First image post, be gentle

[SysError]

Just a little history for this image. This is the first time I have tried to almost completly manufacture an image via photoshop. Before it was mostly just scrapbook quality images. Most of the other students are still doing that lvl of quality and i am trying to get my quality level of all my images a lot higher than what it is.

[Rudeone]

hmmm, first of all stay away from texture filters, in the brickhouse it does kinda work for the front (except windows), but for the side it doesn't cause the texture isn't in perspective like the wall. It's to obvious you used photoshop's standard filters, if you can get your hands on a drawing tablet it would be better to piant the texture yourself. Otherwise maybe a photo taken from a brick wall could do the trick, the side you could select and skew in perspective, but I wouldn't recommend it, painted textures always look cooler. Again try to stay away from Photoshop's standard texture filters, they won't help you improve your skills!
Those rendered clouds in the background could work I gues.

-The mech isn't cut out proparly, use your pen tool or lasso tool to ged rid of the unwanted parts!

-Your perspective is all wrong, search the net for perspective drawing techniques, they are quite easy to master and they always work.

-It would look cooler if the reflection in the water was kinda distorted, you could use the smudge tool for that

-The pick-up truck looks like it's floating on it's tires.

-I'm missing a horizon, right now it looks like it takes place on the edge of a cliff.

That's all I can find for now, I hope this is usefull to you. Really try to score a wacom, maybe you could get your hands on one in school (no don't steal it, but ask if there's a way to borough one:D ) , if you study multimedia and digital art there has to be a way to borough one on school I think.
Anyway good luck, you have a lot to learn, but study and try hard and you will get there

[sundialsvc4]

Lessee... The first thing I notice is that very large blue-gray area in the upper right quadrant of the image. I guess it's supposed to be a wooden wall, but it's not pulling its weight at all. Take a piece of paper and cover up the entire right-hand third of the image. Does this "crop" make the image better? Thought so... make it permanent. I see a few more aggressive cuts we could make -- slicing away the entire moon, cropping the sucker very tightly until we've gotten rid of everything that isn't making this picture do what we need to make it do... namely, to move.

It is very difficult for me to see that "building in the back" doing anything, much less "falling," because I can't see it. Take the building in the front and move it over halfway to the left so that we can see what's behind it. (While you're at it, see if you like the looks of a crop along the bottom side that cuts just-below the bottom edge of the car's bumper.) Since it seems that we have cropped the pickup-truck completely out of the picture (and don't seem to be missing it), if you need to have that element in there to fulfill the assignment, maybe a front-on view of the truck .. sized no larger than the Camaro .. could be put on the street behind it.

Now for an exercise in visual-language... You have said that your word is motion, so I want every single element in this picture (those that survive the cut, anyway) to convey "motion." If it does not somehow do that, rework it or cut it until it does.

I'm a very, very big fan of the cropping marker. Print a few copies of this thing on scratch paper, in B&W if you can, and use other pieces of paper or cardboard as cropping guides. And/Or use a grease-pencil to make marks on it. Put the computer away! Cut up a copy of the image with a pair of scissors and play with possible arrangements of these elements on a blank page. Allocate "quality time" for this and don't let anything distract your concentration. Constantly be on the lookout to see if every square inch of the image is working, pulling its weight. It is far better to take "lazy" elements completely out, than to have an image full of visual elements that are "just hangin' out."

[SysError]

ouch.... Hardcore. Should i start from scratch then? I didnt think it was that bad, but again I am just learning so probably not a good judge of it.

How do you go about creating custom textures? I dont have access to any type of tablet unfortunatly. Is there a cheap alternative to it.

[SysError]

well its late and i cant see straight. maybe a fresh start will help me out with this. Any additional Ideas is always appreciated. The more i look at it the more it does seem dead... I hate spending so much time on something just to chunk it, but in this case i think I will start over. I still want the basic idea of what im doing.

I am thinking of adding in some feel of motion with maybe a few planes or speeders flying by; anything to give the feel of an active scene.

[Rudeone]

What you could do is to draw the buildings on paper (use a 2 points perspective, google it), than you could trace it with a fineliner leaving no gaps, scan it in photoshop, with the magic wand tool you can select parts, paint it with the mouse (check for reference images, you know brick walls, concrete, glass etc.).

I don't know the prices of wacom tablets in the US, I got one for 60 euro, I gues the cheapest US prices would be around $100, you probably can find cheaper tablets of other brands, but wacom is the best.

Piece of advice: don't let (harsh) crit beat you down, no one here is trying to make you feel bad, but are willing to help you improve your skills.
Keep updating

[SysError]

Ok well did a little reworking of the image. I also had to choose two additional words i will put those above the image i made for that word. Granted its nowhere near the quailty I want to be able to do, but I feel that if i keep working at it I'll definatly get better.


Motion:
http://wembassy.com/photoshop/motion.jpg

Historic:



http://wembassy.com/photoshop/Historic.jpg << image size is huge! re-size them for the web, please. Thank you - Kirt

and Technical:(Yes the anime guy was hand drawn by me!)



http://wembassy.com/photoshop/technical.jpg


Well, this is it. My deadline is tomorrow so i got to go with what i have. I have been working on the three of them for a while(we had a week to do all three of them). I think i got each word pretty much on the hammer. Whether it looks pretty, eh. I know im not there yet, but if i was I probably wouldnt be going to school for it now.

[Rudeone]

Hey man, looking much better, the brick wall actually works, perspective isn't right yet, but keep practicing, you'll get there.
I like the rain, to get a nice effect you could make a soft glow on the car roofs.

Keep working and you defenitly will get better!

Good luck with your deadline

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