@ScorpioRage: That's pretty good. The plains background actually fits the art, strangely enough. A very solid piece. My only suggestion would be to color all those edges. They take away from the art when left uncolored like that. Otherwise a great piece. Can't wait to see more out of you.
So, it seems that I may begin cutting cards again. Probably not at the pace that I had done before, but a few here and there. So, I may post more of my work soon. Hopefully.
@Panda: Ah, so that was yours. Yeah. Looks pretty good. Love all the tiny details. Your blue did kinda bleed over a bit on the right side. But that's a minor nitpick.
Also, a buddy is getting a box of Khans... sooo I may have to steal your idea Ed. SURRAK BEAR PUNCH!! Depending on how may of what cards he gets, any ideas on what I should be on the look out for?
Second one is done. Was happy to find that my dad had a bunch of piano wire to use for the bars, and that fit the beads great.
Also, looking through the tread I've heard people saying that they use up to 10 cards to do their counters. Are some people just wasteful and go through that many, I've yet to look really any card and think that I'd need more than 6 cards to accomplish the effects I'd want.
@ScorpioRage: Using more than 6 cards isn't wasteful. I've used anywhere from 3 to 27 cards to achieve the effects I want. As you get into more complex designs, you will learn that sometimes you need a few more layers. To keep commission work prettier than non-commission work, I tend to use A LOT more cards for layering there (minimum 10 cards).
@Metman: 155 life? Anywho, yeah that happens. Mine, for some reason always have some small fuzz or something on them. It's rather annoying. Sometimes I just take them into photoshop and cut that crap out. Usually not tho. Recently, I've used a can of compressed air to "clean" em up before the glamour shots. When I take pics with my phone all is well. It's when I start using my big camera that the little imperfections come out.
Wow, looks pretty rough when you zoom in like that.
I have been getting pretty confident with my knife skills and I want to try the next level. What do you think is the best tutorial and tool guide for bending?
I am not ready to try painting yet.
I have already done picture mixing in other tokens and legends: http://media-dominaria.cursecdn.com/attachments/129/858/635399221509070332.JPG
What are other potential advancements?
I guess life counters, anything else?
Another basic land. I use the three rows of beads for an arbitrary potential of life. I like the look of three rows but only like five in each row. I let whomever purchases it determine how the life works. I like the look of this one. It was a simple layout, but I'm finding the landscape works lend themselves to my skills much better.
I thought my Hammerhand and Serra Angel were much better pieces but I do like doing the basic because they appeal to a larger audience.
Well, it won't seem to allow me to upload a pic. When I figure it out I'll post it.
Here is my first attempt at a 3D abacus. I used a Theros Island. I spent a lot of time reading posts, blogs, and articles and watching youtube videos. I really liked the 3 rows of beads. Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. I made this first one as a gift for my 9 year old son who is way into MTG.
Here is my first attempt at a 3D abacus. I used a Theros Island. I spent a lot of time reading posts, blogs, and articles and watching youtube videos. I really liked the 3 rows of beads. Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. I made this first one as a gift for my 9 year old son who is way into MTG.
Biggest thing is going to be just more practice cutting. After making a few 3d cards you will start to cut closer to the pictures and have straighter boxes. The abacus section is pretty good.
Cannot tell from the picture, but do the beads touch the bottom? It is best to avoid that so they do not rub.
Straight wires look a bit better, but that is really difficult to achieve unless the wire was straight to begin with. What kind of wire is that?
Cannot see clearly, but it looks like there are some rough areas on the outside where the wire is. What technique did you use for adding the wire? I like to make little grooves for the wires so they have room. I also think it is best if the wire does not get all the way to the outer edge, such that the grooves are in the brown section but not the black border. If you are using spacers rather than making it solid, just try to keep the wire from going all the way to the edge.
One more suggestion is to try to use very light, pale colors unless you want the border to stand out. If you run the marker over the edge very gently and quickly, it will not bleed inward as much.
Cannot tell from the picture, but do the beads touch the bottom? It is best to avoid that so they do not rub.
The beads do not touch the bottom. They move freely. The water drop is 3D and has several mm of clearance from the beads.
Quote from from="mazeTemporal » »
Straight wires look a bit better, but that is really difficult to achieve unless the wire was straight to begin with. What kind of wire is that?
The wire was straight to begin with. I used floral stem wire. I think one piece, bottom piece with brown beads, got bent when I glued it on. The beads I used had a pretty narrow hole, so the wire had to be thin. Its pretty resilient and bounces back when pushed.
Quote from from="mazeTemporal » »
Cannot see clearly, but it looks like there are some rough areas on the outside where the wire is. What technique did you use for adding the wire? I like to make little grooves for the wires so they have room. I also think it is best if the wire does not get all the way to the outer edge, such that the grooves are in the brown section but not the black border. If you are using spacers rather than making it solid, just try to keep the wire from going all the way to the edge.
I built it in 2 sections, cutting grooves into the bottom section 6.25mm apart for the wires (The pre M15 text box is 25mm high). The groves went just barely into the black outer section and cannot be seen from the sides.
