Round 02 People's Choice Showcase
Well, since round 2 is ending soon, it's time for one of these showcases...! If you haven't noticed, I'm not really into typing a lot for these things so I'll just say that there were a lot of great icons this round, and I think everyone that got People's Choice certainly deserved it. We hope all of you sign up for round 3! I'll just let the icons speak for themselves now.
By the way, I wanted to be consistent so I used the table from review's round 1 PC showcase.
CHALLENGE 01
BLEACH
llilliathari
+ I pretty much just adore what's going on around here. The brushes used and the text on the side looks just perfect where it is. The double image use doesn't contain oversharpened characters.
+ The coloring and text are superb! Amazing composition!
+ So awesome on so many levels. The coloring works great, it really makes the character and the flowers look like one in the same image. The repetition of image is nicely handled, and the text is SO perfect, it just brings the whole image together. ♥
+ This icon is so daring and unique. Its silly while at the same time very artistic and pretty. The colours are superb!
+ Firstly, I love how you didn't use Ichigo, Renji or Hitsugaya like almost everyone else. Secondly, I love the cropping, the duplicate, and the colouring :D
+ Beautiful coloring. Oh my god. Great use of the flower-scheme, typically people have really shitty placement and don't use complementary colors. Very well done.
+ Not knowing a whole lot about the Bleach series, I can't judge how well this suits Ikkaku, but I can't get over just how clean this icon looks. The sharpening is just right, the brushwork both flatters and supplements the icon and its colouring, and the text looks very... well, clean. There's very little (if anything) wrong with this icon, and I'll be very surprised if this doesn't place in People's Choice!
+ Texture adds color to the icon without ruining it.
+ Very interesting approach
CHALLENGE 02
ANGELIC LAYER
redone
+ The first icon that caught my eye, and not because it was the first icon on the table. I love the soft colors and especially the way you used both Hikaru and Athena in the icon! Great job!
+ fantastic composition, though I do feel as if you used a few more light textures than was needed (Hikaru's arm, for instance)
+ Colouring is pretty, but the blending job is absolutely wonderful.
+ This icon instantly jumped out at me. I think it's the fantastic composition coupled with the typography and coloring that drew me in + it's all very soft and dynamic at the same time. I'm not very fond of the white lights in the icon as they're a bit too distracting to me, but the rest is so well-executed that it doesn't matter.
+ I really liked the soft coloring and the small, legible text on this icon. Very nice composition.
+ It really does look like a CLAMP icon! The coloring has been done very nicely and the "soft" use of both images made it the more appealing.
+ #01 because I like how the images are merged, the colouring and the use of light textures.
+ it's really beautiful XD
+ I love how smoothly the images have been blended together and the couloring makes the images stand out. The text can be read easily.
+ I love the composition. Out of all the Hikaru VS Athena icons, I think you pulled the concept off the best. And pretty light!
CHALLENGE 03
PEACE MAKER KUROGANE
blooming_cosmo
+ I just think this is a gorgeous icon.
+ Good use of white space. I love color and the way the text is done.
+ I love the overall composition of this icon, the text is beautiful and the textures are integrated perfectly with the image!
+ Oh god I love your text, and the small cut-out is gorgeously done.
+ I feel like this one achieved a good balance in space and color between texture, text, light, and image. It's got a lot of stuff on it, but it's well organized so as not to be distracting.
+ I love the layout and the duplication of the image inside the red area
+ Love the type and coloring, and it's got the perfect amount of contrast.
+ CREATIVE. I especially like the little red box in the right where you see a duplicate image of Hijikata. AND THE TEXT. OMG. I love the text. It's WONDERFUL. I love, love, love your icon! I also love the creative use of light textures!
CHALLENGE 04
WOLF'S RAIN
blueberry_ocean
+ I really like the coloring on this icon. Although subtle, it makes the icon seem warm and natural. The pattern use on the side is also a nice addition.
+ Even though i don't like the text in it, the coloring is this is just beautiful, and the texture border matches perfectly.
