Wallpapers HELP!
I need advice!
Thursday, March 20, 2008 by RobJK | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
I have been trying to create some wallpapers lately. I am not shure why but the moderators havnt excepted them for the main gallery. Here is the last one that I created. 
In my opinion it is really cool but I know that everyone has different Opinions and different taste. Common colors that could be used with many Blinds and these colors are very popular. That is why I chose them.
It is a little busy and wont work with normal default desktop icons. This I do know and I also know that moderation wont exept walls that . And I didnt really work that hard on it? This wall accually was a distorted image of the original image I made which is this- 
I opened it with Irfanview and went into the effects and Added Swirl and It turned out to be the Above. The original image was 1024x768 but i added 3 resolutions which where resolutions recomended by someone so that the wall would work on most screen. I included widescreen as one. One porblem was that I was scaleing the image from the smaller to bigger so of course the added resolutions wouldnt be as good quality as the original for people with HUGE screen. If you know what I mean. In order to add the additional resolutions I had to cut the sphere from the middle out of the picture and scale the rest to the resolution and Then pase the sphere back onto the wall resizeing the Sphere to cover the whitel egg shaped Hole. The other resolutions turned out almost as good as the original.
My reason for this post is this... What would you think I could do in the future to make better walls that would be accepted into the main gallery. What do you think went wrong(besides the fact that I didnt start with a larger Image and then scale it to the other resolutions. Is it too busy is I just completely ugly....? You can be honest. I think it is cool but I made it and of course one would love something they made. I was really proud of my self for accomplishing something that I didnt think i could ever accomlish. I was upset about it and very hurt that it didnt get accepted and decided to give up. But I talked to zubaz about it and he pointed out that just becuase they didnt like it that doesnt mean it wasnt good. I will not give up because as zubaz also pointed out to me, by doing this no one wins.
So wallpaper makers help me out. Any advice critique good or bad anything would help. I want to eventually get into every gallery and Walls is one. I am working on WB skinning and icons. Everyone probly knows me as the sound packager guy and I want to go beyond that. Sound schemes are close to the being one of the least important parts of desktop customization. Though I love doing them and will continue I want to do more. Thanks much for anything you can give me in terms of advice.
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Reply #2 Thursday, March 20, 2008 1:59 AM
RobJK, before some of the others see this and say welcome to the club, let me add my 2 cents. First off, how many walls have you done? Is the only reason you are doing them to get on the main gallery? Now keep in mind that this comes from a non skinner, but you should be doing skinning for your own pleasure, fun, enjoyment, what ever.
Most of the other folks are going to say have patience and keep at it or practice, practice, practice. Walls are all about what looks good to you. It's not like the other skins say WB where there are right and wrong ways of doing things, you know that technical stuff.
Just look at the sound packages you have done. I take it you enjoyed doing them, right?
With time RobJK, with time.
Reply #3 Thursday, March 20, 2008 3:00 AM
Keep at it. That's my best advice. Just keep at it. Find some wallpaper artists you admire and use them as inspiration. Keep practicing, evolve. Make adjustments: don't get in a design rut (do as I say, not as I do.. heh). When you think you're getting good: work at it even more, with more vigor, with more zest and enthusiasm.
Keep practicing. Just when you feel your 'skillz' are such that you 'blow most others out of the water', keep at it.
Ya see what I'm getting at?
Just keep going. Keep designing. Get inspiration from all around: people, places, things (ok, nouns, it seems
). Nature, other artists. Don't stop.And most of all: Try not to knock another's work whilst you hone your craft. Humility does wonders.
Even though I repeated, reiterated and otherwise duplicated my message in a plethora of ways, I hope you got something out of this.
Reply #4 Thursday, March 20, 2008 3:30 AM
Ok so what were you trying to say? Stop beating around the bush an spit it out.
Reply #5 Thursday, March 20, 2008 3:49 AM
And most of all: Try not to knock another's work whilst you hone your craft. Humility does wonders.
Even though I repeated, reiterated and otherwise duplicated my message in a plethora of ways, I hope you got something out of this.
Yes i was Philly. And I realized from what zoombaz said in PM "you should be doing your art for you not us" That it is true. I am so stuck on trying to get noticed and be someone here that I am not haveing fun! What is the point If I am not Haveing fun? When I make something I am always thinking of what will apeal to a large crowd and what other people will think is cool. When What I should be doing is Creating things that I like and if they dont get accepted .. Who gives a hoot. No but that wall Is something that I like ALLOT! But when I started I was thinking of everyone else and what they would think. I need to stop that. Its not fun. I mean of course if you want to get things in the gallery you have to sort of think of what would appeal to a large crowed so that it may get accepted. But when I create something I want to share it so I cant help but do that. You know what I mean? I have only submitted 5 and This is the only one that I would have expected to be in the main glalery? I know I learned my lesson Already i jumped to the conclusion that I suck way too soon.
Yes I know and I do practice practice practice honestly. And Useually When I go to do something It tunes out pretty good. So I try to upload it and It is only pretty good. I am in the practice stage so I shouldnt expect for everything to get accepted. Expecially with walls. Isnt that the gallery with the most srtict moderation policy?
causticFX--- Yes I know I know I am tryig to be a PRofessional when I am just getting started. It takes time. It takes practice. It just doesnt come naturally. I draw that came naturally, but with imaging on the computer You have to work at it. It isnt as easy. It is far from it!
