Halloween Sig Contest Winners

[Violet]

The contest is finally complete! We can now see the winners and which sigs belong to the contestants.


And the first place winner is..

HALIE!!!



Congratulations ^^. You earned it well.


Here's your banner to show proof of your victory in your signature. Enjoy ^^.




Second place..

Djinn!

http://i37.tinypic.com/w7m0bb.jpg





And Third place..

Mistress Sheena!

http://i37.tinypic.com/r1ac1z.gif






Thank you all for participating. If it wasn't for everyone, this contest would've never happened. Congratulations, everyone ^^.

Here's the rest!

Xeim

http://i33.tinypic.com/314fpmu.jpg

Omega Weapon

http://i37.tinypic.com/1178x0j.png

Tiger Lily

http://i36.tinypic.com/25qy6vp.png

Meier Link

http://i33.tinypic.com/2v28e3o.jpg

Merlin

http://i37.tinypic.com/2cmx0mt.jpg

Raider

http://i33.tinypic.com/2w2lik8.png

Doc Rocco/Sour Sob

http://i34.tinypic.com/2apw2h.png

Unknown Entity

http://i33.tinypic.com/dcga46.jpg





Well, that's it, everyone. Thankyou again for participating and I hope to see some participants for the next Sig contest. Au revoir!

It is now safe for those who wanted to review to post their reviews on every sig. Please be thorough with your critique. Thankyou ^^.

[ChloChloAriadne]

Congrats, Halie. That banner is lovely.

[winterborn86]

Congratulations Halie

[Furore]

Aye congrats Halie, it was a great piece of work.
As were all the others, a fine batch indeed.

[Omega Weapon]

This is the day I've been waiting for!! Congratulations on winning this competition Halie.
You worked so hard on your sig and that's the price I guess, fantastic work. And a well-deserved award. ^^

Congratulations again.

EDIT: Now I can die in peace, haha.

[Halie]

=0. Wow, that's pretty cool haha. Thanks everyone . Congrats to Sheenah and Djinn, too.

Thanks to those who voted as well .

^____________________________________^

[Omega Weapon]

Well, being one of the reviewers, I am going to post my reviews now.

Before you read the reviews, please keep in mind that:

• My personal preference has nothing to do with my reviews.

• All my reviews are based on my experience.

• I tried to be as honest/helpful as possible.

• In order not to turn this thread into a spam thread, please feel free to VM/PM me if you have anything you want to say about my reviews. After all... I don't expect you to agree with everything I say.

REVIEWS:

1. Halie: http://i33.tinypic.com/2eyx9pz.png

It's simple and at the same time tastefully created. Very effective. Very nice to look at and I absolutely love your choice of colors and how you did the background. The subject and background compliment each other very well. Not to mention that it has an awesome Halloween feeling to it which makes the banner even better.

Also, I really like the font you chose and how it stands out without using any fancy filters, However, my only grouse is the border is not really visible on TFF Dark. You could change it's color to a different color that matches your sig (Orange), other than that, no real criticisms at all on my part. Excellent work.


2. Djinn: http://i37.tinypic.com/w7m0bb.jpg - Updated

We can't deny the fact that it looks quite simple. However, there are some considerable changes from the original image, the changes are clearly seen in the skull. The skull now has more defined outlines. Besides, the visual effects have significantly enhanced it. Also, the font was properly chosen and in suitable size.

On the other hand, there were some black spaces that must have been filled but it's all good, it's not a big deal anyway.

Overall the banner is nicely done.


3. Mistress Sheena: http://i37.tinypic.com/r1ac1z.gif

First of all, I must say I've been impressed by your banner mostly because It's an animated one which is a rarely thing to see here on TFF.

With that said, I love your choice of font, If I were you I would change it's color to white though, that would make it more legible on a dark background. You did a good job on the background, it looks really good. In fact, it would have been looked even better if you worked a bit harder on it but it's all good.

The photo of that girl who holds the cleaver looks so clean on TFF Light. However, the only thing I could say against this banner is that there are some noticeable pixelation when you view it on TFF Dark, that's not your fault though. Overall an exceptional banner, good work!


4. Xeim: http://i33.tinypic.com/314fpmu.jpg

There is too much going on in your banner. The color richness and details are simply outstanding, I find the text difficult to read though.

