Amazing

I think this is the first time I realized how fun and amazing colour dodge is.  Without that effect, I wouldn't have completed this little tag.  I wanted to learn how to make things more flashy in Photoshop.  Well, I know of some techniques but it never hurts to learn more.  This could also help with my skills in typography one day.  The background is actually a shrunken version of some tissue paper I scanned a while ago.  

I used a masking effect on the letters and erased using a brush tool at 40% opacity, which would leave some solid parts of the letters behind.  I then added some colour in the background (on another layer).  The letters sit on top of it which gives it that nice colourful effect.  I added some brush work using some "colour" effects in the end.  Hopefully I can continue to make some of these awesome little pieces in the future!

The font used is: Gill Sans Ultra Bold

Developed in: Adobe Photoshop CS3

Vector background for figures

Recently I learned some new techniques in Photoshop!  After using some grunge brushes in the background for both Totori (the figure with the blue background) and Milla (the figure with the burgundy background) I added some nice glows and vector shapes on top.  I must say the result is lovely.  The colours stand out nicely and they don't take away from the figures themselves.

Milla

Totori

I incorporated some vector designs created in Adobe Illustrator in both of these images. It was a bit difficult doing some of the shapes in Photoshop, so I used Illustrator.  Fortunately I could use the swirl and curve tools there.  They made life much easier.  The strokes came from stretched circles.

I used various effects in photoshop, such as colour and gradient overlays, which I don't use as frequently as I probably should.

I particularly like the Totori one because of the flask.  It's like a beautiful experiment where colours just burst from success! I also liked the additional glow effects.  I added some to her eyes to make them sparkle a bit more.

Photographs and figures belong to: Sui Chee
Developed in: Adobe Illustrator CS3 & Adobe Photoshop CS3

Professor Layton Layout

I wanted to use various designs and fonts in Adobe InDesign.  I realized I hadn't created any fake magazine covers yet so I tried that using my own photos.  Since I don't have images of models (for fashion magazines) I decided to be more creative by developing a cover for imported figures!  Inspired by Poke the Merch!

I did some editing on Professor Layton (the figure shown on the cover) so it was slightly brighter than the original.  I tried out various fonts and they seemed to work well with the cover.  There's some emphasis on more significant sections, such as orange for "figures".

I also included a spread with the cover.  I have a third page, but it's incomplete.  It's really just the final bits of my review for this figure.  The copy, which is a review of the figure, is by me.  You can read the full review at Poke the Merch's blog.  You'll also find many more pictures there!

Brown for the background seemed suitable because I wanted it to match Layton's dark hat and coat.  It also mixes well with his orange shirt.  I'm quite pleased with the final result.  I was able to play with the fonts (and sizes) and I was also able to incorporate my own photos.

Photos and copy by: Sui Chee

Developed in: Adobe InDesign CS3

Edited in: Adobe Photoshop CS3

Website

I've been learning html and basic CSS as of late! I've been pretty busy figuring out how to fix the little errors I've been making and I've come a long way, so here's a little preview

I think I'm going to change up my blog or update it, mainly because my current one is out of date and it's getting a tad wonky on me. I can't even have a regular compose/html post box...so yes, that is a sign for me to revamp! It will work out well since I'm already working on a new layout for my website. I'll go into 2012 with a bang!

I quite like the texture I used for my website because it's actually white tissue paper. I found a nice flat piece in the house and used my scanner to scan it. I adjusted the colour and added some effects on it and the result is wonderful.

The thumbnails for my works have a nice border around it. It's the same texture used for the background. The main white section is slightly faded and I used my grunge brushes to remove some sections from the sides. It has a nicer effect. At least to me it seems more interesting than plain shapes.

Most of the icons are set up now in css and html. I have some of the copy done for the about section and I believe I will be keeping what I originally had in my contact section from my previous layout.

Currently being designed in: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Additional pieces designed in: Adobe Illustrator CS3
Currently being built in: Adobe Dream Weaver CS3

Playing with InDesign

I picked up the Tales of Xillia Famitsu DX Pack early September and took some pictures for a post at my Poke the Merch blog. I took a photo of the Tipo plush and made a small page out of it. I really just wanted to get used to playing with text over images.

Edited in: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Developed in: Adobe InDesign CS3

Banner for Poke the Merch

Here's the main banner I made for the blog my friend and I are both running.

The photographs were taken by the both of us. The design was done by me.


After taking a photograph of my hand (more than once because it was a difficult task to do on my own), I vectored it and used it for our logo, which you can see at the top right.

Developed in Adobe Photoshop CS3

Splash Works!

I just felt like playing with blue (and trying out some fonts I rarely use).

I buried a bit of the text in the water and the added splash bits on top. 

The water shooting out from the middle was created using the brush tool and stroke function. After using the curve tool, I added a stroke and changed it to a brush I made using a circle.

This was quite fun to make!

Developed in Adobe Illustrator CS3

Edited in Adobe Photoshop CS3