Avatar for Bondbug

[Bondbug 32]

I could use some help for an avatar. Vague ideas, but too complicated for me to handle. Where do I start please?

[Ike 1]

Let's start with the vague ideas, what are they? What do you like, what are you interested in, what games do you play, etc.?

[gogoblender 3,070]

Hey Bondbug!

 

You're in the right section, and are already on the right road.

You should perhaps list a few things that your interests are regarding this avatar to help as much as possible towards anyone who volunteers their time to help you out on this project.

Do you like humorous, serious, gore, etc.

Maybe show a few avatars that in the past you have enjoyed and want to give to someone here an idea of what your "tone" or color palette is about?

If someone is interested here in undertaking this project, they will usually post back their first attempt upon which you can then post back and comment back upon.

Creating an avatar this way can take some time depending on the differing time zones of the many peeps from our community that visit here, so a bit of patience works nicely.

I wish I could help but my graphical are just plain awful

Have fun with this and I'm anxious to see what the new you looks like.

Cheers!

 

gogo

[Schot 407]

Hey hey Bondbug. How about an avatar that relates to your nic, Bondbug? How did you come up with the nic and what does it mean to you?

[Bondbug 32]

(replying to Gogo perhaps also to Schot if I was sure what nic meant! )

 

OK Let's go daft first. Two complicated ideas:

1. I like the Dwarf. Looks not unlike me, with my father's old leather motor cycle 'helmet'. I see him careering along on an old motor cycle/combination, with grandson in the sidecar screaming 'let's go get 'em grampy'. Weapons - Dwarf's backpack mortar and maybe a kid's catapult for his nibs. I'd like the WE on the back to complete the family with bow at the ready, but I think that is too much.

Photo links:

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa150/sagbag/cowasaki.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa150/sagbag/grumpy.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa150/s...g/godfather.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa150/s...nnsroadtrip.jpg

 

2. The Bond Bug, a car I loved, cartooned into a snarling beast, perhaps again, lid off, with the dwarf in the driving seat racing into battle. Perhaps blades coming out of the rear wheel hubs like Boadicea's chariot.

Photo links:

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa150/sagbag/IMG_5331.jpg

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa150/sagbag/BondBug.jpg

 

Otherwise, working from Gogo's list:

- humorous, yes but not crude; gore no;

- interests, not really relevant unless a savage rugby player in torn scrumcap is suitable, choral singing (killing value of sound, 'Excruciating choir' like shattering glasses? Like Munch's ? picture 'The cry')....er...skip interests.

- don't see myself as a medieval crusader standing on a pile of slaughtered foes

- other people's avatars that I like. Difficult. No particular style, but good! I like Erialc's, Kelyndra's, the one you did for Jonjon, and Ike's. I will look around and come back on this one.

- I also like some of the old silent film images. Some beauts in 'Ivan the Terrible' for instance http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/Lor.../Evil/Ivan4.jpg 'Dr Caligari' http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/Tara...aligari1919.gif Not so much horror films, just the old overdone graphic expressions demanded by silent films.

 

Sorry Ike...games? Morrowind, Spellforce a bit, but mainly enigma games like the Myst Series, Longest Journey, that sort of thing. Baldur's Gate and NeverWinter. Didn't finish either, but got hooked on the design facility with NeverWinter.

 

I keep adding to this! I like the colour tones on Ari'Laftia's avatar and sig, and Gogo's sig

 

If any of that is useful....meanwhile I look around.

Edited June 1, 2007 by Bondbug

[Bondbug 32]

Whoa....scrub that.

I got an image in my mind at last. Gandalf (why didn't I think of him earlier).

I have seen a shot somewhere (film poster, dunno) full length going into battle with sword and shield. Have hunted web this morning but can't find it.

So Gandalf in battle array, in open country, with the Bond Bug, lid raised, as in first photo listed above, parked way in the background.

Any hope? I don't have the technology (or the photo of Gandalf, perhaps someone can trace it?°

Edited June 2, 2007 by Bondbug

[myles 2]

You probably need a better shot of the bond car, the ones linked are reflexing light in a bad way and will be harder to work into the background.

 

Anything is possible now I suppose. Gandalf fan there eh? I will keep my eyes open when I search stuff.

[Bondbug 32]

Yes, I see what you mean. It's a long dead make, but there are a selection of photos on this link. http://photobucket.com/images/Bond%20Bug/ Has to be orange. The one with the Union Jack on the lid might be appropriate.

Are we likely to have any copywright problems with these things, especially Gandalf?

 

Better take a look at your photography classes! If I could learn to link images in a creative way it would be good. Trouble is I did so much in black and white days when I could develop my own, that the storage system got clogged up with prints and slides. So I packed it in. Much easier now. No darkroom. Lots of memory, but easy to bin (sorry..trash) the rubbish

Edited June 2, 2007 by Bondbug

[gogoblender 3,070]

heh, I hope someone here has the graphical skill and time to do somthing like gandalf in a car! lol!

 

 

However, to give you an idea of something that would probably be easier for a volunteer to work with, how bout this pic here?

 

 

Gandalf rocks

+++

 

gogo

[Bondbug 32]

Love it

Don't want him IN the car, but if the background could be smoothed over to make it like countryside, with the car parked away in the distance...t'would be brill. And trimmed down I suppose to get the two swords on the right out?

