Kibou Niji Rengou Rainbow Fighters Reborn. How to Make Ribbons, Part I.

Due to a bad case of flu, I've not been online as often as I wanted to, so this entry will also be lacking in contents. But to make things a bit interesting, I thought I'd share how I made the different logos, and more specifically how I managed to create the ribbon-like R with the rainbow gradient.

As people who've worked with graphics editors (whether they are Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, the GIMP, or my personal favourite Inkscape) know, creating curved gradients, especially gradients following complex paths (like ribbons) is a challenge. Raster graphics editors can usually use brushes of some kind to handle (more or less) this issue, but vector programs usually can't. And even then it's quite difficult to set up correctly.

However, for my logos (drawn in Inkscape), I managed to find a method that was not only easy to set up, but also easy to extend, allowing me to make not only the simple ribbons of the first two logos above, but also the more complex ones like the last two! And since I didn't develop this method myself, it's only fair that I should link back to the originator. Just click on that link (yes, it's a Flickr page!): it shows an example of a curved gradient, with a link to an SVG file (the format used by Inkscape, but which is also readable by browsers like Firefox) that describes the method used to create it. It should be relatively self-explanatory, and exploits the fact that Inkscape allows one to style paths using markers on their nodes, and that any Inkscape object can be converted into a marker, including one containing a colour gradient. The advantage of the method is that it allows you to tweak things after the fact. Its main drawback is that it only works with smooth curves with no sharp turns. But as you can see with my logos, you can do quite a lot even with this limitation.

To really understand this technique, you need to be at least somewhat familiar with Inkscape. But it's quite an intuitive program to use, so this shouldn't be too much of a limitation (and it's Free Software, available on all main platforms, so you have no excuse not to have it on your computer already!). So for now I will leave you with this, and next week I will explain how I extended this method to create the more complex ribbons you can see on the last two logos above. Please look forward to it!

Kibou Niji Rengou Rainbow Fighters Reborn. Still about the Logo.

Due to lack of time, this post is basically a filler meant to remind you that the poll on the Kibou Niji Rengou Rainbow Fighters Reborn is still running! Don't hesitate to vote on your favourite one! See last week's post for more info!

Kibou Niji Rengou Rainbow Fighters Reborn. The Logo.

Je tenais d'abord à m'excuser auprès de mes lecteurs français. Malheureusement, écrire ces articles en deux langues me prend bien trop de temps. C'est pourquoi je suis obligé de me concentrer sur une seule langue. Et pour atteindre le plus grand public, je suis contraint à utiliser l'anglais. Mais ne vous inquiétez pas, les épisodes de Rainbow Fighters Reborn eux-mêmes seront toujours publiés en français !

In last week's post, I presented the logo above as the logo of the upcoming series Kibou Niji Rengou Rainbow Fighters Reborn. However, to tell you the truth, I was not completely happy with this logo. While I'm happy with the concept (a big ribbon-like R with a rainbow gradient, behind the rest of the title), I felt I executed it poorly. It just looked a bit cheap. So I started working on the logo again.

First, I wondered whether my feeling came from the fact that the stroke of the ribbon-like R was too thin. So I started by thickening it a bit, and ended up with this:

It looks better, but still a little tacky. So I went back to the drawing board and decided to redesign the R entirely. This is what I ended up with:

I feel like it's a big improvement. And to make the ribbon-like nature of the R even more visible, I made a last version:

This does really make it look like it's made of ribbons, doesn't it?

So now I have all those alternative logos, but now I've started to doubt myself: was the original logo so bad after all? Are the new ones not unnecessarily heavy? I'm not sure what to do with all those alternatives any more. As usual, I have difficulties making a final decision: which logo should become the official logo for Kibou Niji Rengou Rainbow Fighters Reborn?

So after a lot of pondering, I thought the most effective way would be to involve you, my readers, in the decision! After all, you support me by reading what I make, so I may as well listen to what you have to say!

