"Artist" Name: Pharwynd
Name: Elly
Other: Artifex Modi Master: Starwars image reference "Shaak Ti"
Favorite Color: Red or Purple
Games you play: Shaiya, Forsaken World, Oblivion, Sims 3
Active Forums: AGE Forums and Sov

How did you become interested in making signatures?
Saw others showing off theirs, and being artistically inclined, thought YEAH I can have a go too^^
Why do you like to make Signatures?
I like creating, exploring and signatures is an online medium which allows me to create, where as I'm not so good at art (drawing/painting) other then trees lol.

What programs(s) do you use?
I use a program called GIMP, its free to download and is like 16.6mb in file size so quite small^^. Before I got tired of having to redownload trials or reboot my comp I was using Adobe Photoshop CS4. While it was great to use, I haven't found much I cannot simulate in some form in GIMP.

Why do you like it?
Its free, does pretty much everything Adobe did, though might have to take another path to get it, and pretty much all brushes etc for Adobe work in GIMP

How long have you been making signatures?
Ummm just over two years now (though almost 2 years making them for AGE users), one of my 1st ones was from when I was in my 1st guild so has been a while lol

What are five suggestions you would give to any signature artist?
1) Keep at it
2) Chat with other Signature Artists if you have problems, often you are not the only one to have them
3) Tutorials are good, but if all you do is copy what you have learned in Tutorials you just end up mimicking, so experiment when ever possible, who knows you might end up writing a smexy tutorial from that experiment^^
4) Be yourself
5) Repeat all of the above to yourself when needed^^

How about five suggestions for a new artist?
1) Explore; images, techniques, pressing random options u have never tried before^^
2) Talk to some fellow signature makers, as long as you don't go after their "siggy secrets" it should be fine,
3) Don't be afraid to show your work to others
4) Use guildies, and friends as signature guinea pigs when times are low, they get new siggys and you get to keep practicing^^
5) Never try to copy someone elses work, if you like something you can try to mimic it but put your own spin on it^^, In a realm of lots of siggy makers you want to be something different ^_^


Do you offer tutorials or give lessons?
In real life I'm starting to work with my Community Centre to set up GIMP/Photo Shop workshops. I am hoping to create Tutorials for there, which can be transferred to here as well. If it does work however it will be on how to use the programs and learn how to get a certain effect rather then creating an entire signature. Idea is to create your own look using the techniques/effects given^^.

My Studio

* steals your Jack Sparrow and Nightmare before Christmas poster*

Nuu D= you cant have them!!

I'm glad to see this site growing!
I just ran into a bunch of free time and am getting a tablet soon.
So I am gonna make some hand drawn signatures. HHAHa