You all are kind of missing the point though. What I wanted to know is what is wrong with that Wall. Is it to busy or is the execution off? Not realistic enough? Because to me that one tunred out WAY better than I ever though I could do! And it is really cool? Dont you think. It may not be Wallpaper material of course but the image is good... to me? Am I thinking this because I made it and was shocked at how it truned out? Or am i right? Does anyone have any advice on what I could have done differently is what I want to know?
Reply #6 Thursday, March 20, 2008 3:56 AM
Reply #7 Thursday, March 20, 2008 4:02 AM
Yes I know what you mean by this(It took me a min LOL I am not good with fancy words? LOL). I see allot of Spheres in allot of walls. So thats what I went for. Not only because of this but also because I am getting good at makeing spheres.I should start on a clean slate! I love to create but I do have a hard time comeing up with Ideas. Even when Sketching? I am not very Imaginative? I need To Open my imagination and think for a while about what I want to create and then go at it.
Reply #8 Thursday, March 20, 2008 9:05 AM
RobJK ...constructive criticism would tell you that both images above are quite prominent and thus distracting as wallpaper to most people.
Analysis in detail of the 'unswirled' image, though 3 dimensional has conflicting lighting effects....the ball's is offset but the rest appears not so...so the 3D effect is garbled [confused].
Your own comment 'it is a little busy' is probably its failing.
Keep experimenting/practising. You never know what might be around the next [creative] corner...
Reply #9 Thursday, March 20, 2008 9:24 AM
There are "art" walls and there are functional walls. Sometimes they are the same but most offend not. Look to leave space for icons (most people still use them). Make sure that they will be easy to see. The swirled example does not allow for this I think. (the unswirled is better but the colors seem distracting because they are so sharp).
Reply #10 Thursday, March 20, 2008 9:33 AM
When I moderate walls, I look at some very specific technical things:
1) Does it make a good wall?
2) Are there plain areas for icons?
3) Is it technically well done.
The 3rd one is the difficult one. First, the style has a lot to do with what will technically be accepted. If you are making something in 3D (versus abstract or hand drawn) you have to be very exact with lighting, edges, color use, etc.
I wasn't able to find the originals on your page, but from the small images above, this would be my critique:
1) It's too busy to be a good wall
2) There is not enough plain area for icons
3) The lighting is off, and the pieces feel disconnected.
Reply #11 Thursday, March 20, 2008 9:52 AM
1) Does it make a good wall?
2) Are there plain areas for icons?
3) Is it technically well done.
I don't think this is right. just because something doesn't meet your so called "specfic technical things" should not be a reason to not except/upload someones work. Art is art, it's an expression of ones ideas and it differs from person to person and by their talents so for someone to say this or that doesn't fit "our" standards is wrong, just plain wrong.
Reply #12 Thursday, March 20, 2008 9:57 AM
)dA has art. WC has desktop customization graphics. There is a difference.
Reply #13 Thursday, March 20, 2008 10:04 AM
Yes, it is. However this gallery is a 'Wallpaper' one, not an 'Art' one.
Sculpture is Art, too...but poking a "Statue of David' into your computer screen isn't going to make it a wallpaper....ergo not all 'Art' is suitable as a Wallpaper...
Reply #14 Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:10 PM
ROFL... true words..
Well you can make one pixel red in the upper left corner and call it modern minimalistic art... still wont make a good wallpaper.. And the mods need some kind of guidelines what to accept and what not to accept for a efficient workflow etc.. else there would be chaos and and the red dot would be in the wallpaper section and none would benefit from that..
Reply #15 Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:11 PM
Reply #16 Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:20 PM
This makes no sense what so ever
Reply #17 Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:34 PM
change a few words.......
Opinions are Opinions, they are an expression of ones ideas and differ from person to person and by their experiences........... so for me to say your opinion is wrong....well that's just plain wrong.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not everyone sets the rules.
Reply #18 Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:47 PM
Reply #19 Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:54 PM
Only other advice is the old standby with regards to design. Less is more (Just don't tell IR that)
Imo.
Reply #20 Thursday, March 20, 2008 6:43 PM
1) Does it make a good wall?
2) Are there plain areas for icons?
3) Is it technically well done.
The 3rd one is the difficult one. First, the style has a lot to do with what will technically be accepted. If you are making something in 3D (versus abstract or hand drawn) you have to be very exact with lighting, edges, color use, etc.
I wasn't able to find the originals on your page, but from the small images above, this would be my critique:
1) It's too busy to be a good wall
2) There is not enough plain area for icons
3) The lighting is off, and the pieces feel disconnected[/quote]
Copy and Pasted to notepad and saved! Thanks much. I have read it in the moderation thingy but now it is on my pc and I will keep it in mind on my next try.
LOL true thier is allot of people who do walls and It if they where strained then the gallery would be CLOGGED!
I wasn't able to find the originals on your page, but from the small images above, this would be my critique:
1) It's too busy to be a good wall
2) There is not enough plain area for icons
3) The lighting is off, and the pieces feel disconnected
Yes i can see that. Very true. I just liked the image as a picture in istself. I can see how it isnt wallpaper material. I only use object dock though so I have to keep in mind that not everyone does this.
Sculpture is Art, too...but poking a "Statue of David' into your computer screen isn't going to make it a wallpaper....ergo not all 'Art' is suitable as a Wallpaper...
LOL Yeah!
Only other advice is the old standby with regards to design. Less is more (Just don't tell IR that)
Yeah I Took an okay image and Added an effect to it and it turned out better. And Balls are over done. I just got exited about the turn out! I was shocked and then when it wasnt accepted.. WHAA! I was sad. But you all have great points.
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Reply #1 Thursday, March 20, 2008 1:49 AM