[myles 2]

its probably just going to be either gandalf or the bondbug, there's not much background for a avatar, or the appearance would be too small. a sig would be a better fit for your idea.

 

That image is nice, but many pixels are lost already (like the sword). I don't have the skill to reconstruct it sadly. Its a job for a pro, and I'm so not one.

[erialc 2]

 

Bondbug I have been watching thi thread and although I really can't contribute (my graphical skills being that of a well they aren't so good) I am dying to see Gandalf with A Bond Bug (now I know what one is) as his Shadow Fax...come on you graphcial guys n gals..lets get BondBug riding through the countryside on his trusty Bond Bug!

 

If anyone can pull it off Bond you are going to have an awesome avatar! I would love to have the know how to make you one!

[Schot 407]

*still laughing at self...*

 

 

Ok. I was in a bit of a wierd mood. Not to worry though. It's my natural state. Hehe. Ok. So here's an attempt at Mr. Gandalf and his new ride. I would have really liked to put him in the car but that looks to be quite tricky. Maybe someone will manage it still though.

 

 

 

[gogoblender 3,070]

PERFECT!

LOL

 

gogo

[erialc 2]

 

Thats excellent!!

[myles 2]

Omg that's my man! that's so hilarious.

 

We should lock you up more often.

[Bondbug 32]

No man, Schot, don't touch a goddam thing. That is truly fantastic.

SOLD...to the old gent in the white beard.

[erialc 2]

ahh Bond away the toon with ya! that there Av is perfect and I can say I will love seeing you sport that on the boards!

[gogoblender 3,070]

Glad you like Bond

Schot is really good at his craft huh?

First Ike, then Myles...

And...voila...your new avatar is in place my friend.

I guess this is everyone's way of saying we're all glad you're here.

Cheers!

 

gogo

[Schot 407]

That's super BondBug. lol. I thought for sure I was going to be laughed off the forum, hahaha. Sold you say? Well then we haven't discussed the subject of payment. I'm not asking much. Just a tolken(

 

Just kidding, haha. Sign here.

 

 

Thanx for the kind words folks and laffs.

[Bondbug 32]

What I want from you is... your Bondbug.

 

Wish I had it to give you mate! But the body was fibreglass and it was never the same after my ex-wife rolled it over.

 

One nit-picking after thought. That Bond Bug does not look as if it needs protecting. It is a berserker beast bounding into battle behind its buddy. More a 'till death do us part' image!

 

Tech question. Did you use Photoshop for this? I'm in the middle of downloading a trial version. Is this the sort of thing you can produce with it, or did you just wave your magic wand muttering 'a-bond-ca-gandalf'

 

Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.

[Scleameth 19]

Nice-nice-nice !!

 

That bondbug is one strange vehicle !

[Bondbug 32]

Indeed. We once did our annual camping tour of France in it, grossly overloaded with wife, young child beyween her knees, tent, camping table (cos I never could sit comfortably on the ground) and all.

Any time we parked in a town to do some shopping we had to fight our way back through a triple circle of staring French. Just standing staring. Don't think they had ever seen a three wheeler, certainly not one like that. I had to learn my little lecture in French...700cc and so on.

 

Oh and, Schot, that was not a suggestion to change the wording. I found your piece of magic just as I was off to bed. What impressed me was that the Bug looked alive, threatening and supportive.

Edited June 4, 2007 by Bondbug

[Schot 407]

Any time we parked in a town to do some shopping we had to fight our way back through a triple circle of staring French. Just standing staring.

 

 

Who needs a Limo when you've got a Bond Bug eh.

 

 

As for the comment on the Bond Bug being alive and in action. Very insightful. I did a gogole search for "Bond Bug", quotations included. There were tons of Bond Bugs but all of them were pretty much side shots which I thought weren't very intereting until the 12th page of my search where I found this one:

 

It seemed to me that a head on shot might be more effective in appearing as though the car and Gandalf would be interacting somehow. I have to admit thought I had no idea how well it would look. It does kind of look like it's in battle doesn't it.

 

And yup. Photoshop would be the one. And only! There is however a magic wand in photoshop. Literally! There's a Magic Wand tool, haha. I didn't get a chance to use it for this project though. All sorts of great tricks can be done with photoshop. The more tutorials done the more you'll understand Photoshop. It really is the best way to go. Just do tons of tutorials.

 

The two most complicated things I did using Photoshop in your avatar were:

 

Taking away the hands of the couple on the Bond Bug at the top left of car. For the most part I simply paint brushed over their hands using the appropriate colours.

 

The other thing was Gandalfs hair. I needed to take out the black-ish colouring from between the flowing strands of his hair. I duplicated just his hair so as to make a wig and then used a tool called Background eraser tool. After I was done cleaning up the wig I began using a normal eraser to erase the original hair in areas that had the black in order to bring out the cleaned up wig.

 

That's just a couple of the many steps it took but those two took the most time I think.

 

 

Enjoy the Photoshopping! Oh and Photoshop comes with a ton of tutorials built in. I strongly suggest reading some of it's beginner info. They know it best.

 

 

Cheers Bond Bug

[gogoblender 3,070]

You...shall not have my Bondbug!

I've been yellin that slogan out loud all morning

Too genius,

I've changed my sig in the sif to this great slogan...I want to put it on t-shirts too!

 

gogo