Artwork for All - challenges, graphics, tutorials

[Rocket_Scientist]

Thanks Rocket

It really doesn't matter if you use the same subject as someone else, I'm sure your icons would come out very different

lol, I know, but I generally find I feel lazy if I use a subject already used by others. I know it's not true, but I enjoy challenging myself by trying to do something just a little different every time. If all else fails, I'll gladly re-use subjects.

[yamiinsane]

Nynaeve: Thanks
lg: Love the sig!
Rocket: I'm sure you can come up with something else, since I don't mind sharing And if you don't wish to, you can always fall back on Hawkeye

Here is the tut that lg asked for (And quite the longest I've ever written):



NOTE: This was made in Photoshop CS5 and contains Selective Coloring and Vibrance.

Spoiler:

1) When it comes down to sigs, I always start with 600x200, that way I have enought room to do with as I wish. Fill with whatever color you like since we will be covering it up completely.

2) I started with a screencap, from Gallicka of lj, of Loki right before Thor is banished in the movie Thor. Using Free Transform, knock the size down to about 50%. Duplicate the layer and then hide it for now. I then used a technique I learned from a tut by lg: Using Gaussian Blur at about 100% or whichever number you like but make sure there are no lines from your original cap.

3) Turn on the other cap and erase around Loki. Set to Darken, 100%. Then Duplicate that layer and set that to Normal, 48%.

4) Take this texture by Sanami276 and set it to Multiply with a Fill of 62%. Move this one to the right of Loki. Duplicate it, Flip Horizonally, and move this one over to the left of Loki.

5) Take this texture and set it to Screen, Opacity 14%, and Fill 8%. Just make sure the large square is over Loki.

6) Take this texture and set it to Screen, Fill 43%. Erase anything on top of Loki.

7) Take this little texture and rotate it -90 degrees. Duplicate it and Flip Horizontally. Make sure the longest lines touch and are in the right hand side of the sig.

8) Create a new transparent layer. Using the Polygonal Lasso Tool, hold the shift button and create a square with a missing corner. Fill with black at 50% opacity. Duplicate the layer and Free Transform the size to 75%. Line this layer up in the bottom right corner of the original. Duplicate the original and Free Transform the size to 50%. Line up to the bottom right corner again. Duplicate the original again and Free Transfrom the size to 25%. Again line up to the bottom right corner. Align all of these with the small text texture from 7.

9) Take this texture and set it to Soft Light, Opacity 33%, Fill 30%. Move around to your liking, and erase anything on top of Loki.

10) Take this little texture and set it over one of the simi squares. Line up the bright light with the top left corner of one of them and set this to Screen, Fill 16%.

11) Take this texture and set to Normal, Opacity 43%, Fill 21%. Move to your liking.

12) Take this texture and set to Multiply, Opacity 100%, Fill 11%. Move to the left side of Loki.

13) I colored the sig with these adjustments. Feel free to use completely different settings and adjustments.

Spoiler:

Brightness Contrast: Brightness: 150 Contrast: 100
Black and White: Auto set this layer to Multiply.
Gradient Map 1: Washed Away Art #7 (Which is a two tone Green gradient. Choose whichever colors fit the character you chose.) Set this layer to Soft Light.
Hue/Saturation: Hue: 0, Saturation: +57, Lightness: +20.
Selective Color 1: Yellows: +100, -66, -54, +49
Greens: +100, -100, -56, +100
Neutrals: 0, 0, 0, +33
Curves: Point 1: Output: 171, Input: 213. Point 2: Output: 88, Input 95
Selective Color 2: Yellows: +39, -69, -41, -12
Greens: +5, +100, +100, -73

14) Duplicate the Normal copy of the cap of Loki, bring it to the front of all the layers. Set this to Normal, Opacity 53%. Erase around his face.

15) I used two more adjustments:

Gradient Map 2: Take another gradient (#4) from the Washed Away Art. I chose a two tone blue this time. Set to Normal, Fill 50%. (I don't know why I used blues for this...)
Vibrance: Vibrance: -49, Saturation: +100.

16) Stamp or Apply Image and go to Filter>Brush Strokes>Crosshatch. Stroke Length: 25. Sharpness: 7. Strength: 3. Set this to Soft Light, Opacity 22%. Erase over Loki.

17) Stamp or Apply Image again. This time Go to Gaussian Blur. Choose a lower number like 2 or 3 this time. Set this layer to Soft Light, 100%.

18) Stamp or Apply Image again. This time Go to Sharpen>Sharpen. Normal, 100%.

19) I decided that it was too bright of a green so I did another Selective Color. Greens: -84, +41, -34, -50.

TEXT

Spoiler:

Because Loki had such a saddened look on his face from what he was watching, I went through my lyrics collection to find the perfect words for that expression, use whatever lyrics you like, I used some lyrics from the Nightwish song Nemo. I used Nemo Nightmares (Comes with the Nemo font, url below), 28 pt. Rotate until it matches the crosshatches that go from top right to bottom left. Set to Soft Light, 42%. Make sure as much of the lyrics as possible are over the "squares."
For Loki I used Romance Fatal Serif, 48 pt. Make sure this is in the exact, or extremely close to, middle of the "squares."
For What have I done? I used Nemo, 24 pt. Set to Soft Light, 100%. Duplicate this and gaussian blur it just a little. Make sure the blurred layer is underneath the original.

