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sharkrey — Blade
Published: 2006-07-08 18:34:39 +0000 UTC; Views: 595; Favourites: 6; Downloads: 57
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Description
UF4Main shape is from Toby Marshall's new Lamda Chops (updated tma2.ufm)
I tried messing with the background in my usual grunge style, but it just got too cluttered, too quick. So simple feels better to me.
Comments, especially critique, are certainly welcome and appreciated.
***UPDATE***
I have followed the suggestions on making this a better piece and have made the boreder a much deeper, richer blue than the original. (You can compare this one with the original in my Scraps )
Thanks Kat and Michele...your honest opinions mean a lot. I would much rather find out ways that I can improve a piece here, than for the piece to sit on a store shelf and not sale, know what I mean?
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Comments: 45
You know.. you can always find something new in UF.. show another way in creating..
it is very fresh-minding to watch Your gallery
another inspiring work.. thank You!
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>>>it is very fresh-minding to watch Your gallery<<<
Back at ya!!!! (Meaning, it is the same with watching your gallery)
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I think the deeper blue was a good imporvement. Nice work.
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I think that this is a much more coherent image now: the colors work together, rather than fighting each other. The blue you chose is as rich and saturated as the red, just as tonal and in the same family, so to speak. In the first image, the blue took over and demanded more attention than it should have and I couldn't stop noticing it. Now, however, it is a part of the whole image. I feel calmer looking at this one, I can take in the entire image and move my eye around the piece without being drawn over and over to the border color. That blue is gorgeous, by the way.
I think that the linear aspects of the border are stronger now and provide better contrast with the main shape, while at the same time, that verticality is echoed by the left bottom upright edge of the large blade. But you knew that: that edge is in perfect alignment with the border.
The last thing is that you've either changed the color of the emblem or else the color itself altered when you changed the border color: it's now almost exactly halfway between the red and the beige. I wonder if you wanted to pull the two colors into the border that way? It would make sense. But...(sorry!!) imho only, it might be just a touch too pinkish and too bright...
All in all, I think that this is a better, stronger, more visually satisfying image than the original.
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>>>I feel calmer looking at this one<<<
Ahh...there you go. Couldn't ask for much more with this type of design.
>>>you've either changed the color of the emblem or else the color itself altered<<<
I think it is a little optical illusion. Exactly the same red as the spiral. What might have been interesting would have been to use them as masks, allowing you to see through to the background. Hmm....
Thank you for your help with this.
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Whatever help I gave is my pleasure, but at the end of the day, it's your image and you made all the decisions.
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I really like the setup of this... Personally, I like the background as its texture compliments the movement of the main shape..
The blue washes it out only because it is is a much more vibrant color (higer saturation) This is fixed easily by lowering the sat (which I think would throw off the red blade in the center) or you could cheat and bring some blue into the background texture, or better.. into the center, underneath of the main shape.. This would add that splash of color, direct the eye around the page and wouldn't sacrifice the kewl red blade you have set up.
The layout itself is great.
I like it.. just throwing stuff out there because it was requested...
the leftmost overlapping blade... very nice touch.
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Thanks for taking the time to leave such a detailed comment.
I've tried different levels of saturation of the blue, but all things considered, this is the most pleasing to my eye.
>>>the leftmost overlapping blade... very nice touch.<<<
In this case, it is actually the top left spiral arm that is masked to appear as if it is under the border, which accentuates the next lower arm over the border. Intention by misdirection...lol....
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This is much better, the tension is still there, even with the deeper blue. In fact it is even tighter like a stretched rubber band, because the shadow of the slicing blade is more menacing. In the other one it doesn't seem as sharp like it is lifting the border trying to cut it.
Excellent dramatic piece!
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Thanks Michele...I appreciate so much you taking the time to share your thoughts on this. I value honest critique.
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Glad I could make a helpful suggestion. Now the big question, do you like the change?
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Gary, I really like how you made this one. Having looked at the upr, I really appreciate the artistry that when into it: the subtle masking, the way you made the emblems on the blue border, the shadowing, and the textures. A very finely crafted fractal. That being said, I do agree with Kat about the blue color.
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Gee, what a nice compliment!
I also agree with Kat about the border and I am going with a much deeper blue on the border for the print.
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You are quite welcome! This should make a great print!
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Have you lost the texture on the blue border, or have you changed the texture?
I liked the border before better because the blue was more saturated of ground the dark texture.
