Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Artwork => Topic started by: chunger on November 27, 2016, 07:18:50 am

Title: First Project
Post by: chunger on November 27, 2016, 07:18:50 am

First project, first post  :lol

I'm certainly not expecting to win any awards here, but I'm having some fun starting in on DIY arcade adventures.  I was planning to put together a couple of Retropie equipped 2 player stand-alone control panels for nephews and nieces for Christmas, and was not expecting to use any graphics at all, but there was a Black Friday special with free graphics package on a commercial precut cabinet.

The smart thing to do would have been to get a professional to help because I have EXTREMELY limited --> sorry. . . make that zero photoshop experience short of portrait touch-ups.  But, the project is small, and I was hoping with a reasonably simple concept, I might be able to make something that doesn't totally suck.

While soliciting professional help, I browsed a short 10 minute youtube video on arcade graphics and thought I'd poke around a bit to see if I could actually mock something up.  I'm pretty sure my web-scrounged source image resolutions for the background are not high enough to hold up to the standard print resolution, but here it is. . .

I'm going for a vintage audio recording equipment vibe because that is where I spend the majority of my DIY.

(http://studio939.zenfolio.com/img/s9/v97/p977657942-6.jpg)

I wanted to put a VU meter in there, but haven't figured out how to burn a drop shadow and "distress" it enough to blend in.  Also, I've been having a tough time finding source art for sortof non-mainstream theme. . . and quite honestly, the more stuff I added, the worse it looked.

Title: Re: First Project
Post by: chunger on December 11, 2016, 02:40:53 am

Little project is moving along!  It looks like the print came out a bit darker and "bluer" than anticipated, but I'm happy with this for a first attempt.  I don't think it sucks  ;D

(http://studio939.zenfolio.com/img/s9/v91/p910532873-5.jpg)

Waiting for carriage bolts and some other bits to arrive, but had 8-32 SS screws and nuts in the bin so they will fill in for now.  I'm not feeling like the graphic layout is sparse at all with the LED top row buttons installed.

Title: Re: First Project
Post by: Locke141 on December 11, 2016, 03:24:23 am

Looks good. A lot of people go over board in the hobby. It takes a lot of people a while to learn that less is more.

Keep us posted on how the build is coming.

Title: Re: First Project
Post by: Titchgamer on December 11, 2016, 04:36:15 am

Looks like a good start mate :)

Title: Re: First Project
Post by: GSXRMovistar on December 11, 2016, 10:00:38 am

That looks really slick, you will be the fav uncle at Christmas.

Title: Re: First Project
Post by: mahuti on December 14, 2016, 12:10:52 pm

Too bad you don't have a spinner. You could set the volume to 11.