Start Here: Rules, Guidelines, Resources and Help

[AOD_Anvil]

All signatures must be no bigger than:
500px in width and 250px in height
Additionally, all signature content must abide by the COC and forum rules.



How to ask for a signature
Make a new post called something like "Requesting a Sig"

In it, please include the following:

1. links to pictures that appeal to you (google images)
2. any specific colours or styles that appeals to you (techy / grunge / abstract)
3. and finally, any sort of slogan or quote that appeals to you (optional)l

Keep an eye on the post to answer any questions that our graphic people have.



How to set your signature
First, host the completed image on a free image hosting site such as Photobucket or Imgur.

Copy the direct url of the image (http://URL_OF_THE_IMAGE.jpg) ...for this example, ".jpg" needs to be replaced with whatever format the image is (i.e. .gif, .png, .bmp)

Then, login to the forums, go to "Settings" on the top right of the forums, click "Edit Signature" in the left menu found in the "My Settings" section.

Click on the "Insert Image" button in the text editor and paste the image link in the pop-up dialogue that appears. Click okay, and then click "Save Signature" in the bottom right of the "Edit Signature" editor.



Post credit to Easykill 2005-12-28

[AOD_Anvil]

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Art Museum?
A: The Art Museum is a place where people can share graphic design and art.

Q: What is the general point of posting here?
A: To comment on people's art and/or post up your own.

Q: What program is mostly used here?
A: Most of the people in the Art Museum use Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, and/or After Effects. Photoshop is the favorite of the Art Museum.

Q: I want to learn how to make signatures, how would I do this?
A: Youtube University is a good place to start. Many people have made many signature tutorials there. Check out the resource links below to help you get started.

Q: I just made a bunch of signatures! I think I will make a thread for each one!
A: Wrong. If you want to post the signatures you have made for yourself, please just make one topic for yourself which contains a signature once in a while to show off what you have made. It keeps down spam and subsequent complaints.

Q: I see a lot of people who are better than me at graphic design, why can't I make things like that?
A: You can make things like that. Believe it or not, the best way to learn is to play with the programs that you are provided with, and in time, you will be making things like no tomorrow.

Q: I have another graphics community that I made/post on, I want people to join!
A: Please don't advertise here. We are here for fun and not for competition or anything else for that matter. Inform members another way if you must, but please keep it out of the Art Museum.

Q: I have been arguing with some person for awhile in the Art Museum, what should I do?
A: The best thing to do is to just not reply to them. It is your own personal matter with that person. The people who post here every day here don't want to hear your problems with this person. So please try not to keep an argumentive conversation going in the Art Museum, otherwise, the topic will be closed.

Q: I can't get ahold of some of these programs and can't make a signature, what do I do?
A: That's alright. Just post a request for a signature, and one of our signature makers, will get back to you as soon as they can with your request. So keep checking the thread that you posted.

Q: Where do I host signatures/images?
A: Photobucket or Imgur.

Q: Can I spam?
A: No. If you spam in this section, your topic will be closed and/or removed.

Q: What is the proper way to comment on people's signatures?
A: The best way to comment on people's signatures is to give constructive criticism, or to tell your honest opinion. So be honest and be kind.

Q: What is a render?
A: A render is an image that has been cut out for signature/graphic design use.

Q: I love huge signatures!
A: We don't. Please follow the rules. The maximum signature size is 500 x 200 pixels.

Q: What is the font used in the AOD Logo?
A: The classic logo uses Attachment 984. The forums logo uses transmutation.



FAQ Credit to Musick 2006-10-10

[AOD_Anvil]

Resources
Here is a list of resources that folks starting out in artwork and design can reference. If you find an excellent guide or resource that you would like added to this list, please shoot me a PM, and if it's well explained and easily understood it will be added to the post.


