Hi everyone ^_^

This is a new wallpaper I'm working on, the scan is from the Carnelian scan gallery, and I titled the wallpaper "A Garden Eternally: I Will Always Hope"

The first one is a new version, the others are the previous ones:


I'll appreciate any feedback or critiques you'd be kind enough to offer.
Thanks very much,
~August199

Though I don't presonally have any skills in making wallpapers... I see nothing really wrong with this wallpaper, at a quick glance. I'm not one to look too closely at a wallpaper... but this one is really different. But different in a good way?... It looks nice, I like the effects. Anyways, it's really nice and keep up the good work.

OH , what a cool scan.....i like it , good blending !! ^_^

I love it!i like how the flowers are in the back they match.very beautiful.excellent!

Wow, it's been awhile since you've posted a wall ;) looks interesting. i really like the scan you used but maybe increase the opacity just a bit. alittle too see thru. bg is alright but maybe more color variety?

good start! :)

This one might be a winner from you, august. ^__^

Pros:
The girl is well blend with the flower.

The texture used is pretty good.

Cons:
Not keen on the zoom blur effect on the outer part.

You might wanna do more to the text.

Still this one pleased the eyes and that's what matters.

Yeah i agree this wallpaper looks great.

chibicrystal

wow, it's been awhile since you've posted a wall ;) looks interesting. i really like the scan you used but maybe increase the opacity just a bit. alittle too see thru. bg is alright but maybe more color variety?

good start! :)

I agree to this person too cuase your picture of the girl is too much transparent. other than that its a great wallpaper!

Arg. i cant see the link. maybe i was getting blind or something. sowy

It's better ;) i think you should still make the scan more solid. what's the opacity at right now? then maybe after that throw a light texture over the whole thing. i don't mind the bg but it looks alittle too "tutorial-ish", a texture might help everything blend better. hmmm, maybe add some effects to the text to make it less plain? the layout is fine, it's just alittle flat though.

can't wait to see the next one! :)

Version #3 posted :)

Looking better without the bg being faded into her breasts. XD

You might also try more flowers as a BG rather than the big circle thing, kind of like this scan;

http://www.animepaper.net/gallery/scans/Samurai-Champloo/item46269/

The polar coordinates filter is not your friend.

You choose perfect scan *o*
well you can work a lil bit with the background but It's look nice :)

REV #4


It was rejected from the gallery (or rev #3 was) because I didn't put enough time into it, which I was a little worried about, but the trouble is, I really like it how it is, and I can't seem to think of anything to add to it ^^'

Anyone have any ideas for something to add? Here's the poem I wrote to go with it, maybe it'll give some idea's for what I want to show and what might look good with it:

~~ A Garden Eternally: I Will Always Hope ~~
In a song I saw you.
In a word your flowers bloomed full and alive in my soul.
In the cool night air, a soft melody reaches me, and you are there.
The smile of a stranger tells me of the infinite sway you hold in the world around me.
And at night when I close my eyes, and dreams fill my mind, you tell me not to be afraid to drift away.
You are hope, and you've been a great friend to me.
And so it is to you that I dedicate this work.
Thank you.

Thanks for whatever help you'd be nice enough to offer ^_^
~August199

It was rejected from the gallery because I didn't put enough time into it, which I was a little worried about...

Well it sure seems like it.
Extracting a scan, stroking it, and changing the opacity is only about a 15 minute job.
Putting it over a grey background that was given many effects and as you claim "thought" is around 15 to 25 minutes.
Finally, adding a plain black font like that would take a maximum of only 5 minutes.
That's probably a total of 35 to 45 minutes of work.
Nowadays AP is expecting hours and hours of work with blood, sweat, and tears. x)
So anyways, now to mention your numerous problems.
What bugs me the most is why you lowered the opacity in you character. Please raise the opacity back to 100. Another thing is your stroking of the character. It's very messy/jagged and the black doesn't match the red outline. Please change that also.
As Kalico said, polar coordinates filter is not your friend. Take her advice and do something about that problem. x) The other thing that REALLY bothers me is the detail and color usage for your background. First off, look at your scan. It's composed of a lady wearing a grey jacket with huge pinkish flowers behind her. Which is more dominant? To me it's definetely the colorful flowers. Therefore instead of using grey as the dominant color for your background with tiny hints of yellowish/green, you should have made it more colorful. This mistake just made your background look very dull.
Last thing, EVERYBODY loves a background with atleast some usage of brushes or stock photos. So please do that. Take away the grey color in your background, make it look more colorful with atleast flowerish brushes or a garden stock photo if you'd like it to match your poem. Add a few smudge/brush effects and add some effects to your font.
I'm pretty sure if you try doing most of the things I mentioned above your wallpaper will be better. Sorry for creating a huge list..or being too harsh. xP
Anyways. Good luck.