Spierce's Gallery

[SPierce]

Welcome to my Gallery!
I started using Photoshop a few months ago, and I have gotten better, slowly, over those months. I generally try and make a new signature every few days, time dependent, of course. I use Creative Suite 5, and I am more than happy to help out with anything you need help with. Here is a selection of what I feel is my better stuff, all nicely organised!









A few weeks after I started, I heard about this website that was just starting up, called Graphics Ninja. Curious, I decided to go take a peek, and I've enjoyed every moment. The community is great, and it really brings you on as a designer, whether you're just starting out, or a top notch designer. For all you budding designers, the link is http://graphicsninja.net/site/ and I look forward to hopefully seeing some of you come and join up, you won't regret it! We hold a Signature of the Week competition, and the top 5 of each month go into a Signature of the Month competition. Here are my entries, with the result next to them!







I try to vary art styles every so often, and I if an image catches my eye, I try and see what I can do with it. This is my large art section.





I do take requests, and here are a few tags that I have made for other people from the requests forum. The rules for requests come slightly lower down in this thread!





If you are looking to make a request, ideally I would like you to stick to a certain format, so I can fulfill your request to the best of my ability. This means there will also be fewer adjustments needed, hopefully. The format is as follows:

Image or theme: This can be a specific render or image, or just the name of the thing you want in there. If I want to use a different image to the one you picked, I will ask you first.
Size: If you have a specific size, in pixels, I will happily make to that size. If you don't, leave it blank and I will make at a default size of 350x130 pixels. The maximum size allowed is 500x300, or reverse that for a vertical.
Text: This is the name you want on your signature. I generally prefer to have no numbers of underscores, but I can accommodate if I must. Also, you can request some sub text, eg. x360a. Having no text is also an option, just say so.
Colour: If you have some specific colours you would like, please, just say and I will try my hardest to incorporate them.
Pop out or Vertical: Most signatures I make will be a standard tag, but it is possible to make the image pop out of the border, or do it vertical.
Matching Avatar: If you would like an avatar that matches, I will also make one of these as part of the request. Just ask.
Interactive: I can add navigation bars to signatures now, due to Fizz's great tutorial. Ask for a bar, and give some details on the sections you would like, and I will make and give you the code for it.
Other information: This is at it says - if you have anything else you want, place it in this category and I will try to accommodate.

If you leave any fields blank, I will assume I have creative control on that part. Again, if you don't follow the form, I will assume I can take creative control on any areas you miss out. Please allow some time for requests to be completed, and give me credit below the signature.

That's my gallery. I'll update every so often when I feel I have enough new stuff to justify it.

[PimplyPete]

The only advice I can give you is, just keep playing and messing around with the many different settings in photoshop and you'll be a pro in no time. Like everything in life, "practice makes perfect".

Also, good start on your gallery, Fallout 3 is a good choice.

[BiffTech]

Yeah, just have a gander through members galleries for idea's, & check out the resources thread here for some good tutorials You'll soon pick up hints n tips on blending, lighting, flow, n all the other guff

Good start to your gallery tho, kiu

[Vonzipper]

I like the second one down, more interesting than the first.

Keep it up SP, we look forward to seeing more of your stuff!

[SPierce]

Latest attempt at making the Fallout signature. Made it slightly wider, but can't help and think it's missing something. :/

Fallout 3 Signature attempt with grunge style background:

[Vonzipper]

Originally Posted by SPierce

Latest attempt at making the Fallout signature. Made it slightly wider, but can't help and think it's missing something. :/

I think that because your previous two signatures have thicker borders you might think there is something missing?

I like the new background though!

[SPierce]

Originally Posted by Vonzipper

I think that because your previous two signatures have thicker borders you might think there is something missing?

I like the new background though!

True.
In response to this, I had a quick fiddle around, so here it is, in all it's new fangled glory. :P



I was thinking, perhaps some texture on top of the background?

[jtr1gg3r]

while your sigs arent bad, they just lack some creativity

read some tuts, you can find great links in the resources thread, and just play around a little and you can make your sigs 100x better =D

[SPierce]

A bit of a change of pace, going for something Bioshock related whilst I contemplate what to do with my Fallout one.

The Bioshock one may be a bit big, meaning that everything is slightly too spaced, but apart from that, I'm quite pleased. Slightly simple, but this is the most complex one yet, lol! I think the Big Daddy sticks out a bit, any ideas on how to stop this?

After posting this, I had a mess about with a Batman based one, it's at the bottom of the post. I think this is my favourite one yet!

And in my 3rd edit of the night, I had a play around with a Joker image, after using a stock photo from a tutorial. It may be slightly busy with the 2 quotes, maybe if I reduced it to one?

[Sirius]

I spy the hexagon pattern I showed you :P

Batman one looks pretty good. Just work on your blending of the images. And not all your focals need to be centered. Vary your render placement

[X360a Licey]

Originally Posted by SPierce

I like this one alot, the effects are really nice and the render is placed well.

