Here is my attempt to create a "side-bar" without the look of actually having a side-bar... I used an outer glow on the mace to help it standout.
Obviously I was playing with the three (3) images and used the side-bar version to produce this sample...
It's okay if you don't like it. I just wanted to demonstrate what I was talking about having a "side-bar" without actually having one...
Update: I added the "balloon" effect to make it seem as if the character is speaking... Just wasted 5 minutes for a nicer/warmer feel!
Comments
no, no, no, no
That balloon effect . . . no, no, no, no. Not a warmer effect, rather it is more comical -- indeed, because this is the effect used in newspaper comic strips to convey a punchline. People under the age of 25 may be more accepting on account of the proliferation of manga and dramatic comic books, but for most people 35 and up, word bubble = teh lolz.