Quote from from="mazeTemporal » »
One more suggestion is to try to use very light, pale colors unless you want the border to stand out. If you run the marker over the edge very gently and quickly, it will not bleed inward as much.
This is very helpful. Thank you! I should have tested out more colors. I ended up using a much lighter blue for the water, but the first attempt was a dark blue. The brown was too dark and might as well have been black.
All in all, I need a better metal ruler to cut straight lines for the boxes. The one I used was flimsy, so the cards slid a lot. I think I can also eliminate some layers. I think 10 is too many.
How do people protect the image once complete? I've been thinking about using magnets to secure a top or glue a thin plexiglass shield over the art. For now I am storing it in a plastic bulk card holder.
Here is my first attempt at a 3D abacus. I used a Theros Island. I spent a lot of time reading posts, blogs, and articles and watching youtube videos. I really liked the 3 rows of beads. Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. I made this first one as a gift for my 9 year old son who is way into MTG.
For your first one it's not bad. I'm so glad that there is so much research/how-to's out there for this. Anywho, the only issues you have with your piece get better with practice. Your straights are not very (practice fixes that). And the edging, your colors are really dark or the shadows of the layers really show. For instance, with lighter browns try using an orange marker as the base then put some brown on your finger and rub it in where you can. With 3 rows of 10 you can track 1110 life. Most normal people will not want to track that amount. Ever. But that's if you use the thing like a "true" abacus. I use a "flimsy" straight edge as well. I've found that if you put a strip of masking tape on the side you lay against the card, you get a small bit of hold as well as a minor lift off the card (after quite a few uses your edges will "lift"). Or you could use one of those that has the cork backing, but that lifts the straight edge off of the card card more than I'd like. Also, apply downward pressure on the straight edge, spreading your fingers wide. And instead of "pushing" your blade against it's, use it more as a line to follow. You also came across the one reason I don't use wire. It bends. But that also means that I cannot use beads with small holes. So with every choice, there are pros and cons to them.
The third row is for either commander cast count or poison counters. Could also use it for storm count I guess too. Here is an earlier photo before I glued all the pieces together or added any touch-up colors. Thank you for the constructive feedback. I plan on letting my son pick out the next card after Christmas, so in the meantime, I'll be testing out some different wire/needle options and seeing if I can get a die cut to the size of the text box which would save a lot of cutting.
Hmm, strange. You try using the img tags instead of attaching? In any case I saw this on the fB group. I really like what you did with this piece. Especially the background.
This is really cool. I like the colored water mark and that it is really two sections that can come apart.
Not sure how practical the coming apart is though, I would be worried about damage.
While damage is a valid point, I think the ability to uncover the BEAUTIFUL background work outweighs the potential there. I think Ed did this for himself, but I'm not sure. In any case, my personal pieces stay in hard plastic cases when they travel with me, so if this is kept in something similar, damage should be a non-issue.
This one is my favorite saproling art. Now I just need to do the modern masters version and then try to find enough copies of the expensive player reward version.
This one is my favorite saproling art. Now I just need to do the modern masters version and then try to find enough copies of the expensive player reward version.
Nice. The artwork cutting/layering looks really nice. Very clean. It just loses a bit at the edges. Cutting extended curves like that is a pain. Still a very strong piece. Some shaping of the cardboard would make the piece pop a bit more, but there are soo many little bits in there, that its not wholly necessary. Keep it up.
This one is my favorite saproling art. Now I just need to do the modern masters version and then try to find enough copies of the expensive player reward version.
Nice. The artwork cutting/layering looks really nice. Very clean. It just loses a bit at the edges. Cutting extended curves like that is a pain. Still a very strong piece. Some shaping of the cardboard would make the piece pop a bit more, but there are soo many little bits in there, that its not wholly necessary. Keep it up.
What do you mean by the edges? the top frame border or something else?
Yes, the top frame border. There are a couple of issues with it, but only someone looking for problems will see them. Your lower curve (on the card when it is upright) is a series of long straight lines instead of a smooth curve. This is not as visible on the top curve. It seems you used a mildly dull blade or tilted the knife towards the art when making those cuts as you can see the edge of the cut curving upwards a bit. With how your other cuts look, I would assume you tilted the knife. The top right corner where the curve meets the straight looks like your straight edge danced a bit on you. When making those type of cuts, I tend to put the weight on the inside of the card so as to not have it slip on me. Mind you, these are SMALL things that I see that don't really harm the piece. Only things for you to look for to try and better your craft.
I started doing 3D cards (not MTG) and I had a question for the people around doing commissions.
How do you package the cards for shipping and how do you store the ones you keep / plan to sell later on?
I'm having a hard time finding containers appropriate for this and sleeves won't do, especially since some of these cards area like 1 - 1.5 cm thick.
Hello, and welcome to the thread (and MTGS)!
There is a thread for posting non-MTG 3d work in case you want to show it off, get critiques, etc. Now on to your questions.
When I'm going to ship one, I use one of these. Since you will have some gaps around the card as well as above it I will fold up scraps to buffer the sides and the top so that there is no movement. I then drop it in a bubble mailer and ship that bad boy off.
