Neuko's Avatars and Signatures

[.:neuko:.]

Hey there, all AF members and guests! And yeah... as the title suggests, this thread contains a showcase of my avis, sigs and sets. Otherwise, I don't think there's any need for a long intro here - so without further ado...

Latest Works

Set: "Whatever It Takes"

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Work 4/4 ~ Set: "Whatever It Takes" For more details, please refer to post #20

Notices

Alerts

The contents in this thread are being restructured to allow better presentation of works and easier content access. Therefore, existing contents (including works, quotes, and replies) may be temporarily rearranged or moved to other posts. In addition, certain content may be revised to suit the new structure of the thread. My apologies about this and I'll try to keep this disruption to a minimum.

Works

> Each work (avi, sig or set) is now presented in a separate post to allow freer viewing with less distraction from other works.

Requests

Due to the fact that I'm currently working on extractions and vector images, I cannot accept requests for avis, sigs, or sets at this time.

Quotes and Replies

> Since the thread's contents are under reconstruction, all quotes and replies have been moved to post #18.
> Since all quotes are currently merged into 1 post, smiley images have been simplified to keyboard characters, as there is a limit on the number that can be displayed per post, but otherwise the contents of the quotes remain faithful to members' comments.

I hope you enjoy your stay here people, and I look forward to your comments (including constructive criticism, of course) or questions about my works here (and the like)! It's all good.

[aether]

They're brilliant and awsome it must take you ages to make.

[SigmaSD]

Oh wow that set is amazing!!!! *sparkly eyes* How long it take you to make that, it looks like a lot and lot of work?

[Bulf]

Oh nice one. I'm not too big on Avatars, so I'll just cnc the Midna sig.
I really like the style you have going on there, and how it's aid out, but my biggest problem is that Midna seems a bit too far off to the side. It's nice to have the main character offset, but try and center them just a bit more. The Avatar itself is beautiful, but the Sig shouldn't change through so many colors in my opinion. Maybe make it skip the burgandy-ish color in the middle and go straight down the gradient. It's not a bad sig though, I'm just being picky =P. I'm looking forward to more though!

[.:neuko:.]

A few avis representing my earliest works...

Work 1/4 ~ Avatar titles: Tsunade; Mei; Asuka | Dates created: Uhm... actually I can't remember... | Requested by: "Ellxeeva" (Tsunade); "Flowermaiden" (Mei); N/A (Asuka) | Current Users: None - all these avatars are available for use! | Previous users: "Ellxeeva"; "Flowermaiden"; yours truly

Details

1st work: The 1st 2 avis were for and used by Ellxeeva and Flowermaiden, and the last avi was a personal favourite of mine. And yeah... I know these avis aren't exactly pushing the creativity envelope here (although the members behind the 1st 2 were happy with the way they look anyway), but... as you can see, this thread is short of content at the moment... Anyway, from left to right we have Tsunade from Naruto, Mei from Clannad, and Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

For the latest news on my works and other stuff, please refer to post #1

[Uta-chan~]

Wow! Pretty! ^-^
I want one~ :P hehehe
Can't wait to see more works from you!

[.:neuko:.]

My latest set, as of 31st October 2010...

Work 2/4 ~ Set title: Twilight Princess Midna | Date created: 31st October 2010 (Halloween, appropriately enough...) | Requested by: N/A - this set was created without request. | Current user: None - this set is currently intended for display purposes only | Previous users: None

Details

2nd work: This (1st) set was actually made for the sake getting some content into this thread (hence no request); but anyhoo, I hope y'all like it!

For the latest news on my works and other stuff, please refer to post #1

[The_Angry_Princess]

Thank you Neuko for your work and help with my loves sig

[iAnime]

For your latest sig for that thick boarder you may want to use a more cheerful shade of gray, especially if its something for love. Just a fun suggestion you may want to try a PNG file for transparent background with curved edges.

[SigmaSD]

Wow, I really like the background design on this one. I'm sure there was a fence on this picture how'd you fill in the gaps when you removed the fence? It must have taken a lot a lot of work!!!! (I know I put a lot twice; emphasis). I think it looks marvelous.