+ I love the cropping
+ #42 because the crop is really original and good. The use of warm hues and the side-panel thing (?) on the left enhances the icon as well.
+ The use of colors is great and different.
+ The coloring on this icon is really interesting. And I like the texture used on the side. Lovely.
+ The coloring in this icon is spectacular! Especially the color in the character's eye... absolutely lovely. You really brought the whole image together with the border, and the text is very tastefully placed.
+ I pretty much like everything about it. The colors are nice, I've always been a fan of the light brush with small text thing and the texture on the side is a nice touch. Well done.
CHALLENGE 05
DOGS
aerostati
+ The coloring is magnificent, as is the cropping and the dominant use of the texture.
+ Was the only icon to use the images that were within the icon and that made it stand out extremely well. The colors compliment the humor of the images and the lack of text actually helped the icon. No words needed.
+ I love how you decided to use this image and you managed to pull it off perfectly. The colors are very nice and the faded brightness (if that makes sense at all) of them is very cool. The border around the characters is very clever and looks great!! :D
+ Props for iconning random subjects which no one does 8D! I love the vibrant, yet muted, retro colours you've got, and the rainbow texture is just...so retro 8D! ♥
+ I love that you were able to use these two characters--I personally couldn't make anything that satisfied my own aesthetics, but the icon you created is quirky and adorable.
+ very original; the background and the colors matches well with the image. good job!
+ Ha, you really took a bit of a risk with this icon, didn't you? But the simplicity as well as the absolutely perfect color choice really make this icon go above and beyond. The texture was espertily chosen and the colors in the image really work to bring the whole thing together.
+ This icon makes me smile. XD It's the only one that used this part of the image, which makes it stand out, and the overall comical feel of the icon is really nicely done. I love the background texture, the cutout, and the way the expressions on their faces are accentuated. The bright pink nose is also a fantastic addition. A very fun icon!
+ This has be my most favorite from this week's batch. Not only is it the only one that used this particular part of the image, it's uses bright and colorful colors (while most of the icons this week are dark). The stripes kinda remind me of ice-cream for some reason; they're very colorful and give of a humourous feeling. The orange-ish overlay adds a nice touch as well. Great job!
+ the colors on this are wonderful; nice and warm. I think the texture is used well; your eye starts at the top and then works its way down through the various stripes, and it's an interesting effect. what made the icon for me, though, was the fact that they image you chose was NOT of the main characters. I love Haine, and the chicks are really cool, but it's refreshing to see something else.
+ for one thing, the icon is wonderfully colorful and the coloring just looks good. despite the very bright background, I don't find it distracting in the slightest. the lines cause me to look down at the people. I also really like that you chose to use other characters besides the main characters, which is something you alone did. the icon is also very amusing and cute. xD
+ Yay! When I was making my icon, I thought of this exact positioning. It's so funny and with the colourful background, this is a great icon. I'm glad someone made a icon like this this week. ^.^
+ Kudos on using the image that no one else used. I really like how cute this icon looks. The coloring and the background match very well with this icon.
+ For wanting to be daring. :) The only icon here that doesn't feature either Badou, Heine, or Naoto, or the twins. The use of pastel colours is a visual irony to the scene itself, complimenting the "huh?" moment of the thugs. It really doesn't need words, and s/he alternated the colours very well. A good move: Putting a discreet, but functional white outline stroke outside the characters, so they don't get swallowed up by the background.
+ it's original and cute!
+ the coloration is very nice and I find brave to use this picture with this kind of background, a really nice job
CHALLENGE 06
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
kaneha
+ Very unique colouring!
+ #5 because the colouring is simply gorgeous.
+ I like the colors and the text! good job!
+ Allow me to say, I absolutely love what you have done with the colouring. I love how you took a relatively bland image, and gave it more "depth", if you will. The text could stand to be slightly more apart from the subject matter, but nitpicking aside, but the cropping and colouring more than makes up for this!
+ I love the added shading and rich texture. It really gives the icon depth.
+ Wow! You added extra shadows to the original art, making it look even better. The composition and colour is excellent. I just love it.
