A Dash of Inspiration, A Cup of Creativity by Doreen
Image Quality: Sharpness/Clarity
Let’s keep this series going by moving along into the IMAGE QUALITY grouping of the Submission Guidelines, and first up is:
IMAGE QUALITY: Sharpness/Clarity
The Submission Guidelines state this:
Images, whether photographs, scans of original artwork, or photographs of artwork, must have good clarity with sharp details and edges. This does not mean you can’t have selective focus or add a soft, dreamy effect to photographs which, when well executed can be a technique which provides a professional feel to a photograph. Declines may include, but are not limited to: blurry areas within an image, blurry edges, soft focus if not appropriate and professionally created, lack of depth of field, blurry images due to improper capture of movement, etc.
The majority of images that fall into the area of declines for lack of sharpness/clarity are photographs and those with photographic elements, so this is the primary discussion here, however; it goes without saying that if you have scanned or photographed your artwork and the results are not crisp and sharply focused, those too will be declined.
Blurry Areas & Edges : Probably the most commonly made mistake in photography is blurry areas or overall lack of sharpness. The key is knowing what caused the blurry area(s) within the photograph and making corrections when taking the photograph.
Look for camera shake as a culprit. Available light+aperture+ISO will determine the camera’s exposure. ANY movement of even the slightest breath during that exposure can cause camera shake. Identify camera shake problems by looking for these telltale signs:
- Entire image is blurry, not just areas of the photograph
- There is a ‘double image’ effect to the photograph
- Look for blurry streaks throughout the image and can even look jagged.
Poor focus is another area which will cause a blurry area in your image. Rather than seeing an overall blur in the entire image, you’ll see:
- Sharp focus in the wrong area of the image.
- Usually the ‘blurring’ is softer (no, this does not mean you used a soft focusing technique)
Poor Soft Focusing Technique: There are a variety of focusing techniques that professional photographers use to create stunning images. There are terms which are applied to many of these methods, but unless you truly understand the fundamental guidelines behind each of these skills, you will not achieve successful results and your images may be considered blurry rather than pleasing. Look at these examples:
A good read/refresher is The Fundamentals of Focusing Techniques.
Lack of Depth Of Field (DOF): For greeting card photographs, using a shallow DOF can certainly work, however it’s also very easy to create an image that just does not work as a greeting card image. Sometimes it’s the difference between where the DOF drop off is, and sometimes it’s a matter of whether the DOF drop off is slight or significant. To understand the difference, you need to understand DOF … it’s basic photography 101.
A good read/refresher is Focus on Depth of Field.
Poor Capture of Movement: Motion capture photography has it’s unique techniques depending on whether you wish to stop motion or capture a feeling of motion and it begins with one question … What is your goal?
Here are some tips to recognize the difference between professional motion capture techniques and those images which had no technique and therefore are poor examples:
- In motion capture photography, SOMETHING in the image always remains in focus.
- When Panning Techniques are used, you get is a fairly sharp subject that stands out against a blurred background, ultimately giving the desired feeling of motion and often with some of the subject showing the motion blur.
- Stopping motion techniques when properly applied, give a feeling of motion because the subject is sharply focused and the surroundings show the signs of movement.
- Motion Blur has been successful when your subject is moving and everything else in the image is still, creating swirling lights or swirls of unrecognizable movement.
For examples of good motion capture and tips: Motion Capture Photography Tips.
Next week we’ll continue through the Submission Guidelines: Image Quality section and discuss Grain/Color Noise. Till next week, I hope I’ve inspired you to go look through your store and see if you can weed out any images that the reviewers will find during their weeding which might have Sharpness/Clarity issues; and if so, best get to reworking the text on those cards before the reviewers get to them and decline them!
For great resources & tips visit the SalonOfArt
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Critique Clinic – June 29-30, 2013
How does it work? For three days a week (Friday-Sunday midnight), I will open the clinic to any artist who wants an honest peer review and critique of a card which gets plenty of clicks but no sales, so something’s probably not quite right, or you’ve got a new design you want to test drive, or you’re unsure about the marketability of a card. Or perhaps you’re a newbie who isn’t sure if a card is up to a marketable standard. Anyone is welcome to participate. In fact, I encourage everyone to at least look at the cards in question and read the critique comments – you may learn something. The purpose of the clinic is to help artists improve the commercial appeal and marketability of their cards.
THE RULES
- ONE card per artist only.
- Card must be intended for sale at Greeting Card Universe.