[FluffyDango]

Those avatar is just the figures pasted onto a single coloured bg, well 2 of them are. The Mei one is just an extraction of her that you resized.
Do more on them.
For example: Use Icon textures, go search for it on google.
Some tutorials on how you can use icon textures here: Tut 1 Tut 2 Tut 3 One on how to use icon textures

[Tailedfox]

I liked your signature... very well setted.... great work.

[Xanfiore]

*0*
Your signature are great!
I especially like the Midna.

[.:neuko:.]

My latest sig, as of 12th November 2010...

Work 3/4 ~ Signature title: Adam Loves Brittany | Date created: 12th November 2010 | Requested by: "Angel Of Darkness Forever" | Owner: "aether" - Note: this signature was made by request and is intended only for use by the current owner.

Details

3rd work: This (2nd) sig took about 6 hours to do in Photoshop. If you'd like to know how any specific part of this sig was done (for example, an effect), please feel free to ask. I'm always happy to explain my work and share my techniques.

Anyway just some things about the sig you might be interested to know, 'case your wondering: The sky background's a digital painting I did myself. The 2 subjects are taken from an artwork made by someone else. However, I did extract them, and then used 3 layers for lighting (one for direct sunlight, one for the skylight, and one for ambient light). A rail that was originally in front of the subjects was removed with the Clone Tool, which meant I had to paint in what would've been otherwise a blank area. The snow settling on the subjects is the result of a custom brush I made in Photoshop, and the idea was to make the flakes look as if they'd settled naturally onto their clothes and hair (etc.). The falling snow is the result of an existing brush that I customised, and 5 layers were used here to create an illusion of depth, as well as depth of field (hence the significant blur on the closer flakes). So, a lot of work I guess... but of course the end appearance of any work shouldn't be measured by effort. And, as the chancellor once said in The Matrix 2, "No one cares how it works, just so long as it works..." XD

I'll give yous a link to the original stock later as soon as I've sorted some other stuff out, which would help here I suppose.

For the latest news on my works and other stuff, please refer to post #1

[Xanfiore]

Thank you very much! I'm also glad to hear that you like the Midna Twilight Princess sig as well.

Btw, your sig is awesome! I really like the distinguished theme going on there and it very inspirational! *¬*

Thanks!
It's kind like a puzzle and grunge siggies
It's a bit complicated but I rarely make it because i'm so bz workin =w=
I got this inspired by my friend too ;D
Although I make different kind of style xDD

[Uta-chan~]

Work 3/3: Sig - "Adam Loves Brittany"

http://www.animeforum.com/attachment...chmentid=34789

Signature title: Adam Loves Brittany
Date created: 12th November 2010
Client: Angel Of Darkness Forever
Current user: aether
Previous users: N/A

This is my 2nd sig, which took about 6 hours to do in Photoshop. If you wish to know how I created any specific element of this work (for example, an effect), please feel free to ask! I'm always happy to explain my work and share my techniques.

If you wish to make a request or hear the latest news on my work, please refer to my 1st post.

*gasps* OH! That was YOU who did that?! When I saw the signature I loved it~ Awww me so jealous hahaha me want a signature like that one X3 Hahaha You're really good at these and still wanna see more! >: D

[Xeyuzio]

I like them but the only problem I can see in them is the shadow, it just looks odd IMO :S

[.:neuko:.]

They're brilliant and awsome it must take you ages to make.

Thank you for the complements there! :) And yup, it certainly took me a long time to do that sig!

Oh wow that set is amazing!!!! *sparkly eyes* How long it take you to make that, it looks like a lot and lot of work?

Thanks! :) Well... since that was my 1st sig, it took me around 6 hours to complete, or to put it another way, a good night's work (which I paid for by sleeping in the day, I might add)! Hopefully with more experience my later sigs will done in half the time. :)

Oh nice one. I'm not too big on Avatars, so I'll just cnc the Midna sig.
I really like the style you have going on there, and how it's aid out, but my biggest problem is that Midna seems a bit too far off to the side. It's nice to have the main character offset, but try and center them just a bit more. The Avatar itself is beautiful, but the Sig shouldn't change through so many colors in my opinion. Maybe make it skip the burgandy-ish color in the middle and go straight down the gradient. It's not a bad sig though, I'm just being picky =P. I'm looking forward to more though!

