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Main => Artwork => Topic started by: Samstag on February 27, 2005, 05:47:49 pm

Title: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: Samstag on February 27, 2005, 05:47:49 pm
I was hoping I could get some extra opinions on my first attempt at a vector marquee.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: mahuti on February 27, 2005, 06:06:37 pm
take  the videlectrix logo and move it over the line  like so;

-----------videlectrix---------------

Then move the logo down so that it's not so cramped at the top.

I would suggest hanging trogdor off of one of the letters... maybe by his giant arm.

Maybe make him the same size as the letter t, move the letters over to the right, and have him shoot flame behind the entire logo.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: Samstag on February 27, 2005, 06:36:57 pm
Thanks for the advice.  The green border is pretty close to my space limits when the marquee fits into its slot but I can try moving the bottom of the border up to the center of the videlectrix logo.  I think I might try to put Trogdor on the left as you suggested and add a thatched-roof cottage or two in the lower right.

Addendum:

I moved vedelectrix down a bit and the bottom of the border up to match it and that looks pretty nice.  So far my Trogdor looks like crap but I'll keep working on it.  I'd like to add a background of hills and sky as in the game, but I can't seem to figure out an easy way to make it visible in the center of the letters.  The cutouts in the letters are black with a green stroke.  Is there some way to make the main color transparent while leaving the stroke opaque?

Updated original post to match current revision.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: SpamMe on February 27, 2005, 08:42:41 pm
Also: pretty sure this is the right font:
http://www.fontpool.com/fonts/castletype/cloister_black_ct.html
(http://www.fontpool.com/samples/castletype/cloister_black_ct/styleid/84534/4/00540052004f00470044004f00520021.gif)
Dunno whether that helps or not...
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: mahuti on February 27, 2005, 08:47:47 pm
You need to make your letters "compound paths" in Illustrator.

1. Select the first letter
2. Hold shift + Select one of the center "hole" areas (black + green stroke objects).
3. Menu OBJECT > COMPOUND PATH > Make

You'll probably have to readd your gradient & stroke colors to the compound object, & do that again for each of the "holes." That's the only way to knock transparent holes through layered objects.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: mahuti on February 27, 2005, 08:49:55 pm
I'm tellin ya... the flames behind the letters would kick @$$... especially if you had the rolling hills and villages behind everything in the distance.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: Samstag on February 27, 2005, 10:52:43 pm
Also: pretty sure this is the right font:
http://www.fontpool.com/fonts/castletype/cloister_black_ct.html
(http://www.fontpool.com/samples/castletype/cloister_black_ct/styleid/84534/4/00540052004f00470044004f00520021.gif)
Dunno whether that helps or not...

Holy crap!
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: mahuti on February 27, 2005, 11:13:20 pm
Yeah, that's what you should do with the exclamation point.

If you end up using actual text, you can just apply the gradient to the font. I'm pretty sure I have cloister. If you need an AI file of that font converted to outlines, let me know.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: Samstag on February 28, 2005, 12:56:13 am
Yeah, that's what you should do with the exclamation point.

If you end up using actual text, you can just apply the gradient to the font. I'm pretty sure I have cloister. If you need an AI file of that font converted to outlines, let me know.

That would be great if it's not too much trouble.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: mahuti on February 28, 2005, 11:21:00 am
I've attached "trogdor.txt" which is actually a .zip file. Change the extension & decompress. Let me know if you have any trouble.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: Samstag on February 28, 2005, 12:15:27 pm
Thanks that font looks soooo much better than my trace job.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: Samstag on February 28, 2005, 10:57:09 pm
Progress update:

It's getting close to what I'm going to call finished.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: paigeoliver on March 01, 2005, 02:12:24 am
When you are finished can you please post the full file somewhere, I MIGHT be interested in printing up one of those babies.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: Samstag on March 01, 2005, 03:45:16 am
I'd be happy to post the final version at localarcade.com.  It's not a standard size (23.5 x 5.75) but it should scale up to a normal marquee  aspect ratio without too much distortion.
Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: mahuti on March 01, 2005, 10:31:51 am
The "Trogdor" is getting a little lost. I'd suggest adding a black or dark stroke around the whole thing.

The best way is to dupe the current word, add a big fat stroke to the dupe, then move it backwards (that's the way I built that green stroke)

Title: Re: My Trogdor Marquee
Post by: Samstag on March 01, 2005, 11:20:19 am
Yeah that looks much nicer.