Coffee Table Book Project™

[BlackHawk]

Well for one of my courses (Communication Technologies) I have to make a Coffee Table book on something. I've chosen to just depict some nature in vector form. So far I've only done one of the pictures and I'm looking for C&C.

Click here (73.5kb) (http://img1.yoxio.com/img/217774.jpg) for the image.

[kongurous]

Sexy. Very sexy.

[LinkTheGameFreak]

nice. did you do the graphic yourself?

[BlackHawk]

nice. did you do the graphic yourself?

Yup, and I forgot to mention I used this stock (http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=view&id=368995) for the bird.

[Whiteknight]

Well for one of my courses (Communication Technologies) I have to make a Coffee Table book on something. I've chosen to just depict some nature in vector form. So far I've only done one of the pictures and I'm looking for C&C.

Click here (73.5kb) (http://img1.yoxio.com/img/217774.jpg) for the image.

What's a coffee tabe book?

[Aquarian]

Nice.Really good.

[EvilEggCracker]

Is it meant to depict a dead bird?Oh and what is a coffee tabe book?

[Xenon]

Very nice BH.

[Mtank]

It looks great. Both the vector bird as well as the background look nice.
Good use of colours, too.

[GrassDragon]

Beautiful. I'd put it on my coffee table.

[Sikawtic]

Coffee Table book - something that you put on your coffee table for casual reading.

[BlackHawk]

What's a coffee tabe book?

Oh and what is a coffee tabe book?

Coffee Table book - something that you put on your coffee table for casual reading.

Yeah, that's pretty much what a Coffee Table book is. We just have to make a design of something that someone would want to read. I'm going to be doing 3 other pieces similar to this one and then 4 pages accompanying these pieces of art explaining what I did or whatnot.

Is it meant to depict a dead bird?

Actually it's meant to be a bird flying -- hence "Soar™" :\.

Anyway, thanks for all the comments so far, I'm glad you guys like it :). Any more comments and especially constructive criticism is welcome.

[ZeroDarkStar]

wow, BH. I'm impressed! You're getting really good.

I especially enjoy the paint stains around the bird...they're very eye catching. It's also contrasting to the background, but not so much as to the point where it becomes annoying. I don't know if that was on purpose, but it deserves a thumbs up.

:tup: <---man I'm using this smilie all the time now. :D

[hammocksleeper]

what's with the (tm)? lame.

but the image is nice-looking :) you picked a good book idea.

[Battlecruiser]

Looks cool. I like it. Not sure what could really make it better.

[Darkslayer633]

I dont know what is, but I do know that it is sexy.
9.9 out of 10 cause well, nothing is perfect.

[Whiteknight]

Hot damn.

<3

[BlackHawk]

Well I've been working on the second piece right now, it's called Pounce™ and you can click here (76.1 kb) (http://img1.yoxio.com/img/217951.jpg) for the image. Any C&C is welcome.

Magmaniac, Darkslayer and I were discussing what I should do for the 3rd one (I'm doing 4 overall) and I think it's going to be some dolphins jumping out of the water and it will be called Dive™ (they're diving back into the water).

Btw, could a mod (i.e. ZDS) change the name to "Coffee Table Book Project"? I just think that would be more appropriate since I'll be posting all 4 pieces in here.

I especially enjoy the paint stains around the bird...they're very eye catching. It's also contrasting to the background, but not so much as to the point where it becomes annoying. I don't know if that was on purpose, but it deserves a thumbs up.

Yeah it was on purpose -- I just sorta threw that in last minute. It does look good now that I think about it :).

what's with the (tm)? lame.

I'm a trendwhore, what can I say :).

And again, thanks for all the lovely comments :). And I <3 you too, WK.

[hammocksleeper]

Btw, could a mod (i.e. ZDS) change the name to "Coffee Table Book Project"? I just think that would be more appropriate since I'll be posting all 4 pieces in here.

