Things to make and do... Graphics Contest

[Darkly Marked]

Hello, lovely forum members.

We're going to revamp our main page, make it much more feature-rich, and gear up towards having a web-based MUD interface with lots of lovely things for you to access while in-game (maps, parchments, books, etc). On this note we want a snazzier banner than this plain PL logo in the top left corner.

This is where you guys can help us! We're going to be making the site in a somewhat lighter theme than the current green/black, so go for muted colours - dark greens and reds, purples and blues. Overall we're going to be going for a 'parchment & stone' look, so bear that in mind.

Here's what Calliope, the Senior Admin, wants:

1. A 'dark, evil' picture in the background. Like:
Little Hangleton (which I love this picture)
the Chamber of Secrets
Wiki has a page on Godric's Hollow
The Dark Mark

2. A 'Harry Potter Scar' lightning bolt splitting the image down the middle. If it looks like 'real' lightning it will lose some impact and seem like part of point 1, so stylize it!

3. The words: "Project Legilimensia" in the image, in a script/handwritten/elegant/spooky looking font.

Please take these guidelines as 'what we'd do if we had oodles of time and a clue about how to do this stuff', it's not set in stone and you won't suffer penalty for deviating from this. Ultimately, if you produce something that really 'wows' us, we'll happily use it, regardless of the above.

Get your pens/lens/tablets/mice at the ready and show us what you've got!

(Disclaimer: as usual if you do something for this project we get to modify/apropriate/paste it everywhere as the project demands, yada yada yada)

[GutSlicer]

Finally something for me
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"Don't go around raping people with your eyes!! That's so LOW!!!" ~ Fujishima-senpai, "Electric Hands"

[mira_lexi]

fyi, the first and the last go to the same page, the general WB HP site... and the godric one you have to click the link on the page that downloads. it'd be easier to just show the page that actually has the pic.
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mira

[vegard]

I know, I know, this is not wholly up to the specs. But Tony said he wanted a light theme (and I agree with him). Here's my submission. If nothing else, it will serve as an inspiration for the others. Enjoy :-)

[Calliope]

[GutSlicer]

Ok, now I'm confused. You need a forum banner, the main site layout or both?

[Oz]

Let me clarify since I'm actually the one running this and everyone else is helping at my request...

We are in the process of revamping the website which means both the main website AND the forums. There are some layout designs being passed about and Dan's request is for a banner or logo for this redesign.

However, having said that, if you have ideas or are a great graphic artist and have ideas for a layout, I am not adverse to seeing such submissions. Take what we have now (I.e. dark backgrounds, white text) and reverse it. We're not looking for a new layout to be light and cheery, however; we would like the overtones of the current point in the HP story to have an influence as well. I know that's pretty vague but it's on purpose.
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Although I can accept talking scarecrows, lions and great wizards of emerald cities, I find it hard to believe there is no paperwork involved when your house lands on a witch.

[GutSlicer]

Thanks for explaining I'm getting to it.

By the way, if anyone needs a parchment background, I've assembled it...
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c90/gutslicer/parchment.jpg

Edit: Unfortunately, photobucket resized it, it was much larger...

[GutSlicer]

Ugh.. I did these in 5 minutes. I very much dislike them, but I thought I'd post them for you to comment if it's a right way to go... with colors and such. I'll do some better ones tomorrow

This one, I hate the way it turned out like a sunset of some sort...


This one is just a random variation of the above...

[Calliope]

I actually love the top one! And your parchment is loverly. I think the top one could go fabulously with the parchment if it were less gold and more brown/sienna or burgundy. If the background is browner and less sunburst, the lightningbolt can then go a bit more golden (especially since Harry is in Gryffindor).

Thank you sooo much!

[Oz]

One of the fonts I've found recently is "hogwartswizard" (downloaded from MN) - I think it has a nice look to it. If you're up to it, I'd like to see a few revisions with this and other fonts.

[Calliope]

Darkly Marked and I poked around for a while and here are some sites we think have various decent fonts, if it helps anyone out.

1, http://www.darkmark.com/c.c?l=fonts&t=Fonts

2, http://www.harrypotterfanzone.com/?ID=downloads/fonts

3, http://desktoppub.about.com/library/fonts/dd/uc_bridgnorth.htm

4, http://www.crazydiamond.co.uk/fonts/fontlist.html

5, http://www.theministryofmagic.org.uk/fonts/fonts_l.htm (though there are many at: http://www.theministryofmagic.org.uk/fonts/fonts.htm )

[GutSlicer]

Two revisions with Hogwartswizard font. A lighter and a darker one.





It keeps looking like a sunset or sunrise. I'll need to erase that light from the window But then it will lose the shining look. Ugh :/

[Oz]

Hmm ... dial up the scar glow and get rid of the background glow?

[pygmy_puff]

I made this funkeh one. It's kind of...erm, not dark. And I couldn't find a way to incorperate the lightning bolt. But, hey, it took twenty minutes, so at least comment.
Oh, and my name's Shanti, by the way. =)

[/img]

[IAK]

What about this

Or this
Still needs text


Or this



Damn that bloomin light will not go

This one looks ok

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Azkaban is waiting for me all it takes is some green sparklers.

