by Flodian Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:45 pm
Introduction: Hey guys it's me again, here with another Photoshop tutorial. Today's topic will be about flow. The word "flow" is thrown around a lot, and no one really cares to tell you what it really means. But that's what I'm trying to get at today ^_^ This is NOT a full signature tutorial, but rather more of a mini-tutorial on what I think is one of the most important aspects of signature creation.
Disclaimer: The following tutorial does not apply to ALL graphic works, it is mainly for signatures. If say the pieces of work has thematic significance, then flow, depth, lights and all that other jargon can be thrown out the window, BECAUSE THEME TRUMPS ALL.
Secondly, I am going to make up some words in this tutorial. If you happen to find other "flow" tutorials, they will probably not approve of my diction. BUT, I think it is easier to remember, and it gets the point across.
Prelude: I'm sure many of you guys remember when ordering at my shop, I get all snappy if you tell me to put more than 1 focus point, or in other words pictures into one signature. Well, here is my totally roundabout way of telling you why. xD A large part of me not wanting to have more than one focus in a signature is because it totally ruins the flow of things. Now that is NOT to say it is impossible to have more than one, in fact if your totally awesome and pro you can probably pull it off and look amazing. But sadly I'm far from being pro, so I am not able to do such a demanding task.
What is Flow?: It's me!! Ok I'll stop with the retarded flow puns.
Flow basically means when looking at a signature from any direction, the viewers' eyes are drawn towards the focus point of said signature. Nearly everything in your signature should contribute to this sense of flow. This not only makes it easier for the viewer to identify what you want to show them, but it is also very soothing on the eye balls.
Finding the Flow: This is usually my first step in sig making. Identifying where the general flow is within your focus, will set the tone for the entire signature. If you do not do this step, it is possible that your entire signature will lack unity and send the eye balls of the viewer into REM. Below I have for you , some example of finding flow in a render as well as the names I have given to this specific type of flow.
1. Mono-Flow
This type of flow is the easiest to identify as well as highlight. There is only one possible way for the signature to look, any other way would look really weird.
2. Di-Flow or Continuous Flow
This type of flow is very similar to Mono Flow, however the key difference is that in Mono-flow, the flow of the signature ends at the girl's face, whereas this one continues for the entire length of Donkey Kong. This flow is also given mainly for one range of motion, hence the continuous flow. Also note that the flow from both ends of Donkey Kong is equally valid, (though the side with the ball kinda dominates) and can be used to drag flow.
3. Major and Minor Flow
This type of flow is very similar to Di flow, and in fact it is often mistaken as di flow. However The difference here is that there is no continuous flow, and one side of the supposedly flow generator is minor compared to the major.
4. Multi Flow
This is one of my personal favourite flow types. I like to think of it as like a black hole. This type of render draws in flow from every direction and will work great when placed in the center of the signature.
5. Limited Flow
This is probably one of the hardest types of flow. Since well... there isn't much to work with. This usually happens when your picture is of a character in a still pose. Though the picture still looks nice, there is no action and as a result, limited flow. So for this type of picture you have to define the flow. Sorta like finding something outta nothing. Generally I would give the sig a mono or a multi flow.
This is also why yu gi oh signatures are hard to do. Since a lot of the pictures come directly from the cards, the monsters are almost always in a pose... and so finding flow is hard.
6. No Flow
And we finally come to the no flow. And like the name says... there is no flow. But this is different than limited flow, because for limited flow we are still able to give the picture a sense of direction, but for this type of picture we can't. This usually happens... WITH MULTIPLE FOCI!!!!
Using Flow: Now that you understand the basics of what flow is, I'll try and show you some more specific examples of how to get flow. I decided to use a simple signature to illustrate my point.
This signature is done completely following my previous Beginner Grudge Signature tutorial.
For this signature you can see that I tried my best to make my background complement my Donkey Kong. By making the background also moving in the direction of the flow of my render, I make it easier for the viewer to identify my focus, and as well making it easy on the eyes. One of my friends coined the essence of flow, and that is "it makes the signature more fluid". Indeed that is the whole point, using flow gives unity and fluidity to your pieces of art!
Now let's take you through how I did this. I am not going to go into full details, because that can be found in my other tutorial.
Background:
Coloring the Background:
Putting it together:
Final Results:
Now let's say for example that I did not try to have flow in my signature and just went totally random.
Background:
Final Results:
Do you see how this compared to our other one, loses that "fluidity" which is so important to the overall effect of the signature.
Other Examples of Using Flow: So far I have shown you how to highlight the flow using your background. But there are of course many other ways to get more flow in your signature. Below are some of the ones I like to use.
Using a C4D render: This is using a 3D render made with C4D or Cinema 4D. Using one of these renders that has similar flow with your signature can often help to highlight the flow.
Using Brushes: This is my personal favourite and the one I use most often. That is using specific brushes that again have similar flow to further highlight the original flow of the signature.
These other examples of flow, will be explained in more detail in my next tutorial.
Other Sig Examples:
Conclusion: Well once again, I hope you have enjoyed reading my guide on Flow and have learned something useful to help you get better at signature making. Please post your new creations here, since I would love to see them!! If you have any questions also post them here and I'll try my best to answer them.
~ Flodian见面佛
ps. Do not rip this tutorial without asking me first.
Last edited by Flodian on Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:21 am; edited 2 times in total
