AnimeSuki Spring 2012 Banner Contest - Collaboration/Discussion Thread

[relentlessflame]

Winners Announced! Thanks to all!

---

AnimeSuki Spring 2012 Banner Contest

---

• Theme: Spring
• Content Requirements: Must contain anime-related artwork, fit the above theme, use background gradient shown below, and meet AnimeSuki's general content guidelines.
• Technical Requirements: 760 x 100 pixels, JPEG/PNG/GIF (no animation), max 60 KB (61440 bytes)
• Number of Submissions per entrant: One (1)
• Judging Methodology: User Vote
• Contest Opening: 23 May 2011
• Submission Deadline: 4 June 2011
• Voting Phase: 5-9 7-11 June 2012
• Announcement of Winners: 10 12 June 2012
• Duration of Rotation: June to July 2012 (prioritized rotation by votes) (and in the future as well)
• Background Gradient:

Contest Rules & Policies

1. All entries must include anime-style artwork/characters, whether the art is official or fan-created. To the extent possible, all artwork must be sourced (see note below).
2. All entries must reflect the "Spring" theme, or feature the AnimeSuki Mascot Kairin.
3. All entries must use the background gradient provided above as the base layer for their submission, as this gradient will form the background of the whole top bar of the forum.
4. All entries must incorporate the "AnimeSuki Forums" title in their artwork, in a legible font. (Your entry should also not incorporate your username or other handle.)
5. All entries must be static images (no animation) measuring 760 pixels wide and 100 pixels high. Files may be in JPEG, GIF, or PNG format, with a maximum file size of 60 KB (61440 bytes).
6. Each member may submit one (1) banner and have one (1) post in the Entry/Submission Thread. If you wish to edit/remove your entry, use the Edit Post option. Any additional posts in the Entry/Submission Thread will be deleted without prejudice or further warning.
7. All discussion about this contest must occur in the Collaboration/Discussion Thread. The Entry/Submission Thread is only to be used for your submission.
8. The contest deadlines are reflected in the summary table above. Deadlines shall take effect at 0:00 (12:00am) UTC on each respective day.
   You can also check World Time Server or Time Zone Converter to help you work out what time this is near you.
9. We may disqualify any banner deemed to be offensive or inappropriate, or that doesn't otherwise seem suitable for use as a Forum Banner.
10. Contest winners shall be decided through a user voting system, details of which will be announced at vote-time.
11. All banners submitted shall become property of AnimeSuki and may be used now or in future years without asking your permission.

To test your banner...
We have a tool that will allow you to test the look of your banner to make sure that it will look nice on our Forum. To use, perform these steps:

1. Upload your banner draft to any online image host
2. Copy the URL to your banner to the clipboard on your computer (Ctrl+C/Cmd+C)
3. Click on one of the following links:
   • Beige/Grey Colour Scheme
   • Blue Colour Scheme
4. Paste the URL to your banner in the "Banner:" box (Ctrl+V/Cmd+V) and press the "Set" button.

Please ensure that your banner blends smoothly to the background gradient on both edges, and that it looks as intended in both colour schemes.


Submission Procedure:
There are two threads for this contest: the Collaboration/Discussion Thread and the Entry/Submission Thread. The Entry/Submission thread is for your final submission only (though you may edit your posts until the contest deadline). For all other discussion and to collaborate with other artists, please go to the Collaboration/Discussion Thread.

We recommend the following:

1. Review any existing conversation or ask questions in the Collaboration/Discussion Forum to get any relevant clarifications before you begin.
2. Work on your draft.
3. Post your draft in the Collaboration/Discussion Thread for feedback from other forum members and artists.
4. Make revisions to your draft based on feedback received.
5. Once you're happy with your submission, post it in the Entry/Submission Thread along with the related attributions. (If you need to revise further, just edit your post.)

We strongly recommend that you follow the discussion thread and check-in on your entry from time-to-time throughout the contest to make sure there are no issues or concerns that need to be addressed with your entry. If you just enter an image and then "forget about it", it's possible it may have been disqualified and you'll never know, so please participate in the Collaboration/Discussion thread and at least check-in once before the deadline.


About Sourcing Artwork:
We would ask that all contest entrants include the source of any artwork they incorporated into their design, including if possible the anime franchise and whether it is official art or fan-made (including the name of the artist, if available). If using fanart, we encourage you to ask the original artist for permission if at all possible, but we recognize that this may be difficult in some circumstances.

NOTE: You don't have to link to the URL where the image can be found, so long as you name the series and that it's either official art or fan art (and who the fan artist is, if at all possible).

To all fan-artists and copyright holders: If you see a banner that contains your art and you do not provide permission for it to be used on our Forum or in this contest, please contact the Forum Staff with the related evidence, and we will comply with your request for removal.


Thanks for your participation in this contest, have fun, and good luck!!

