Tag tips wanted

[Celestial Star]

Well, I started making tags, I unno like a month to two months ago? Anyways,
I would like some feedback. POSITIVE and helpful tips, like what I should work on, constructive criticism. Kthx

I've mostly worked on my own, used tutorials and gotten some tips from other graphic artists on this site.

Some of my work
When i first started[i sucked xD]
clannad2.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting <---clicky


Work I did recently
wheee-4.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting <----Clicky
klaiver.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting <--- Clicky

Work I've done in the past month or so
nelll.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting <---clicky
kayy.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting <---clicky


Sorries for so many links, but I want to give examples of my work, so yeah, tips please? :3
I know I'm not the best there is, but I'm learning

 

[Erebus Kronos]

Well you have some talent, which is a good start. What I really notice is that you make them really contrasty/bright. You should work on blending in you stock of choice to the BG. Whether that will be smugding or simple changing of color.I belive the best on of them all would be the Kayy one. You should look up some more tutorials to get yourself grounded and more familiar with the program you use, but don't let that stop you from figuring out your own style. Another thing I noticed is that you should really work on your typography and placment. Those would be key things to work on as well. You don't want them to stick out like a sore thumb. Just keep moving forward.

 

[Celestial Star]

Thanks ^^
Yeah I do have trouble with blending stock D :
But hopefully my graphics class I'm taking helps me.

 

[Charlie]

Oh, CS.
Fun to see you here, babe <3

Well what I'd noticed first off is that there's this feeling of your stocks being LQ in all of your tags. Whether it be the light choice, or just the stock you chose, I encourage you to look a bit harder for stocks that have a distinct crispness to them that aren't too faded, blurred, or have their content stretched. Then, I noticed how you've grown reliant with some predictable effect placements, or choice. There's nothing wrong with that. But if you ever feel like making a tag full of vectors/brushes..find more of a variety of curvy, Victorian, pop, nature inspired effects to build up your inventory in photoshop. That way, you'll be able to sync more combinations of things together to help build the concepts for your tags better.

Then I noticed the little mechanics -
Typography, lighting, focals, and depth.

For your text choices -
Don't just stick to using traditional fonts like Pristina, Arial, Times New Roman, Old English, Lucida Handwriting >>> things like that. Expand and play more with the other fonts in your inventory. Then if you ever have text as a 2nd eye catcher, make sure that its centered near the stock or somewhere near it, or just your 'focal' in general so it won't look as though its just thrown in there. If you want it to be read, sharpen it up.

For your lighting -
Sometimes, people can go into how lighting is basically a focal point in a piece of work. This isn't always true, but just to help you along, I'd suggest figuring out ways to put a bit of light somewhere in what you're making to help guide the eye. That way when someone looks at it..the stock and your effects won't look as though they're missing something to help guide the eye. Next, once you dabble in that, make sure to either spread it out evenly, or pick a point that you want to make as your focal, and leave it there. Just make sure that it doesn't swallow up your effects, or not faded to the point where the brush you used for it makes it look low quality :3

Then finally - depth
Depth is what makes tags stand out against the others. Whenever people find tags that they like, its common place that the tag has a sense of 'scenery' or something 'ongoing' in it. Meaning that you can have a stock, a bunch of effects around it, then a feeling of a background behind it all. Not just with brushes or textures building it, but carefully placed themes to make it seem as though the stock & the effects you've chosen are all a part of something bigger. Working on this alone will help make your tags feel more three dimensional, and not as flat and stagnant.


I have an interesting feeling about where your style might evolve to.
Just a matter of you applying different elements to what you make to help bring your work to the next level.

Good luck <3


~V

 

[Celestial Star]

Thank you so much! I shall try to work hard to accomplish my style
:3
Though, my PS is out at the moment D :