I believe there isn't much you could do that would make it all that much better. However, You could maybe try changing the font you chose. I reckon that will make the text a bit easier to read.

All in all a solid entry. Nice work!

Spoiler: 5. Omega Weapon

6. Tiger Lily: http://i36.tinypic.com/25qy6vp.png

Whilst I admit it looks is great and I enjoy the design, it's a bit boring. However, I liked the font you chose. It matches your sig perfectly. Also, You actually did a good job on the background. Good work but definitely not your best.


7. Meier Link: http://i33.tinypic.com/2v28e3o.jpg

Seeing that this actually is the first banner I've ever seen by you (and probably the first banner you've ever made), I honestly think it deserves more attention. I find it pretty, but It would have been great even prettier if it was in a higher quality format.

A really cool idea. The overall design is simple yet unbelievably funny. Although I love the banner, I think it was completely ruined by some noticeable pixelation. Plus, having more than four characters in your banner makes it too busy. Seriously, get rid of some of your "Horror Masters". ^^

Overall a nice piece of work. I really hope to see more of your works in the future.

8. Merlin: http://i37.tinypic.com/2cmx0mt.jpg

First of all, We can't deny the fact that it looks quite messy. Too many unnecessary effects were. Honestly, get rid of some of the effects you used, change the border's color (it is not visible on TFF Dark which makes it even messier) and add some relevant text such as "Happy Halloween" then I can guarantee you it would improve significantly.


9. Raider: http://i33.tinypic.com/2w2lik8.png

Very cool work. Excellent choice of effects. Great balance between colors and contrast as well. However, I didn't like your choice of font. You probably could have chosen a more interesting font and definitely change it's color since black makes your text almost impossible to read on a dark background.


10. Doc Rocco: http://i34.tinypic.com/2apw2h.png

Although I think the design is great and eye-catching too, I honestly think it has nothing to do with Halloween... Don't get me wrong but it doesn't have a Halloween feeling to it

Three things I would like to suggest: The border is not visible on TFF Dark which means you need to change it's color, change the font you chose and definitely change it's color. It's really difficult to read.

One more thing, I'd love to see the original image you used for your sig. ^^


11. Unknown Entity: http://i33.tinypic.com/dcga46.jpg

Not bad, but the overall design feels like any basic banner. One of the things I noticed that I honestly didn't like was the background, it looks boring and it has ruined your banner completely. Don't get me wrong but you probably could have chosen a different background. Not to mention that there's too much blank space. I think you can add more content on left side and right side.

Also, the font you chose wasn't very interesting. You probably could have chosen a different font, something that looks Halloweeny, rather than sporty.
___________________

I'm doing the best I ever did
I'm doing the best that I can
I'm doing the best I ever did
NOW GO AWAY!

Haha, Godsmack rocks! ^________^\m/

[Xeim]

I enjoyed seeing all of the entries. Each one was good in it's own way, and none of them were bad.

A big congratulations to Halie!! Your sig really shone, and you definitely deserved to win.

A few things to keep in mind before reading my reviews (This be the disclaimer, folks):
-Take nothing I say personally. Any criticism is to help you improve.
-If you disagree with me, that's fine. You can discard my comments and suggestions, just please don't confront me about them.
-If I am unclear on anything and you would like to know more about what I meant, please feel free to PM me
-If my review of your sig is long and you think I went overboard, please try and take the time to read it anyway. I wanted to be as thorough as possible, and so I wasn't going to skimp on my reviews to make them short.
-If there are typos...ignore them. ^^;; I tried.
-The reviews are in the order they were in for the voting thread.

Tiger Lily
I like the border. It matches your color scheme, it's well defined, and because of that it does its job nicely.

Your background is, while eye catching, rather one dimensional. It really just says....hey, I took an image and I put another image on top of it. That happens with a lot of banners, and sometime the look works, but usually it won't. It's something you want to think about when making your banners: "Hey, does this look really...flat? Does it look like it goes anywhere, or is it just an image lying on another image?"

