First sig attempt....thoughts?

[Aneklusmos]

My first attempt at a sig....whatcha think?
http://i43.tinypic.com/27x2nnt.jpg

[optimashprime]

cool

[Origami]

My first attempt at a sig....whatcha think?
http://i43.tinypic.com/27x2nnt.jpg

lol josh, i think your sole purpose on VT is now to make sigs
Maybe I'm not alone. ;)


Now, as for the sig, like you said it's your first attempt, and before you think it sucks, you should have seen my first sig.
1: You have no focal point; This should generally be your render (The dragon.) To improve this I advice making the dragon bigger, making it blend around the edges so it is easier on the eyes, add gradient maps so everything blends.
2: Text, text, text. It makes sigs, it breaks them. Your text should be something simple, close to your render, and should not steal away from your focal.
3: Borders, not always needed, but they do help contain the sig within the canvas.
4: Flow, very hard to explain this, try using C4Ds and using a render that has natural flow in on direction, it makes it easier on the eyes.

Note: Was this a freestyle? Or did you follow a tutorial?

[EverlostPoet]

for a first try i like it. dont forget borders. and try to make the render bigger and more noticeable. The text is more noticeable than the dragon.

[Origami]

On a second look: I like your color choice, despite not blending, the colors have a certain blend to themselves.

[The Freed]

Maybe I'm not alone. ;)



2: Text, text, text. It makes sigs, it breaks them. Your text should be something simple, close to your render, and should not steal away from your focal.

When I read this I remember that one commercial.
Location, Location. Location
But, text can make or break them...
That's why I don't do text.
XD

[Aneklusmos]

It was a tutorial. Ill improve on it and post another. Thanks for the advice!!

[Origami]

I see potential in you Caleb, I'll be awaiting your next creation.

Note: My name is spelled Origami not Oragami. lol.

[Aneklusmos]

No I think it's spelled josh. But I'll fix that. And thanks

[millymollymandy]

its really good for your first atempt, but make sure you make the text more readable.

[Origami]

its really good for your first atempt, but make sure you make the text more readable.

Careful on this note.
Text has to be legible not visible.
Overly doing the text will steal from your focal.

[Aneklusmos]

another one...its not great but whatever
http://i39.tinypic.com/6izpdv.jpg

[Origami]

Your last was MUCH better, either teamview me today or follow my tut in Other Works :D

[Aneklusmos]

maybe teamviewer later. i dunno what went wrong with this though.

[Origami]

SMUDGE YOUR RENDER FOR A BACKGROUND.
Don't make backgrounds like your are now.):

[Aneklusmos]

Ok!! Thanks. I'll try that sometime. Like next time I do it

[Aneklusmos]

another...used smudge....whatcha all think?
http://i39.tinypic.com/2cp6qgl.jpg

[iJack]

I love 'em all!

[Aneklusmos]

thanks! :D

[Origami]

another...used smudge....whatcha all think?
http://i39.tinypic.com/2cp6qgl.jpg

Ok, your smudge settings suck, I'm sorry Caleb but good god.
For one, only use the chalk brush or a round brush to smudge with.
I myself very solemnly use the round brush; I just prefer the chalk.
My settings:
Chalk brush 23-86px [I used a 60px on sigs like Skeln's]
Mode: Normal
Strength: 100%
My Presets:
Shape Dynamics
Size Jitter: 22%
Angle Jitter: 100%
Roundness Jitter: 81%
Minimum Roundness: 1%
Anything not mentioned is set to 0%
Scattering
Scatter: 81%
Count: 1
Count Jitter: 100%
Other Dynamics
Strength Jitter: 100%
Smoothing should also be turned ON

--Also, you need to start getting C4Ds, go to google images or deviantart.com and search "C4Ds" or "C4D Renders" download lots of these, they create flow and add effect to your sig. Experiment with these C4Ds and get them to what you think looks appealing.

---Remember, these are just my personal settings, copying them has no shame, just remember in time to adjust them seeing as how you will want to create your own personal style and not follow another person's. :D

[Aneklusmos]

Ok I have work and a summer ahead of me! I'll experiment

[Aneklusmos]

one that josh walked me through.....thankya!
http://i42.tinypic.com/m8z4og.jpg
methinks its better

[Origami]

Lots of practice and teamviewer sessions to come.
You need to work on your smudging. For one don't drag it, if you noticed I kinda jiggled the mouse a bit to scatter it ;)

[Aneklusmos]

ok. i will commit that to memory. anyone elses thoughts?

[Origami]

Cool effect btw:
New layer > Image > Apply Image > Blur Gaussian Blur > 3.0 > Lighten 100%
Erase what you don't want, it creates a glowing effect, same thing I used on your brilliant lights sig and the retouch of David's photo.