Done. Might I also add, I have caught onto the trend™ ;)

The second one is cool too, I love how you found a picture of a caribou sitting on the ground as opposed to standing . I think it makes it a lot better. Also I just love the way four legged animals like that sit on the ground, folding their legs up under and stuff.™

[BlackHawk]

Done. Might I also add, I have caught onto the trend™ ;)

The second one is cool too, I love how you found a picture of a caribou sitting on the ground as opposed to standing . I think it makes it a lot better. Also I just love the way four legged animals like that sit on the ground, folding their legs up under and stuff.™

Thank you, and it's a lovely trend, isn't it?™

Yeah I was going to go with a standing / running one until I found the sitting one. It was much easier to vector (the one's with legs were always standing in grass so I had to sorta guesstimate the feet).

Btw, for those interested, here are the stocks I used for the tiger / deer:
Tiger (http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=view&id=144364)
Deer (http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=view&id=195855)

[Aquarian]

Ow...I like Pounce's background,but not the size of the tiger.I dunno,probably would've looked better if it was smaller.Just my opinion =P

[hammocksleeper]

dude if that's a tiger, you should really put some stripes on him....it might even look cool if you just "erase" the stripes so that you can see the background through them. :)

[BlackHawk]

dude if that's a tiger, you should really put some stripes on him....it might even look cool if you just "erase" the stripes so that you can see the background through them. :)

Hrm, actually I think I'm gonna go give that a try...

Ow...I like Pounce's background,but not the size of the tiger.I dunno,probably would've looked better if it was smaller.Just my opinion =P

I'll fiddle with that right now while I give hammock's idea a try.

[Greyscale]

Like most other people have said, they look very nice.

They kind of have an urban art look to them. Modern style, and simple.

[Basan]

Nice layouts on that project of yours, BH. :)
I liked best the "Soar" one, but since you're aiming to revamp the "Pounce" a lil', I'll hold my comments on it a tad longer (in particular since agreed with what Hammock' n' Aquarian said 'bout it). ;)

[Valjean]

WK[/b].

Cheating whore!

/me slaps BH


Anyway, I <3 your Soar and Pounce, although I think you do need to work on making the tiger (and maybe the deer) smaller.

[GrassDragon]

dude if that's a tiger, you should really put some stripes on him....it might even look cool if you just "erase" the stripes so that you can see the background through them. :)
I second that. Would give a bit more contrast between the deer and the tiger too.

[JenJen]

For not knowing anything about graphic design the first picture looked really cool...but the real reason i'm posting is to extend a big HAHA to everyone who didnt know what a coffee table book was. :)

[Basan]

For not knowing anything about graphic design the first picture looked really cool...but the real reason i'm posting is to extend a big HAHA to everyone who didnt know what a coffee table book was. :)

I always knew what it was... even though that being in my native tongue (before this thread came to life). :P

[BlackHawk]

I now give you the newest version of Pounce™ (80.9kb) (http://img1.yoxio.com/img/218032.jpg). Now with smaller animals and 100% more stripes :).

I've started on the Dive™ one, just vectored the dolphins for it. I probably should be working on my History essay (8 pages, 10% of my mark, due Jan. 9) but I have no drive and I can't find any information. So hell with it.

[EvilEggCracker]

The new pounce is much better. Nice work. Oh and I had a history essay like that. Its not nice :(

[GrassDragon]

Yeah, the new version looks much better. Can't wait to see the last two.

[bluemicrobyte]

@ first image:

'tis a very nice cover, although the splattered dots look a tiny bit artificial -- that is, there are too many similar dots. Also, I noticed a seemingly out-of-place watermark on the orange parts. But overall its a very nice cover. Good job :P

[BlackHawk]

@ first image:

'tis a very nice cover, although the splattered dots look a tiny bit artificial -- that is, there are too many similar dots. Also, I noticed a seemingly out-of-place watermark on the orange parts. But overall its a very nice cover. Good job :P

Well, it's not supposed to be a watermark more of just a little pattern. I was thinking of getting rid of it since it doesn't really help the image. Do you think it would be better without? I'll take a look at the .psd and see which I like best.