I'm happy that you like the style, since that was the main aim I was going for here, and also that you'd be interested in seeing more of my sigs. :D As for Midna... I spent a good many minutes trying to find an appropriate place to put her, and in the end I shifted her to the left in an attempt to address a delicate balance between keeping her noticeable while not revealing what would otherwise be a bland background in that area. But I take on board your advice about placing my characters more to the centre though, since admittedly, my character is more off-centre than those in most sigs out there. I also see your point about the colour shifts as well, as they do appear to slightly break the continuity of the more yellow-ish avi, now that I've had some time to reflect on my work. Overall, thanks for your comments there and I'll be sure to keep in mind your advice for my next sig! :)

Wow! Pretty! ^-^
I want one~ :P hehehe
Can't wait to see more works from you!

Well, I have some good news for you! A new work has been posted since you last posted, see post #14 :)

Thank you Neuko for your work and help with my loves sig

You're quite welcome! :)

For your latest sig for that thick boarder you may want to use a more cheerful shade of gray, especially if its something for love. Just a fun suggestion you may want to try a PNG file for transparent background with curved edges.

The "border" was supposed to be a canvas and actually wasn't intended to be part of the sig itself, and I did in fact point this out in my 1st post. Also, in aether's post, there's the original copy of my sig without the border, along with evidence that it is indeed a png file - especially since the head of one character is poking out of the general boundaries of the sig. However, since I now understand that the grey canvas can be confused with the work, I've now removed it altogether. I hope this has cleared up any misunderstanding. :)

Wow, I really like the background design on this one. I'm sure there was a fence on this picture how'd you fill in the gaps when you removed the fence? It must have taken a lot a lot of work!!!! (I know I put a lot twice; emphasis). I think it looks marvelous.

I initially drew a selection around the "rail" that was obstructing the characters; then I used a combination of the Clone Tool and the Smudge Tool to draw in the absent part of the characters behind the rail. I extracted existing colours with the Clone Tool to draw into the void where the rail was removed - and in the same area the Smudge Tool was used to shape the drawn-in creases of the clothes.

And btw, thank you for the nice complement! :D

Those avatar is just the figures pasted onto a single coloured bg, well 2 of them are. The Mei one is just an extraction of her that you resized.
Do more on them.
For example: Use Icon textures, go search for it on google.
Some tutorials on how you can use icon textures here: Tut 1 Tut 2 Tut 3 One on how to use icon textures

I understand where you're coming from... and I'd completely agree that much more could have been done with 2 of the avis. The reason I didn't however is because the users at the time had already specified how they wanted their avis to look. In the case of Tsunade, the only real concern was for the background to be changed - however, since the user did permit me to make any changes as I saw necessary (so long as the character wasn't fundamentally altered), I also cleaned up the image, upped the colour and added the sparkle effect (Minor stuff granted, but nevertheless, more than what you assumed). As for the Mei avatar, that's the end result of a prearranged agreement between me and the then user, whom only wanted me to remove the background from the main subject and nothing more. In both cases, the avis resulted in both users being satisfied with the results.

Having said all that, I have since made an effort to up the standard of my avis - and the following "Midna" avi should reflect this. Midna was enhanced using a minimum of 3 lighting layers, 1 of which was used for the twilight's golden colour cast, and another for the blue under-lighting; additional highlighting layers were used to add additional shine to Midna's mask and gloss to her fur; and finally, a minimum of 3 layers were used to add the hazy flare associated with the twilight itself (Note how the flare bleeds into the edges of Midna's head? I think it's also worth mentioning here that flares are associated with all light sources, including their reflected light, yet interestingly enough they are absent in most user-created avatars). In this case, I don't really see how I could have done more with that avi - not without spoiling it anyway.