And as I said, I like the grainy blend of the main shape and the used texture very much.
Anyway I think that the hard lines fit in the background better, than before the curves or loops.
It seems this image provoke or produce many different reactions...lol
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>>>It seems this image provoke or produce many different reactions...lol<<<
Well, that's why I ask for critique. If I get honest opinions now, it will help me tailor this to be more marketable. I think the background texture is better than what you originally saw also, the horizontals offset the vertical of the border.
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again, the dark blue works so much better, and now I also do not have any more
this uncertain feeling that some is not right. Now it feels round.
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Looks like a good fractal to start from. The right side looks good, but the left...well, not so much, looks like you made the background in paint to be honest.
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"background in paint"...Dang! You noticed!
Thanks!
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I love the main shape in this...very cool. The blending is great, as has already been mentioned. The main ideas are all things I would have said.
What I will say is that the blue is wrong and I can tell you why: beige is tonal and you used a primary blue. The red gets tonal about halfway down the arms of the shape and that's the right color for that shade of beige. The blue should be darker and move toward a toned navy blue, but not all the way to navy. Try this link to see what I mean (I hope it works) [link] This isn't exactly right, but it's fairly close. (This is the quilter in me coming out, btw.)
I don't usually get this specific, or even make a comment regarding someone's color choices if I don't agree with them, but you asked and all these folks brought up the blue, so...
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You know, I came soooo close to doing a deeper blue. I think your points reinforce that first instinct. Thanks!
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Not one minute ago I was thinking how incredibly arrogant my comment must have sounded. I apologize if it came off that way. I don't do this kind of thing; if you were ever to read my comments on others' images, I really don't critique. Who am I to say, after all?
I look at color and think about whether it would look right on a quilt and why...(I used to make artsy quilted wallhangings)...I close my eyes and I can see a quilt made from the colors in question in my head. If there's a problem, I can usually find a better solution, imho. I think I was so happy to know what I think is the answer, I acted like one of those kids in class who's waving their arm in the air and going "Oooh! Oooh! Teacher!!" Sorry.
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Not arrogant at all, that's exactly what I want and need, honest, thoughtful ideas and opinions. How else to get better?
And I was thinking you just needed to go to the bathroom...lol....
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I'm glad if I didn't come off sounding like a third grade know-it-all.
>>And I was thinking you just needed to go to the bathroom<<...cute...
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Oooooh! Love the main area, great texture etc. But (don't you hate hearing that?) I have to agree with HorseLips...that border is too bright. Distracting? de-saturate the blue? gun metal green...dark yellowy green? 
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Oh no...I love buts!
Here's the thought behind the blue border. I wanted it to be a third element of the design...main shape, background, border. As such, if I desaturate the border, it loses that quality and becomes part of the background. (See the left border on Robin's Garden for an example of this). So I felt it needed to be vivid, like the red.
Having decided on it's intensity, now I had to chose color. The red and beige are analogous, so a yellowish green would makes sense, since that follows next in the color wheel. Or I could flip to the other side of the red and use a maroon, also analogous. But, since I wanted the border to stand out as a design element, I felt that it needed to contrast with the red. A pure green would have accomplished that, and would have been analogous to the beige, so would have worked fine. But I wanted more punch, so I decided to look at the third color of the red/green triad which is blue. Just so happens that blue is complementary to the beige, so that is the color I chose.
Whatcha think?...more than you were born to know?...lol...
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I can see your logic, but(there's another one) beige is a desaturated yellow. So in truth you could desaturate the blue, if only a little to get rid of the glare. 
Of course as usual this is only my opinion. Others are going to be so aware of the marvelous blade they aren't going to pay any attention to the border.
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Tension instead of battle...very good point!
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I love the main shape off centered like that. I also love the colors chosen for the main design and for the background. I like the idea behind the left bar, and the color, but for my taste, it is just too saturated.
Very good job with all the blending of the main design into the background
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Thank you sir. I hear ya on the saturated color thingy...
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Yeah...I'm getting sleeeeeeeeeeeppppppyyyyy......
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I really like the main shape, I'm not so sure about the blue/red/beige color thing though, but I like the design of it.
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Thank you for your comment. The idea behind the color scheme is that red/beige is beginning to become a theme in designer circles, and the blue is complementary to the beige.
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i like it (im not a fractal artist, but...) especially the overlap of the main portion over onto the side piece there...
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Thanks for noticing that part of the image...a little masking here, a little masking there, lol...
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