---

This is the Collaboration/Discussion Thread.
Use this thread to ask questions, post drafts and collaborate with fellow artists.
Once your submission is ready, please post it in the Entry/Submission Thread.

---

[Hiroi Sekai]

I had a few made early, so I'll ask for opinions on them right away.

Personally, my favourite so far is the first one.

[Eragon]

^ Hina-chan definitely fits the gradient. But maybe a different render of her will look better.

[milan kyuubi]

papermario13689 I like the first and the third one

Draft 1



c&c?

[blaze0041]

Push your foot to the floor!
I kinda tried working on these early as well.
I can't decide on which one to go with though. They're definitely still rough around the edges.

v0: baseline


v0a: baseline + a different font on the second line


v0b: version a + different BG


v0c: baseline 2


I'll also repost a few tips as well from the last banner competition:

TL;DR…

 

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

[Daniel E.]

Originally Posted by papermario13689

I had a few made early, so I'll ask for opinions on them right away.

Personally, my favourite so far is the first one.

Mine too, but I think I would prefer it if the girl was more visible like in the second and third options.

Originally Posted by milan kyuubi

papermario13689 I like the first and the third one

Draft 1



c&c?

Remember that the text must always be visible; In other words, it must stand out from the image, not blend with it.

It's a pretty nice entry, btw.

Originally Posted by blaze0041

I can't decide on which one to go with though. They're definitely still rough around the edges.

v0: baseline

I like this one.

[ahelo]

Draft (it's in png form so I can't submit it anyways). Spring means Kimi ni Todoke for me and the sparkles and bubbles really fit the pink theme.

Besides changing the font (which I am currently doing right now) what else can and should be changed. C&C are very much welcome.

[Rennir]

Work on the transition from the focal to the gradient because it's still rough at the moment. The left side looks too uniform, even though its smudged. Also sharpen the focal.

[RRW]

suggestion:

it will be nice if you use character with name "Haru-"

[Bila]

A Draft, well the image size is a lot bigger then the requeriments.



Pic: http://www.zerochan.net/544669

[White Manju Bun]

@milan kyuubi: yeah text is really hard to read but I love the entry!

@blaze0041: I like the 3rd one the best but the dark outline on the girls is distracting, makes them stand out too much from the background, which I like.

@ahelo: Render is kinda hard to see, I dont know if you can cut it to see more of the two people in it. I like the font though.

[Rennir]

Originally Posted by Bila

A Draft, well the image size is a lot bigger then the requeriments.



Pic: http://www.zerochan.net/544669

Text and effects are nice, but the blue in the render doesn't fit the rest of the colors very well IMO. Maybe try to brush some pink/pastel colors on the hair and set it to soft light to get the blue's tone to match with the rest of the colors more?

[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by Eragon

^ Hina-chan definitely fits the gradient. But maybe a different render of her will look better.

Yes, that's probably true. I kinda have this attachment to this render though because I felt she was calling out to the people with this one. It's just such an odd shape to work with.

Originally Posted by milan kyuubi

I like the first and the third one

Draft 1



c&c?

Thanks. As for yours, I really like it, but the bits of dark purple in the back feels a little uncomplimentary to me personally. It's a heavy change from the lighter variations of pink in the gradient and the render so it feels out of place in my eyes. Maybe if it was a lighter toned purple like a violet colour? And it's already been mentioned, but the text is decently difficult to see. Other than that, good stuff.

Originally Posted by blaze0041

Push your foot to the floor!
I kinda tried working on these early as well.
I can't decide on which one to go with though. They're definitely still rough around the edges.

v0: baseline


v0a: baseline + a different font on the second line


v0b: version a + different BG


v0c: baseline 2

I actually like the second and fourth banners best. The font and backing on the second banner is calming and not too busy, which I really like. As for the fourth, it's just a very simple design that stands out very well. I actually don't really mind the stroke outline, but maybe a different blend might work better; can't hurt to experiment!

Originally Posted by Daniel E.

Mine too, but I think I would prefer it if the girl was more visible like in the second and third options.

Thanks, do you think so? Needless to say the render started bright at first, but I felt as if the tone was darkening that entire area and drawing away from the background, which I really like. I'll definitely change up the render and upload it for comparison soon though.

Originally Posted by ahelo

Draft (it's in png form so I can't submit it anyways). Spring means Kimi ni Todoke for me and the sparkles and bubbles really fit the pink theme.

Besides changing the font (which I am currently doing right now) what else can and should be changed. C&C are very much welcome.

Really nice, but I think it's actually a little too busy for its own good. With like...5 or 6 colours I can see at first glance, it's hard to focus on an area before being drawn to another section in a cycle. Naturally as a result, the text is the area that stands out the most, and I kind of notice the render less. Just my own experience with it.

Originally Posted by Bila

A Draft, well the image size is a lot bigger then the requeriments.