Photoshop Tutorials
Deke's Photoshop Top 40 - It doesn't really matter where you start with these tutorials. Just go through them at your own pace and try multiple projects for each video. This series will teach you the most fundamental features of Photoshop. This series is older, but should still contain vital information for those who are picking up Photoshop for the first time.

IceFlowStudios

50 Amazing Photoshop Text Effects Tutorials - We strongly suggest to go through a lot of these tutorials and find some similar tutorials elsewhere online on high-quality text effects. It's not important to learn exactly how to achieve some of these, but it's intended to open your eyes to do these on your own.

OctoTuts - Browse this channel to find some unique high quality designs.

Brusheasy - Gigantic Photoshop Website with a little bit of everything

Photoshop Lady - Oldie but goodie tutorial compilation.

Freepik - With the introduction of smart objects into Photoshop, this is a pretty awesome website to use. Pre made styles and layers, you just reverse engineer the font/look you're going for. Some very nice shortcuts.

PHLearn - Another big resource compilation

DeviantArt Brushes - Really awesome way to find that far out there brush or vector design for something different.


Drawing Resources
Proko - This is the Youtube channel for Proko. Stan Prokopenko is a great teacher online for learning how to draw. If you're interested in learning traditional style drawing or any drawing at all this is a great place to start. Tools you need for this are paper and pencils.

The KNKL Show - For those interested in digital painting/drawing this is a wonderful Youtube channel that teaches you just about everything you need to get going. The artist (Kienan Lafferty) in the videos has done art for League of Legends.

Mark Crilley - Mark is a manga/anime style artist and teaches all of the fundamentals of the style to you.


Image Assets
Pexels - A fantastic site of free stock photos for you to use on whatever projects you need them for. Just type in a keyword and find something inspirational!
Wallhaven - Wallhaven is a great site to find high-resolution wallpapers. You can use these images to create your own wallpapers or use part of them for signatures. Whenever you want to search for high-quality and high-resolution images this is a good place to start.


Fonts
Google Fonts - Google fonts and Adobe Typekit can cover most of what you need today.
Adobe Typekit - This is a subscription service. Use the settings on the right to narrow down which typeface you are looking for, and pick from the list of what is available.
Transmutation - the AOD logo font used on the forums
Attachment 984 - the classic AOD logo font


Design Communities
CG Society - This is basically where all of the pro computer graphic artists hang out. It's a good place to look and examine how people do certain things, and to read what people like and enjoy. There are tutorials, and guides in their forums and they offer paid courses.
Behance
Logolounge



Post credit to Markyle 2012-11-27 and EvilStromboli 2016-12-15

[AOD_Anvil]

Art Styles
Here are descriptions (and some examples) of art styles you can reference when requesting a signature or when searching for your approach when making art.

Abstract
An obscure background and theme that is out of the ordinary, usually characterized by its depth.

Smudging
A unique style of adding "smudges" to a sig in order to give it a manipulated feeling, this style could be done on top of grunge, tech or any other style.

Vector
Uses simple colors and designs. And has a very artistic and aesthetic sense.


Grunge
Today's style of grunge, its a bit more advanced and uses more techniques.

Motion Blur


MindFlow
Uses a mixture of vibrant colors to create a eye-catching sig. Features of the sig are usually distorted, and colors most often used are red, green, and blue.

Photomanipulation
Creating a sig by using photos of pictures of whatever or making something realistic that looks like a picture.

3D Abstract
Adding 3D elements to an abstract signature in order to give further depth and create a different sense of atmospherics.

Rasterized
Characterized by giving a smudged painting look. Must not be confused with vector which uses well defined edges rather than blurry, smudged found here.

No Render
Does not have any render, cutouts or "external" pieces on top of the background or merged with it.

Clouded Dream
Gives an appearance of a dream based on blur or "clouds" around the signature which give it a nice aesthetic feeling.

Old School Grunge
Called old skool because over a year ago, grunge was the major style and uses little technique.


MindFlow



Post credit: Calibre 2006-11-09