50 replies to this topic

[Daramachenko]

K9-Rage Graphix

Introduction

Hey there, I'm Daramachenko, Dare for short, and I'm a rookie graphics designer who currently makes signatures, avatars, banners, and sometimes photo manipulation or photo enhancements. I've been at it since June 27, 2012. I started off by using deviantART Muro, and then I went to sumo.fm to work on my basics for a month. When I finally got my own computer (laptop) during the summer, I downloaded GIMP and used that for another month before going into Photoshop, my current program of use.

I mostly make signature for myself when I find an image I want to work with or I want to try something new. When I try something new that I like, I stick with it for a little bit to master the style the best way I can. I try not to stick with one style for too long since I consider myself as a trainee, but practice makes perfect, right? Alot of my sigs consist of either animals (especially wolves), Pokemon, dragons, or other creatures I find. There are other sigs that I make that were requested, so they might not fit my best interest. I use it to get myself out of my comfort zone, and after a couple months of taking request on a couple sites, it no longer bothers me like it did at first.

Outside of the digital world I live in a city in the Los Angeles County in California. I'm in high school taking one AP class and a video game design class. I also play marching drums, mostly the tenor drums. Because of that, I don't always have enough time to make any new signatures or anything, and then there's playing video games too. Once I know for sure what I want to major in, I should be set in the path I'm taking and will take in the future.

For those who don't recognize me, I went by the name K9_Rage_Mastr, DaRe_xLw, DragonMastr701, Wolf-Z, and Coyote-Wind back when I used to be a Premium Member. I used to only be active on the ChatBox, but different things popped up to where I stopped being active all together. When I get the chance I'll be gold again, unless someone pays it for me.

Note: I'm only posting sigs I made in Photoshop.

Current Favorite Signature
 

Pre-Episode: Getting Warmed Up (August 24 - September 3, 2012)

This was an Episode when I first started using Photoshop, so I was learning some new basics as I went along. The old skills I picked up from sumo and GIMP really gave me a head start on my sig progress! However, I look at them months later and realize just how much I've improved since then. The Episode was cut short due to my laptop's screen braking from me being careless, right before school started too, so it couldn't have been timed any better than that! Of course, I would never intentionally break something worth hundreds of dollars.

Favorite Sig of Pre-Episode: Hunter Troll

Spoiler

Not including collabs, this is my second PS sig, and I loved it! There's so many things I liked about it at the time and so little things I didn't like about it. It's crazy how much I liked it, and looking back at my older sigs from two month before, it's definitely something to be proud of. Anyway, I like the colors, the text (for once), the background, many things to name. The only things I don't like is that the bow should've been blurred and everything else is flaws I don't see by myself. Thanks Chambers again for the render.

 

[SIGS DISPLAYED HERE]

Episode I: New Age (September 20 - October 5, 2012)

After my laptop got repaired, Episode I started. This was where I was really starting to develop some sort of a style!

Favorite Sig of Episode I: Dragons 01

Spoiler

This is the beginning of a series (that is also located in the Series section) I like to call Dragons 0.1! I was really satisfied with the result of this sig, and it's one of my favorites from Episode 1. I think this is one of the first sigs that I used the dodge and burn tools in Photoshop, don't remember if I did it on sumo or GIMP.

 

[SIGS DISPLAYED HERE]

Episode II: Transition (October 8 - November 3, 2012)

Episode II was when I started to improve on my style by trying more new things and develop a signature style (no pun intended). This included using different smudge settings, new filters, and improving my basics. I even went to using more effects on my sigs later in the Episode, and by the end of the episode, I already had a pretty good idea about what exactly my style was.

Favorite Sig of Episode II: Blue Eyes Toon Dragon (Dragons 04)

Spoiler

I found a render for this sig, and at this point, I didn't use renders very often. I decided to use some effects, mostly C4D, with a smudged background to come up with this! This is a favorite of this Episode, and it has been a favorite of all sigs I've ever created for quite some time. I think the gradient maps helped the colors out, and the only thing I don't care for too much is the right side looking a little LQ. I think that was due to me darkening the edges. Oh well, still really diggin this sig!

\
 

[SIGS DISPLAYED HERE]

Episode III: Smudge-Ripple Era (November 5 - December 1, 2012)

This Episode was where I started to work on a new smudge setting I picked up somwhere in the previous Episode the most. This was also the first real busy month I've had for requests, so I made sure I did all of the requests! Quite a few of my all time favorites are in this Episode too. Other than that, my style hasn't really changed all that much here. I tried out a couple new things too, like ripples, using a texture for the sig, etc.

Favorite Sig of Episode III: AbSmudge

Spoiler

This was me playing around with smudging for a battle, and it was a big win! The theme was "Abstract", so I tried to make it kinda abstractish, even though it's not that abstract. I was very pleased with the results, and I was surprised how much people seemed to like it when it was a new sig. I still look at it as a good sig, and it's one of my favorites!

 

[SIGS DISPLAYED HERE]

Episode IV: Brushory (December 1 - 30, 2012)

This is the Episode where I decided to take a break from C4D's and work on my skills of using a variety of brushes heavily for the first time ever. I smudged much less often, but this new style of mine was a little innovating for me and people seemed to like it. I plan on perfecting this style before moving on to others, or at least working on it until I get tired of it!

