I'm glad you're not too down from the w.a.r. thing... And I hope you keep walling ^^ Because I'd love to
see more of your outside-the-box walls =) Alrighty! I'll get on with the critiquing...
Scan :
Okay, you've still got a bit of an extraction problem... Do you extract with the pen-tool? Because, for me,
that's the most efficient means to extract... Because, leaving the white outline kind of looks sloppy [or did you
do an outer glow or something? - I wouldn't do that, it just looks ridiculous in most walls... Very hard to pull it
off well]
Hmm, and did you intentionally blur the image? I don't think it suits the background, that's all. Because
it's a really sharp background, the lines are clear and there's generally very little blurring... I think the
"speed" blur just looks out of place...
And is that white-red flame a part of the original scan? If it was, I can see why you chose to use the red scheme on
this wall... But it really is distracting, because it's not the same shade of red that you've used in the
background...
Choice of Colour :
Okay, to be absolutely honest, I *love* the red in the background. The combination with the black just makes it feel
more angsty ^^
The only qualm I really have in terms of colour is that well, the background colour doesn't match the red of the
flame... And the fact that you didn't use white or grey... To blend the scan in more. It's just, the lighter
tones are clustered around the bottom right hand corner, and in a wall as complicated as this, you should place a bit in
other places, just to draw a bit of contrast, or interest into the other corners.
But in a way, I could also see a really effective white+black+grey wall... Like, it could have been done using colours
that suited the character more, and then you could have enhanced it with a bit of red here and there, to highlight
points in the image that you felt needed emphasis...
Background :
i love your background. BUT, keep in mind the scan... Please. You make the most beautiful backgrounds... But then you
think about how the scan integrates with it... I mean, I just love how you do your backgrounds, they're always so
full, but never *too busy*, which is why I just absolutely admire your backgrounds. It's really hard to pull that
off, I've looked at enough walls to notice that people usually overcrowd like crazy ^^
The shapes and images create the sense of "too much knowledge", like it's just, everywhere, which I think
is a wonderful way of demonstrating what you were aiming for ^^ And the way these are composed in the wall is just
*perfect*
Text :
Teehee, okay, you're really not a text person... But maybe you could have put a white+grey text on the left, to
draw a bit of attention there? [Not sure what you'd write though... And don't even ask me about font
=P]
Useability :
Ooh, new criteria [because I'm getting really annoyed over walls that look great, but just wouldn't fit on the
desktop] ^^;
Okay, to be honest, it looks good on the desktop... But only for a while. It's just... Very red. Generally, keep in
mind that a wall is for the desktop, and make sure you don't use colours that will hurt the audience's eyes,
or annoy them. Red is a great colour, but you could have opted maybe for a darker/browner version... [I said
darker/browner... Because I know that darkness makes very little difference when people turn their screens to 100%
brightness... And brown-ness gives it a murkier feel, even if it's an extra-bright screen]
Or, you could have gone for the other option of greyscale... Which definitely looks good on the desktop [like
Misa's Shibuya Hybrid ^^ - which isn't totally grey, but it's the only wall that I know of that uses
greys]
So, keep in mind, to maximise useability, don't use bright colours =)
Overall :
Keep up the great work on the backgrounds <3 But work on both the scan, and scan-integration, 'kay?
- Tevi
