"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot
Author notes
Made using Photoshop CS3.
Contest theme: Beginning of Fall
Photo used for border: http://jjuuhhaa.deviantart.com/art/Bridge-into-Autumn-44722359
Photo used for background: http://www.vagabondish.com/photo-autumn-leaves-rome-italy/
Leaf used in background: http://sourcow.deviantart.com/art/Autumn-leaf-90085507
I changed the colors (improved them) on each picture, cropping, making every part of the image seamless, etc. etc. I did put a little bit more effort into this background. I took the advice from Arkbear from my last entry and make the border vertical instead of rotating it 90 degrees as well as I tried to come up with a more creative title. 
I felt like these pictures would work best in this second entry because of the theme. I noticed many entries are just on the theme of Fall/Autumn. However, I wanted to use the entire theme (BEGINNING of Fall). So I thought that a bridge going into fall would explain it all. 
Let me know if you decide to use it! 
In a list
A contest entry
- - Backgrounds & Borders of the Week - by Bear - Pink - Joyce & LV Angel - by Arkbear.
1034 points, ended September 14, 21 entries
Honorable winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Mhmmm
Comments
1 - 29 of 29
-
I have to say that I looked at the contest you entered and the winners and I wonder whether you'd ever enter any of Bear's contests anymore.
This is pretty brilliant compared to the winners, not saying the others are crap, but not worth it when this background is there.
Sorry, I just had to rant a bit. Some people just don't know talent.
♥x.
-
-
Thank you
Your comment has made me smile on a very stressful day
--Tim -
-
Sorry about that - the bad day, I mean
-
-
-
Awesome Tim!!!
-
do you mind if I use this background ?
-
Wow oh my this is amazing, I must say this is in my top two. It is very very original and you really took the theme and really read deep into it. and this is what came out. I must say this is perfectly seamless and your enhancement on the bridge really is so beautiful tim. I can't really critique this because I cannot critique perfection so my scores will reflect my views.
Creativity~ 19.8 only left out those two points because Though I have seen more creative background this one is by far one of the most detailed..
Blended~ 20
Colours~ 20
Originality~ 20
Seamless/neat~ 20
Lost Vampyre Angels Scores: 99.8
Awesome work Tim!
-
Love the feel of this piece, the main body is very pretty I like the darker tone it has...one for us darker writers
I like the bridge, the idea of walking into autumn is a great one IMO. I can see no seam in the main body here at all, good work And the way the margin blends to it is fantastic. The belding for the bridge is quite effective, I just can't help thinking that maybe if the trees at the end were taller and the bridge had been narrower where you blended it may have looked smaller, not as noticable. But of course then the bridge would have been shorter and not as good looking as it is now. Over all I can see a lot of work went into this and it IMO has paid of well. The body is very font friendly with lighter colors, I like the gold and reddish fonts you used. It draws the colour across from the picture nicely. I think the title fits, you covered all aspects of the BG in it right down to the crazy paving
Creativity ~ 19.4
Blending ~ 19.2
Colours ~ 19.5
Originality ~ 19.4
Title/Rules ~ 19.8
Total ~ 97.3
-
-
I wouldn't create a background without it being seamless. Also, if you take a look at the photos I worked with, you'll notice that the trees were that height originally. I could have spent a lot of time doing that, but I don't think it would have won me a higher level trophy
--Tim
-
-
I thought I had already commented on this one but I do not see it so I will do it now/again. lol
I love it, I like the bridge border especially, it is like walking into the future of life. Nice work!
-
Hi Tim,
Ah, a suspension bridge. This brings back memories of the time I spent in British Columbia. I love the look of them but was terrified to cross them! The front of the bridge is blurry, and in your attempt to create a seamless border, you stretched and accentuated the blurriness seen in the original picture. Visually, my eye is drawn to that blur. I might have tried cropping all or some of the blurred part of the bridge off.
I feel the border and background work pretty well together here. The dark, subtle background is ideal for legibility with a number of font hues. I think you missed the mark just a hair on the color choices for your fonts. The gold is a bit too gaudy; it draws me away from the beautiful subtlety in the background. and the white could have been softened a bit with a bit of warm grey, which may help it to harmonize better with the background. The reddish brown is ok.
There is no visible seam in the background.