- To submit a card for critique, post a link to the card at GCU in the comments section of this clinic post. Allowances will be made if you’ve had a card declined, or made a new design you’d like advice on before submission. Give us the link where we can see the card, such as your private gallery, Flickr, Tinypic, etc. If you do give a private gallery link, be sure your private module gallery is ON. Please do not post links to your Manage Cards section – do you really want strangers tinkering with your cards? And please don’t ask us to critique a card that’s pending review – we can’t see it until it’s approved.
- Any artist is free to comment and/or give a critique of a submitted card. HOWEVER, post-and-run comments like “great card” or “you suck” will not be tolerated, nor will abuse. Criticism should be constructive, not destructive. Play nice or you will be banned.
- I also won’t tolerate temper tantrums if you decide your “artistic integrity” is being stepped on because you asked for a critique, and someone told you the photo you’re using isn’t in focus. If you can’t take honest criticism, don’t submit. Once gets you a warning; twice and you’re banned from submitting in the future.
- Artists who critique may do so by giving their opinion, posting an example of another card, or pointing the submitter to a video, on-line article, or other helpful suggestion.
- Don’t forget that artists who are giving you tips and helpful advice are volunteering their time and trouble. Be nice. A link back to their store on your website or blog is appreciated (but not mandatory).
- You are free not to take any advice offered. There’s no guarantee any card will be a bestseller, so don’t come into the clinic with unrealistic expectations.
- Rules may change as we go along and we see how things turn out, okay?
So without any further ado, I declare this week’s Critique Clinic open!
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Rainbow Connection: Another Color Palette Resource
Perfect Palette is a great resource for color palettes providing never ending inspiration! Below you’ll find a sample of a palette for Grayed Jade, another hot trendy color. There are lots more, too. Have fun!
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Design Contest: Free Spree RESULTS
The voting is over and the results are in. After a close and suspenseful contest, Donna Collins is the winner! Congratulations, Donna. A special “high five” to Natalie Kinnear, who came in a close second.
Donna, get in touch and let me know which prize you’d prefer: $10 Amazon.com gift certificate or 5 free card credits.
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Font Frenzy: P22 Hopper Edward on Sale!
For those artists always looking to beef up their font collections, here’s a nice one: P22 Hopper Edward is a script font based on the handwriting of artist Edward Hopper. The font has quite some style to it, but like Scriptina, I’d use it more for emphasis than lines of text. Or you could make a nice “handwritten letter” background or brush. Right now, you can get the font for $9.98.
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Rainbow Connection: Minted Roses
In 2013, the #1 color for weddings, engagement parties, reception dinners, and even prom dresses is MINT! Especially in combination with hot shades (like Coral and Mint) or with pretty, feminine rose shades as you see below. The mint and rose combination works especially well when you use mint as a primary color with contrasting rose highlights. Have fun!
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Dash of Inspiration: Typography – Text Placement
A Dash of Inspiration, A Cup of Creativity by Doreen
Typography: Text Placement
Let’s keep this series going by completing the TYPOGRAPHY grouping of the Submission Guidelines, and last up is:
TYPOGRAPHY: Text Placement
The Submission Guidelines state this:
When designing a greeting card, your text placement should not be an afterthought. The best place for the text to reside on your design needs to be well thought out. Your message needs to be part of the composition NOT just stuck wherever there is space left! Do not use slanted or curved text without choosing a font that translates well when tilted or curved and you’ve become an expert in this technique which can make or break a design. Nine out of ten designs look unprofessional when the text is done this way . . . so unless you know what you are doing, don’t do it. Declines may include, but are not limited to: Curved, tilted, wavy or slanted text, text broken up and randomly placed all over the image, text which is placed across a face or important part of the image, etc.
This may be the most common Typography area where artists will receive returns and/or declines. As stated in the guidelines, when you slap text over the image rather than placing it where it’s easy to read and well-balanced with the elements in the design, the card simply looks unprofessional.
Not mentioned, but also a cause for decline if not done well is vertical text which does not work the majority of the time. When it’s pulled off, it’s done so with a very legible font and using all upper case letters for readability. In most cases you are better off creating the text normally and then turning the text 90-degrees to run along the edge of the card rather than stacking the letters on top of each other.
Curved / Tilted / Slanted Text: It is very rare for curved, slanted, wavy or tilted text to work within a greeting card design. When it does, it does so because it’s following the lines and theme of the design. Still, this is a common mistake for the inexperienced greeting card designer to tilt the text in some way with no real connection to the image and no balance in the overall design. First let’s look at some GCU cards from artists who know how and when to curve/tilt/slant/wave the text using techniques which result in a professional and great design.
