Banner Critique Wanted!

[Mystearica]

So! I've been making an attempt at making a banner for my signature (only my second ever), and I was wanting a second opinion. Mostly, I've had issues with text, but critique on any other elements of style would be greatly appreciated! I'll list them in a reply to this first part.

Program: GIMP with a few Liquify tweaks in Photoshop (I'm a lot more comfortable with GIMP's interface than Photoshop).

 

[Mystearica]

Here are the versions, pasted rather than linked so that it can be viewed on a properly dark background.

First Version:

Second Version:

Third Version:

Fourth Version:

 

[Mystearica]

Added a fourth version!

 

[Ms_Muffintops]

Tip: when making something that is meant to have type in it, you should always think about where you're going to want to put the type before laying everything out.

You could put the type along the pole between her head and harm that's resting on it.

 

[Mystearica]

Yeeeah, I'm still a bit of a beginner at this. >_> I'll give that a shot and see how it looks, though!

 

[Ironic]

I really like the fourth version. C:​

 

[Mystearica]

Thank you! I'm kind of leaning toward it myself. Not the BIGGEST fan of the font, but I couldn't find anything else that fit the sort of faded look any better.

 

[Mandy Grace]

My personal two cents... use the font from #1 but the text position from #4

 

[Mitsu]

The first thing I've noticed about your work, is the quality of the render (this term is often used to refer to cut-outs of characters from pictures). You've extracted the woman from an image, but it's very poorly done. This is something that you have also realized, because it looks like you've used the blur tool to try to smooth out the edges. This is most noticeable on the arms and spear. I commend you for trying to fix your error. However, the correct way to fix that error would be to start again. Merely blurring out areas of the render force it to have an odd, unfocused look. It isn't very appealing to the eye! Properly extracting her would give you a crisp, clean edges!

• The best way to extract her would be to laboriously use the pen tool in GIMP or Photoshop. You basically trace the outline of what you want, and then delete the rest. You can also just use a layer mask if you want. Using any quick methods (quick selection tool, magic wand, ect) will give you the jaggy outline, or even leave behind some of the background. There are more advanced methods using masks and such, but for simple anime pictures, the pen tool is usually the way to go. When you run into high-res images with a lot of hair, you'll want to look into more precise methods.
  
  The only rule is that IT IS NEVER A QUICK PROCESS! It's pretty much always annoying, slow and a time-suck.

Next is your battle between the focal point and your text! Your focal point is the single, most important part of your work. It is the singular area you want the eye to be drawn to. You utilize this by keeping all of the major components of the piece in one area, usually placed with composition in mind. This includes the text.

Text is always tricky, because we are trained to look at text. As reading machines, we have been trained from birth to look out for text. It tells us important information, which could avoid serious injury or embarrassment. It is for this reason that your text instant draws the eye away from the woman. Ideally the focal point would be the woman, but instead I am drawn to look at what you have typed out next to her.

How do you fix this? You make the text a small, not-so-important part of your piece. You also place it where the eye does not to have to leave the focal point (or at least stay very close). This can be very hard to achieve, and banks heavily on the composition of the piece. Your render takes up the entirety of your signature, so there really isn't a good place to put it.

• 
  
  Consider these pieces:
  
  
  See more

  

  
  
  (IGNORE THE BLUE MOON LOGO TEXT THING...)
  
  While nowhere near perfect, I decided to utilize a few things to keep the font from being too distracting. The first thing was that I did my best to allow it to flow with the render, rather than fight it. It moves outwards from the woman, and rides along with the motion of her hand, and her body language. I also decided to make it the same color as her body, so that it seemed to be an extension of her: it would not pop as much.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  This one isn't good. Honestly, it turned into an experiment to manipulate some fire onto the guy's head. The text just goes out across the piece, with no real regard for anything, but being a phrase to be read. It's just horizontal, boring text. On it's own, against the background, it might be "okay" at best, but it just clashes horribly with the render.
  
  

  

  
  
  This one has decent placement, but is still distracting. It's bold, in your face, and takes your eyes away from the eyes. It's also a little hard to read.
  
  

  

  
  
  

  

  
  
  I was most successful with these two, although by no means perfect or ideal. The text is subtle, blends in with the piece well, and is still readable. You want to aspire to get that "kind" of effect.
  
  
  Also, you should not be afraid to put text on or behind your render. It sometimes produces a much better effect than having it floating about.

The other thing that is wrong, and it's there in my second piece above, is that there is no blending. The render just sits on the background. It looks like two entirely different pieces just mashed together. There are a variety of techniques you could use to fix this, however I do not particularly feel inclined to go over them at the moment. You can easily find tutorials online.

Another thing I noticed is that the border is rather thick. If you like it like that, then go ahead. I personally prefer a thinner boarder, because it isn't as distracting.