1. design/composition 17.4
2. originality(of concept) 19.5 Nice concept
3. color(compatibility) 17.8 A bit more care needed when choosing font colors, bridge color differs from background, sticks out a bit.
4. execution 17.0
(effects/clarity/resolution/seamless)
5. legibility 20.0
(readability/sufficient contrast between type and background.)
TOTAL 91.7
-
-
Hello Joyce
Not to make you change your score or to argue or get anything from you really, but I do want to explain as I did put thought into each of the things you said I needed to fix. First of all, for the font color, I chose the goldish color for a link color because I felt it brought the colors from the right into the left more. You said that the colorish between the right and left didn't go well together and that's why I chose that font color. I would also like to point out that if I had used the same bright colors in the right, the text would be harder. Though now that I think about it, I should have made the right brighter (put a white in the right instead of the black) as the background color and faded everything into that.
I would also like to note that if you think about the right being the path after you cross the bridge... If you look into the hole, it looks dark, mysterious, and beautiful... which is what the right side sort of portrays.
Oh, one last thing. The front of the bridge is blurry because of focal points. I'm in college, ya know? Well, you want your eye to be drawn to something and you want the entire picture to focus on that. The front of the bridge isn't my focal point. It's the entrance to the forest that is... All the lines of the picture draw the eye into that hole. Yea, I don't know... maybe I think too much into this stuff and I guess I shouldn't cuz people don't think the same as me.
Thank you very much for your feedback and I'll try to correct it in the future B&B contests. Thank you
--Tim -
-
Re font colors: I would just tone it down a bit. My eye goes right to the gold on the side!
I know where my eye "should" go on the bridge.
But I'm one of these people cursed with "critical" eyes. It doesn't go there. It goes to the blur.
Just so you know, I have a degree in Graphic Design and 12 years in type design, five of which I edited other peoples' work. They argued with me all the time.
The better I get at backgrounds, the more critical my eye becomes. This is a curse for me.
Ya know?
-
-
Hello Joyce,
Yes, I know you have plenty of experience in Graphic Design... I only have 9 years of unofficial graphic design and 2 months of official professional graphic design. I try to criticize all my work so that I can improve the result. However, I guess not everyone sees what I see (Like I love my title, but Bear disliked it) Thank you for your feedback. Please give it anytime you can 
--Tim -
-
If I make myself happy when I design, that's mainly what matters. I like trophies, though. Disagreeing is ok. It's only opinion. If you didn't like what you did, you wouldn't submit it, would you?
-
-
-
-
-
This is stunning!
-
BEAUTIFUL
I love this one a lot..
I have such a long way to go, to get this great.. WOW!!! I love this one a lot. I love all of your bg's. Fall is my favorite time of year, I like the main body of the bg, the leaves are beautiful, and the border is blended quite nicely. I love those kind of bridges, always have. not sure that I would even attempt to walk on it, but that doesn't matter. I think that they go together fine, but that's me. I love all the colors near the bridge.
Bookmarked it..
good luck in the contest
kat
-
Hello Tim ~
The first thing that caught my attention here, is that you took one Theme, (the bridge going into fall).....and you took another Theme.....(leaves which had begun to fall).....and you tried to make them both work together ~
Hmmm....I have to disagree with you on this creation ~
I feel there is too wide of description frm one, to the other....leaving me wondering, exactly, how I could use this ~
Don't get me wrong, each pice was graphed and faded nicely.....but, to me, the whole Double-Theme does not
work ~
I simply adore them as seperate units, but together, it just doesn't seem to ....flow ~
I feel, the brownish/orange * yellow fonts only goes with your Background, and even with a clever disguise, it just doesn't do anything for your Border......for me ~
The transition from Border to Background feels like two whole different areas....or....entries ~
Sorry Tim, I enjoyed your first one better
Thank you so much for entering....I am looking forward to what you will bring us in the next Contest,
God bless you,
Bear ~
Title....16.95.....hmm....even the Title seems like two different Themes ~
Colours...18.7...I simply adore the colours...( BUT ) only as seperate units ~
Creativity...18.95....I saw the art you used....you did some work for this....but the over-all show just doesn't work........for me ~
Presentation...17.95...The difference between Border and Background, is overwhelmingly......contrast.....( BUT ). good, as individual units ~
First Impression...17....when I clicked on it....I immediately saw two seperate pieces of work....I do enjoy the smooth flow of B & B, ( BUT ), I feel as though each piece stands better on it's own, rather, than together ~
Bears Score: 89.55
Sounds harsh I know.....but the reason I created this Contest, was to give praise to all the hard work which goes into each piece.....however, I still have to enjoy what is set before me ~
Stay focued on Power....don't worry so much about trying to impress....that comes with a powerful entry ~
God bless,
Bear ~
No editing once a Judge has touched your work, or until after contest closes ~
-
-
Ouch. Harsh. Sorry, but I disagree.