In general my approach to effects (including icon textures) is to use them appropriately, i.e only if they add to the meaning of an image... and not just for the sake of saying, "Oh look... I can apply effects too!". In principle, I believe a work is more professional when the viewer cannot tell which effects have been used in the first place. However, I do take on board all criticism with my work (although if feel it necessary, I will defend myself); therefore, I will take a good look at those tutorials you sent me via the links, and give you my thanks for doing so. :)

I liked your signature... very well setted.... great work.

Thank you for the complement there! :)

*0*
Your signature are great!
I especially like the Midna.
;)

Thank you very much! :) I'm also glad to hear that you like the Midna Twilight Princess sig as well. :D

Btw, your sig is awesome! I really like the distinguished theme going on there and it's very inspirational! *¬*

Thanks!
It's kind like a puzzle and grunge siggies ;)
It's a bit complicated but I rarely make it because i'm so bz workin =w=
I got this inspired by my friend too ;D
Although I make different kind of style xDD

You're welcome! :)

*gasps* OH! That was YOU who did that?! When I saw the signature I loved it~ Awww me so jealous hahaha me want a signature like that one X3 Hahaha You're really good at these and still wanna see more! >: D

I'll do my best! And if you need a sig (or avi or set) feel free to send me a VM or PM with your request! ^ ^

I like them but the only problem I can see in them is the shadow, it just looks odd IMO :S

The drop shadows were merely included for presentation purposes (as stated in the 1st post at the time). Basically they were only there to make the works stand out against the text and were not intended as part of the works themselves. Having said that, now that I've found a more discreet way to display the text near my works, there's no longer any practical purpose for the drop shadows to exist anymore and therefore they've been removed. Otherwise, thanks very much for your comment! :)

Thank you all for your comments!

[Xeyuzio]

Drop Shadows do not look nice on square signatures/avatars they only look good if it's like a cut-out kind of like the Mei one, that one looks nice with it IMO.

[.:neuko:.]

My latest set, as of 3rd July 2011...

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Work 4/4 ~ Set title: Whatever It Takes | Date created: 3rd July 2011 | Requested by: "SigmaSD" | Owner: "SigmaSD" - Note: this set was made by request and is intended only for use by the current owner.

Details

4th work: Yeah... thought I'd try a set in a style different to the previous stuff. Up until now, I guess I've been doing mostly fancy, exquisite-style sets (and the like) you might say - but for this one I decided to go for a more "rough and ready" look, especially to reflect the relentless nature of Ash Ketchum. For something I kinda knocked up in about 30 minutes I thought it was a pretty decent job, and I got the general effect I was aiming for. SigmaSD liked it lots anyway, and that's the most important thing!

For the latest news on my works and other stuff, please refer to post #1

[.Tatty.]

My latest set, as of 31st October 2010...

You asked mt to CnC this for you so by god I will!

First thing that catches my eye is a general no no to inexperienced signature makers, which is having your focal stuck on one side of that signature, in this case the left, throwing the whole continuity off, meaning you've had to stick you text over to the right and leave the center fairly bare. Also having your text the way it is is acting as a second focal meaning \i'm looking in two different places. This would work if there was bold text that stood out directly overlapping the focal or very much near the focal.

As for the signature as a whole it feel flat, seeing as hardly anything is overlaying on another, just the focal over your lovely patterned lines. That being said the lighting behind the focal does work rather well if not a tad too bright so you may want to tone that kinda lighting down in the future.

My main body of advice to you is , until you have a tad more experience to keep your focal fairly centered and have text that compliments the focal. You need to get more of a sense of layer hierarchy to make the focal stand out more. Trust me you're not doing bad, some of my first signatures were abominations but it's only through CnC's and practice i got better.

[The_Lawman]

Not taking request, eh? Sorry to hear that.
I've been looking thru the various threads in here and so far, you seem to be the first "edgy" maker I've seen. Everyone else seems to either be new to signature/avatar making, or just too "soft" for my taste.
Oh well, you do have some nice pieces there. Especially like the SigmaSD set.