Just for this hobby, I have multiple half started checklists, want lists and trade lists. For photos, there are scans for the blog, player photos for future custom use, finished custom cards, front with no backs, backs with no fronts, half started potential custom templates, etc. And among all the customs, I have .psd versions (so I can edit a layer if needed) and .jpg versions (the finals that I print out).
Not sure if it happens to anybody else, but when I start a massive cleanup project (more than just tidying up here and there) I tend to get easily distracted. This time was no different. As I made separate folders for all of the above categories, I tried to fight finishing a checklist or tweaking an unfinished template. Instead, the folder I got sucked into was the one where I moved the finished customs.
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| New Header with newer customs |
I decided to take a few of my favorite customs I've done over this past year and update my header. Nothing fancy at all, as you can see. I just slapped a few of my favorite versions of my custom designs onto a Cub blue background. I had a favorite ATCRCS card picked out, but the color scheme didn't really match. Tony Campana is my favorite current Cubs player. Darwin Barney is my favorite everyday starter. And Anthony Rizzo seems to be a building block for future Cubs teams.
Along these same lines, I'd be curious to hear what everybody else's favorite design or custom I've done this year has been. I'm not necessarily fishing for compliments, but rather, looking for some inspiration for putting something together for my 2013 team set.
You can find other players' versions of the cards featured in the header throughout my posts but I'll provide some links to help you out. The Tony Campana is my newest design and others can be seen here. The Anthony Rizzo design was a season long process, especially during August and September when a lot of moves were made. You can see most of them here. I like the idea behind the newspaper one but the 2012 Cubs didn't provide a lot of headlines this year so it is the least represented of the group. Aside from the Barney in the header, I made one for Rizzo and Big Z. And of course, the ATCRCS cards have been sprinkled throughout the blog since its creation. The biggest chunk together are the signed ones which can be found here.
You don't have to limit your feedback to just my cards either. Is there a common element on professional cards that you like or dislike? Thanks for the input!
I love that you have cards of just about everyone that appeared in a Cubs uniform in 2012. Not an easy task trying to gather usable photos of September call-ups!
ReplyDeleteTo me, the biggest thing I look for in a card is a story within the picture or a unique shot. Don't get me wrong, action shots are awesome, but once you've seen twenty pitchers in the middle of a wind-up, you've seen them all. You know?
The All-Star card is a nice one, because it has a story behind it, "Oh, this card commemorates LaHair and Castro's All-Star appearance." The Sveum is a nice example of a unique shot. Shots of managers making a phone call to the bullpen don't usually make it to cardboard! Nice job!
Just an idea for you to kick around. I'd vote for three more cards: 1 card of the #1 draft pick (Albert Almora), 1 card of the Cubs minor league hitter of the year (Logan Watkins), and 1 card of the Cubs minor league pitcher of the year (Nick Struck). When I was collecting in the late 80's and early 90's Topps had draft pick cards and Future Star cards. They were so cool! I can still picture the cards of Ty Griffin and Mike Harkey in my head.
I wish I had your computer skills. Keep up the good work!