-
-
I had a feeling you would.....no worries.....this is why there is more than one person looking at your work with certain areas of suggestion, advise, praise and critique ~
I hope your ego is not bruised
Bear ~ -
-
Not at all, friend. I've taken worse critism before and that's how I've gotten where I am. I just feel that this piece is better than other entries which have received better scorings from you. Like I said, I don't know how you plan on judging. I'll just wait til the next contest
-
-
Tim ~
My College Professor always said.....the more talent you have, the more I shall expect from you ~
Yes, each piece should be judged based on the work and skill and talent involved.....but for me, I also, look at how much talent you have before you even allow me to view something you have created...... have done this trype of work when PC's were beginning to take off, and jpeg was our only course of creativity ~
I know what I am looking at.......I may not always know EXACTLY what it took to create a certain piece of Art, but, I do know who has experience.....and who does not ~
I expect more from you......but, I will always remain as honest and fair with you, as the next Artist ~
Yes, this piece is better than some others.....and others are better than yours......pleave keep your Faith in your Judges......we are only here to praise.....unless we feel otherwise
God bless,
Bear ~
-
-
The only thing I would like to mention in regards to your comment is that I don't believe my background is two seperate images or themes. It's all the fall theme, but two different aspects of it. I also didn't take two very different ideas of the them either....
In your opinion, what could have gone on the right side in the background better? It seems as though I would have gotten a better rating if I had left it blank (as many other entries have) because then it would have been just one theme. But I used creativity and artistic skills here to go beyond just a blank background. The right side compliments the left side because the similar colors, although the right side is faded (if it was not, it wouldn't be legible).
Possibly think of the right side as the path that you are walking on once you cross over the bridge. As far as the title, I don't think it would be two seperate things either. Think of it poetically... Autumn's Mosaic.... Autumn is like a mosiac that is beautifully painted with bright and wonderful colors and this background is a bridge into it. I'm not sure how you think of that as two seperate ideas either.
Thanks for your feedback, but to each his own.
--Tim -
-
Hello Tim ~
It's fine that you do not believe your entry is of two seperate Themes.....or....Tone.....it's me, who thiought it, when reviewing your entry.....enough said about that please ~
You say to think of it as poetic.....well, if you kew me, you'd know Poetic voice and Poetic Format and Poetic Tone is how I look at things......even a B & B ~
Yes, I copu;ld think ofyour right side as a pathway once you cross the bridge.....but...what if I want to look at it as the path BEFORE crossing your bridge?
You see Tim, you have to allow each Judge to have their own perception of your work......trying to talk me into seeing it as you do, is not the way it's going to be in these contests......sorry Buddy, but my opinion is my opinion......ok?
As far as leaving the Back plain.....it's your call.....I do not suggest it, as one Bot with a bridge would have very plain to me and your score would not have as high as it is now ~
Yes....I know Autumn is like a Mosaic.....I have lived on this earth for more than 46 years.....and I am from the Ozark Mountains....the most Mosaic of all states......to me ~
2nd picture over from left....bottom row..>>>
http://www.arkansas.com/photo-gallery/?keywords=fall+color
With that said.....your Back is different texture....a whole different colour scheme, and as I have said......to me.....they do not complimnet the other.......this is all I can add to your review.......I hope you begin to have a bit more faith in my ability to Judge this contest, and your artist talents.......you have to remember......these are MY eyes.....not yours
God bless and good luck,
Bear ~
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Wonderfully done. I like this, the colors all go well together and pull it all together. Best of luck...Scott
-
wow this wonderful good luck in the contest
-
Love the coloring! And I really like the border with the bridge (being light) leading into the spectacular fall colors! Stunning.
best wishes in the contest.
-
omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this is just way gorgeous! -
-
Thank you
-
-
welcies....i just love this
-
-
Adding your comment:
1 - 29 of 29
