How did everyone get into designing covers?

[Arkflip]

QUOTE (LittleCoolDude @ Jan 11 2012, 02:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can't believe no one mentioned MajorTom from Dagonsden, Him, Dagon, Kylumi, irrob were guys that stood out to me back then

Scott did!

QUOTE

...Jupiter Prime / Major Tom / Bunny Dojo ....[/quote]

[Arkflip]

And i also mentioned Dagon and Irrob just remembered another big and jurassic name from the old days: Jason The Giant

[JollyRoger]

QUOTE (JollyRoger @ Jan 11 2012, 07:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, I used to owe Bazzah some money for an odd job he'd helped me out with back in.... ´07 I think? Seeing I didn't have the slightest inclination nor intention of ever paying him back what I owed, He locked me in the Staff Locker Room right here at HRC.
Well, after the first couple of months I found a way to sneak out at night, and into the Forums, looking for a way out. So by accident I simply stumbled upon the Wonderful World of Designing Fan-art Cover Replacements. Seeing that the Big Boys at the time, nonini, Arkflip, Golemeye, Skallywag, Irrob, B3arStyle, Kylumi, Bunny Dojo and others didn't have the slightest idea what they were doing, I decided to stick around and give them some well needed pointers...

Still haven't found the way out from the site tho, which is why I'm like always on here...somewhere.... :chin:

I mentioned Irrob too - and all other designers as well

I also put down Arkflip's name, but seeing he still haven't finished any of the wips from back then, he doesn't really qualify to be a 'Designer'

[M0vieM0nster]

QUOTE (LittleCoolDude @ Jan 11 2012, 01:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can't believe no one mentioned MajorTom from Dagonsden, Him, Dagon, Kylumi, irrob were guys that stood out to me back then

I mentioned him too! :P

[LittleCoolDude]

toooooo much reading lol

[Demonology]

Last forum post on novastation was in december 2010 last upload looks to be 2009 so looks like Jupiter Prime no longer around shame as i still use his matrix collection covers and also his contact cover.

Not sure who partnered up with Ric i was never really a frequent vistor there.
JasonTheGiant's cover for panic room is perfection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so others that have disappeared were Shorn (amazing great escape cover he did)
Icoty / Moonshadow / Corvin (who did some silver disney covers also) / Pixarman / evenstar / Pepe_Navarro / Tinpony / Paper Pills /
harvdigitydawg (i've concidered a few times in actually finishing off his x-men collection as he only did the first 2 or 3) / DMXiNc / JachDaRippa.

If they all came back at the same time the custom cover communities would be a hive of pure heaven.

but we can only dream lol

Edit: forgot to mention 1 more person and if it wasn't for him!!! writing credit blocks would be a pain and thats Tracertong for creating
the credit block fonts we still use today

[JollyRoger]

His site at least is still up

http://tracertong.co.uk/ttf/

[bpmford]

Wow, a lot of designers I never heard of, makes me wish I had gotten into this sooner! I'm just a baby!

Thanks guys for sharing all your stories, really enjoy the Blast from the Past!

[Bunny Dojo]

QUOTE (Demonology @ Jan 11 2012, 08:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I really do still miss that site and if i had the money i would make an attempt to rebuild it, thats how much i miss it.

I think the thing that made that site special is the percentage of users who actively participated. It was only something like 100 members, all invited based on effort and the expectation that they would be excited to join in. So, we were all learning together, giving each other ideas on directions to take, and listening to each other.

When someone listens to your ideas, you feel more compelled to continue sharing them, so the WIP threads were particularly energetic. And, since we all believed we were on the same level, ideas were taken for what they were: just ideas you could try out and decide on your own whether to use or not.

The problem is, even with the first revival of the site, that was fading. Since there was only a small group, when people started moving into other hobbies or became busy with other aspects of life, the site's activity slowed. Newly added users seemed antagonized by the suggestion-heavy WIP threads, seeing the posts as pointing out flaws rather than as just potential avenues which could be explored. So, even though the site still had glimmers of greatness, it wasn't what it once was.

If that atmosphere could be emulated, I don't think you necessarily have to rebuild that particular site to achieve it: just assemble 8-12 guys who are willing to post their ideas at least once in every WIP thread for a week or two and see what happens.

And, of course, we can also try the duel again, like we did for Road To Perdition, A Clockwork Orange and a couple of other titles. In fact, I'll start a thread right now.

[felipe-11]

QUOTE (bpmford @ Jan 11 2012, 04:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow, a lot of designers I never heard of, makes me wish I had gotten into this sooner! I'm just a baby!

I was about to mention the same thing, I don't think I've ever heard of at least 90% of those names!


Anyway, this is how I got started. As a kid I was a HEAVY MS Paint user. One day I just started to copy (or trying) movie title treatments and logos —and all this only using the default Windows 98 fonts— and then one day just started making my own TTs and printing them for a bunch of VHS recordings I had. I guess those would be my first covers.

Then I got into it a little more with videogame and DVD covers (I remember even hand-drawing a cover for Rayman 2). Finally back in 2006, I think, I started looking for spacesavers for my sets and I stumbled into the world of custom covers. I remember trying to register in many sites but it was rough since I couldn't really download anything without contributing and I really didn't have anything to contribute.

So I registered in a couple of sites, but I only really used one which I really enjoyed. I can't remember what it was called but I remember Kylumi was there (I think as a mod or admin). Anyway, I had recently taken a Photoshop class, so I started making a few covers and uploading there. A few weeks after, that site closed (for renovation I think?) and I found myself homeless in the cover making world.

I had kinda given up hope, until one day I got the anual newsletter from one of the sites I had registered at a long time ago but never had the chance to use. A little site called HiResCovers. And in the newsletter was a thumbnail of THE MOST AMAZING COVER I had ever seen. Ever. It was for the X-Men Animated Series by an artist named Kernie82. I literally "re-joined" the site and proved my self just to get that masterpiece in all its full resolution glory and admire it for a few minutes every day. And here I am now, my only cover site


Btw, I also found it interesting that a lot of designers here chose not to print their covers. I myself only started printing recently (2011) because thats when I bought a decent hi-res printer and nice paper to finally do it. But before last year I honestly had downloaded hundreds of amazing covers just to look at them and had printed zero. Now I use custom covers for almost every single movie I get, unless I really like the retail (or a great cover hasn't been made for it, yet). I probably have about 50 printed covers from here, I should post a pic sometime soon.