Preserved Topic: Asylum Desiderata (a wip)

As I was wandering around the old "bricked up" North Wing on a secret mission. I unearthed an old manuscript (buried way before the "incident") I think the note at the bottom says " to Max Ehrmann from the hermit of the North Tower", but I need to do more work on the badly preserved script
Your thoughts/crits are most welcome.
clicky image for 260kb complete version
tao

The letter seem to stand out as though they are not part of the page. Try incorporating ridges, curves (not the ps function), and texture to the letter to make them appear as though they are part of the page instead of jumping out.

Nice work so far!

Pretty cool Tao. I like it, though I agree with Insider's crit.

I love the content Tao!
After wandering along the 'dusty corridors' that are the FAQ's here this made me laugh. It is well written, humorous, and insightful! It also fits the theme that you began with your "Something for you from Tao" thread.

I am looking forward to seeing the final version!

is it 'old' or is it 'new'? its hard to tell ........

Whew! I'm glad someone else is going to the North wing to bring back info. I would hate to risk anything to satiate my own morbid curiosity...

That document might be a 'new' forgery though. Unless the 'G' had a bevel that went the other way like a recess... and maybe had some 'burnt' or 'aged' holes in the paper. I would think some of the lettering would have flaked off and took some of the underlying paper with it... But who knows what papyrus technologies those demented Mad Sciontists were using back 'then'.

______________
Is This Thing On?

Bleah...

Thanks for the comments, you are definitely right about the text, InSiDeR. I spent more time actually composing the words than I did on the text effect, that looks like my next step I think, but I'm not too sure how to achieve it. My first attempts made the text illegible.
I worked on the whole thing for most of the day yesterday from initial idea to posting here. Now that I come to look at it again in the light of a new day, I think I need to decide on the Organic/Metallic mix of effect, does it work? not yet it dosen't..
I think I will try "embedding" the text in another material, metal, or stone perhaps, as well as parchment, to see how that looks.
Righto, I'm off to play, let's see If I can get the text looking better today.
Any other thoughts are most welcome.


:::tao:::

[This message has been edited by Taobaybee (edited 01-06-2004).]

I like the content, good stuff! I like the graphics too but am not sure about the paper. I think it might look better if it were aged, yellow and burned... maybe with a different font. The G looks very good, nice texture work

Amerasu

The light gray part (paper? stone?) needs to have a seperate texture, or at least a different patterned texture than the background. You can clearly see that it's using the same underlay that's being used on the background.

Also, the edges are too soft - I'm not sure whether it's supposed to be a bevel or a torn/worn paper kind of effect.

"Nothin' like a pro-stabbin' from a pro." -Weadah

This is true^^ I set myself a deadline of getting a working image posted up here by the end of the day (Just for the hell of it) and hopefully the whole thing a done deal by the new year (ish) Heh, streching deadlines already
I am, as we speak, trying out your suggestions Amerasu and synax. I think I may try for a more definite background either rock or old manuscript or velum, i can see I'm going to have to try all three, it's just too tempting. then I can get a better "grip" of the "wobblyness?" (I just can't think of the correct term) of the text overlay....
Hang on? if I flatten the text on the background material, before i run Displace or Lighting Effects, that could do it? Couldn't it?
erm I away to try. Thanks for the help, do you know I had not even started thinking about the Font!!! What am like? heh

Tao, you should add something like 'Also please remember to feed the guard wolf once in a while.' I hate looking at an empty food bowl.


Sanity is optional... (and so is clothes!)

Wolfen's Sig Site

Here is the latest update.
I have found it difficult finding a good font to use. There is a trade off between a font large enough to take a slight distortion (texture) and a "better looking" font that's illegible when slightly distorted. All good fun and learning curves!
I have been going for a type of velum look here. I may take the parchment as it is here and put it on a dark rusted background to match the "G".
Wolfen, I have not finished the "translation" yet I'm sure I've seen somthing in there relating to security (and food, heh). I am concentrating on the look at this stage, when I am a bit more happy with that I will go back to clean up and finalize the translation.
[edit] Arghh I forgot to correct the "alway" typo. Thanks Grythus[/edit]



[This message has been edited by Taobaybee (edited 12-30-2003).]

Never mind me.... *whistles and walks away with his HTML mop.

I like it. =)



[This message has been edited by GrythusDraconis (edited 12-30-2003).]

I thought I'd lash the Asylum Desiderata on to a bigger canvas, to see how it would look. I've added some other elements from a previos work that I thought would fit in.
The larger image is 313kb
(clicky)

Tao

Cool.

The dropcapped 'G' still stands out a too much, I think. Doesn't feel like it's on the paper. Or is that intentional?

Well I suppose I started out with it resting on the top, but the more I go on I am tempted to incorporate the illustrated G within the text (on the parchment)
I have tried this with the rusted "G" but it did not look right.
Tao

cool. everything looks like stone except for the 'G'. I think if you make that blend better with the rest of it, it would work a lot better

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

A bit like this??

Tao

Or like this...Big thanks to GrythusDraconis for the help

tao

I like that last one tao! NICE work!

Yeah, I like the last one a lot better Tao. Nice job.

yeah tao, the last one looks very nice. nice work

Yup..., The last 'G' is the winner, although the bumped 'G' looks good (nice texture) on its own, it didnt look like a part of the document. It would work well as a sign...

______________
Is This Thing On?

Bleah...

yep.......just like that. good job. where is the big version?

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

I'm working on the big version now C:\ Thanks everyone for your comments, they have really helped me focus on this "project"
[bigup]GrythusDraconis helped me along immensly with this[/bigup]
Also I am running very near the limit of my webspace (30mb). I still need to do some more work on the parchment and then there's the actual content of the text needing tightening up.
I should have something for your consideration in the next day or two hopefully.
tao

No sooner had I finished posting ^ then I fired up PS to take it a step further.
Your comments are still welcomed btw.

[edit] sleepy typos[/edit]

[This message has been edited by Taobaybee (edited 01-02-2004).]

your text is way hard to read. dood.

i say, lower the contrast of the background, smooth it out abit...

and bump map the text a bit more... maybe. Also, i would lower the opacity of the text, and maybe add a little blur here and there... some letters would probably be scratched out, by age and such...

Thats the problem, all the text is neat and straight and the same color and shade... screw it all up a bit!

I know what you mean eyezaer but as you have already noted the text is not that easy to read now. If I distort it much more it wil become illegible, and the text content is important in this image..(to me) If the actual content of the text were not an integral part I would distort it a lot more for a more realistic effect.
I think this will always be a trade off here, I'm hoping that if I reduce the texture displacement on the parchment (as you suggest) that will give the impression of the text looking more realistically distorted.
In retrospect, I think this is symptomatic of to or three ideas coming together, and due to lack of a definite direction, not meshing properly.

I understand what Eyezaer is saying and I explain it this way. This Desideratum is not the original document. This is a transcribed translation that has been written and rewritten to keep it legible. Old yes, illegible... I should hope not. The original is, of course, around but you aren't allowed to see or peruse its sacred creases for fear of damaging it. The scribe of ages assures us that the parchment in question is quite correct in all instances of questionable veracity. Of course... he is also beyond your reach as he only speaks to those Asylumites as he sees fit... it just so happens that that is none of us... or all of us, dependant entirely on the Pill Du Jour.