AnimeSuki Summer 2014 Banner Contest - Collaboration/Discussion Thread

[ganbaru]

@blaze0041, I you can, I would remove the 3 girls on top of the text

@ ahelo, I love the banner, both the idea and the execution but I see one big issue: the theme is supposed to be summer and the two character's uniform look like a winter uniforms to me.

@Hiroi Sekai , some of the light particules will look cut if used.

Edit: a new version of my attempt, added some brushwork and played with the effects:

C&C are always welcome

[Bila]

Frist my Tips and Comments for the others Banners

@ Ganbaru - It Looks so much better in that way, i just think that the font needs to have some variation, but it just my opnion.

@ Quancio - Loved the Typography in this one, my only complain is the legs, already mentioned.

@ Blaze - Between the two Neps Banners i still prefer the first, the paint brush transition just didn't click for me, laughs.

@ Ichigo - Loved both, the IA one is better.

@ ahelo - I'm a sucker for this kinds of no face banner, but it don't look like Summer themed for me.

--

Thanks for the comments guys, after Triple_R mentioned the sky issue, that i have to agree with him, i made a new Banner with no "Background".
Also Ryonea, thanks for the pictures, since i used the cards i had to make a new sky in the middle with brushes. If i continue with that banner i will try the images.

My new banner -

Source is the same. Honoka

[Triple_R]

^^ Excellent new banner. Good adjustment with that.

[Ryonea]

@blaze0041: I think I prefer the previous version better since the BG color blends more. As for the splatter transitions... I think it's better to use a soft-edged brush if it's available in the set. Or maybe you can combine it with the usual soft-edged eraser. The new fonts are better too although personally I'd use different color between the words since their fonts are different.

@ganbaru: I like the previous version better because IMO the color of the new effects you added might be a bit too strong. Maybe tone it down a bit?

@Bila: Very nice. The simplistic style reminds me of your winter banner which I like very much.

______________

My quick try:

Preview: Beige | Blue

They're the same characters with Ahelo's entry (from "Isshuukan Friends"). Man, I find it difficult to find a suitable render this time.
I think I need to rework the transition on the left side.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Ryonea

My quick try:

Preview: Beige | Blue

They're the same characters with Ahelo's entry (from "Isshuukan Friends"). Man, I find it difficult to find a suitable render this time.
I think I need to rework the transition on the left side.

Agreed. On the right side, you've done a very nice job of having the cloud seamlessly shift into the white of the gradient, making it seem like one big cloud. On the left side, a bit more touch-up might be good. Maybe even recoloring a little bit of the inner image white? I'm not sure if such a thing is possible, though.

[Patchy]

Originally Posted by Hiroi Sekai

Aaaaaand in the blue corner, the wonder tag team of Patchy and Hiroi Sekai!

We're kicking it off with our little collab with the anime that literally screams summer, Ano Natsu de Matteru!


Changes to be made still, just an initial take at it. We request C&C if you have any, please!

^^ Tbh you're the one who did the great work in there using those things that I didn't knew like those level and vibrance thingies wherein compared to that I only spread some dust and dirt with it... >_< so I think it's like Hiroi-sekai's banner with a little consultation from me

@bila-sama - hey been a while neh!

As great as ever just like way back then when you're still doing some banner and siggies, no rust or so whatever unlike me *sigh*

@Ryo -

I think it's fine the way it is ^^ seeing a banner from my favorite this season is a plus for me I think it's already finish if you balanced both sides either by copying or cloning Hase' side to Kaori's side

@ahelo-kun

Make this a sunset theme for more dramatic and summer like atmosphere.

@Ichi-sama

I like IA one a bit more than yuno and I think it's already great as it is

@ganbaru-sempai

Same with Ryo-kun's comment, I also liked the softer version wherein you're good at.

@blaze-kun

Very creative on the text side...give it a more splash thingies ^^



My turn... I'm still experimenting at the moment so I'm focusing more at the contents then later on with the text... so textless version as of this moment...

Character/Series: Hatsune Miku - Vocaloid Series

Beige Test - Click Me

[Pellissier]

Originally Posted by ahelo

what do you guys think

Like they already said, I think it'd be better if their faces are shown. Also, as of now the banner lacks of a clear summer element, since the middle is empty make sure to include something summer-ish there.

Originally Posted by Patchy

I could be wrong, but isn't this more "spring" than "summer" ?

[blaze0041]

Originally Posted by Ryonea

My quick try:

Preview: Beige | Blue

No issues here, but as you say, it should be good to go once the left side is fixed up. I like the watercolour style of this one.

Originally Posted by Patchy

Character/Series: Hatsune Miku - Vocaloid Series



Beige Test - Click Me

Lovely as always, Patchy-san.
For some reason, I'm seeing a slight colour difference on the edges between the banner and the background gradient on the test page, though it's only in Firefox, and only on my desktop PC. Perhaps it's because it's in PNG format at the moment...
Since it's Miku, perhaps a pixel or futuristic sans-serif font might go well with it? Just throwing this out there, you could give Hurtmold a try, but it's a little on the thin side.

