bland.

The Iron Man wallpaper is easily the best of the bunch, not to say it's perfect; the subtle text annoys the hell out of me. Other than that, the only ones I remotely like are your current signature and the graphic worm entry, although neither are intermediate or advanced in skill level.

I'd say you need someone to kick you into shape... negative criticism is the best tool to grow as a designer. Don't be hasty with your response if you feel hurt or discouraged; I'm certainly not the type to tell someone to quit at it entirely. Sugarcoating flaws doesn't help at all, and I strongly discourage the use of strictly positive critique. I think this graphics section is seeing a bit too much of that. All in all, keep at it and hopefully you'll improve with time; try finding someone whose graphics you admire and ask them for tips.

[Kaoru [Anne]]

Negative criticism gets ignored, to be honest. I'm sure you could've presented the same information in a more positive light, and I would've listened. It's called oodles of art because I wanted something less bland than "Stuff I slapped together on photoshop".

So, if you don't think you can say anything constructive, I ask you not post in my thread. Thanks.

For ProBoards Graphic Worm 3 (click to view the whole worm!); this is my second image. I think it turned out a heck of a lot better than my first, which is the second image, if you click the above link. I'm really pleased with the outcome, and I love the render of Saber. ^_^

[Liamane]

Of course, Kairu, yeeeeah.

Anyhoo! Awesome edition to the Graphic Worm! The coloring is super hot, and I absolutely love the cosmic feel it has to it. I'm literally speechless. ^_____^

[Kaoru [Anne]]

Thanks! I was really pleased with the turn out. When I looked at the worm last night, I started thinking, Oh noes! I can see where it ble-- oh wait, the beginning of the graphic is over there... xD

[Liamane]

XDD I honestly think it has perfect blending with the graphic to the left. Your render of choice is really good looking, too.

[Kaoru [Anne]]

;D Glad to hear it. Thanks again! I'm actually not supposed to be on the comp (I'm sick and am supposed to be in bed) but wanted to check teh forumz.

[Kaoru [Anne]]

So.. my pitiful attempt at smudging. Or at least, it started that way. Dunno what happened.

EDIT: Here's the second attempt. A bit better, I think. B.B., I used parts of your Kairi Icon Tutorial 2, or whatever it's called.

EDIT: Here's the portfolio for this set.

[Liamane]

Wow, the lighting effects on these are awesome! My favorite would have to be the fourth one; the overall feel it has is really vibrant. Really great job! ^____^

[Kaoru [Anne]]

Me too! ;D Thanks Liamane!

[Beebs]

Wow, this batch is loads better than your last ones! xDD You know my thoughts on the first one. I really like that second one in the port/, but it feels a little bit too empty. You need something else going on in it. The Kaiba one is really cool! I don't really like the dotted lines though, and again it feels bare. The flow of the last one is wonderful, but I wish the text were a little bit bigger and closer to the woman. Hate to say it, but...again, way too empty. xP So, I think that's your main concern; the sigs come out feeling empty. Go for even more foreground effects next time and try use of C4D and clipping masks.

[Kaoru [Anne]]

Thanks, B.B. Do you know where I can get a tut on clipping masks? I dunno how to use 'em. ;D

[Beebs]

Sure! If you look on my deviantArt or the tut thread here, check out my "Abstract Maiden" sig tutorial; I cover it in that. Essentially:

Clipping Masks take an image and overlay them on top of a shape, while still preserving the integrity of the image. Imagine yourself making a simple circle with the marquee tool; color doesn't matter in the least, unless you plan on blending your image. You take an image/render/whatever and put it on a layer above the circle. What the clipping mask will do is hide everything on your image layer except for what's on top of the clipping source (your circle).

Simply right click any layer and choose "Create Clipping Mask" to use this effect, which will be used on the layer under it. This technique is mainly used for abstract splatter effects by doing an apply image, clip-masking it, and moving it around until you get the effect you want.

^^ Hope that helps.

[Kaoru [Anne]]

Ah....! I see. It's all so clear now...! ;D

[Beebs]

Jun 4, 2008 12:39:18 GMT -6 Kaoru [Anne] said:

Ah....! I see. It's all so clear now...! ;D

I'm glad. I feel so stupid though, because in my explanation I said rectangle at one point instead of circle! *smacks self* Hopefully that didn't throw you off. ^^;;

[Kaoru [Anne]]

Thanks. OK, I tried a few clipping masks, but it's kinda.. meh.

[Beebs]

Eek, floating head syndrome! xDD A general piece of advice: in sigs, don't ever position the stock so that only it's head is shown. You need to make sure some of the body is in. And on that one, I think it'd be better if it were brighter, so maybe play around with the levels/curves. The effects seem pretty nice though, so kudos on that; I really like the text. Keep experimenting with it, yo! xDD

[Kaoru [Anne]]

Actually, there was a bit of her hand, shoulder, and the mask she was holding, originally. x__x Dang.
Thanks though! I'll keep working on it.

[Kaoru [Anne]]

Trying again...

[Liamane]

Stunning! This is my favorite stock of Sora, and your sig just reminded me why. XDD The color scheme going on in the sig is very nice, and the overall feel is great! Awesome job!

[Beebs]

Ooooh wow, that's one's nice. The text seems just a little out of place and a tad too apparent, along with those boxes that distract from the focus. It really is cool though, just has this same simple feel that the rest have. :\ I think your effects need to be a little less subtle so they don't feel so empty.