Graphics by Weiss! [Closed Due to Time Constraints]

[Weiss]

Status: NOT ACCEPTING

In Progress:
1.
2.
3.

Completed:
SilvanArrow; Gunneh; Sighlent; Anaris; [Soma]

Samples:

The Knights of FOG

Note: Character images for the icons provided by Kalon_Ordona_II.

Requests

[Guest]

Wow! That's amazing work! Maybe I should bug you for a siggy and matching avatar one of these days!

[Weiss]

I don't mind. Initially I figured I should hold off on making a thread for it since I usually end up getting more requests than I feel like doing, or simply requests for things that are completely unreasonable (i.e. - "Hey, render this image that no one in their right mind would want to render, then somehow mutilate it to chop the size into 1/20th of what it should be and squash the battered remains into a signature!"). But, I've been bored a lot lately, so I've occasionally visited the request threads and tossed something together whenever I felt like it.

If you want a set, just find some pictures and let me know what else you want on it. As long as it's within reason, I'll get around to it sooner or later.

Oh, and thanks - both for the compliment and for visiting the thread. I was starting to get a bit depressed that no one seemed to be interested in it. I'm a very conceited person, and I occasionally need a little ego boost to keep me going. [Coughs.]

[Gadreille]

Well I avoided posting in here because I was sure that it would come out as a jealous whiny post, talking about how much skill you have and how I only wish I could be half as good as you, etc...

Which doesn't help my ego any

Great job. These are awesome.

[Igraine]

Mmhmm... they are lovely, but my favorite by far is the coat of arms you are currently using. It is the same color and a similar design for heraldry I created for one of my characters. Where did you get it from, if I may ask?

And no, I don't want a set for my signature or avatar, so no worries about a request there. I'm simply content to look over and enjoy the work of others.

[Fate Flyer]

I just adore your sets, Weiss. Not only are they well made, but each one has its own kind of theme to it that fits in with the character. I think it's great too that you've even experimented with animated signatures. What program did you use to animate them? It seems like you've experimented with a few different styles. I like the faded look that you had done for a couple (too bad your ex didn't use it for very long), but my favorite artistic element, I suppose you'd call it, is how you have the figure breaking out of the border.

Wow, and you made quite a detailed map for a role-play. It's really a shame that it died before it even got started too.

The coloring of that suit is neat as well. The black one looks like it could be for a villain-type character, while the one with the green looks more like it's suited for a protagonist.

Great stuff! If I had to choose a favorite for the signature and avatar sets, I'd say I'm stuff between the one that you are currently using and the one that you made for SilvanArrow. I just love dragons, but the blue in the coat of arms is stunning, not to mention the coat of arms itself is just gorgeous. I just love the shining boarders you did for both in the upper right-hand corner.

[Weiss]

Oh, more replies! Now I feel better about having posted this thread in the first place.

@Ryona: As with most things, all it takes is practice. I've been toying around with graphics design for about seven years now, starting with Paint Shop Pro and eventually moving on to Photoshop - undoubtedly the best choice of my life in terms of graphics design. The amount of progress I've made in that time is actually pretty pitiful compared to what I've seen others accomplish in just a couple of years. All it takes is a real interest for the art and maybe a curious mind to go looking for tutorials, which I've heard there are tons of available on deviantArt and other sites.

Honestly, most of what I do is actually very, very simple. It ends up looking good only when I manage to pair those simple techniques with a creative design. What I do is basically compile the amazing brushes I find on deviantArt with cool stocks I find on the web.

On the other hand, if you ever wanted to know how I do anything in particular, feel free to ask. Photoshop does most of the work, so it's not like I have any huge secrets to hide.

@Igraine: Actually, I just looked up "Lancelot" on Google, because I was planning on making a set themed around him. This coat of arms showed up, and I thought, "Hey, that looks pretty awesome. I think I'll turn that into a set instead!" et voila! Here you see the results. I'm actually very pleased with it, myself. However, I still think Silvan's is probably the best set I've done.

