Matador - Yea sometimes unfortunately you can get the worst critique ever, but all that means is that you learn from your mistakes. Everyone always had just horrible tags, but from what I have seen is that after some work they always come out with an amazing tag. So do not let this put you down at all, but just to try harder.
Anything-Pink - I am gonna start with the second tag, because like earlier it seems like the easier tag to critique, and that always helps me give better critique on the other tags. Also, apparently I seem to lately like going out of order! Anyways, I am assuming that this is more of a photo manipulation tag than anything else considering if you were to normally look at this tag and know nothing of the render, you would think you did almost absolutely nothing. Now if you made the moon yourself, and the water and ground I give you major props and I think you did an amazing job. However, in my experience I have never seen anyone on GR ever actually do that well. I am gonna assume that you did not though, and with that in mind I am gonna have to say I am not too sure what all you really did to the tag. I am just seeing a render on a background and you added some dots in there for some effect. So, all I can really comment on are the dots, and actually I think the dots were overdone and kind of even stand out a tad too much. Meaning that they are almost too fat and there are a few too many for that size. Now for the first tag, I saw that this was going to be your SOTW entry, so I will try to go into a little more detail on this tag for you. The first thing that I am really not liking is the canvas size. I saw your original size in your own thread and actually preferred that size. Although like many said, that lighting was just too overwhelming and it seemed a tad empty, I think that if you worked more with it, that size would actually work better with the tag and even improve the tag. The next two things I am looking at are the border and the text in the tag. The border is not bad, but I would like to maybe tell you to try it without the border or even a different border, because I truly am not sure why, but this border just seems to bother me with this tag. Then with the text, I think it needs to be totally redone actually. Your name is not so bad, except I do not like the box around it at all, but the 'Pride' text I think just partially ruins the text because of the font type and color with it having a border. Also I would try messing around with a different positioning in the tag for the text, because having it at the very bottom of the tag rarely works to the point where it improves the look of the tag rather than ruining it somewhat. The next thing I am looking at is the lighting in the tag, and it is probably one of the bad qualities in the tag. The light source looks as it should be coming from the far left side, and the left side looks like it should have a light source over there, but it is seeming to dull and bland over there. Then to top it off you have a small light source in the background to the immediate left of the focal point. I think you need to tone down that light source, and brighten up the light source on the far left. I think if the light source were more intense on the left it could greatly improve the tag, especially since on the focal point it is VERY intense ( I would maybe even suggest trying to down it down just a tad there, but not too much). Now the effects are kind of odd, and there are several things I think could use some improvement. First off, in the original version the flow was done fairly well, but then in the second version you added the effects on the right side of the tag and you totally ruined the flow. The flow was just going to the left, but then all of the sudden on the right its going in the opposite direction and it just looks really out of place there. Also I think that if you had some more blurred effects in the background and some more sharper effects in the front, it would create some better depths. Right now it is just mixed up, and just seems weird, and the left side especially seems out of place because some of it is sharper and some of it is blurred, but it appears to be in the same distance, so I would try working on that.
Thank you Kalli Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, and I think you just gave me yours, in a orderly manner. As for my tags, I made the Third one first, then the Second one and finally the First (Hulk) one. The third one was just experiment using my Pen Tool techniques and some shapes I found on the net. So I myself am not pleased with the outcome of that tag as well, we're on the same boat there. The Aston Martin one, was just me throwing C4d Renders here and there, and experimenting a new coloring technique I learned a while ago, so nothing to important on that tag as well. As for the First one, in my opinion it is one of my favorites since, I used techniques far beyond what I usually do. You are right, I did not use just a brush for the lighting as I wanted it to look that something was hitting him but not in the usual Circle manner. I am not going to tell what I did there but, I did use more than just brushing, layer blending and other filters / tools in Photoshop. I thank you again, for taking your time Critiquing my Tags, even though I am not a big fan of myself either regards, Vanquish
I am on for awhile everyone. DRM, sorry I left earlier before I could critique yours but I had to go help my father with something.
Haha sorry DRM, I was getting myself a drink. I actually write my critiques in another program just in case my internet goes down, or something goes wrong I am sure I will not lose them. I am actually writing them as we speak.
DMR002 - Just to stick with my completely randomness today in not critiquing the first tag first, I am going to as well start with your second, or your Hulk tag. Now I am wondering to myself if this is the first or second hulk tag that you made (as your current tag looks to be of a similar style with the same render), because it seems almost as though not as much time was taken into this particular tag. The effects seem to be a tad overwhelming when you are first presented with the tag, especially with looking at how the canvas size is quite large, and the render itself seems to be so small comparatively speaking. Then when you take that into account, the effects of the tag are just all swirls, and there is nothing really else to the tag, and even those seem to just be randomly liquified. Also, the background itself seems to just be messy and chaotic with no real thought other than to have something going on within the background. Then also, there is just no real flow in the tag at all due to the randomness of the effects themselves. Lastly, there is no lighting whatsoever in the tag aside from what is already on the render. So all in all, in my personal opinion, I do not think that this tag was very well put together, but almost in my mind seems like it would have been either rushed to made or just trying out a few new things and this was the outcome. Ok now for the first tag, which I will say by no doubt I truly do love this tag. With the empty space and the text that was chosen combined, I really do like this tag. Although there are a few areas in which I can see why others may not feel the same about the tag. First off, although I really do like the text, I still do think that it could be even better than what it is. I love the placement, and the amount of text, but the font is not to my liking all that much. I almost think if maybe you went with a font that maybe would accent the focal point a tad more, and almost be more abstract like it would look quite nice. Now I know a lot of people do not like empty space, and if you wanted to compensate for that, all I would suggest doing is maybe making a little more light coming from the focal point and having it transition a little more into the empty space. Although, I do not feel that it would be necessary as I like it the way it is personally. Now for the abstract and focal point itself, there is only two things I can really point out in that. First off, although the effects are nice, I think it might be a little too random. Random is good, especially for abstract, but with that circular figure and the way everything comes off of that, I think that if there were a little more flow in that general direction of the tag going outwards it would actually look a little better. Then lastly, I like how in the middle it has those really dark spots, but once you get out of the immediate middle you lose that effect, and I think maybe if there were a few more darker areas it would also look nicer. All in all though, I think this tag was done very well.