Another thing about the Soar™, I know in Pounce™ the text is underlined -- it's the same in Soar™ but I must have forgotten to update the online version because in the .psd it's underlined. Not that it matters much but for those of you that might want to point that out (if you notice it or when you look back now to try and find the watermark).

Btw, gonna work on the third one tonight (Dive™); should be up later tonight or late tommorow night.

[Whiteknight]

The spashmarks on the bird damn make the first one. I'm still not sold on the second, the animals seem out of place. =\

[Aquarian]

Ah...Better...The new Punce

[BlackHawk]

The spashmarks on the bird damn make the first one. I'm still not sold on the second, the animals seem out of place. =\

What do you mean by "out of place"? Just so I can try and correct it...

Ah...Better...The new Punce

Glad you like it now :).

[TranquilNightElf]

Excellent pictures BH :D


Soar: Love the splashes of color and the paint splatters give off a sense of raw motion of the bird that I really like and tends to merge well with the title of the pic :).Awesome!!

Pounce:Love the picture.The Stripes defenitely are a big improvement, but I'd agree with WK to say that something seems a bit odd..Hmmm... the paint splatter looks more of an add-on in this one unlike in Soar.
Let me try to put a finger on it.... the use of the paint splatter in the first image was well placed and along with the pose of the bird helped in communicating a sense of raw motion (as I mentioned above) especially the curve of the splatter from the lower wing to the beak,...as if an artist just created that bird from paint and off it decides to fly.
In pounce the same effect is not achieved ....looks static and not really getting into the "Pounce" of the image.
Perhaps if you modify the tiger to be in the middle of some sort of motion, like front paw raised and half a second away from jumping while placing the splatter coming away from it around mid body


I really like your use of colors,Not too many but vibrant shades of one or two; very eye catching. Try using only two in Pounce.. green and brown ie preserve the cloud shading in the sky but instead of blue perhaps a lighter shade of brown

Can't wait to see Dive :)

~TNE

[Whiteknight]

What do you mean by "out of place"? Just so I can try and correct it...

Bah, the animals look like... not proportioned right or something. Or that they shouldn't be in the picture. Try something for me, if you will. Try moving the tiger back and making him smaller and remove the dots from in front of him. And, I don't know, the deer's body just doesn't look right to me.

[Basan]

Bah, the animals look like... not proportioned right or something. Or that they shouldn't be in the picture. Try something for me, if you will. Try moving the tiger back and making him smaller and remove the dots from in front of him. And, I don't know, the deer's body just doesn't look right to me.

A real improvement on the "Pounce" pic' but... *Meh's* it's still lacking the pounce momentum feel on the tiger towards the dear (n' it's prongs :P), both with their size still not really fitting there imho. ;)

/me stroles around (thread) waiting *
And I can't wait to see the "Dive" feel too. :)

[hammocksleeper]

I can see what the others are saying, it's almost like there's no feeling of perspective in the image. Like the animals are just floating there, irrespective of each other and of the background. Maybe if you made the tiger behind the deer (further back, towards the tree) or did something else to give a feeling of depth in the image

But either way the image still looks fantastic

[BlackHawk]

Well, I changed the Lion, I'll post the changes later. Right now I want to show you the new version of Dive™. I'm not so sure about this one, anyway, it's meant to be two Dolphins jumping out of the Ocean during a storm (the circles represent rain).

Since I'm out of room on Yoxio and I can upload it here, I will. Click here (80kb~) (http://www.warboards.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2520&stc=1) for "Dive™".

Now I'm off to watch TV so comment away :).

[Whiteknight]

First thing I see is that the dolphins definately need redoing: One is far too large or fat and the other seems to have rounded stubs for it's flippers. I can't really say that the circle's gave me anything close to rain either.

