We like to paint our names on the wall

[venta]

I've spent a few minutes trying to knock out some logos to go on t-shirts for Mabel. It's not gone entirely to plan.

I had stolen, from somewhere online, the following picture of a sword lock:



Now, that's a little small to go on a t-shirt. But it's also not a very high quality image, so blowing it up makes it rather fuzzy. However, the GIMP appears to have options like "smart sharpen". OK, that looks like a good plan - sharpen the edges up, it'll be fine.

The result:



What on earth's happened there ? It looks knitted.

However, I'd also found that the GIMP has an option for "smart enlarge", so perhaps I can start again from the little lock.



Well, that's hardly any better, is it ?

Does anyone know what these functions are meant to do ? They clearly don't do what I was expecting of them.

Also, can anyone give me idiot-proof instructions on how to bend text ? I want to write something round the lock, but have no idea how to go about it. I'm at work, so I only have the GIMP (and don't want to spend time downloading other stuff, even if it's free) - though if people can offer very idiot-proof instructions I can try Paintshop/Photoshop when I get home. Graphics software and I don't really get on. Really.

And... I tried, I really did. I mocked up some designs using various fonts. And what does it look like the majority vote is in favour of ? Comic Sans. I ask you.

People will no doubt be pleased to note that the overall effect of yesterday's playlist experiment was to remind me that there are a few albums I haven't listened to enough, or haven't listened to in a while. So today, I've listened to Envy of Angels, by the Mutton Birds, Lost Horizons by Lemon Jelly and am currently listening to Head Music by Suede. I found the Suede album cheap in a bargain bucket somewhere and have since been recommended against it, since it belongs to Suede's crap (ie post Butler-departure) era.

Comments

[broadmeadow.livejournal.com]

[al-fruitbat.livejournal.com]

[pops up] Um - even this image is probably too small for good printwork, plus it's aliased - ew ew ew! ;-)

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

RTFT - It's an Illustrator file - it doesn't have a size.

That was just broadmeadow acting as a .ai viewer plugin for LJ !

[al-fruitbat.livejournal.com]

I wasn't referring to your little vector file, I was referring to that bitmap image in particular, cos venta said "I'm very clueless about graphics - thanks very much for the image posted"

[venta.livejournal.com]

"Thanks very much for the image (for which you) posted (a link)"

I had grasped that somehow Bateleur's image (which I couldn't look at) was different from the .gif that Broadmeadow included in a comment, though it's only in the later stage of this thread that it's become apparent why it's different :)

[broadmeadow.livejournal.com]

Bateleur also said "The stick crossings need editing manually, but it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes at most", ie it's not a finished work. I had no expectation this rendered image would be considered as anything other than a convenient way of viewing the image.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Mind you, I fear the 15 minutes may be optimistic - I'll report back tomorrow how long it took me to achieve something passable.

I suspect Bateleur has never tried to draw in Photoshop with only a laptop strokey-mouse, and no artistic ability whatsoever :)

(In my case, it's compounded because I draw better with my right hand than my left, but use a mouse better with my left than my right...)

[al-fruitbat.livejournal.com]

Looking at the image again, I've got one more suggestion for you -

I think you should make the length of the end-caps of the batons (or swords) approximately equal to the diameter of the central pentangle, otherwise your logo is going to look quite spikey.

Personally, I'd expand the central pentangle as much as you can get away with, maybe including another logo inside it?