Another contest entry here, this time for a collage, not sure how successful I've been in my interpretation of a collage but here it is.

All thoughts and comments are welcome and one thing I could do with some help with is The Clash logo. I'm trying to get the same look as this one http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... ash_UK.jpg Not that sure how to get the scratch look or if the font and alterations I've made to it make for a similar sort of a look. I know you guys are good at fonts so this so this seemed the best place to ask for advice.

Here's a link to a larger version over at DeviantArt, http://fav.me/d6p9xg0

caz: wow, i really like this one! it's very different from what you usually make, but it doesn't look any worse for that, you seem to know exactly what you're doing. but what sort of scratch look is it you're after, can you give any examples?

you can get the scratchie look by using a layer mask and stamping over the lettering with scratchy or grungy brushes for the transparent holes.

this !

or do it with a texture and a layermask as i showed in this tutorial:

http://gimpchat.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5774

For scratches:
- add layer mask
- fill with plasma
- apply motion blur to set the general direction of the scratches
- treshold/curves/level or contrast to isolate the scratches

i tried to render the Clash logo for you and then vectorise it in Inkscape so that you can scale it to any size

the vector and the xcf are in the archive

Cheers everyone, very helpful. I'm still playing around with the different methods to see which one brings about the best outcome. Must admit though Esper's svg, and thank you for this, is the best so far.
Just a question as I'm not sure, and as I'm guessing that this is how Esper's version was done, is it okay to use a copy of the Clash logo that has been lifted from the album cover or is it a breach of copyright?
Apologises Esper if you didn't lift the logo from the cover to make the vector and made it in a different way, it just looks identical, great stuff.

Slightly different track here but I did hear something quite surprising about Doctor Who the other day on a radio news bulletin. Apparently there's going to be a Doctors special in late November and it's going to be broadcast simultaneously in seventy countries. I'm going to guess that that's some kind of a record for a science fiction show, it came a quite a surprise to me.
I don't watch the show much these days, I was a big fan back in the Jon Pertwee - Tom Baker era, but I might tune in for this episode. Oh Yeah, and no other thing, why is Peter Cushing rarely given credit for playing the doctor. He made two films, one of which has got the coolest looking flying saucer, but is never mentioned in a list of the actors who played the Doctor. Bit of an injustice there I think.

lol Caz, im not that good

of course i lifted the logo from an album cover

dont know if its a copyright breach, but i dont think it matters, if you are only using this for the contest
i mean its fanart...you are not selling anything

Cheers, Esper, like you say I'm fairly sure it's okay to use the logo for a one off image. Now the only problem I've got is the clash logo puts the other text to shame, I'll have to see if I can come up with something better. Any ideas anyone?

dunno
for my taste there is way too much going on in your piece

i would get rid of the dalek and the skeleton and make the ufo attack of london the main theme
or just get rid of the skeleton and put more daleks side by side, but they need to be less dominant
the subway background i like (maybe all b/w) but the union jack needs to be stronger, in my opinion

if the flaming text then is needed is another question, im not sure if putting too many different text effects into one piece is a good idea

to me it all looks a bit unbalanced, there seems to be no focus
i think the ufo attack of the palace of westminster and the union jack should be the main theme, the subway is the background texture and the union jack a frame

i would fill the corner of the union jack where the ufos are coming from with space, to counter the urban scene in the lower left

on top of that needs to be the logo and album title, because in the end thats what its all about

caz: i disagree with esper about the "too much going on" thing - i love that there is so much going on in your image . to me it looks generous and rich and i really enjoyed exploring the image and finding more details all the time. believe it or not, but i totally missed the dalek first time around, it wasn't until you started talking doctor who that i saw it. of course, only you know what it is you're trying to do with the image, though, and esper gives good and sound advice if you're actually trying to focus people's attention the way he thinks. about the text i think that the clash logo has enough dynamic in it to go with a more plain text for "london burning". the way i see it the image can bear up one "fancy" text piece and one "plain" and if you use esper's clash logo you'd do best sticking with a very plain and straight 'london burning' text.

Thanks Esper and Anmal, lots of good ideas there. I've added some space scenery to the section behind the UFOs and changed the Clash logo for the much improved version. Everything else is pretty much as it was. I thought about making some other changes but then it struck me that the image is starting to look like one of those tacky postcards they sell at and around London landmarks, and I'm quite pleased that it does strangely enough.
Not sure if it fits into the theme of the collage competition, some of the other entrants have gone for a real scissors and glue look, but it was fun to do anyway. Just have to see how it fares.

Very clever caz. I didn't see the dalek or the subway until I checked it out as a larger pic.

It's a great image Caz. I'm not sure it counts as a collage either but as long as you enjoyed making it it doesn't really matter.

Thanks Sallyanne and Erisian.