I'll have more later, but it looks generally good. Still, it's not close to topping Soar.

[Greyscale]

Um.... WK, check yer quote.

To BH: I like your newest one, but not so much as the previous ones. It just seems lack something.

[GrassDragon]

I don't know what's the deal with them, but I think this is my favorite one. My only issue is the back dolphin (right) has some mutated looking fins.

[JenJen]

these really remind me of tshirt designs...you think you could make them and send some tshirts to me? :)

[GrassDragon]

these really remind me of tshirt designs...you think you could make them and send some tshirts to me? :)
O_O If you made me some shirts I'd pay you for the shirts, shipping and handling, BH's college fund, whatever. That would be so cool.

[BlackHawk]

First thing I see is that the dolphins definately need redoing: One is far too large or fat and the other seems to have rounded stubs for it's flippers. I can't really say that the circle's gave me anything close to rain either.

I'll have more later, but it looks generally good. Still, it's not close to topping Soar.

Thanks, maybe I'll just use the same dolphin (the one on the right) and just make it smaller. I see what you mean with the circles, I just moved them so that the circle is up and the curves are coming down if you catch my drift. I'll attach the new version, but I'll probably fool around with it at school tommorow before I print.

Sadly, Soar is a classic and as much as I try I can't really top it, especially on the timeframe I have (I still have to do a front cover, back cover, last piece of art as well as the pages with descriptions, starting to look like no TV tommorow).

To BH: I like your newest one, but not so much as the previous ones. It just seems lack something.

Yes, I know, I've been lacking the time I need to work on these (shoulda started earlier) and so I don't have as much time to sit around and fool around with stuff. Also keep in mind these are for a school project so I need to just get 'em done.

O_O If you made me some shirts I'd pay you for the shirts, shipping and handling, BH's college fund, whatever. That would be so cool.

I'm looking into making a clothing line (phadeclothing) as soon as I get the funding (currently looking into the stock market).

Click here (90kb~) (http://www.warboards.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2521&stc=1) for Dive™.

[GrassDragon]

The new dolphin and semi-circles look a lot better. Can't wait to see the last one.

EDIT: I think it looks better with the lighter rings like in the first one.

[pixels]

amazing. the texturing is perfect. the shapes are phenominal.. damn

how do you do it :|

[Battlecruiser]

Hmmm... they would do good as a t-shirt. I like what I see so far.

[Whiteknight]

Bah, I'm never a fan of duplicated pictures. It always just looks off.

Also, try making a grunged gap between each side in the "rain". That part looks much better in the second version, I believe a gap where it curves on the bottom would get the feeling of it through even more.

[Aquarian]

Dive is currently my favourite so far.I dunno,probably if the left dolphin's spout was covered by the splashing water,it'll probably look abit more realistic.

[Basan]

The 2nd version of "Dive is far better than the 1st, although a few water sprinkles over the dolphin that just came out of the water (aka the left one) would give the image a lot more movement effect than as it is now.

But who am I kidding? I'd never could do anything similar to what you've been doin' so far. ;)

[BlackHawk]

EDIT: I think it looks better with the lighter rings like in the first one.

Yeah, when I got to school I changed it so the colours are lighter (somewhere in between the first and second one).

Hmmm... they would do good as a t-shirt. I like what I see so far.

Yeah, I think I'll make versions for T-shirts (simpler with fewer colours) so I'll post those when I get some time. I'm looking into investing in penny stocks to get the financing for my clothing store, so wish me luck :).

Bah, I'm never a fan of duplicated pictures. It always just looks off.

Also, try making a grunged gap between each side in the "rain". That part looks much better in the second version, I believe a gap where it curves on the bottom would get the feeling of it through even more.

True, but with the time I had left I couldn't re-vector a whole new one (I know I use that excuse a lot, but hey, it's true). Thanks for the tips though.