So basically I'd like to organise a little survey. The question is quite simple: which logo do you want as the official logo of the new season of Rainbow Fighters? The alternatives are:

1. The original logo: "The original was just right, thank you very much!"

2. The logo with thickened stroke: "Making the ribbons wider was all it needed to become perfect!"

3. The logo with the redesigned R: "Now that's more like it!"

4. The logo with the redesigned R with ribbon-like extremities: "Now that's what I call a ribbon!"

5. None of the above: "All your designs are crap! My ideas are far better than yours!" If you have got other ideas, don't hesitate to share them with me!

So that's my little survey. To participate, just leave a comment indicating which option you prefer. If you choose option E, I'd also like to have your opinion on how the logo should look like, and if option E wins I'll make sure to create a new design that fits as many wishes as possible.

I'll leave this survey running for a month. Don't hesitate to participate! Let your voice be heard!

Kibou Niji Rengou Rainbow Fighters. Et maintenant ? / What Now?

This page is bilingual, in French and in English. To go to the English section, click here.

Surprise !

Vous ne vous attendiez probablement pas à ce que je publie un nouvel article sur Kibou Niji Rengou Rainbow Fighters, n'est-ce pas ? Surtout que l'épisode de la semaine dernière était censé être le dernier. Cela dit, la dernière phrase de cet épisode aurait dû vous mettre la puce à l'oreille !

En effet, après avoir écrit ces 30 épisodes en 1999, je me suis rendu compte que je m'étais attaché à mes personnages, et que je voulais savoir ce qui allait leur arriver. De plus, bien que l'histoire ait répondu à toutes nos questions sur l'origine d'Esmeros et de la Confrérie de l'Arc-en-Ciel Noir, elle en a laissé beaucoup d'autres sans réponse. Ainsi, nous ne savons toujours pas pourquoi Angel et ses amis étaient les seuls à pouvoir recevoir leur pouvoirs, et le destin d'Esmera reste un mystère. Et il reste toujours la question de possibles survivants de le Confrérie de l'Arc-en-Ciel.

C'est pourquoi j'ai fait la seule chose que je pouvais faire : j'ai continué à écrire, et ainsi ai créé une nouvelle saison des Combattants de l'Arc-en-Ciel ! Et je suis fier de vous présenter le logo de cette deuxième série :

Il se lit Kibou Niji Rengou Reinbō Faitāzu Ribōn, ou en anglais Rainbow Brotherhood of Hope: Rainbow Fighters Reborn. En français, le titre original était Rainbow Fighters : le retour de l'Arc-en-Ciel. Normalement, j'appellerai cette nouvelle série Kibou Niji Rengou Rainbow Fighters Reborn, ou simplement Rainbow Fighters Reborn. Voici un court sommaire de cette série :

Cela fait bientôt un mois qu'Angel a vaincu Esmeros. Mais entre ses amis qui sont tous partis en vacances, et Niko et Aniva qui lui manquent terriblement, il n'a pas vraiment le moral. Mais quand les ex-Combattants de l'Arc-en-Ciel rentrent à Paris pour fêter son anniversaire, des monstres tombent littéralement du ciel ! Pour protéger la ville contre cette nouvelle menace, Angel et ses amis n'ont pas d'autre choix que de gagner de nouveaux pouvoirs ! Mais d'où viennent ces nouveaux monstres ? Que veulent-ils ? Et qui est cet enfant mystérieux ?

Bien que je sois très heureux de continuer à écrire les aventures d'Angel et de ses amis, j'ai un petit problème : entre mon travail, un manque de temps général (et une touche de paresse), je n'ai plus un seul épisode prêt à la publication. Et comme je ne veux pas commencer à les publier sans être sûr de pouvoir tenir un rythme hebdomadaire, j'ai besoin d'un peu de temps pour me préparer.

