Hand-painted sign

Lev216

Hello! I'm doing some props and I need a feedback. This is my first serious attempt to draw a wooden texture. It's also not finished yet. Half of the texture is reserved for another prop. AO texture is separate.
Texture:

Screenshot:

nevermind

The wood's not bad, but I would emphasize darker darks and brighter hightlights just to give it a bit more contrast - check out this guys wood tutorial.. it's pretty amazing:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/571323902699326313/

Also... The text screams overlay. I would definitely make it look like it's burned or etched into the wood - or if it were painted on, give it depth and make it opaque...

Lev216

Something like this?

nevermind

Not quite... Here's a few minute paintover... I added a couple brightness contrast layers and cranked up the contrast and then added a hue saturation and played with the saturation to make it believable again... remember the text isn't projected on there, it's got depth, no matter how it was applied, be it paint, or chiseled in...
But really... check out that tutorial and do your best to mimic the forms... wood has dark shadows and hot highlights in some areas. Don't be afraid to exaggerate them, it will read better. Your wood also doesn't have good flow to the grain. It seems almost random.

PyrZern

Wouldn't the color be kind of faded and worn out a bit ? With the sun and rain and wind and bird's shit O o'

nevermind

Definitely needs color variation and wear and tear... but I think a stronger base should come first.

Lev216

I think I'm on the right way. Thanks you for feedback.

nevermind

Definitely an improvement. I'd get rid of the black blur outside of the letters and probably the black on the letters itself... Never use pure black on anything unless it's TINY little crevices and even then be sparing. I'd also get rid of the really thin lines from the text itself. They just don't read from a distance and seem too small and out of place for a carve into wood.

Lev216

Small Update: (temporary without text shading)

turpedo

Hey Lev216,

You should get rid of all your surface details and break down the object based on its planes. Decide where your light source is, and then adjust your values depending on which way your faces are facing. For example, if all of the planes that are facing towards the sky have a brighter value than the side ones, you will then have an established hierarchy. Right now it feels like all your values are the same and it is making it hard to read.

The wood grain also feels very contrasty. It makes it hard to focus on the writing.

Lev216

Thanks everyone for help! Also, there is my update. Top-down lighting is baked from object-space normal map.

Lev216

Almost finished!

skodone

i think what i like most about neverminds paintover is, taht through painting the highlights on the edges i softens them more. atm all the edges are supersharp and could use some bevelling but one can also achieve the look from shadow and highlight placing in the texture

Dethling

have to agree to skodone.
You definitely need some edge details (highlights, scratches etc).
At the moment it looks very new, like something which comes right from a (modern) carpenter.

Btw: The wood texture itself looks really good!