@Fate: Honestly, I don't remember the program I used for it. I remember it was incredibly basic and involved me having to make a new image for nearly every frame of the animation, so I got really tired of it really quickly. I thought about trying to use the Adobe program (the name of which I can't remember), but I figured I'd just work on getting better at static sets before I get back into animation.

The thing with the character breaking out of the borders has been my latest obsession. I try to work it in with every set I make lately, which drives me insane because I start worrying about how common it'll start looking when every set I make has the same exact effect employed. My newest set and the one I made for Silvan, though, took on a different direction. I was thinking about trying to make Silvan's dragon seem like it was arising from within the box, but I was saddened by the idea of having part of that cool looking dragon chopped off. So, I just went with what you see now. I was rather pleased with how that style matched the signature text, though. A horizon beyond the world itself!...or something like that.

I was a bit disappointed about the map, at first, but compared to what I could make now with the new brush set I found on deviantArt specifically geared for making maps, it's pretty lame to begin with, so I'm not too sad about it. It was a learning experience and an interesting project.

For the suit, it's actually supposed to be an image of what the suit looks like in battle conditions (in other words, how you might see it if it walked up to you on a battlefield at nighttime) and another of the actual color palette, which also doubled as a sort of daytime version, since it would look more true to the original colors in the light, I suppose. The third image is obviously just a mock-up of a statistics sheet for the suit. No clue why I bothered with that when it clearly doesn't show any real information, but I thought it was neat and rolled with it.

As I said above, I definitely think Silvan's is the best set I've done, and it's probably my favorite of them all. For some reason I just felt very inspired when making it, as if what she wanted for a set and what I felt like making had aligned perfectly at that moment! I think that's why it turned out that well. The sig with the coat of arms was just me taking the "revolutionary" ideas I came up with while doing Silvan's signature and selfishly stuffing them into one of my own.

Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to look at and comment in my thread! I appreciate all of the compliments and feedback.

[Fate Flyer]

That sounds rather tedious, to have to create each frame separately to animate. I was just curious, since I've never really done much animating. Back when I had Paint Shop Pro 7 (yay, I used that too, back in the day!), it came with Animation Shop (can't remember which version), and that was by far the easiest program I've ever used to animate things in. I just loved it! I didn't have to be taught it (as I did Flash in school), since I just picked it up and used it. You could do some really neat effects too, that I remember. I'd really love to own that again...

I like the decision you made with Silvone's dragon in his signature. While it was a really neat idea to have it seem like the dragon was flying right out of it, it's true that you'd be losing a bit of the dragon itself.

That's really awesome that there are brushes you can find specifically for map making. I've been wanting to try and make a map for Caligo for awhile, but I just haven't had the time to draw it myself. Having brushes though would definitely help out. (I'm guessing they have like trees and mountains and rivers and such or something?) I'll have to look for them.

Ahh, that makes sense now, about the suit. That was a cool idea! You're so creative. I never would have thought to try out different colors for the different times of day.

Oh, do you like SIlvone's best? Yes, I can really tell that you must have enjoyed making that one. It shows nicely. Hehe and I'm sure that Silvone doesn't mind at all that you used your own artistic elements that you put into his into a set of your own.


Keep up the great work!!

[Weiss]

[Goes through Fate's post and replaces the multiple instances of "Silvone" with "Silvan".] Indeed, she seemed quite pleased with it, though I think she'd have been rather upset if I'd given it to Silvone, instead.

PSP7 was actually the very first program I ever used. I picked it up because my first ex was messing around with it at the time and it seemed interesting. We were both playing FFXI at the time and our Linkshell's forum had a couple of really cool graphics designers who had the really flashy and awesome signatures, so naturally I wanted to be a part of that! I never tried using the Animation Shop, though, assuming I even had it. At that time, I simply wasn't interested in animating since I didn't even know how to create a decent static sig yet.

The map brushes had a lot in them, including trees and mountains and the like, but I'm not sure if it had any for rivers, since those are rather individualized depending on the person making the map. I'm trying to find the brush set on dA, but I can't seem to do so. I believe I reached them by following a link from another brush set that I was downloading, so God knows where they might be... If I come across the set again, I'll link it for you.

