posted
Any useful critiques or comments? This is the initial Draft for a Commemorative Glass piece for our provinces Centennial in 2005. I know I need to take that spikey end off the 1 in 100. The brown "cork" look was my computer's contribution when it converted it to a jpg. It was supposed to look like chipped glass. It looks kinda good though - maybe I'm training my computer.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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That's really, really nice Kelly! Good job.
-------------------- Chuck Gallagher Pro Graphics Signs by Design Cabool, MO 417.962.3291 "I grew up in Letterville" Posts: 776 | From: Cabool, Mo. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I just had visions of me peeping thru that piece of glass.. ahahahahaha Looks real good Kelly...
[ September 29, 2004, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: J & N Signs ]
-------------------- Mario G. Lafreniere (Fergie) J&N Signs Winter did show up! Posts: 1257 | From: Chapleau, Ontario | Registered: Jun 1999
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Tip: I export to GIF files with 256 colors. In my experience, they are cleaner than JPG. Or try not compressing the JPG file AT ALL. Set compression to ZERO. For me, even 10% compression and I get weird little splotches in my solid color areas.
Edited to try to keep myself from looking like a grammatical moron.
[ September 29, 2004, 03:24 PM: Message edited by: William Bass ]
-------------------- William Bass wjb71@bellsouth.net Northwest Florida Posts: 636 | From: Pensacola, FL | Registered: Aug 2004
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I LOVE MY NEW CD's! I've been struggling with this one for months, two hours of work this morning and I'm almost there.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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Hi Kelly, it looks fantastic.. except... for that spikey thing...lol. Just Kidd'n. Man you have the computer graphics down pat... I wish I could say the same thing... I must order those Butler cd's then I could display them out front with the Headline Butler's scrolls and take all the credit for their design... afterall I'm a Butler.. he he
-------------------- "Keep Positive"
SIGNS1st. Neil Butler Paradise, NF Posts: 6277 | From: St. John's NF Canada | Registered: Mar 1999
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Kelly, you outdid yourself girly-girl. My one nit-pick would be the slight hole between the K and A, (in Skatchan) but I can't think of a way to fix it...so I should just keep my trap shut! Love....Jill
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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One thing is bothering me though, and I'm not sure if it's my computer screen or what, but to me, it looks like 'Saskatchewan' is a bit downplayed, black letters with a tiny pineline. Is the pineline gold leaf, glue chip? Could be me, I sometimes have difficulty "seeing the in's and out's" when working with glass. Are you etching, painting, vinyling, and glue chipping?
Sorry, didn't mean to rain on the parade... I feel lost!
Cher.
-------------------- Co-Host: SANDCASTLE Panel Jam 'a Dixie Letterhead Reunion' Fort Myers, Florida
Cheryl Lucas a/k/a "Shag" on mIRC Vital Signs & Graphics, Etc. Cape Coral, Florida 239-574-4713 VSignsNgraphics@aol.com Posts: 987 | From: Cape Coral, FL USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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You're right Cheryl, Actually the outline on Saskatchewan will be either copper leaf or gold leaf - I tried to convert the outline to object and it wanted to do some crazy stuff with the W, so I gave up for now. The word Saskatchewan is what needs the most help - the kerning on the entire word needs to be tweaked and it needs another black outline outside of the gold. I think that will beef it up a little , if it doesn't I may make the initial letter (inside) heavier. Comments like yours are very appreciated - it's easier to fix things now than later and i'm hoping this will be a pretty major project, so no apologies please!
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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Besides the kerning (I would move the K to the right overlapping the A, and move the third A right as well) Also the W dropping below the baseline doesn't look right to me. It is probably an intentional part of the letterstyle, but in this case - seems more like a mistake. I'd stretch it back to the baseline and take a look to see if it then needs the strokes beefed up to match the weight of the other letters.
I'd also try rotating the wheat graphics and perhaps reducing them too, so that the bottom of the wheat points more to the "100" copy - perhaps even coming from behind it. I think this would tighten up the layout, and the graphics would be used to draw your eyes TO something, instead of being off on their own. (They do sort of point to it already, but I would try it to see if it works better) Might work, might not.
I think it is beautiful as is, but those are a couple things that came to mind.
-------------------- Bob Darnell London, Ontario, Canada
posted
There's something kinda funky with the banner.. dunno if it's just the color used for this representation but it seems to really jump out and mask the 100, maybe shift it to the left a little too so the distance between the scrolly part and the numbers is the same on both sides.
**Edited cause I'm an idgit and originally called the banner a scroll. Guess I should just stick to doing jetskis. **
[ September 29, 2004, 05:53 PM: Message edited by: Mike Pipes ]
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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Gosh, that Bob Darnell has some really great advice here...and if I were to add my two cents, which I am, I'd ask you to 'let your banner ends flow around the wheat'. Clip art is a great tool, but let it be a starting place...pick up your pencil and rearrange the wheat and banner. (that's one penny). Have you considered how it might look if the wheat was drawn asymetrical? (that's two).