[SPierce]

Sirius, did you think I'd enquire about it, and then not use it? :P

And I agree, I need to work on the blending slightly, it's next on my list. I also agree, looking back today, that the renders are all centered. I'll look into fiddling with them tonight.

And thanks Licey, it's the one I'm most proud of!

[jtr1gg3r]

I was gonna say the same thing, move your renders a bit!

anyway the batman one is good, all I would say is that the render doesn't have to fit in the sig entirely.

I think on the bioshock one you should make the big daddy bigger so it takes up more space and not make it look as blank.

otherwise good work.

[SPierce]

Had a fiddle around after some inspiration from the Cleaveland Show. Cleaveland Junior clashing with Kanye West was epic. I'll be rejigging the original post soon!

[SPierce]

3 more I've made over the last few days.

The Assassin's Creed one was a tutorial I followed and adapted, to get used to some different filters and blending effects.

The other 2 are 100% original, and I quite enjoyed making them!

The biggest problem I've come across so far is making backgrounds. I struggle to make each one different, as many end up looking samey! Any tips?

[SPierce]

And one I had a play around with this weekend. I think I'm getting better, I just need to start upping the complexity. I'm enjoying each one more and more, and it's starting to take longer, before I'm happy with how they turn out, I just hope that's a good sign!

[N-Forced]

You are definitely improving by the looks of it man, just keep messing around and experimenting and coming up with interesting concepts should come easy then. Playing around with different blending modes can add some interesting effects to images, as well as messing around with blurs and gradients. Keep at it man you are showing some potential.

[jtr1gg3r]

Originally Posted by SPierce

And one I had a play around with this weekend. I think I'm getting better, I just need to start upping the complexity. I'm enjoying each one more and more, and it's starting to take longer, before I'm happy with how they turn out, I just hope that's a good sign!

Oh dear.... did you do that yourself? Because it was like a week ago some one on these forums sort of taxed up somebody elses sigs and claimed them himself (although it was unintentional, but thats besides the point)

and one of "his" sigs looked suspiciously like that one, im just sayin be careful what you post =P

[SPierce]

Originally Posted by jtr1gg3r

Oh dear.... did you do that yourself? Because it was like a week ago some one on these forums sort of taxed up somebody elses sigs and claimed them himself (although it was unintentional, but thats besides the point)

and one of "his" sigs looked suspiciously like that one, im just sayin be careful what you post =P

yeah, that was all my own work...I used some brushes off Deviant art, which could bare resemblance, but the render was one of the newer ones on Planet Render, and I just used some different filters...I can post the .PSD, if you want? :P

EDIT: I've seen the one's you're on about, and whilst I see your point, I can assure you mine is different. I can also see multiple differences in mine, unless the one you're on about hasn't been put up here.

[Vonzipper]

Originally Posted by jtr1gg3r

Oh dear.... did you do that yourself? Because it was like a week ago some one on these forums sort of taxed up somebody elses sigs and claimed them himself (although it was unintentional, but thats besides the point)

and one of "his" sigs looked suspiciously like that one, im just sayin be careful what you post =P

You can say my name you know

By the way I never claimed them as my own I just used them with my username on them, I never once said that I produced it. And yes it was unintentional and once I had realised this was wrong I stopped immediately.

Anyway, if it well and truely is your own then it is really neat, It's been good seeing you progress buddy!

[jtr1gg3r]

Yeah I just didnt want to point the finger at you =P

I said you did it unintentionally anyway, and tbf you didnt actually claim to make them so fair play

[SPierce]

Thanks muchly to Biff for the Render I used in this one. One has another effect added, which darkens it. Thoughts? I considered diagonal scan lines, but I'm not sure on them...

[jtr1gg3r]

your getting better, likin the iron man sig one, but I think you should have done a v3 with diagonal lines just to see, its about experimenting.

Since I tend to do pop-outs more (and generally better at them), I can experiment a lot with some things

btw sent you fr =P

[BiffTech]

No worries mate. I did the cut so ppl here could use it

Good job on the tag aswell

[SeedyEvil]

Looking good mate. Just one thing to note about your Red Dead sig. The smoke from the gun barrel is cut off at the top of the sig. Also if you look closely you can see the egde of the grey effect behind the gun. Use the smudge or eraser tool to blend them in a bit more

Edit: Sorry I'm just a bit of a perfectionist

[SPierce]

I think this is my best one yet, and I'm very happy with how it turned out! Still, any constructive criticism is very welcome!

[jtr1gg3r]

tbh, I cant say a bad thing about it!

I freakin love it the colours are real nice

all I would say is have a look around for some fonts, some fonts can improve a sig sooo much

otherwise this is your best sig yet and your definitely improving

[BiffTech]

www.dafont.com has a stupid amount of fonts

[Skepsis93]

These look very promising. Render and text placement is generally good, just need to work on your technique a bit more. I think you have potential, these are a lot better than my early work. Look up some tuts and I'm sure you'll improve really fast.

[SPierce]

Could use some constructive criticism on it, please?