21) OPTIONAL After I finished making the sig, I went to Image>Image Size and lowered my sig size to 450x150.

22) Watermark your sig, if you do, and you are done!

[Jumble]

lol, I know, but I generally find I feel lazy if I use a subject already used by others. I know it's not true, but I enjoy challenging myself by trying to do something just a little different every time. If all else fails, I'll gladly re-use subjects.

You make me feel really lazy - I'm always trying to find a way to make everything about Martin

[ladygris]

Yami, thanks for the tut!

Rocket, thanks for the compliments.

And an odd question: Is anyone else having problems using the Quick Reply? For some reason, I have to Go Advanced every time, even if I just want to make a quick comment on artwork.

[Jumble]

Quick reply is working fine for me

[ladygris]

Quick reply is working fine for me

You know, it's really odd. I've been having problems for over a day. I asked the question, and the problem seems to have corrected itself!

[Jumble]

You know, it's really odd. I've been having problems for over a day. I asked the question, and the problem seems to have corrected itself!

Sod's Law Happens to me all the time. The tap in my kitchen sink had been leaking at the base for weeks before I got around to calling a plumber - when he arrived the darned thing absolutely refused to leak

[maneth]

Beautiful arties everyone!

The B5 sig with lens flare added.



And a matching avi...

[ladygris]

Sod's Law Happens to me all the time. The tap in my kitchen sink had been leaking at the base for weeks before I got around to calling a plumber - when he arrived the darned thing absolutely refused to leak

It happens like that all the time. Cars, plumbing, internet connection, appliances. . . . .The list goes on. The minute you get help for whatever the situation, it stops. The minute that help leaves, it starts up again!

[Padme18]

Now if only I could thing of something for the funny category of the challenge I'd have my icon set done. I went with a SW theme, but I can't seem to come up with anything that I like for "funny".

[Jumble]

It happens like that all the time. Cars, plumbing, internet connection, appliances. . . . .The list goes on. The minute you get help for whatever the situation, it stops. The minute that help leaves, it starts up again!

True, which is why I got him to put a new tap in anyway - save me the embarrassment of calling him out again

Now if only I could thing of something for the funny category of the challenge I'd have my icon set done. I went with a SW theme, but I can't seem to come up with anything that I like for "funny".

That was the one I had the most trouble with too

[ladygris]

Now if only I could thing of something for the funny category of the challenge I'd have my icon set done. I went with a SW theme, but I can't seem to come up with anything that I like for "funny".

Yeah, I had problems with that one, too. Hence why my "funny" wasn't so funny.

[Nynaeve506]

Hey gang! Sorry I've been absent so much lately...I'm moving back to the States (finally!) in a week and it's been rather stressful. What spectacular art you've all been making! I don't think I've had a chance to welcome Nynaeve to the thread yet, so, welcome! I would also like to point out that I highly approve of your username. I really love icon challenges, so I'm hoping I'm able to piece something together this week. Unfortunately, the longer I wait the harder it gets...yami stole Tom Hiddleston and lg stole Chris Hemsworth, so I'm back to the drawing board. Thanks a lot. I'll try to green where I can!

ETA: Also, looking back over the past few pages, it appears I missed Jumble's birthday. So, a very very belated Happy Birthday to you Jumble!

Thanks for the welcome. I highly approve of my username too LOL

[ShaViva]

Nice challenge icon sets MR (especially liked the 'funny' one ); lg (love that you're still on your Chris Hemsworth kick - he makes for even prettier art from you Awesome sig as well! ); Jumble (very clever use of the same image there!); Nola (yep, tribbles are definitely funny + love the stargate as neg space); Nyn (fantastic first challenge response - especially love the Farscape funny one); Yami (Loki looks good even that small - the sigs are lovely too). I've already greened where GW would let me, so virtual green to everyone else and I'm sorry if I missed anyone

Padme - love your icons as well; and Mane, that's a lovely B5 banner (another show on my watch list I haven't got to yet!!). Waves to Rocket - hope all the moving stuff goes well for you. I can see the allure of going for a different theme subject than what's already been done, but you know, I personally wouldn't say no to more Chris Hemsworth art

[ShaViva]

I wasn't going to do another icon set for the challenge ... until I was inspired by tonight's episode of Doctor Who. At the moment the ABC is playing DW repeats every night - they started right back at the beginning of season 1 (new DW) and tonight it was the 2010 Christmas special. I know, it's nowhere near Christmas, but I had all these ideas that fit so well with the challenge I haven't used any added text so apologies if they don't make sense - I think probably a fair degree of familiarity with the episode is needed to see why I thought some of these fit the challenge



Ooh, and they played a preview of the upcoming season Excited for two reasons, one, because it's new Doctor Who (big yay for that) AND two, because I can only assume they're advertising it because they are actually going to play it here when it airs elsewhere. Imagine that!!