[Blurboy]

you should find a way to incorporate a lightning bolt

[IAK]

This any better. i cant find any good lightning os i setteled for this


It needs a loto f tidying up though

[Sam31]

Here's a try I had, kept it simple maybe a little too dark though...

[pygmy_puff]

Sam, if you could incorperate more parchment colour into that, I think it would look ausome!

[pygmy_puff]

Like this, maybe? You don't have to use it, just a thought.

[Sam31]

Thanks for the suggestion and the example helped, i kind of went a different direction with it...

[Caity]

I really like that one Sam!! GREAT JOB
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[Sam31]

Thanks, I might try a couple of the other pictures to see if they work better...

[Noon]

Yeah I like your last one Sam!

Maybe you could make the lightning bolt green, in reference to Harry's eyes? or red, since his scar is sometimes describe as being that colour?
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To know thy enemy and to know yourself... for they are often the same.

[Oz]

I like pygmy's but it's too big.

I like the look of IAK's third - it almost looks painted.

Sam's image is great but I don't like the last one where it's a negative image. I like the coloring idea from pygmy and agree that some green around the bolt would be great.

Can any of these be fitted to a 800x200 or 250 image?

[pygmy_puff]

I made it a little smaller. Any ideas where I could put a lightning bolt?

[pygmy_puff]

Made a new one. Comments?



And bigger:

[Caity]

It definantly looks better smaller.. . but I like.

[Calliope]

WOW. I was away for a bit and come back and see some AMAZING work. Thank you soooooooooo much!!!

I know the powers that be have tossed around the idea of having different headings dependent upon what page you're on, but if we have one general page then I'll throw in my additional 2 cents.

Shanti and IAK, great jobs. Shanti, I think you're Harry/Hippogriff one is 'too' positive only. As shown on this skin, Artemis, our fearless and benevolent founder, likes the darker, lurkings in ourselves. Now, so none of you think he's a 'dark' lover, Dumbledore is his fave char and loves the triumph of good over evil. However, we all do have the darker aspects inside also. I am aiming for a marriage of the 2 here. IAK, your Dark Mark is creepy, but the opposite of Shanti's. So my suggestion is this- IAK, either throw a lightning bolt through the Dark Mark, or, even better, Shanti and IAK, meld your works together. What I mean is this- it would be way cool if Shanti's Harry on the Hippogriff was in front of IAK's Dark Mark. It would be like Voldemort chasing Harry, which is what these books are centered on anyway. And it would look so freaking awesome!

Sam, your version is exactly what I was imagining in me simple ol' noggin. Thank you one and all!!!

[Oz]

For those that haven't yet posted but can draw, don't feel that you're limited by what Tina posted at the beginning of this thread. There's a gal out there on the boards that can draw some of the most beautiful people-art that I've seen - very ethereal-style - and I think that it would make for a either part of a great logo or some other graphics. I wish I could find the posts and if I come across them again, I'll call her out here but you should also join in here.

I've compiled a quick overview of what I like so far but before I begin, I'm going to post another requirement, the picture size.

This image is the size that you need to be designing for. I'll allow for a little larger or a little smaller for artistic reasons but it should be the general guideline.

Also, keep in mind that we want a dark overtone but that it will need to go onto a page that will be light background and dark text. It doesn't mean that you can't do dark, we can always mark it by boundary but it's something to keep in mind.

On to the review so far...

banner5.jpg
Composition is great and I like the colors but I don't like the lightning bolt. Also, I'm not sure that we'll be able to use an image lifted right from WB. As stated, I like the color here but I also like the image in it's original blue.

fdkljhfp7.jpg
Great composition (the dark angel up front, etc.) I like the color but would also like to see more green or blue. While I like the stylized lightning bolt, it's starting to get away from being scar-like.

legili2-2.jpg
I like this one - I like the hand-drawn look to it. I'd like to see more of that. Same re: lightning bolt.

Riddlehouse4fin.jpg
Again, I like the hand-drawn look here. Also the abstraction of the details is kinda neat. Not sure how I feel for a banner/logo but it's neat. It's also simple but needs color.

harrybuckbeak.jpg
This one is beautiful and wish I could use it. Perhaps something like it for an alternate theme but I think that the goal we're trying to go for initially is something dismal to reflect the current mood of the books. This image is too energetic, too hopeful. And very beautiful ... did I say that? How would something like this look with a Hungarian Horntail?

Tina suggested the dark mark and there were some attempts at it but nothing really stood out for me. I like the image of the dark mark from the movies and the one currently on http://harrypotter.com but the book one is very much Mary GrandPre and why have just some of her work if we're not going to go all the way with it? Can anyone do GrandPre-esque art?

I can hear the mutterings now: for someone that isn't superb with photoshop or can't draw you sure are nitpicky. Yes, yes, I am. Unfortunately, I'm a perfectionist ... sometimes to my detriment which is why we want our public to join in on this. I just still want something that is fantastic!

[Sam31]

I just kinda took a shot off of Oz's comments on the last one...Not sure if i like it or not but you tell me...

[Calliope]

It looks awesome, Sam!

[pygmy_puff]

Sam, that rocks!

[GutSlicer]

I was kinda bored a few days ago and started making this layout and finished it today... It isn't really fitting the rules, but I really like it and everything, so I decided to post it

The original version:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c90/gutslicer/worklayout4.jpg

And the version with changed hue:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c90/gutslicer/worklayout4-2.jpg