great Cnc mate, for the first tag, its a funny story actually, first it was a FF tag and i really didn't like the render, i erased the render out and made it abstract and it looked pretty cool but a little empty, then i added hulk and i wasn't too happy but i just really didn't care at that point.
.BC. steez - Hmm shall I be normal for once and start with the first tag? Nah! Haha! Ok anyways for the second/gorillaz tag. I am actually not feeling this tag in anyway whatsoever at all. Compared to your 'Envy' tag, this seems as though something you just quickly pulled out of photoshop without really taking the time to sit there and work ona good tag and put your full skill into it. First off, the text needs to be removed out of the tag completely. The font and placement you chose were actually both bad. I always tell everyone the text is not just something to throw into a tag. It requires just as much thought if not more than choosing your render, canvas size, and even the type of graphics you are going to use in the tag. Text can completely make or break a tag, even as small as typography sometimes seems. Next is that c4d render that you have placed in the tag, which in my personal opinion is completely out of place. You have all these nice colors in the tag, a nice render, and some smudging background, but then all of the sudden there is the out of place, out of color c4d render stuck in there. I am not actually certain why you would have put this in the tag. Next is the background itself that I want to point out. You have basic, and I mean basic smudging that you have done here, and unfortunately with that being your only background effect, it makes the tag very boring to look at. You need more going on in the background of the tag, and for that matter in the focal point as well. Your pen tool is pretty good, but again it just does not seem to fit in all that well. Overall, the tag just seems to be randomly put together. Now for the first tag you posted. Unfortunately, even though this is a better tag, I think the only thing that is actually keeping the tag looking nice are the renders. The renders themselves, especially for the jacket stand out quite a lot and kinda make it so that is the only thing you look at. Now that is good considering that is your focal point, but you do not want the best part of your tag to be the render, which you had nothing to do with making. I do like how there is almost a picture rip in between them which works well for the envy message you are trying to get into the tag. I also do really enjoy the text in this tag unlike the other tag, I think you really did put thought into it this time. However, the 'Envy' on the right where you wrote it out in either liquify or smudge, I am not feeling all that well. I really like the idea and I think it could work if maybe it was just a tad bit cleaner. Also having such a larger and more vibrant smudging right next to it of the same thing does not help it stand out as much as it should. With this tag though, I think there should have been a tad more done to the tag, because right now it does really seem just a tad too simple. There is no real depth, flow, or even lighting in the tag which in most cases are important elements in a tag. You do not always have to have all three to make a good tag, but lacking all three is never a good thing.
Vanquish - To be honest Vanquish, after your 'Hulk' tag and even your 'Aston Martin' tag, I am kinda dissapointed with this one. The overall feel of the tag is very soft, which in some cases works quite well, but in this case it is soft, but it is also kinda boring. I know that with Captain America, pride is a very big thing and I think mixing both of those is a definite good thing for trying to show pride, but unfortunately it just does not seem to have enough going on elsewhere in the tag. The first thing I keep looking at is the left side background. For some reason my eye keeps wanting to wander over there and try to figure out what the heck is blurred in the background. With the front of the tag there are clouds, so then looking at the background and seeing just some randomness back there, it makes you try to figure out what is going on back there and in my personal opinion deviates you away from the the true meaning of the tag. It comes across you tried to get a smooth look to the tag, maybe not a soft look as it came out, and I think with Captain America it would look quite nice. Although, with the tag it is almost that foggy type look, and I think with some more contrast in the tag, that might even help it quite a bit actually. I would suggest giving that a try and seeing what you get.' The last few things I am really looking at are the text, lighting, and the clouds. I think that the clouds look pretty good until they are under the render then they just look kinda funny. It looks like you may have tried to cut some of them out so they were not too overwhelming. What I would suggest doing is just using several pictures of clouds, and find some taller clouds or really puffy clouds that you could just use the tips of to put over the render. Also maybe having them build up a little more on the right would help too. Now the lighting I think could be fixed a lot in this tag actually. You have the position of the light source correct, but it is way too overwhelming right on his head. What I would try doing is moving it a little to the right of his head, and tone it down a little right on his head and make it transition a tad more to the rest of the tag as well rather than just focusing on one spot. Then for the text, I think there is just too much for this tag. There is just so much text, especially with three different types of fonts as well. So maybe try using some simpler fonts instead of cursive, or trying to use less font, or even using some smaller font on a few of the words.