I don't know if "creative" is the right word for what I am. I think it falls more into the random category. Sometimes I just get to a certain point in a project where I start looking at it and go, "Hm, I think I'll play around with some filters, colors, lighting, etc. and see what it turns into." If I come across something that looks neat, I stick with it. I guess you could chalk that up as creativity through some stretch of the word, but I think it's just a pinch of luck thrown into a convenient program. Photoshop has made me the man I am today!

Honestly, though, I'd trade every ounce of the creativity I do have for the ability to draw. I always have so many character ideas swarming in my head, and no matter how well I describe it to another person, it's just not possible for them to really draw out exactly what I'm visualizing. Granted, sometimes it turns out to be equally awesome, but being able to put my own ideas on paper would be incredibly cool. Besides, graphic design is something you can learn through doing quite simply, whereas drawing, in my opinion, requires a certain level of natural talent.

[Fate Flyer]

Oops, oops, oops! XD Ahh, I did turn one member into another, didn't I? Lol sorry, you two!

Oh, lol no worries, but thanks! I appreciate it. I'll try looking for the brushes myself too. They sound like they'd be perfect and help out a lot.

Ah, well, sometimes random can result in creativity. :] Those different things you mentioned are all fun to mess around with, and you can truly make some fine works of art with editing. Yay, Photoshop!

I know exactly what you mean when you say that it's hard to get another person to draw you something that you have pictured in your head, even if you describe it in detail. (I suppose, in a related note, that's also why movies based off books usually look a lot different than how you pictured it.) I'm sorry that you feel you're unable to draw, although I have seen non-artists come a looong way in the course of just a couple of years. It's amazing what one can learn artistically, though I do agree with you that natural talent plays a big role in any exceptional artist. There are just some things, some details, that can't be taught.

[Gunneh]

Those are awesome, Weiss ^_^ I'll go ahead and give you your first request as well!

Okay, so the main colors I'd like on this would be gray/silver and yellow. I've got the pics for it too lol



I'd really only need his face in the signature, but I'm open to whatever you'd like to do with it. You are the artists, after all lol



Throw this in there however you think it would look best.

Then, if you give it a gray background, I'd like to have "Pain is only a pulse if you just stop feeling it..." in yellow lettering. For the avatar....you're the artist lol. Only thing I ask is that "Zane" is on there in the same lettering.

Please and thank you in advanced, my fellow moderator amigo.

[Sighlent]

-Coughs-

See you're reviving Zane there Gunneh, and with a Coheed and Cambria quote. How appropriate.

Anywho....

Weiss, buddy, darling!

Would you be willing to maketh me a set as well? Pwease with sugar on top?

I want to use this picture:



And this quote: "To know my deed, 'twere best not to know myself."

I want it to be dark, almost sad yet fierce! I trust you'll do wonders with it.
No need to have my name on it or anything.

LOVES YOUS!

[Gadreille]

*WhipPSH*

Looks like you have your work cut out for you! I'm appreciating my non talent

Oh and Weiss, thank you for the offer, I will take you up on it when I have a specific question in mind.

[Weiss]

It's very...red. If you don't like it, please just say so and I'll take another shot at it when I get inspiration. My creativity is limited, and that picture didn't lend itself well to signature and avatar creation (much like the picture of the bullets that Gunneh provided, which persist as the stumbling block to my finishing his signature).

That said, Gunneh, I'm still trying to force the elements you requested into a presentable form. I finished Sighlent's quickly in an inspired moment (and because the color and placement scheme ended up being fairly simple), but that doesn't mean I've put yours on the back burner or anything, I promise!

Sighlent, just let me know if you want to use this one or if I should give it another shot. If you do choose to use it, be sure to save and reupload the images to your own PhotoBucket account or another image host to save my bandwidth (and to make sure you don't lose them if I go on an image cleaning-spree).

[Gunneh]

I see, my lance carrying brother in arms...Well, how about this: 86 the bullets and just pour the awesome sauce how ever you wish ^_^ I'm not a very complicated person when it comes to things like this soooooooo....as I said before, you -are- the artist so you can do with it what you will.