Favorite Sig of Episode IV: AbSplash

Spoiler

It all started out with a black canvas. I used a soft brush to draw a couple thick lines, and then I smudged from and around the edges to create a path. After a while I started adding a couple different kinds of brushes including splatter, alot of them being clipping masks. The rest of the sig was done with gradient maps, blurring and sharpening places, dodge/burn tool, and adding the border. It was fun making this, and I entered it for a 1vs1 battle that won 7-0 votes.

 

[SIGS DISPLAYED HERE]

Episode V: Interval (January 2 - February 18, 2013)

This episode is when I started to slow down in making sigs, hence the name and time period. I've noticed that in the middle of the episode I started focusing more on using clipping masks, so that eventually became part of my new style. Still only using brushes to make sigs now, still on a C4D break. This is also the episode where I've had the least amount of inspiration to make sigs, and I'm not sure if that can be seen well or not.

Favorite Sig of Episode V: DaRe is on Fire!

Spoiler

I did this for a 1vs1 battle. The stock I used was from League of Legends, one of Warwick's skins, so like alot of those images, it made the placement a little awkward since their characters tend to be placed either on the far left or the far right of the images, making it difficult to place it well on a sig. I decided to add a few different brushes and clipping masks and a smoky brush to kind of add a "flamy" kind of feel, though it was unintentional at first. Either way, I won the battle.

 

[SIGS DISPLAYED HERE]

Episode VI (February 22, 2013 -)

This is the current eipsode now being worked on. Right now I'm just finishing up requests and not making as much sigs for me.

Larger Pieces

Coming soon

Avatars

Coming soon

 
Thanks for stopping by!

Edited by Daramachenko, 16 March 2013 - 05:23 AM.

[Daramachenko]

My very first update!



Meh, don't really like it that much.

[Chambers35]

Great start Dare, looks like that program is going to do you some good, that is until you get GIMP of PS

Keep it up!

[cmgravekeeper]

Wow great work....you definitely are showing a lot of potential....I love your current sig/avy!

And feel free to ask for any pointers....I'd love to be of help....

[Myers]

If you're wanting to look at some perfect sigs for tips and pointers then just ask to see mine....

I like the totodile sig

[Daramachenko]

Great start Dare, looks like that program is going to do you some good, that is until you get GIMP of PS

Keep it up!

Thanks Chambers. I still got some work to do before I become decent enough to start my own shop or join other shops.

Wow great work....you definitely are showing a lot of potential....I love your current sig/avy!

And feel free to ask for any pointers....I'd love to be of help....

Thanks grave. I'll ask you for anything if I need the pointers.

If you're wanting to look at some perfect sigs for tips and pointers then just ask to see mine....

I like the totodile sig

Lol

Thanks. I kinda like it too, my first simple sig from sumo.fm.

 

Update July 1, 2012

I made a new avatar for ATHF89.



I didn't really do much for this one other than crop the image and added a couple layer effects as well as some sharpening and some brightness/contrast tweaking.

[Daramachenko]

 

Major Update!

 

I've made alot of pieces this month, and now I'm starting to feel better about my sig making skills, still got alot of room for improvement though. In chronological order:

New Avatars

Spoiler

Spoiler

New Signatures

Spoiler

New LP's

Spoiler

Edited by K9_Rage, 18 July 2012 - 05:57 AM.

[cmgravekeeper]

Sweet good stuff....I think you'll have to work on the text a little cause the text isn't looking that great yet....btw text was one of the hardest things for me to learn personally.... ....you're improving really quickly....that's awesome....

[Daramachenko]

Sweet good stuff....I think you'll have to work on the text a little cause the text isn't looking that great yet....btw text was one of the hardest things for me to learn personally.... ....you're improving really quickly....that's awesome....

Thanks man.

Yeah I suck at text, not to mention I don't have too many options of fonts to use.

[Daramachenko]

I've made alot more sigs between my last post and now, and I have GIMP now. Here's the last sig I made.



I don't feel like updating the OP, maybe later.

[LimeSamurai]

Make more son :3

[Daramachenko]

Make more son :3

I will, hopefully my thread can keep up lol.

[LimeSamurai]

I think you should make a Batman one seeing as how you havent made one.

[Daramachenko]

I think you should make a Batman one seeing as how you havent made one.

Nah, unless it's a request I won't do it on my own will.

Oh, and I'm not taking any requests here.

Edited by K9_Rage, 14 August 2012 - 03:19 AM.

[Myers]

Nah, unless it's a request I won't do it on my own will.

Oh, and I'm not taking any requests here.

I WANT BATMAN

[Daramachenko]

This thread is extrememly outdated, I don't know if I want to update it anymore or not.

My latest three tags, I have Photoshop CS6 now.







I'll post more when the time comes.

[BeautifulTorment]

Seeing a huge improvement man, keep at it. Glad to see you've started experimenting with Photoshop too.

[Myers]

Yeah definite improvement, hope you like CS6.


I still want batman..

[Daramachenko]

Seeing a huge improvement man, keep at it. Glad to see you've started experimenting with Photoshop too.

Yeah definite improvement, hope you like CS6.


I still want batman..

Thanks guys.

Fine, I'll do Batman soon, only because you asked.

[piggie_pie]

These sigs and avi's look great! nice work!