Dive is currently my favourite so far.I dunno,probably if the left dolphin's spout was covered by the splashing water,it'll probably look abit more realistic.

The 2nd version of "Dive is far better than the 1st, although a few water sprinkles over the dolphin that just came out of the water (aka the left one) would give the image a lot more movement effect than as it is now.

Very good points by both of you, thanks for the ideas.

But who am I kidding? I'd never could do anything similar to what you've been doin' so far. ;)

Hehe, thanks :).

I printed it off at lunch today (we had presentations in class, they're done now) and the teacher said it looked really good :). I'll be working on the description pages as well as the cover and last art piece all tonight -- I'll post 'em tommorow when I have the time (and when they're done). Wish me luck xD.

Also, I must thank you all for the comments and crits, they've really helped me make this project better and improve my skills. <3.

[GrassDragon]

When you've finished your project, do you think you could write up a tutorial about how you did the texturing in these pieces?

[BlackHawk]

When you've finished your project, do you think you could write up a tutorial about how you did the texturing in these pieces?

Sure thing.

And on that note, here's the final piece entitled "Trap™". I'm now going to work on the cover and description pages -- I think I'll post the title page and one of the description pages just so you get an idea of what it'll look like. When the whole things done and binded I'll post some more pics :).

Click here (70kb~) (http://www.warboards.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2525&stc=1) for the last art piece entitled "Trap™".

[GrassDragon]

Not your best :concern: Maybe if you threw in some more of the "scuff marks" on the branches it would look better.

I understand you're now in a time constraint though :P

[Valjean]

I like it, although I think you need to get some more vegetation going on the background behind the spider web, faded out a little.

[Vhaeraun]

Hawt.

Very well done....Can't give any criticism....cause this is ten times better than I can do myself >.>

/me wants a copy

[Sirion]

I like it. Very much. Perhaps you could add a little more color, it's a bit too brown for me, but otherwise it's great.

[Markpyro]

First - gj

But, the text is bugging me. The whole picture stands out, but the font is dull and degrades the art

[chibi]

These all remind me of something from when I was younger. I can't quite put my finger on it but it is something from when I was little. I don't know whether it is the way the photos seem to be situated or the text. Either way they all seem to give me warm fuzzy feelings, well maybe not the last one because of the spider and what not...

I like JenJen's idea of clothing. I want one with the bear and the moose but maybe not the bear and just the moose. I'd give it to my step dad because he really likes moose. You could even do like real poster designs. I'd put the hawk one up in my room. It reminds me of the summer, plus it would be a nice dash of colour at the dull UW.

Good job!! Keep them comming.

[Whiteknight]

Hawt.

Very well done....Can't give any criticism....cause this is ten times better than I can do myself &gt;.&gt;

/me wants a copy

Nonsense, critics rarely are able to produce work of a same quality. That doesn't mean you're not able to criticize it.

Trap is decent but... not really the greatest, especially not compared to the other ones. I can't even really give any constructive criticism. It's the best for what it is, but it doesn't turn my crank. =\

[Aquarian]

I have a problem with the web,but I can't seem to make it out...Hm...Probably it'll come back to me later.Btw,GJ,pretty great stuff

[Basan]

When you've finished your project, do you think you could write up a tutorial about how you did the texturing in these pieces?

That would rock my boat for sure. And perhaps drag me out from my rookieness when handling with PhotoShop. :)

I like it, although I think you need to get some more vegetation going on the background behind the spider web, faded out a little.

I was thinking that it lacked something over there... hmm, good call. But I'm also saying this because all of his earlier pic's to "Trap" had more coloured scenarios behind'em. So, you kinda ruined your own trend/continuity flow, BH. ;)

[TranquilNightElf]

Awesome picutes BH :)
I applaud you!

"Dive" looks great. I like the inverted stripes much better.
"Trap" also gave a good impression.
Hmm More vegetation/ color?... I dunno, I like the way it is. Conveys the feel of the title nicely imo.