+ *_* This is absolutely gorgeous. The effect on the image is simply stunning (how the hell did you do that? xDD). The cropping is also perfect, and I love the choice of text.
+ The coloring is gorgeous and I love how so much more depth and shadow was added to the original. Text placement is perfect and the texture in the corner is a very nice touch.
+ LOVE the caption, so beautifully fitting. Colors are rich, gorgeous, and I love the "3D-ness" of the image.
CHALLENGE 07
KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN!
_wizu
+ I live the interesting crop and the text, especially with the bit of red. I usually don't like flat black and white icons, but this one it too good to look over!
+ I like the crop and the simple dash of red in the text. It really does give a very Hibari-ish feel to it. xD
+ This is my favourite icon from this voting table. The cropping is more creative than the other Hibari icons submitted, and the contrast of shades are done well. The typography is nice, and the addition of "bite you dead" shows that either research has been put into the icon, or the iconist is fond of this series. Good work.
+ #20 because I think the text was done beautifully. ^^
+ unf unf Greyscale and red, with the torn paper look? This icon is dynamic, original, and sexy. The text really makes it for it, though.
+ This icon is just 1337. There are no flaws I can see in this entry. :3
+ Saturation is fantastic! I like the faded text underneath, looks nice.
+ I really love the way the text has been done in this icon and the cropping and placement of the subject is very different and interesting. It could probably do with a little bit more color, but otherwise great work!
+ This icon is stunning. The black and white, the text, texture use, everything about this is wonderful.
CHALLENGE 08
SAMURAI CHAMPLOO (lyrical)
akaii_hana
+ I love the color and composition on this icon, homg. *_* CAN I TAKE IT HOME WITH ME?
+ I love the way you used two colours, it gives it a nice 'pop art' feel
+ The nice, orange hues of the icon really fit the shadowing of the image. Although orange is a bright colour, it really adds to the more "dusk" look to it-+ it makes the icon seem more realistic; I almost think that wind is blowing in the icon! The nice, abstract brush and the stripes add to the creative feel of the icon. It's nice. Very nice. I also like how the text and text bubble don't ruin the icon-+ the font and font colours make the icon a bit more neutral. It's appealing to look at. :')
+ Gorgeous use of everything. Colors, composition, text, I literally mean everything.
+ If there was a best adaptation award...
+ I love the treatment, I love the very orange hue that's been tweaked enough to make the boys seem 3-dimensional, and I love the text bubble at the upper righthand side with the alternate colours of text (colours that are prevalent, and balanced out, in the overall picture). The vine embellishments that embrace it extend towards Mugen's shadow in a very interesting and aesthetic way. Basically I love how this is a good mix of two contrasting colours put together and played with just right.
+ This icon is incredibly gorgeous. I love the color, the typography, and the little details that make it stand out beautifully from the rest.
+ Cropping, colours, overall composition and background are great. Text isn't awesome, but that seems to affect a lot of icons this round.
+ I like the choice of monochrome colors and textures used. The icon is well balanced and cropped. My only problem is that the end of Mugen's sword is very pixelated.
CHALLENGE 09
D.GRAY-MAN (hush)
fearthechopstic
+ I really love the faint hint of brown you gave the image, and the unique crop that you chose. Also, the border works really really well with the rest of the image.
+ Interesting way to crop it, the image flows into the texture well.
+ Absolute favourite. Love the colors, love the contrast, love the design, motifs added in, crop, everything is absolutely perfect.
+ Love the unified color scheme. :)
+ Really clean composition and colouring. How the components of the icon are organized are deserving of praise.
+ I like the crop and the color treatment.
+ #3 because I love the rotation and use of textures.
+ love the colouring and the colour-matching texture/brush(s) used for the bkgrds!~
+ #03 because I love the positioning and cropping of the image, and the border used fits really nicely. The reddish tones are really nice too.
+ I really like the coloring and the texture choice is very good. I especially love the crop and rotation of the image, which is what really makes this icon stand out.
