[r3] Voting thread-2nd Block--8 LAYERs lockdown-miyu vs. synne

Voting Rules~
x. Clarify why you vote for a certain signature please don't use reason such as liking the character or the participant. This is a graphic contest so let’s think in that term.
x. You may vote for ONE signatures in this round
x. Voting will last until WEDNESDAY , August 10th 2011
x. Anyone may vote, however obviously don't vote for your own work. You may vote in the same block.
x. I won't state whose signature it is until voting ended. So just state what number you like best.
x. Good Luck! You may case your vote on this thread.
[ROUND 3] 2nd BLOCK THEME: 8 layers lockdown

1.)
orig. img: http://i.imgur.com/UimHq.png

1] First I laid down the base background and placed the image over it to see what general position I would like the image to be in. After awhile, I figured center is best since the image is very static. I notice the focal point is his face and the blue flower so center was a good choice to have.

2] I erased the blue background and added a texture behind the image (red circles) and adjusted the levels to my liking. Then I centered it to the image of the character and blurred the edges so it wouldn't look pixelated and smoothed at the character image to blend seamlessly into the BG texture.

3] I wanted to use a quote/text that would go with the fandom, but still be understood by people who don't know it. So I used "Your name is karkat vantas" which is used in the comic itself and will introduce people that oh this character is karkat. So I made a knock out text visual. I made the "your name is" white and melded it with the white box to make it seem like the letters were one with it. i merged them all together so it was one text block

4] then i went and added in the dark parts of the BG (the tree/branch looking texture) and fixed it to...soft light? I then added a gradient and set it to color burn (I think...****)

5] finished with a new layer set to lighten and added a grey color to the whole, a light blue spot light on the flower to enhance the blue and that's pretty much it.

2.)

1 - dropped the picture layer and scaled it (no rendering here)
2 - duplicated the layer and smudged it like my life depends on it
3 - pasted a texture level and erased some parts
4 - used the pen tool to create paths for the blue lights
5 - applied the image - and added a color and a gradient overlay
6 - applied the image again, sharpened it, tweaked the colors and contrast
7 - added a text layer with the un and quote
8 - applied the image again and put a border with stroke and inner shadow

Vote: Sig #1

Honestly I don't "love" either of these sigs, but of the two I think 1 looks the most complete and is at least visually interesting.

The jagged lines on the image used in Sig two completely ruin the sig for me. That is all I can see when I look at it. Was it over sharpened perhaps?

Vote: #1

It's really eyecatching with the character as the central focus. I love the old paper, sepia tone of the background and colour gradated circles. The colours used, character placement and the quote give the sig a strong visual impact.

My vote: #1

1 - Visually stunning, gorgeous range of colors and a very stylish look overall. A really beautiful sig made with such a small number of layers.
2 - Also a beautiful result, but in comparison with the other sig it's a bit too tame.
Both gfx artists have done a great job

Congrats to Synne for passing this round.