Desktop Example

[Caigan]

well, I'm not sure if anyone would be interested in this. It's not the best laid out or planned, its mostly just a bunch of full strips and single panels put together into a collage and colored. <br><br>Its not finished, but I was just wondering what you all thought of how this looks.<br><br><b>UNCOLORED</b><br><img src='http://www.ultimatejourney.net/kaze/ima ... ple-bw.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><br><br><b>COLORED</b><br><img src='http://www.ultimatejourney.net/kaze/ima ... ple-co.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><br><br>Thoughts?

[Tavis]

I think you did a good job with coloring, but the way you're collaging them could use some work. You have them all straight, which can be distracting on a desktop with the icons all lined up together, and the red borders around them are even more distracting.<br><br>There are plenty of things you can do to mix things up. One thing is to try to play with the color and see if you can make it direct the eyes to something important. You could layer the comics in other ways besides having comics at the bottom covering the upper ones (which has the unsavory side effect of covering up the characters in favor of plain text). You could also play with scale or angles if the imaging software permits (I usually use Windows paintbrush, which unfortunately does not permit..). With good enough software, you might even try effects like blurring some comics to make a favorite stand out in the foreground with perfect clarity. Borders, perspective, rendering, transparency, texturing, filters... the possibilities are immense, if not limitless.

[Caigan]

True, like I said, its nothing special, just something I prefer. I had WAY too many favorite strips, so I had to cut down a lot, and what I was left with I had to make the best of my space.<br><br>I might rebuild it, have multiple backgrounds, maybe dedicated to one or two characters each?<br><br>We'll see what I can think up. <br><br>Oh, question, does anyone if there is anyone 'coloring' all the B&W strips right now? I'm doing it on my own cause I love a colorful archive, so I was just wondering.

[Tavis]

Maybe shrinking them would help. After all, you've read them so much, you know exactly which strips they are and what they say just by seeing the smallest fragments from them. If there are too many, shrinking them would give you more room and you would be able to see more different sides to each character in one screenful.<br><br>Of course, I know all the stuff I said means a lot more work, but usually that's what people are really asking for when they want to know what additional effort they can do for something. Honestly, you've got a good thing going there, and I'd really enjoy seeing where you're going from this.<br><br>I haven't seen any efforts on coloring, but I've only been reading O&M for about a month and a half and hardly know anyone in the community.

[Caigan]

Even if I know them, I love reading them. I also catch peoples eyes who see my desktop, they read the ones I have up, and get interested.<br><br>I'll ask the man himself if anyone is coloring them. He'd probably know hehe =)

[norsenerd]

Great job on the color dude.

[Caigan]

I'd like to note that the coloring here is some of my 'older' work. (old meaning, old style, what it was like 4 months ago hehe).<br><br>Right now this is my level of coloring : <br><br><b>ORIGINAL</b><br><img src='http://www.ultimatejourney.net/kaze/ima ... 030416.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><br><br><b>COLORED</b><br><img src='http://www.ultimatejourney.net/kaze/ima ... 0416-c.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><br><br>And yes, my recent set of icons came directly from this image, as its the perfect set of emotions from Millie. =)