The image in the foreground...you used some pretty distinct filters on it. I'd be curious to know what the original image looked like. Now obviously, filters are fun to use and some of the things you can get from them are amazing...but you need to be careful. Using them too much can make your image look like a blob of color. This...I can still tell is a head, but the effects still feel a little overdone. Try fading the effect a little after you put it on. I almost never use any filters at 100% opacity.

The edges also look a little rough...and I understand that editing images is hard. It sure bugs me, and I never do a perfect job. There are ways to cover it up though....do a little blurring on the edges or put a small glow on it. Strokes don't usually help you, but the right color outer glow can actually cover up a lot.

I like the eye. Was it originally that color? If not, nice color alteration job. If not, well...it's still really awesome.

I'm also fond of the text. The font is nice. It's creepy and fancy, but not so creepy and fancy that it's unreadable. The color's good too, but I do wish it'd stand out from the background a little more. The text was what really caught my eye about the banner though, so I don't think I have a lot to comment about there.


Halie
Your border. It's extremely small and very undefined.....in fact, it you can't even see it on the left side, if it's there. Black borders and white borders can be very problematic, as they disappear easily. Black borders can hardly be seen on dark backgrounds, while white borders can hardly be seen on light backgrounds. So, someone's going to have trouble seeing it. With everything going on in your sig, it really needs a defined border, and it's sad to not see one around. I'd also hate to see an orange border, with all the orange in your sig....I have to admit that I've never been the greatest with borders, so the best advice I could give is to play around with several colors and thicknesses on different colored backgrounds until you find one that seems fitting.

I like the depth it seems to have. Like I said in the above paragraph, there's a lot going on. But, it doesn't look crowded, either. There's just a very large amount of orange. Image wise, starting from the left...I like the coloring of the image of the girl. It looks autumn-ey, and sort of eerie at the same time. The only thing I must object to is...well, there's some sort of brush or effect on her arm that makes her look like she's infected with the stigma from Advent Children. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but it is a bit annoying.

Moving along...the pumpkin image looks a little squished. It's a great addition to the sig though, and fills up what would have otherwise been a boring "hole" so to speak. The hill from Nightmare Before Christmas is also a fun addition that adds to the creativity of the sig. I don't like the filter you used where it curls though. It feels a little unnecessary.

The bats are cute, as well.

I like the font, too but....everything is orange. And I understand that this is a halloween contest, but you have to remember that not everything has to be orange and black. There's more to halloween than the colors we attach to it. You just showed us that by using an eerie sort of image, pumpkins, bats, and something from a movie. I would have really liked to see at least one more color used in this sig. It would've given it that much more dimension. Maybe just a little touch of blue somewhere, or even different shades of orange here and there.

It's also very busy. There's a lot going on.

It's still a beautiful sig, though. The color works...it just makes me want something more.

Unknown Entity
I'll start with your text. It'd be nice if the word "Halloween" was centered under the "Happy" a little more, and if you had been a little more creative with it. The font style is plain and doesn't really compliment the creepy air you probably wanted your sig to give off.

The star in the background looks a little uneven...did you hand draw it (Or uhm...draw it with a mouse...however you want to put it)? It's not necessarily a bad thing, though it would be nice to see a little more symmetry.

I don't see anything wrong with your main image.

I like how defined the border is.

Overall, your sig doesn't have a lot going on. Really, it shouldn't need a lot, but it would've been nice if you did something with the black space. Maybe throw in some brush work...play with lighting and color a bit...there's a lot you could have done with this.

Djinn
You have a very distinct center image with a lot of effort put into the space around it....but beyond that there's nothing. It would've been nice to see you use all the space that you made for yourself. As it is, the banner probably would've looked better if it were much shorter.

You could have at least added a distinctive border, to make the black space look like it needed to be there. As it is, the sig just...tapers off into nothingness.

The text is also hard to read. The effect you went for with it was pretty cool, but in the end people like clarity over creativity with text. You can still be creative with text, just don't exchange clarity for it.

What you do have in your sig is bright and exciting, though, and I do like it.

Doc Rocco
Your border is good. The black is a little difficult to see, but it's still there and more or less defined.

I do like the intensity of the eye color. Did you do the coloring yourself or was it like that for the stock image? If you did it, then kudos. Very eye catching.