[Aneklusmos]

You should make a thread somewhere that lists a whole bunch of cool effects. And ill try that sometime

[The Batman]

I just want to say this Josh it's cool and all that your helping him be good at this but he should really try and find his own way of doing it instead of him being just like you originality is a great thing to have in these types of things.

[Origami]

I just want to say this Josh it's cool and all that your helping him be good at this but he should really try and find his own way of doing it instead of him being just like you originality is a great thing to have in these types of things.

Indeed, and I'm teaching him the same way as I was taught.
Development is upon ones self, I've already aforementioned to him about developing his own style and not copy directly, but in the learning process it's easier with a guide until you know how it's supposed to look.
I learned copying the EY boys EXACTLY, now all of our sigs look so different it's not even funny. I would never allow him to copy me once he knows what he's doing (As I saw today he couldn't find the chalk brush, gmaps, or brush presets, sorry Caleb<3) so for a while.
After which it's like a crooked flower, it has to stand on it's own sooner or later. ;) I'll stop helping him very soon with how fast he's thinking through it.
Oblivion for example in the 101 thread, he shot through it like nothing, I give him only seldom tips now. Enough to improve but still leave room for experimentation and self growth.
And regardless, no amount of practice will allow Caleb to get my style down, because it's my style lol, he can get close but frustration will always lead to him giving up and forcefully making his own style in the end. The magic of Photoshop is that it is easier to express ones self (in my opinion) than with pen and paper. The sheer fact that one thing can be done an endless amount of ways.
Now, if you're referring to our Teamviewer sessions, I haven't helped him much in those really. He connected to me today and watched me make a sig, then I connected to him to watch him make a sig. Only times I stepped in was when he needed help with something.
I promise you, I'll kick him away soon enough, I'm teaching him no differently than the EY boys taught me, now all I get from them in terms of C&C is either: "Pro" or something like "Needs depth" "Work on text" "Could blend better" Nothing telling me how to do it, that's what Caleb will be getting from me soon, basically what Oblivion is getting unless he asks otherwise. :D

[Aneklusmos]

LOL epic post. Anyways, he has told me to develop my own style. And there wouldn't be so many tutorials out there if it didn't work. So in a couple weeks I'll probably only be asking occassional question

[Aneklusmos]

okey-dokey, heres another i just did
http://i43.tinypic.com/wsk4kz.jpg

[Poetic Folly]

Pretty cool.
Also, did you read 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians?'

[Aneklusmos]

thanks XD. and yes i did read it. thats where mah name is from

[Poetic Folly]

I figured, haha. What a coincidence, I just finished reading the last one.

[Origami]

okey-dokey, heres another i just did
http://i43.tinypic.com/wsk4kz.jpg

OMG! That lighting never again!
Lighting is way to harsh ):
Use a 300px white brush, brush off the canvas and it will add a soft lighting. Harsh lighting is harsh. xD

Big improvement though.

[Aneklusmos]

Thankya. Softer lighting. Got it

[Aneklusmos]

and another
http://i44.tinypic.com/6t0cb8.jpg

[Origami]

OMG SO CLOSE TO AN EPIC WIN!
If not for that left side (and absence of border)
That sig would have been EPIC! D: Do that forevers! xD Lawl, until you develop better styles. Now work on text and FLOW!

[Aneklusmos]

Obviously Im going to have to re-do that one. lol

EDIT:
here is v.2
http://i41.tinypic.com/wk4eaf.jpg

[Origami]

Get a new font bro.
dafont.com
Also work on your lighting, still to harsh, not really located well.
Practice flow, and kill that crap on the left side. xD

[Aneklusmos]

Another one. I dont like this one at much, but meh, what do you think?
http://i41.tinypic.com/nfkygl.jpg

[Origami]

Nice colors, a lil dull though.

[Aneklusmos]

a new one!!!!!!!!
http://i44.tinypic.com/6zll7b.jpg

[Origami]

Yeah, I need to get some tuts your way.
MOMMY LOOK! I FINGER PAINTED!
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa244/relyh/Random.png



On another note, I DID NOT make this, but this has to be THE hottest sig of ALL time!
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa244/relyh/GucciWhiteBG.png

[Aneklusmos]

is it that bad? lol
those ARE some pretty hot ones. nice finger painting

[Origami]

The top I was just experimenting

The bottom I found on the net HOT

[EverlostPoet]

Josh Get/Stay on msn/yahoo NAO!!

@topic: i like that one you found JOsh, its nice.

[Origami]

I'm getting on Yahoo now.
Rate my current sig? :D

[EverlostPoet]

i like it but to red for me to bright for me. 7/10

[Aneklusmos]

Josh! You never answered my question! Is it that bad?

[Origami]

For beginning, no.
But it does need a lot of work.
[-]I think you can do better if you study some. :)[/-]
Actually I KNOW you can do better. :)

[Aneklusmos]

ok, gimme tuts now!

[Origami]

Google images > Photoshop Signature Tutorials
Search only extra large images.

[Aneklusmos]

K, thankies