---

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.
DraftA r2: Photo filter removed. Edges changed. Vibrance adjusted. Some shifting around again. Blur added to background. Stroke on text changed to black. Secondary text colour and font changed (Cooper Black)

Preview: Beige | Blue

Still got a soft spot for the retro style, so a little test...
DraftA r2a: Photo Filter + Curves + Noise + water splash v1

Preview: Beige | Blue

DraftA r2b: Photo Filter + Curves + Fiber + water splash v2

Preview: Beige | Blue

The sides look a little better thanks to the white paint and the smudge tool, but I'm still thinking about perhaps making the decorations blend in better.

[Patchy]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

Like they already said, I think it'd be better if their faces are shown. Also, as of now the banner lacks of a clear summer element, since the middle is empty make sure to include something summer-ish there.


I could be wrong, but isn't this more "spring" than "summer" ?

Don't know, maybe bec. of those petals? Here in my place, there's only 2 present season here, dry and rainy so maybe that's a reason wherein I really don't know the grasp of spring and summer... wherein summer here represent sun, clouds, beach and plants/trees also school vacation

I used this bg which tagged as summer but maybe the issue here is those petals plus the color isn't it...

Anyway will try to apply some changes later on... since it's only an experiment as I said ^^

@Blaze-sempai---- Ok ty for the feedback ^^ Will try some different browser to test it...

[Pellissier]

Originally Posted by blaze0041

The sides look a little better thanks to the white paint and the smudge tool, but I'm still thinking about perhaps making the decorations blend in better.

Speaking of sides, are you sure you want to leave so much free space on them? It makes the banner considerably small when you see it up there.

About the 3 last variations presented, I probably still like the first one more especially because Nep-chan's face looks more natural, colour-wise. At the same time the three characters above the text are a bit pale in that version.

Originally Posted by Patchy

Don't know, maybe bec. of those petals? Here in my place, there's only 2 present season here, dry and rainy so maybe that's a reason wherein I really don't know the grasp of spring and summer... wherein summer here represent sun, clouds, beach and plants/trees also school vacation

On the whole, it does give the feeling of "being outside" typical of summer, but I don't see a characteristic summer element, that's all .. anyway it should be easy to fix.

[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by Patchy

^^ Tbh you're the one who did the great work in there using those things that I didn't knew like those level and vibrance thingies wherein compared to that I only spread some dust and dirt with it... >_< so I think it's like Hiroi-sekai's banner with a little consultation from me

Let's not forget you got the renders and background going; I just worked the typography and the foreground/background blurring. Vibrance and Levels are just simple bars you can slide to adjust, nothing big!

Originally Posted by Patchy

My turn... I'm still experimenting at the moment so I'm focusing more at the contents then later on with the text... so textless version as of this moment...

Character/Series: Hatsune Miku - Vocaloid Series



Beige Test - Click Me

Very lovely, I believe if you can share that other one you showed me earlier with GUMI, I did find that one more vibrant and summer-like.

[ganbaru]

blaze0041: I do prefer the first one.
Patchy: It could be a good idea to fade a little the brushs on the left side

The latest version of mine, the modifications are rather light, made Tooko looking softer but keeping the text area as saturated:

[Flower]

I must admit - I am totally shocked to see no one using the Air anime for background images.

For example, something like:

Images

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Also surprised that the option of folks dressed in yukata has not been used.....

Still, nice to see sunflowers being used. ^^

[Triple_R]

@blaze0041 - I'm with Pell on the different versions of your banner. I also like the first of the three versions the best. My reason is the same as Pell's, with the addition being that I prefer the simpler background of the first. The background of the third seems a bit overly "busy" to me.


Well, since Flower made a suggestion, I guess it's Ok if I make one as well.

Since the gradient is seawater-esque, I think that an image involving a character completely immersed in water might be a good fit. With this in mind, I'd like to recommend making a banner out of Sayaka Miki's movie transformation. Here's one screenshot of it, and the full transformation can be found here on YouTube.

[Ryonea]

Thanks for the comments, guys. I'll rework the left side and let's see if I can add some things.

@patchy: It's wonderful, but I agree with Pellissier regarding the summer element. It's more "scenic" theme IMO. That said, I'd like to see the more-finished work of yours.

@blaze0041: I'd say either the first one with the warmer color of the 2nd one, or the 2nd one but without those splashes. The warmer colors look good to me. I also agree with Pellissier regarding the width of your pic. Placing Nepgear a bit to the left and the rest of the girls alongside with the text to the right would do the job I guess... and this automatically means the BG should be wider too. The stroke on the text is better white IMO. You might want to try flipping the colors too. For example for the "forums" word, make it into white with light blue strokes while keeping the "AnimeSuki" orange with white strokes, use the combination that you think will fit best.