Oh and btw, when you are able,
puhlease post a tutorial :D

[Aquarian]

Oh yeah,now I remember the web's problem.It seems to be like,suddenly appearing behind the tree branch.Probably if it had a sign that it had been attached to the branch?(Like,um...Some excess drooping down the branch?)

Oh,and btw,did you pass them upyet?

[hammocksleeper]

Nice job on the Trap one, a suggestion though, for accuracy. Flies aren't around in the winter. It's too cold. They are around in the warmer seasons, when there are leaves on the trees. So put some there :).

[BlackHawk]

These all remind me of something from when I was younger. I can't quite put my finger on it but it is something from when I was little. I don't know whether it is the way the photos seem to be situated or the text. Either way they all seem to give me warm fuzzy feelings, well maybe not the last one because of the spider and what not...

I like JenJen's idea of clothing. I want one with the bear and the moose but maybe not the bear and just the moose. I'd give it to my step dad because he really likes moose. You could even do like real poster designs. I'd put the hawk one up in my room. It reminds me of the summer, plus it would be a nice dash of colour at the dull UW.

Good job!! Keep them comming.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if I actually make phadeclothing (i.e. get the financing). That's a really cool idea too, maybe I could put all 4 pieces into one poster? Heh. Thanks chibi :).

Nonsense, critics rarely are able to produce work of a same quality. That doesn't mean you're not able to criticize it.

Very true, I invite you all to trash my work -- as long as it's constructive xD.

Trap is decent but... not really the greatest, especially not compared to the other ones. I can't even really give any constructive criticism. It's the best for what it is, but it doesn't turn my crank. =\

Yeah, I know. Oh well, it did the job, the teacher loved it :rolleyes:.

I was thinking that it lacked something over there... hmm, good call. But I'm also saying this because all of his earlier pic's to "Trap" had more coloured scenarios behind'em. So, you kinda ruined your own trend/continuity flow, BH. ;)
Oh yeah,now I remember the web's problem.It seems to be like,suddenly appearing behind the tree branch.Probably if it had a sign that it had been attached to the branch?(Like,um...Some excess drooping down the branch?)

Yeah, I've heard that a lot, but if I did include vegetation in the background it would have conflicted with the web and perhaps made the web harder to see (which would have ruined what I was going for). Point taken though.

Awesome picutes BH :)
I applaud you!

"Dive" looks great. I like the inverted stripes much better.
"Trap" also gave a good impression.
Hmm More vegetation/ color?... I dunno, I like the way it is. Conveys the feel of the title nicely imo.

Thanks TNE :D.

Oh and btw, when you are able,
puhlease post a tutorial :D
That would rock my boat for sure. And perhaps drag me out from my rookieness when handling with PhotoShop. :)

I'll write that sometime this weekend if I have some time between studying for my Chem exam.

Oh,and btw,did you pass them upyet?

Yeah, handed them in last Friday. The teacher loved it, she said I was guaranteed a 90%~.

Nice job on the Trap one, a suggestion though, for accuracy. Flies aren't around in the winter. It's too cold. They are around in the warmer seasons, when there are leaves on the trees. So put some there :).

Haha, I didn't think anybody would look into that that much, I just chose those tree branches because they're the easiest to vector. I'll keep that in mind next time I make something ;D.

Btw, I'll post the cover and one of the about pages (probably AboutSoar™) on the weekend or whenever I get the time too (Wednesday?).

Even though the projects done, criticism is still welcome so I can improve. I'm suprised I got this many comments so far, usually stuff like this get's like 3 posts and then dies. Much <3 guys, much <3.

[Aquarian]

Yeah, handed them in last Friday. The teacher loved it, she said I was guaranteed a 90%~.

90%?It should have been 99%! :D

[Basan]

Yeah, handed them in last Friday. The teacher loved it, she said I was guaranteed a 90%~.