Pic: http://www.zerochan.net/544669

The blue definitely does feel a little off against a render like this, but I really like how the flowing hair kind of draws the eye from the character to the text. With a little tweaking (blending or something else?) I'm sure this could work with the blue nonetheless.

[ganbaru]

My first try on this one, C&C would be welcome:

[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

My first try on this one, C&C would be welcome:

Ooh, very pretty! Personally, I think it feels a tad bright in luminosity and the text doesn't exactly "stand out" from everything else. They're just small gripes though, and overall it's very nice.

And bringing the opacity back up looks pretty good, actually. :3

[blaze0041]

@Daniel E.; @White Manju Bun; @papermario13689: Thanks for the feedback.

@White Manju Bun: Main reason I had the stroke on is 'cause I did some rather nasty cutouts that didn't look very nice, especially back when I was using Yui in the winter banner comp.

Originally Posted by papermario13689

And bringing the opacity back up looks pretty good, actually. :3

I think now you need to adjust the colours of the girl here to make her stand out more. Experiment with using adjustment layers and clipping masks to enhance the colours (sorry I can't explain 'em right now, in a bit of a hurry). I like the background as well, perhaps you extend it a bit more to the right?

I'll work on improving v0c once I have some more time. I'm starting to mess around with the new blur gallery in PS13. I quite like them.

v0b-r1: Trying out another cherry blossom brush. Stroke removed on Yui & Jun + minor refine edge. Field blur (2px) on BG. BG enhancement with curve adjustment.


v0a-r1: Import centre cherry blossoms from v0b-r1. BG Brightness/contrast adjustment.

[Rennir]

Ganbaru: Personally, I don't think the font fits well. Try using bubble, San serif, serif, certain stylized fonts, but this specific type of font--a script/calligraphy font--doesn't fit too well in my opinion.

MK-Regarding text, I think a better approach is instead of using drop shadows, stroke the outside and mess with the width to add creativity and make the text more interesting. I've seen clip-masked text pulled off very well using strokes. Not sure if it would be up to the requirement of the mods though.

[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by blaze0041

I think now you need to adjust the colours of the girl here to make her stand out more. Experiment with using adjustment layers and clipping masks to enhance the colours (sorry I can't explain 'em right now, in a bit of a hurry). I like the background as well, perhaps you extend it a bit more to the right?

I'll work on improving v0c once I have some more time. I'm starting to mess around with the new blur gallery in PS13. I quite like them.

v0b-r1: Trying out another cherry blossom brush. Stroke removed on Yui & Jun + minor refine edge. Field blur (2px) on BG. BG enhancement with curve adjustment.


v0a-r1: Import centre cherry blossoms from v0b-r1. BG Brightness/contrast adjustment.

Thanks for the suggestions, the colour did look a bit on the bland and dim side for sure. I'm not really familiar with Photoshop features, but I played around with some stuff and I think it looks more vibrant now. Oh, and I KNEW something had been driving me crazy about the render...there was a pink patch underneath Hina's hair that I didn't even cut out of the render! >.< I'm surprised nobody mentioned it. xD

Anyways:


Oh, and @blaze, I still like the second one more because of the more focused colours. Do you think you can upload that one without the stroke marks around the characters to see what it's like? I think it'll turn out to be the best one yet.

P.S. You people have such fantastically clean renders. How DO you do it. I freaking spend hours with the pen tool, I swear. xD Guess my inexperience with PS starts to shine here.

[Suomi]

Originally Posted by papermario13689

Thanks for the suggestions, the colour did look a bit on the bland and dim side for sure. I'm not really familiar with Photoshop features, but I played around with some stuff and I think it looks more vibrant now. Oh, and I KNEW something had been driving me crazy about the render...there was a pink patch underneath Hina's hair that I didn't even cut out of the render! >.< I'm surprised nobody mentioned it. xD

Anyways:


Oh, and @blaze, I still like the second one more because of the more focused colours. Do you think you can upload that one without the stroke marks around the characters to see what it's like? I think it'll turn out to be the best one yet.

P.S. You people have such fantastically clean renders. How DO you do it. I freaking spend hours with the pen tool, I swear. xD Guess my inexperience with PS starts to shine here.

I smudge/blur what I mess up on a little...and mine aren't that great anyway. I often get them from places, or have others who are better do them.

As for your banner...personally it just looks a bit plain to me. maybe add some sakura petals? particularly to the sides. also a bit too pink, imho...i mean, too much of pink?

[ahelo]

Spoiler for Drafts:

Draft#1

Draft#2

Draft#2.2

Draft#2.3

Draft#2.4

(Made it PNG for now) Sharpened my render a bit though I do think I need to work on that. Didn't bother changing the font since now that I think about it, it looks sorta nice but I am on the search for really nice spring texts.

Overall this is a really fun contest since I can go wild with pink (put all the purrty brushes in without it looking awkward) though I do think I went a bit too wild with this banner. It's still a draft though so I am going to tweak a lot of things.