Digital art, photoshop and file size

Photoshop, digital art

[Bucephalus]

Hi,

I want to make some graphics for a website, and it has a central column for the content and there is a column on each side which has nothing, but it's plain. I wouldn't mind putting some nice background art there in these columns. Some spanish theme, kind of like a spanish painting. Something, but not the same as this:

<snip>

because it's only the columns on either side of the content column it's not going to be taking up the whole page. If I made a painting like this, would the file be way too large to put on the website?
Also, I don't want the painting to repeat, what do I do if the website goes down more than the painting? I was thinking of just getting a colour from the painting and blending into that colour for any lower part of the website if the height of the website exceeds the the height of the painting.

Any help would be appreciated?

[edited by: limbo at 9:07 am (utc) on Jul 14, 2010]
[edit reason] No URL's please, see TOS [webmasterworld.com] [/edit]

[rocknbil]

Some spanish theme, kind of like a spanish painting.

Consider carefully on two points: your primary objective is legibility. If the "painting" is too detailed, it will have heights and valleys in tone, with contrast. Overlay type onto that and it will take a serious dent in legibility.

Related, a "background" image is supposed to be just that, a background on which the subject - your text - stands. It needs to be flat in contrast and not distracting from the subject, the basic concept of dominance and subordination. So if you ghost out the image to be a good ground, you will lose detail anyway. If your background is too elaborate and contrasty, the viewer may wish one or the other - the text or the background - weren't there. Both of these play into your other questions.

If I made a painting like this, would the file be way too large to put on the website?

Being a background, no, you'd use an image the width of the column and optimize it (see below.)

Also, I don't want the painting to repeat, what do I do if the website goes down more than the painting? I was thinking of just getting a colour from the painting and blending into that colour for any lower part of the website if the height of the website exceeds the the height of the painting.

A fill is an "ok" idea, the problem comes in getting the image to blend into a web-safe tone otherwise it will form a line. Another option is to use a bitmapped format like .gif or .png and use dithering to blend to transparent.

But considering all points above, allowing it to repeat is not such a bad idea. You can feather the top and bottom of the image so wherever they might join would be a good fit - visualize sky at top, a lake or river below where the blues would blend smoothly when stacked.

.columns {
width:200px;
background #400080 url(/images/your-bg.jpg) top left repeat-y;
}

[Bucephalus]

Sorry about that URL.

That was a very helpful response RocknBil. I'm not too familiar with design concepts at the moment, but I have bought a couple of books on it. I thought of a better idea now. I'm thinking of trying to draw a flamenco dancer and a matador in photoshop. Have the matador on one side and the flamenco dancer on the other column.

Do you know any good resources or magazines or books or websites where I can learn the kind of theory you have referred to in your response? THings such as tone and contrast, dominance and subordination, etc. I have a book on design and it talks about colours and the colour wheel. Like "complementary colours", "monochromatic", "diadic" etc, and it has been very helpful. Do you know any other good resources to speed up my design expertise?

David.

[rocknbil]

THings such as tone and contrast, dominance and subordination, etc.

Color, Structure, and Design, Richard G. Ellinger, is a good place to start, it's old but solid, 137 pages. :-) To really get the gist you actually have to do the exercises, but it's a quick read and a solid color theory reference.

edit: LOL . . . seeing copies starting at .01 on Amazon . . .

[Bucephalus]

Yeah, thanks
I'm going to get this book and fine another similar one on Amazon. Thanks for your help.
David.