The other effects...decay brushes right? I like the look it gave the sig. Very eerie. I hope that never happens to my poor face. ;_; Beyond that, I really like the coloring of the different areas of the sig. It gives it an extra sort of "oomph" that really completes the sig.

I like the use of the bloodspot to try to bring the text out. I also like the font and color you used for the font. However....the text is still a little hard to read. Especially the second half of "Halloween."

The sig also feels really...confined. The cropping of the image leaves a little to be desired. However, I can't really offer any advice on how you might go about fixing that, so I wouldn't worry. It's a minor thing, and probably just me.

Overall though, it's a great sig, and there's not a lot wrong with it.

Meier Link
Well, it has a creative idea. It certainly made me giggle when I first saw it.

However, the edits on the images are a little rough, and there's quite a bit of pixelation. A few minutes to clean all that up would've made it quite a bit better. The text "The True Masters of Horror" is also a little hard to read. You probably should've made the entire line a little darker, instead of just the left side. The light color gets lost in his shirt.

Something in the background would have been nice as well, as opposed to a solid color. You also could have used a nice border around the entire sig.

Raider
The right side of the sig is really well done, and it looks like you put a lot into it. However, it would've been nice to see you use more of the space. Maybe continue the fog effect you had going out over the length of the sig? Anything you cover up more of the black space.

I also wish I could read the text better. I would very much like to know what happens "when hell" does whatever it does. A white font, or at least a stroke or glow around the black font would have been a nice addition.

I like the pop out that you have in the sig, those are always fun to see.

Omega Weapon
I really like your border. It's creative and it's very defined. It makes even the edges of your sig look like an important part of the image.

The middle image is very well done. I like the contrast between black images and the red sky. The fact that the text looks like the border is awesome as well.

However, I don't like how you boxed everything in. The statues didn't really need to be separated from the rest of the image. They may be very different, but that's all the more reason to make them blend. It sort of makes your image feel like three separate things when it should feel like one. Perhaps fade the edges to blend them together?

Merlin
It's an interesting image. I like the way the foreground image fits against your background. I do wish you'd have used some variation in color, though. There's too much red and white. A fix could be as simple as throwing in more black like you did in the bottom right corner.

It also would have been nice if your border was more defined. It blends right in with the rest of your sig.

Mistress Sheena
It's too wide. The scroll bar is evidence of that. I did a size check on each of the images and found that yours is 5 pixels too wide. Yeah...five pixels...sure, that's not so much. But it's still violating the limits Violet set. It doesn't matter if it's 1 pixel or 100.

The foreground image....what you have popping out of the sig has rough edges...there's pixelation. A simple fix for that is blurring the edges with the blur tool a bit. It would have made the sig look a whole lot better.

The background is...interesting. The repeated "hehe" is a little on the plain side, but at least you didn't leave it solid blue. The existence of the second image makes the banner feel a little messy, however. I really think that you should have gone with one image or the other, as the two don't fit well together.

I like the text, although the blue stroke doesn't match your sig. You don't have that shade of blue or anything close to that shade of blue anywhere on your sig, and it makes the color stick out like a sore thumb.

The animation is a nice touch though, as TFF doesn't see a lot of that.

The border is well defined, but rather thick. I only say this because taking a few pixels off the width of the border would have bumped you under the size limits.

[Merlin]

I love your reviews, Xeim. You picked up on a lot of the things I was going to mention. Anyways, I'll try to write up my thoughts tomorrow. And yeah, I honestly have no idea wtf I was thinking when I turned in that banner. It looks like I was on acid at the time.

[Chez Daja]

I asked to review at the beginning of the competition. And yes, most of my reviews are short, but I only write what I feel needs to be said. And no, I haven't read the other reviews yet, I plan to read them after I've posted my own contribution.

These are my own personal opinions/critiques. If you don't want them, don't read them or don't pay attention to them. Easy.

Halie
I'm amazed at how much your banners have progressed in pure skill within the past month or so. Whilst I thought some of the colours were too high in contrast, I agree that it was very Halloween-esque and so I can't really complain since it was for Halloween. There isn't a great deal more I can say without repeating myself, but kudos for the vast amount of improvement as of late. Nice work.