But you still were the top in that class, weren't you? :D

Even though the projects done, criticism is still welcome so I can improve. I'm suprised I got this many comments so far, usually stuff like this get's like 3 posts and then dies. Much <3 guys, much <3.

Afterall the WB's community wasn't ellected best helper last year for nothing, now did we? :angel:
/me huggles BH back *
Count me always in for stuff like this (when having the spare time, that is). ;)

[BlackHawk]

As promised I give you the aboutPounce™ (http://www.warboards.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2565&stc=1) and Cover (http://www.warboards.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2566&stc=1) for my book.

Sometime this weekend I'll write the tutorial :).

90%?It should have been 99%! :D

Haha, thanks.

But you still were the top in that class, weren't you? :D

Hrm, not really actually. On this project most probably, but overall, no.

Afterall the WB's community wasn't ellected best helper last year for nothing, now did we? :angel:
/me huggles BH back *
Count me always in for stuff like this (when having the spare time, that is). ;)

Very true :).

[Aquarian]

Aw...That lil' tiger is sooo cute :P

Anyway,that doesn't look like the tiger stock that you used.And,GJ.Wanna see you do more.Not as a school project of course,but,as a hobby:)

[BlackHawk]

Aw...That lil' tiger is sooo cute :P

Anyway,that doesn't look like the tiger stock that you used.And,GJ.Wanna see you do more.Not as a school project of course,but,as a hobby:)

It's the stock for the pouncing tiger, the standing one is somewhere on there.

Btw, just got the project back -- 100% bishes :).

[GrassDragon]

Btw, just got the project back -- 100% bishes :).
Kickass BH, very nice job.

[Aquarian]

Btw, just got the project back -- 100% bishes .

W00rt.Congrats BlackHawk!

[Basan]

Btw, just got the project back -- 100% bishes :).

Awesome! Glad to hear it, anyway (thus proving that hard work can get good things done). ;)

[TranquilNightElf]

Btw, just got the project back -- 100% bishes :).

Congratulations BH :)
Way to go!! ^_^

btw the cover looks amazing!

~TNE

[GrassDragon]

Still waiting on a tut for the effects you used in this project. I want to be able to do them too! :P

[BlackHawk]

Still waiting on a tut for the effects you used in this project. I want to be able to do them too! :P

Haha, right sorry, forgot about that.

Could you be specific about the 'effects'?

[GrassDragon]

Yeah, I want to know how you did the crumpled paper background, the paint splatter (I assume that's just a stock), and the fade of the rays like in Pounce.

[BlackHawk]

Yeah, I want to know how you did the crumpled paper background, the paint splatter (I assume that's just a stock), and the fade of the rays like in Pounce.

Sounds good.

Crumpled Paper: Well this one's quite easy, I simply took a stock photo from the Stock Xchng (www.sxc.hu) of a piece of cardboard. Then I placed this in a layer above the rest of the document and set it on 30% opacity. To make sure you could see the texture I added another layer (underneath the Cardboard) and filled it with a beige colour.

In fact, the cardboard lightened all my colours -- the colours I actually used are much darker. Here (80~ kb) (http://www.warboards.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2675&stc=1) is what Pounce looks like without the cardboard.

Paint Splatter: The paint splatter isn't a stock, it's in fact just brushes I downloaded from the 'net. I got them from these sites: Angryblue (http://www.angryblue.com/downloads.shtml) and Dubtastic (http://www.dubtastic.com/resources.php).

Fade of the Rays: I'm not quite sure what you mean by this, could you explain?

[GrassDragon]

Oh okay. By rays I meant the blue things at the top of that image. I see you just use brushes to make the edges and faded an image into a plain fill, right?

[BlackHawk]

Oh okay. By rays I meant the blue things at the top of that image. I see you just use brushes to make the edges and faded an image into a plain fill, right?

Actually all the colouring is under the beige background layer -- I used a mask to cut out the rays, tree's and grass from the beige layer. This let the colour show through. But yeah, I used brushed to fade away the rays.