Tofu, he's from Glasgow. You could throw an anvil at him and it would bounce off!!

OK - I'll say it. There is no reason this should have taken 3 hours. How long did you work on each item?

the man?
the woman?
the poster?

just curious.

Okay I'll say it.
"Voters do not always know what is the best work. They usually like to look at the pretty pictures and wish they could do it!!
Too often they think it was just thrown together and submitted. Only because there are some around that do that.
While others work long and hard for hours and take care of details to the finite.
But then often some funny somewhat sloppy piece sails to the top. So what can we do?? Personally I take drugs, to help deal with this oblivion.

Especially when they don't know whose picture it is.

Stepping down and kicking soap box back into the closet.

I refer to the honourable gentleman from Martrexville.
Jeesus !

...Now...STFUAC

Yeah If you look at my recent sad chopping job in the Nature Forest Sign things that had the wildlife signs, and I thought I did ok but I know I messed up on some perspective but i gurantee that I took at least an hour on the picture, but I am a speed photoshopper. The longest one I have done was about 2 and half hours and that was a very large, very detailed file, that has since been lost.

3 hours? That's about the amount I spend looking for sources on Google.

As far as the image goes, the first thing that comes to mind is "I don't get it". Then I get busy reading the sign, then wondering why it is illuminated like a light box, giving that staring-into-the-sun type of squint, and completely miss the work that you did to bring the woman alive. The sign stole the focal point.

I threw this together to illustrate the difference in focus by darkening the sign.

You actually got 1 vote? and it wasn't Marco?

Not to beat a dead horse, but it happens... All. The. Time.

Case in point:
23 minute chop, 36 votes



similar techique, 1.5 hours, 5 votes.


Best advice? Listen to suggestions (like those given earlier in the thread, or those in your comments on your photos) and learn from those who are pros around here.

Don't know if anyone else mentioned it, but here's a quick easy tip. Make sure all of your sources are of a similar resolution/quality. The source quality of the woman in the chop is horrible.

Shadows, lighting, perspective, etc... all take a lot of practice. Finding good sources that mesh together is an easy way to improve the look of your work until you can build up those other skills.

Hey, you have ALMOST the same vote/hours ratio than Bill on this 18.5 hours chop. Congrats.

I shall endevour to keep my trap shut from now on.

What's Marco got to do with this ?

It helps me just to remember that each and every chop I do is getting me closer to maybe winning someday .....I think if that day ever comes I would just pat myself on the back and feel great about it but it would still be just another chop. The most important thing is that I'm learning along the way, one vote or 30 votes.
So have fun with it, don't be so serious with it and have lots of patience.
Keep in mind, regardless of what you might be thinking; every voter is different and the total vote count isn't necessarily the final judgment of the chop but only what that chop received in that particular contest based on hundreds of different reasons and/or opinions and/or facts for getting or not getting a vote.
If you like it and are proud of what you've accomplished and think that you did the best you could possibly do then what else could be more important than that? winning? I don't think so anyways. Even if you rush through a chop, as long as it's the best you can do why worry about votes? it gets to be compared alongside many awesome chops that have taken hours to complete
So don't be so hard on yourself and maybe spend more time on the tutorials or just try a different approach just for the hell of it. The worst that could happen is you'll get bored or discouraged with it and quit.
......................End of chapter One..............................




LOL Sorry so long.

Charlie Charlie Charlie...

*sigh*

You DO realize that, due to your HIDEOUS FAILURE IN THIS PARTICULAR CHOP, you are now going to spend ETERNITY in the bottom bunk of a bunkbed with a BEDWETTER in the top bunk... right?

Like, you have HORRIBLY and TOTALLY F*cked up on this chop to such a degree that GOD Herself is rolled up in a ball in the corner crying His eyes out!

I wouldn't be surprised if the sun does not rise tomorrow, that Hell freezes over and USA stops putting their military into places it is not wanted.

Man. Because you did not get this right you've killed the EARTH, dude.

Nasty.

Don't you EVER do this again! You hear me?


Love n Hugs,