Djinn
I thought this was very impressive. Whilst I believe the font is ever so slightly small, I don't think that's a major issue since the rest was very impressive. The detailing of the fire is amazing.

Mistress Sheena
There are some very likeable things about this submission. I like the background (except for the continous Hehehehehehe written across it, which I'll come to later), the stars and the blood matched well with the rest of the image. There's something about the drip that just bothers me. I don't know whether it's just because it looks like it should've been at the top or bottom of the axe, or whether it just distracts me from the image. Now for the "Hehehehehe", I really don't find the point of it, whether it was just to distort or take the focus from the back of the image or to suit the anime girl -- I just don't think it was a necessity. Still, it's probably one of my favourite submissions.

Xeim
I'm surprised! I wouldn't have ever linked this with you, but that's what's so good about it. You're versatile and able to change work around to fit different styles. The colouring of this is excellent and even the font seems to fit.

Omega Weapon
Whilst I thought this was a good signature, I think the colouring was too monotone for my personal liking. Of course, this is my opinion and other than that, there's really nothing I can't fault on it maybe apart from the font, which I don't think matched the image much. However, it was different to all of the other images, and that in itself deserves a measure of respect. I really like this image because it has a sense of ominosity about it that most other of the submissions lacked. Very nice.

Tiger Lily
I'm extremely surprised. Usually your work is so beautiful and skillfully made and this this totally different. Whilst the backing image was pretty, it's plain and more could've been done to improve it. Perhaps more colour alterations or a shading. The face looks really badly cut, and somewhat shoddily, at that. That said, cutting jobs can be tough and I think a lot of us go through shaky phases. I'm quite prone to shakiness when cutting images. I dislike the grey in the image as I think it doesn't go with the rest of it and I think all the edges in the face look badly cut, however, the colouring of the iris was very skillfully done and worth mentioning. Still, I think this is the only signature of yours that I can possibly say I don't like -- but that's just me.

Meier Link
I did laugh, but really, the image quality is very poor. I appreciate the joke you've put into the image, though, which I think, in this case is what counts. It's a shame you couldn't have blended Regan better so that she wasn't intruding on the character beside her. Still, this is a good image if you're looking for a giggle.

Merlin
There's very little I can type that can describe how I feel about this piece. I like the anime face, and the colours go well with it. I didn't like the excessive white patches, but if it had been any other way, I'm fairly sure the image would've been a lot harder to make out. Differing colours would've been nice. I do like the image, but it's rather plain thanks to the colouring. Which is funny, because last time I thought there were too many. Still, different people, different styles.

Raider
You have a very frightening talent of being very unpredictable with your art, don't you? As usual, your piece was a skillful one and the cloudy areas are very well blended. Excellent colouring and nice placement. You keep surprising me with your work!

Doc Rocco
This is a very hard piece to critque, mostly because there's so many elements to it that could sway an opinion. I like the colouring you did on the image, but I believe there were too many seperated corners of colouring. I personally would've preferred a slight blend here and there. There is a part of it at the far right side, just above the corner of the eye that is very well done. It is red with a lighter yellowy element, somewhat similar to a puss colour. Very nicely blended there. That said, just below the colours dramatically change from red to brown with little blending. I think it would've been nicer blended together.
The iris was very well coloured although the white of the eye dripping onto the skin and nearer the eyelashes made the image significantly less impressive. I personally think if that were less alone or blended with one of the same brushes used for colouring and effect, it would've looked a lot prettier. But as a whole, the image is pleasant and well constructed.

Unknown Entity
Hahaha, I knew STRAIGHT away that this would be yours. I do like the face of the doll and how it blends into the background with advantage of it's hair and I think you might've shaded much of this yourself? I think it looks really good. One part I didn't like at all, was the font, which I don't think matches the image, and the upside down pagan symbol behind it. It think it looks a little shoddy or like it could've been done via the Paint spray bottle tool. Still, if you practise on those little effects, it all adds up in the end and you'll find yourself able to improve the bits you want to add in. Keep practising on those elements, maybe try blending a little more.

[Unknown Entity]

Hey, congrats Halie! You did a fab job!

EDIT: I know Chez! Mine was just so predictable! XD

Meh, my heart just wasn't in it at the time, with me going into a stress/panic/breakdown at the time... Next time though...