I also mostly store each of my items within the same containers when I transport them in case I sell one. Sometimes I place them in these if I have a few of them when just storing them. Though, at one point I did use a single MTG Fat Pack box since I had so many on hand.
If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask.
So, it seems that I may begin cutting cards again. Probably not at the pace that I had done before, but a few here and there. So, I may post more of my work soon. Hopefully.
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body
My FAV alter so far.
Also, a buddy is getting a box of Khans... sooo I may have to steal your idea Ed. SURRAK BEAR PUNCH!! Depending on how may of what cards he gets, any ideas on what I should be on the look out for?
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body
Also, looking through the tread I've heard people saying that they use up to 10 cards to do their counters. Are some people just wasteful and go through that many, I've yet to look really any card and think that I'd need more than 6 cards to accomplish the effects I'd want.
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body
I have been getting pretty confident with my knife skills and I want to try the next level. What do you think is the best tutorial and tool guide for bending?
I am not ready to try painting yet.
I have already done picture mixing in other tokens and legends: http://media-dominaria.cursecdn.com/attachments/129/858/635399221509070332.JPG
What are other potential advancements?
I guess life counters, anything else?
I thought my Hammerhand and Serra Angel were much better pieces but I do like doing the basic because they appeal to a larger audience.
Well, it won't seem to allow me to upload a pic. When I figure it out I'll post it.
Biggest thing is going to be just more practice cutting. After making a few 3d cards you will start to cut closer to the pictures and have straighter boxes. The abacus section is pretty good.
Cannot tell from the picture, but do the beads touch the bottom? It is best to avoid that so they do not rub.
Straight wires look a bit better, but that is really difficult to achieve unless the wire was straight to begin with. What kind of wire is that?
Cannot see clearly, but it looks like there are some rough areas on the outside where the wire is. What technique did you use for adding the wire? I like to make little grooves for the wires so they have room. I also think it is best if the wire does not get all the way to the outer edge, such that the grooves are in the brown section but not the black border. If you are using spacers rather than making it solid, just try to keep the wire from going all the way to the edge.
One more suggestion is to try to use very light, pale colors unless you want the border to stand out. If you run the marker over the edge very gently and quickly, it will not bleed inward as much.
The beads do not touch the bottom. They move freely. The water drop is 3D and has several mm of clearance from the beads.
The wire was straight to begin with. I used floral stem wire. I think one piece, bottom piece with brown beads, got bent when I glued it on. The beads I used had a pretty narrow hole, so the wire had to be thin. Its pretty resilient and bounces back when pushed.
I built it in 2 sections, cutting grooves into the bottom section 6.25mm apart for the wires (The pre M15 text box is 25mm high). The groves went just barely into the black outer section and cannot be seen from the sides.
This is very helpful. Thank you! I should have tested out more colors. I ended up using a much lighter blue for the water, but the first attempt was a dark blue. The brown was too dark and might as well have been black.
All in all, I need a better metal ruler to cut straight lines for the boxes. The one I used was flimsy, so the cards slid a lot. I think I can also eliminate some layers. I think 10 is too many.
How do people protect the image once complete? I've been thinking about using magnets to secure a top or glue a thin plexiglass shield over the art. For now I am storing it in a plastic bulk card holder.
For your first one it's not bad. I'm so glad that there is so much research/how-to's out there for this. Anywho, the only issues you have with your piece get better with practice. Your straights are not very (practice fixes that). And the edging, your colors are really dark or the shadows of the layers really show. For instance, with lighter browns try using an orange marker as the base then put some brown on your finger and rub it in where you can. With 3 rows of 10 you can track 1110 life. Most normal people will not want to track that amount. Ever. But that's if you use the thing like a "true" abacus. I use a "flimsy" straight edge as well. I've found that if you put a strip of masking tape on the side you lay against the card, you get a small bit of hold as well as a minor lift off the card (after quite a few uses your edges will "lift"). Or you could use one of those that has the cork backing, but that lifts the straight edge off of the card card more than I'd like. Also, apply downward pressure on the straight edge, spreading your fingers wide. And instead of "pushing" your blade against it's, use it more as a line to follow. You also came across the one reason I don't use wire. It bends. But that also means that I cannot use beads with small holes. So with every choice, there are pros and cons to them.
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body
This is really cool. I like the colored water mark and that it is really two sections that can come apart.
Not sure how practical the coming apart is though, I would be worried about damage.
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body
What do you mean by the edges? the top frame border or something else?
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body
There is a thread for posting non-MTG 3d work in case you want to show it off, get critiques, etc. Now on to your questions.
When I'm going to ship one, I use one of these. Since you will have some gaps around the card as well as above it I will fold up scraps to buffer the sides and the top so that there is no movement. I then drop it in a bubble mailer and ship that bad boy off.
I also mostly store each of my items within the same containers when I transport them in case I sell one. Sometimes I place them in these if I have a few of them when just storing them. Though, at one point I did use a single MTG Fat Pack box since I had so many on hand.
If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask.
URGEDH Biovisionary.dec BShirei WBSelenia
The brain is the muscle that pumps stupid through the body