(Row One, L to R: Great Scott Designs, Nancy’s Nook; Row Two, L to R: Red Rose Digital Art, Clara Chandler, Doreen Erhardt)
Here are some examples which are not acceptable choices for your cards.
Randomly Placed / Scattered Text: Always remember when creating your design that the viewer reads from right to left and from top to bottom, so when you randomly scatter text all over an image which does not follow any clearly defined pattern or maintain readability, you’ve created chaos. Here are some examples of well-thought-out professional techniques which create a feeling of balance and in some cases even a pattern emerges.
(L to R: Maria Dryfhout, Catherine Sherman, Julie Alvarez)
And here are some examples of poor choices:
Placement Over Important Elements: Never, never, never place your text across the main subject of your image. Not only does it usually make it hard to read, it is distracting and gives the strong impression that an amateur created the card rather than a professional. IF you choose to have your text run the entire length of your design or through the middle, then you need to plan your card AROUND the text.
If you are using an image where there is no obvious place for the text, then make one. Either add a place or redesign using a version of the image which is smaller and leaves room for the message.
Next week we’ll move on to the next category in the Submission Guidelines: Image Quality. Till next week, I hope I’ve inspired you to go look through your store and see if you can weed out any images that the reviewers will find during their weeding which might fit TYPOGRAPHY: Text Placement issues … and if so, best get to reworking the text on those cards before the reviewers get to them and decline them!
For great resources & tips visit the SalonOfArt
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Critique Clinic – June 21-23, 2013
How does it work? For three days a week (Friday-Sunday midnight), I will open the clinic to any artist who wants an honest peer review and critique of a card which gets plenty of clicks but no sales, so something’s probably not quite right, or you’ve got a new design you want to test drive, or you’re unsure about the marketability of a card. Or perhaps you’re a newbie who isn’t sure if a card is up to a marketable standard. Anyone is welcome to participate. In fact, I encourage everyone to at least look at the cards in question and read the critique comments – you may learn something. The purpose of the clinic is to help artists improve the commercial appeal and marketability of their cards.
THE RULES
- ONE card per artist only.
- Card must be intended for sale at Greeting Card Universe.
- To submit a card for critique, post a link to the card at GCU in the comments section of this clinic post. Allowances will be made if you’ve had a card declined, or made a new design you’d like advice on before submission. Give us the link where we can see the card, such as your private gallery, Flickr, Tinypic, etc. If you do give a private gallery link, be sure your private module gallery is ON. Please do not post links to your Manage Cards section – do you really want strangers tinkering with your cards? And please don’t ask us to critique a card that’s pending review – we can’t see it until it’s approved.
- Any artist is free to comment and/or give a critique of a submitted card. HOWEVER, post-and-run comments like “great card” or “you suck” will not be tolerated, nor will abuse. Criticism should be constructive, not destructive. Play nice or you will be banned.
- I also won’t tolerate temper tantrums if you decide your “artistic integrity” is being stepped on because you asked for a critique, and someone told you the photo you’re using isn’t in focus. If you can’t take honest criticism, don’t submit. Once gets you a warning; twice and you’re banned from submitting in the future.
- Artists who critique may do so by giving their opinion, posting an example of another card, or pointing the submitter to a video, on-line article, or other helpful suggestion.
- Don’t forget that artists who are giving you tips and helpful advice are volunteering their time and trouble. Be nice. A link back to their store on your website or blog is appreciated (but not mandatory).
- You are free not to take any advice offered. There’s no guarantee any card will be a bestseller, so don’t come into the clinic with unrealistic expectations.
- Rules may change as we go along and we see how things turn out, okay?
So without any further ado, I declare this week’s Critique Clinic open!
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Design Contest: Free Spree – VOTE!
We had a great response to our Design Contest: Free Spree, and now it’s time to vote!
Every vote counts, so artists should spread the news on their social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. Get your friends involved. Since there are no bonus votes to be had this time around, it’s especially important to go out there and make sure you advertise yourself, since the card with the most votes wins!
Below, you’ll find the list of candidates, and below that, the poll to vote. Voting will continue until June 26. On June 27, I’ll announce the winner. Good luck!
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Rainbow Connection: Color Resource
A very nice source of color palettes can be found on The Sweetest Occasion, whose Color Palette category is chock full of delicious, trendy schemes. You can see a sample below. Very yummy stuff that’ll get your creative juices flowing!
Image courtesy of The Sweetest Occasion
GCU Community 