+ Uniform, good image quality, great choice of colors, textures, crop, composition. I honestly can't spot anything wrong with this icon + maybe the diagonal lines could use to be a bit less chunky/blocky, but as far as the icon itself goes, it's executed perfectly.
+ The coloring on this icon is just amazing, I love it! The textures used are used well, and mesh well with the layout. Cropping also gets an A+! :D
+ i love the cropping; pattern strip matches the textures and colourings of the image beautifully, but not take away the focus from the image; the colour scheme is consistent and adds to the dirty feel of the icon.
+ The grungy feel of the icon is great to help accentuate the subject, and those rectangles fill the empty space nicely. Great use of textures!
CHALLENGE 10
DARKER THAN BLACK
fearthechopstic
+ I really like the crop and text placement of this icon. More could have been done with the colors, but it's still pretty cool.
+ A very clean icon. The camera lens frames the subject quite nicely, and gives just enough room for text. Also, the cool colours of the icon are contrasted just right, making the icon quite appealing overall.
+ This is the most professional icon in this entire batch, in my opinion. Excellent use of textures, colouring, and text effects. Two thumbs up.
+ I love the font and the colouring and the texture looks very nice :3
+ This icon's just so crisp, clear, and strong. A lot of the other icons this week had me sort of torn as they had really good elements and not as good elements, but this one's just solid. Great coloring, contrast, and font, definitely.
+ I think this icon is so well-made and it really stands out for me. Out of all the icons in this batch, it has the best image quality; all the elements in the icon are neither blurry or too sharp. The cropping/composition and its use of resources are excellent. I like the steely blue coloring, it creates the right mood for the image. Text is wonderfully done and the caption is very fitting. The icon actually looks like a movie poster or book cover and I think that's a really cool achievement.
+ Though the effect on the text is a bit corny (since the drop shadow & outer glow combination is so thick, and the text is also a bit fuzzy, so it makes it look like the text isn't actually a part of the icon itself), I like the overall effect of this icon. It feels very mysterious, and fits with the image perfectly!
+ I don't like the text too much, but the overall look of the icon is very nice.
+ Extremely high quality, good crop, nice colours, good text treatment and a very cool metal-y look. Nothing negative to say about it.
+ I love the way you delt with the limited amount of cropping choices that the image had. The text is very expertly placed and the colors really have a excellent, unified feel to them.
CHALLENGE 11
EYESHIELD 21
fearthechopstic
+ Hello awesome text; coloring; cropping; chopstic. <3.
+ Wowowowow. The fact that this person actually redrew some of the render makes this in definite need of favoriting-+ especially since this person's the only one that seems to have actually done it? XD I also lovelovelove the colouring of the icon-+ it fits in with the brown and red of the regular image! The reddish... scribble (? xD;) texture in the background adds to the 3-Dish feel of the icon-+ especially since it fits well with the angle of it. :O The text blends in quite well in the icon-+ colours and all-+ and I love how it's tilted along with the... one... part of the icon. The tiny text is a good touch-+ it makes the icon look complete, and it doesn't make it look dramatic, nor does it make it look like it was added in there just because. :O
+ I love the colors and the sort of antique feel overall. Great jorb!
+ Really nice cropping, typography, and composition. The overall look is clean and uncluttered, unlike the other icons. Also, the choice of font style matches the theme of the subject well, finishing off the icon perfectly.
+ Very nice crop, and the character is well extracted from the original image. The colour tone gives the icon a very consistent look (althought it's a bit to reddish/purplish for me). The text looks great, matching the overall look of the icon perfectly, thanks to the horizontal texture borders as well.
+ Very cute, nice colouring, I'm liking the effect of the pinkiness. Nice subtle colour variation on "demon." Good use of small text, smoothly tilted text.
+ My only issue is the hair which looks a little overburned, but besides that I really like it. The coloring and textures really go well together. The text is simple but nicely done.
Also, the final round voting post is here. Please vote! You do not have to give comments this week, but they are greatly appreciated. Voting will end around Monday (August 20) at 9PM CST.