Mon idée est de commencer à publier cette nouvelle saison à partir de la première semaine de février l'année prochaine (j'avais commencé à publier la première saison à la même époque). Par contre, ça ne veut pas dire que je vais rester silencieux les quatre prochains mois ! Je ferai de mon mieux pour publier quelque chose chaque semaine, quelque chose d'approprié, comme un dessin, ou quelques informations sur cette nouvelle série. Et afin de faire en sorte que ce problème ne se reproduise plus, j'ai besoin de votre aide ! J'ai ne suis pas doué pour éditer mon propre travail, donc ça me prend un temps fou. Mais une autre paire d'yeux aurait beaucoup moins de problèmes que moi. C'est pour cela que j'ai besoin d'un ou plusieurs éditeurs ! Ça n'est pas compliqué : votre rôle serait de lire les épisodes que je vous envoie, les commenter (orthographe, grammaire, style et contenu), et me les renvoyer, pour que je puisse les corriger et les publier. Ça ne devrait pas prendre trop de temps : chaque épisode peut être lu en une demi-heure. Si vous êtes intéressé(e), commentez ici, envoyez-moi un e-mail, un tweet, ou contactez-moi sur Google+. Bien entendu, votre travail sera officiellement reconnu, et je vous ajouterai en mention (j'utiliserai le nom que vous voulez) comme éditeur de chaque épisode sur lequel vous aurez travaillé. Merci d'avance !

Comme d'habitude, commentaires et questions sont les bienvenus. N'hésitez pas à me donner votre opinion ! À la semaine prochaine !

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Surprised?

You may not have expected it, what with last week's episode being the last one, that a new post about Kibou Niji Rengou Rainbow Fighters would be published at this date and time. That said, the last sentence of that episode should have made it quite clear that I wasn't quite finished with Angel and his friends!

Indeed, back in 1999, after writing those 30 episodes, I realised I had grown fond of the characters I had created, and wanted to know what would happen to them from then on. Also, although the story has answered all the questions about the origin of Esmeros and the Black Rainbow Brotherhood, quite a few things are still a mystery. In particular, we still don't know why Angel and his friends were destined to receive their powers, and Esmera's fate is still unknown. And what about other possible survivors of the Rainbow Brotherhood?

With all those mysteries still up in the air, I did the only thing I could: I carried on writing, creating a new season of Rainbow Fighters! And now I am proud to present you with the logo of this second series:

This reads as Kibou Niji Rengou Reinbō Faitāzu Ribōn, or in English Rainbow Brotherhood of Hope: Rainbow Fighters Reborn (yes, the ribbon-like R in the title stands for "Reborn". And yes, I know that's a lame pun!). I will refer to this series as Kibou Niji Rengou Rainbow Fighters Reborn, or simply Rainbow Fighters Reborn. Here's a short synopsis of the new series:

It's only been a month since he defeated Esmeros, but Angel is slightly depressed: all his friends are away on holidays, and he misses Niko and Aniva. But when his fellow ex-Fighters come back to celebrate his birthday, monsters literally fall from the sky! With this new threat on the loose, Angel and his friends have no other choice but to gain new powers and resume their fight! But where do these new monsters come from? What do they want? And who's that mysterious child?

While I'm very happy to carry on with the adventures of Angel and his friends, I unfortunately have a small problem: due to a combination of lack of time and plenty of work (and maybe a bit of procrastination), my episode buffer has been reduced to nothing. And since I cannot start publishing again without knowing for sure that I can keep the rhythm of one episode a week, I need some time to refill the buffer.

My current plan is to start publishing this second season on the first week of February next year, at the same time I started the first one. However, that does not mean that I am going to leave you in the cold for 4 months after announcing this new series! I will do my best to publish something every week, some drawing, doodle or piece of information relevant to this new series (while trying not to spoil anything). Also, in order to make sure that this doesn't happen again, I need your help! Namely, I need people who are willing to become editors. The job would be simple: just read the episodes I send you, make comments on the spelling, grammar, style and contents, and send them back to me so that I can correct each episode before publishing. Anyone with a conversational to fluent level in written French is welcome (see it as a way to work on your French!). This job shouldn't take too much time: each episode should take no more than half an hour to read. I really need additional pairs of eyes, as I am very bad (and thus slow) at editing my own work. So if you're interested (it means getting to read Angel's adventures before anyone else!), add a comment here, e-mail me, tweet me or contact me on Google+. Naturally, your input will be officially recognised, and you will be mentioned (by whatever name you want) as editor for each episode you worked on. Thanks in advance!

As usual, questions, comments and feedback are more than welcome. Don't hesitate to give me your opinion! See you next week for my first filler post!