Kelly, the design is wonderful. Keep up the fabulous work.
posted
Looks Great. One thing looks weird to me.. The W in the name. I know thats the way that font is but would it look better if you brought that in line with the rest of the letters
But there's a small detail that caught my eye: it looks like the wheat on the left might be OVER the scrolls and the wheat on the right might be UNDER the scrolls. Could be my eyes playing tricks. Could be you wanted it that way. Could be something that happened when the file was compressed into a jpg.
This is a VERY SMALL thing.
Either way, it looks great.
(love them scrolls)
[ September 29, 2004, 05:51 PM: Message edited by: William Bass ]
-------------------- William Bass wjb71@bellsouth.net Northwest Florida Posts: 636 | From: Pensacola, FL | Registered: Aug 2004
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kelly; Glad you picked something up when in the Maritimes.How much imput did your inner child have to do with this design.If she helped,you should let her out more often.Wonderful work,Prarie child.
posted
I just noticed that your banner with the "1905-2005" seems off-center a bit. It's being off-center isn't necessarily a bad thing, just didn't know if you knew it was off-center.
-------------------- William Bass wjb71@bellsouth.net Northwest Florida Posts: 636 | From: Pensacola, FL | Registered: Aug 2004
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Enlarge the "S" and the "N" to triple their size. Might occupy some of that negitive you have in the upper corners.
"Just a thought..."
-Rich
-------------------- Richard Bustamante Signs in the Pines www.signsinthepines.com Posts: 781 | From: Nevada City, California | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I wonder how the word "SASKATCHEWAN" would look in upper and lower case (or even all lower case)? Switching from all caps to upper and lower case or all lower case might be an alternative to all the kerning and shrinking and stuff people are recommending. Of course, the font in lower case might not have the same flavor as it now has.
Remember, please, that I think it is gorgeous AS IS.
-------------------- William Bass wjb71@bellsouth.net Northwest Florida Posts: 636 | From: Pensacola, FL | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
Thanks for all your replies - you are all so encouraging. I'm going to post a remake of the design, but I'm not sure that I'll be keeping many or any of the changes, but I'd like input on what I have done. I respaced and sized the letters in Saskatchewan and also beefed the outline up a little. I think I may have to find a happy medium between the weight in the first and second draft. I added the lily - Sask's floral emblem and the maple leaf - I think I may keep some form of them in the design, but not neccessarily as is. I stretched the scroll out (ignore the fountain fill) (Nancy, I promise if I use it I will redraw it to flow nicely) and tilted the wheat in an attempt to draw your eye to the 100. In all honesty I like the first version better, but I'd appreciate input on what you feel are improvements. Suelynn and Lottie - if this works out you may have to come and do a few of them , and Pierre I'll call you when they are just about done and you can come and hand letter the dates.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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posted
The spacing in "Saskatchewan" is much better. Your new font for the 1905-2005 looks nicer, too, imo.
The outline around 100 seems not to match the 100 any more--like either the 100 or its outline was stretched out of proportion of the other.
I don't feel qualified to make comments on the wheat bundles and lilies and such.
I think BOTH designs are excellent (except for the mismatch outline on the 100, and of course, the fountain fill on the scroll--but those are technical problems not design problems).
-------------------- William Bass wjb71@bellsouth.net Northwest Florida Posts: 636 | From: Pensacola, FL | Registered: Aug 2004
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Kelly, I think your unease about the Saskatchewan outline is not to do with it's weight but that you have chosen a dominant colour for it. The orange is thrusting forward, demanding the eye read it rather than the lettering, creating some confusion. There are any number of solutions if you choose to change it but it's a beautiful piece as it is and should be stunning.
-------------------- Arthur Vanson Bucks Signs Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England arthur@buckssigns.co.uk -------------------- Posts: 805 | From: Chesham, Bucks, England | Registered: Mar 2002
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The wheat had a nice flow with the scrolls that pulled me to the center of the design on the first one. The second looks kinda clunky and pulls me out ... like an arrow pointing down ... IMO
I like all the text changes
just noticed ... the line right under Sak.. goes to far to the left (not centered)
[ October 04, 2004, 07:38 AM: Message edited by: Mark Matyjakowski ]
-------------------- Compulsive, Neurotic, Anti-social and Paranoid ... but basically Happy Posts: 2677 | From: Rochester, NY, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Kelly, I like the new kerning in Skatchan but other than that, and the new lettering style in the scroll, I prefer your original. While I like the maple leaf and lillies, they "pop" more than anything else, to me. Go for it sista. Love.....Jill
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
I'd fix the line that mark mentioned. Keep the maple leaf and lillies. I noticed they actually give me an emotional impact in addition to drawing my eye down. Keep the new Sak kerning, but skinny up the outline. Keep the new scroll, but shade it realistically. And make the outline on the 100 equal, but I sorta kinda like the unequalness of it. Beautiful work. Please post pics.
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Guess I should just stick to doing jetskis. 
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, and Pierre I'll call you when they are just about done and you can come and hand letter the dates. ![[Rolling On The Floor]](graemlins/rolf.gif)
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