@ganbaru: The newest one feels a bit too dark IMO I still think this 1st revision of yours is the best:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/837/9au0.jpg

So IMO make it as the base for your work since I find the colorization of the texts, BG, and the character already blends well. And if you want to add things such as the purple swirls in your latest revisions or maybe something else, make sure to make it blend with the rest of the images as well. This is what I meant with the "strong color" previously. I meant it for the purple swirls. Btw. your pic still have the border problem on the bottom right corner.

Originally Posted by Flower

I must admit - I am totally shocked to see no one using the Air anime for background images.
Also surprised that the option of folks dressed in yukata has not been used.....

Probably because it's difficult to find a suitable render to make into a banner since numerous factors are into consideration (theme, character pose, the dimension limit, etc.) but of course this largely depends on the artist's creativity too. I myself see many good summer-y images like white dresses, sunflowers, yukatas, popsicles, etc. but find them quite difficult to fit into a banner. This is just me, though.

The contest period is still long so hopefully we can see some more great works.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Since the gradient is seawater-esque, I think that an image involving a character completely immersed in water might be a good fit.

Speaking of water theme, I initially want to use characters from Free! anime but most of the available pictures are the shirtless ones so I'm expecting to see if anyone here (especially female members) would use this series in their entry. I hope I'm not opening a can of worms...

[blaze0041]

Originally Posted by Pellissier

Speaking of sides, are you sure you want to leave so much free space on them? It makes the banner considerably small when you see it up there.

About the 3 last variations presented, I probably still like the first one more especially because Nep-chan's face looks more natural, colour-wise. At the same time the three characters above the text are a bit pale in that version.

You're right. I've been concerned that my banner's a bit too "empty" in comparison to others, though I'm not sure where to head from here.
The three in the background probably need some colour adjustments.

Originally Posted by Flower

I must admit - I am totally shocked to see no one using the Air anime for background images.

For example, something like:

Images

Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Also surprised that the option of folks dressed in yukata has not been used.....


Still, nice to see sunflowers being used. ^^

There was one really good Air one, albeit that was a few years ago now, right?
I definitely remember there was one good yukata banner a few years ago as well.
Since we seem to be suggesting pictures to use (and on the topic of yukata images), this pic of Komari, Rin and Kud (Little Busters) might be a good choice to use.
There was this nice image of Angel Beats' Tenshi in a field of sunflowers too.
Oh, I don't think I've ever seen the Railgun in a banner either.

---

Thanks again for the feedback everyone. Only a few quick edits this time... this should hopefully look a little closer to my original intent.
DraftA r3: Photo filter applied only for bg elements. Noise + grain added. Redid sides again to increase centre area. Nudge on Nepgear and text. Secondary text gradient reversed. Shadow on text changed, bevel & emboss removed.

Preview: Beige | Blue

It looks a little imbalanced again...
I've got another image I might start working with, though it'll be a little bit before I can give it a shot.

[Smithsky]

Thanks for all the suggestion guys. I remember at one point I tried to remove legs, but failed miserably :P Removed a little here and there.



Any other feedback?

[Pellissier]

Originally Posted by Quancio

Any other feedback?

Hmm.. that is sand right? Maybe add some sea shells or starfishes.
Also the bubbles shouldn't probably cover the characters' heads/faces, but start on their sides (to leave their figures free, that circle on Konata's cheek doesn't look very good imho).
Originally I used to find Konata a bit too yellow, but now with the sand she stands out less, so it's probably fine as it is.

[Patchy]

Originally Posted by Hiroi Sekai

Let's not forget you got the renders and background going; I just worked the typography and the foreground/background blurring. Vibrance and Levels are just simple bars you can slide to adjust, nothing big!


Very lovely, I believe if you can share that other one you showed me earlier with GUMI, I did find that one more vibrant and summer-like.

Lol, hmmm though to be honest it wouldn't be like that if not for you're tweaking so kudos to you leader!

Haha that Gumi one will be used in case of emergency

@ganbaru-sempai - agree with ryo-kun I think your best is still the first one.


@Ryo-kun - yep to be honest I really intend to do a summer scenic theme since the render wouldn't be close to a summer one, so I consider it as a challenge for myself

anyway what is that "free" theme ehhhh


@Quancio - I think it's almost done, just like Pelli-sama said, put some seashells and other, beach stuffs that suitable to the empty space ^^


@Blaze - I think the vector splash didn't fit on the banner ... >_< anyway I can't wait for your next banner ^^



Again another experiment ... 2nd banner (Maybe I'll use her as my official one), character focused on the summer festival theme while using shrine + forest as a bg..

Series/Character - Hata No Kokoro / Touhou



Blue Test Page
Click Me

[Seitsuki]

It's totally perfect! You have all my votes!!