The says to the
for my use of inside joke smilies

[Weiss]

Well, I'm sure everyone's getting tired of my recent corner-border fetish, but oh well...

Here you go, Gunneh. Let me know if you like it:

[Gunneh]

This is absolutely awesome, Weiss! Now I just wish I had your little yellow ghosties so that everything would match ^_^

[Weiss]

Glad you like it, ! As always, is glad to be of service.

In other news, has to be the most adorable smiley I've ever seen...

[Gunneh]

I saw that one earlier and d'awwww'd at it as well lol

[Fate Flyer]

*ogles the new setups*

Weiss -- I mean -- you are a true avatar and signature genius! Lol I love your corner border fetish.

Hehe I loved that hiding one! I just had to add it. ^^

[Digital Muse]

Weiss! Dude! That's awesome stuff!

I can't even write my name in Paint let alone conceive of the work that goes into a set. Well done!!

But, why do talented people always down-play their own work? Everyone I've ever met/talked to does that. "It would have been better if..."

Stop that! The maps and the coloring of the suit are just wicked. Just take your bows, man! *grins

[Fate Flyer]

I think talented people downplay their talents because they are just humble like that. There's a guy in my class who's simply amazing at everything (and I mean, he could be making real comic books, working as a concept artist, or designing 3D characters for video games right now if he wanted because he's that good), but he is just so sweet and humble and never boasts about himself. I'm sure if Weiss were to brag about his talents, people would be complaining about that too, lol.

[Weiss]

Well, I'm glad it hasn't gotten too old just yet. I was determined not to use a corner border for Gunneh's signature, but then I thought it might be cool if it looked like his arm was reaching out through the sig or something, and I figured having the border between his arm and his body might help establish perspective. This way it looks like the character is standing inside the sig, but his arm is reaching out of it. In the end, I'm pretty happy with it.

Digital, I can only guess it's because we, as the ones who created the piece of art in question, are more aware of everything that could have been done better. It's kind of like making an RP post, where you go back and look at it later and think to yourself, "Hm, maybe I should've used this word there, instead," or, "Wow, I really didn't describe that well enough." I don't mean to downplay my work or anything, since I know that I'm relatively talented, but I'm also well aware of just how much room there is for improvement. Still, I realize that openly criticizing my own work is a bad habit, and I try to keep it to a minimum. I'm just a naturally critical person.

I'm glad you liked them, though. Thanks for taking the time to look at my gallery.

Update:

The set I made for Gunneh in light of our new Knightly Theme!

[Digital Muse]

You're absolutely right, Weiss. Now that yo mention it, I also groan alot when I re-read my stuff. But the readers don't know what I had in my head and take things at face value. So I get where you're coming from.

But, seriously. Nice work.

[Sighlent]

I like it I do. But I'd like to see what else you've got in mind. It's too dark. She's supposed to be pale like that.

[Weiss]

Ah, yeah, I darkened her because her normally pale appearance looked bad against the dark background. I'll see what I can do, though. I'm not very good with grunge textures, so morbid signatures aren't usually my thing. Gives me a chance to try something new, but I apologize for the multiple failures that will ensue.

[Weiss]

Alright, Sighlent, what do you think of these?


Same icon and a few changes made to the sig. If it's still not what you're looking for, just point me in the right direction and I'll give it another shot.

[Guest]

I has a request! : D

I want this picture as the signature and I want it to read 'no longer the angel I once was' in some dark font. Feel free to play with the colours and what not.

For an icon...

this picture
Mainly just the scar on her back where her hair meets it and over to her arm. before it reaches her chest of course and have it say Anaris please?

[Weiss]

Man, you guys really aren't taking it easy on me with your image choices... I'll see what I can do, Anaris, but I'm not sure what kind of set I can make with those images. It might be a while before I throw together anything presentable, but maybe I can muster the creativity to do something with it.

[Guest]

If you can't do anything with it, don't worry about it.

You are just so much better than I am with photoshop, so...

yeah...

I mean, I can make my own if I need to...

You don't have to strain yourself love.

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