Oh wow, what a gorgeous set of icons! I'm so glad to see another icon post by you again, because you know how much I love your icons ;) There are just so many gorgeous icons in this post that I don't know where to start with pointing out some of my favourites. They're definitely very you and your general use of textures is simply stunning. I for instance love video inspiration and how you make that kind of texture/brush use work. Incredibly beautiful and I can totally see how it's inspired by the video. Oh and your entire category set is amazing. I love how all the icons also have this particular feel about them, which makes it really feel like a set. The use of the texture in especially cat2, cat3 and cat4 is amazing. I love the contrast in cat3 with the light textures and then the dark on her face- it just gets the emotion across. And the softness to cat4 is also stunning- such an incredibly haunting icon.
Color use is beautiful. I have no idea how you made that colouring work, but it just looks stunning and the soft orange border just really adds something to the icon. Duplicate is also amazing, really love the warm colouring here and how you manage to tell a story with the use of the duplicated image. Minimalism is stunning, truly amazing cropping. I also love provided texture and it's alt version. Great cropping in AC1 and the colouring in especially AC2 and AC3 is stunning and the use of the lighting in both is excellent- makes the icons stand out, makes them pop. Just beautiful icons all around!
I'm also really happy that you post icons again even though we don't seem to have the shows in common ^^ Did you struggle with the execution of the themes/the black & white category or was it easy for you? And do you still "icon" the way you used to or did something change considering techniques, routines etc.? This was my first 20in20 set and it was actually harder than I thought, especially the black & white part although I used to love making b&w icons. They just always wanted to stay colorful D:
Haha yeah we definitely don't have the shows in common that I've been making icons of, but hopefully in the future I'll make icons of some of the shows we have in common. I do have to make a Rosario Dawson set next week though so there's that ;) Ohhh no the execution of the themes and the b/w category was hard for me. I do think that the b/w category was easiest, because the show I did is terrible to colour so making it b/w just made it easier and I already knew the cropping I wanted. Finding the pictures was hard though, lol. And soooo many of the themes were hard. And I can so imagine that the b/w part was hard, especially if the icons want to stay colourful. I think this show is also quite colourful in general so maybe that is also an important factor? Which themes did you find the hardest?
Ohhh that's a good question btw about "iconning" the same way. I think in a lot of ways, I do. I did change the way I colour or add textures a bit, because I tried something out the first time I made icons again and that really worked. A slight difference in colouring/lighting, I suppose. And I can colour more without textures. How is that for you? Your icons still definitely feel the same you (as do your larger graphics btw), but maybe you also changed some things?
Oh yay, I'm looking forward to that :D I love Rosario in Daredevil even though she had way too less scenes. There's supposed to be a second season of it, isn't there? I hope she gets more screentime then, also as her own character and not only as the love interest of Matt. Even though I really like the dynamics and relationship between these two, she deserves more character development on her own.
I think Colour Use, Old Timey and Upside Down were the hardest for me. I'm still not really satisfied with the coloring in Old Timey and the rotation in Upside Down feels off but the challenging part was still fun :). It was also difficult to keep the exact shade of pink coloring in Color Use because the pink was rather subdued and I was tempted to add more contrast and/or light to give it more depth but oh, well. I still like how that icon turned out, though. How about you, which themes were the hardest?
I've also struggled finding the right pictures for the Category Set because of the negative space aspect but even though it took longer it felt somehow more rewarding when I finally finished the five icons. So even though part of me feels limited by the restrictions of a 20in20 challenge, it's also a great way to experiment.
I actually think that your icons also characteristically feel like you! Especially the cropping and coloring style which I'm really glad about because the whole icon community seemed to change so much (seriously, I've seeing color explosions everywhere. Which has its awesome aspects but it's like I only see rainbows and can't concentrate on the icon itself or the other aspects such as cropping or text anymore. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IDK).
I've caught myself abusing the saturation tool at times (especially with the ITF icons since they had such a low contrast) because I have a newer PS version and I'm still struggling with the sharpening aspect when I make icons. I've also basically lost all my fonts D: Then again, I found new awesome ones so I guess it's all good. What hasn't changed is the fact that I still take ages to finish an icon :D aaaand my obsession with the soft and lightening layer will probably never disappear. Oh, you know what was really awkward? Getting used to the german version of PS when you've only ever known the English version <.<.
Haha well I hope I can make some good icons/icons that you like :D And yeah, she definitely had too few scenes. But they could only use Rosario for 5 episodes due to scheduling conflicts so that's why they couldn't do THAT much with her character, as oppossed to the others. But I'm confident that if for the new season there won't be scheduling issues, she'll be around a lot more. Because she does deserve way more character development and just more scenes!
Yeah your color use icon turned out really amazing, I'm so impressed! Not surprised, since you do colouring so well, but yeah- yours is definitely the best one I've seen so far. And I like the cropping you added in upside down. But I agree- those three themes were definitely the hardest on me too. Though Old Timey actually worked out quite well for me, I worked a long time on figuring out how I wanted to make an icon.
And yes, I totally agree with you on that! That's actually exactly why I've been doing so many 20in20 challenges- they really make you experiment. And for me, personally, it's also what really helps me make icons. There's often times that I want to make icons, but if I don't have to, I usually don't. If that makes any sense.
Yesss! that totally makes sense! and it's great to see so many colours, but yes, you're so right. Half the time those icons also just don't seem to capture the emotions and everything that I'm looking for in icons. And like you say: you can't concentrate on cropping. And let's be real- most of those icons also have standard center cropping so there's not that much to focus on, unfortunately.
Haha, yeah I can totally understand that about the getting used to the German version ;) And you're right: ITF does have an insane low contrast! You did make the saturation tool work on those icons though, it looked so colourful and pretty. Yeah the sharpening aspect is always a tricky one for some reason, isn't it? But have you been enjoying making graphics/icons again in general? Do you think you'll do another 20in20 challenge soon?
But have you been enjoying making graphics/icons again in general? Do you think you'll do another 20in20 challenge soon?
I definitely have, it's a great creative outlet. At the same time, it's really time consuming which is not exactly optimal because my job already requires a lot of time sitting in front of the computer. But who cares, making icons is just way more fun than doing business related stuff. I'd love to make wallpapers again but my that mojo somehow got stuck in 2010 ;__; Also, cap hunting! So tedious ^^ I've noticed that I somehow obsess over profile shots and people looking down. Making icons is also easier than updating my personal journal which I haven't properly updated since 2010/2011 and also don't feel like it because too much has happened and it's hard to start somewhere.
I'm not sure where to find all the 20in20 challenges, do you have recommendations, also for other kind of icon challenges? I'll probably take a break because I'm working on a "normal" DD icon post but maybe after that. I noticed you're on a roll, though :D.
Haha, making icons is definitely more fun than that. But I can understand what you mean- it sucks that it's time consuming and if you already do a lot of work in front of a computer- then it sucks at times. But it's good to read that you're enjoying the creative outlet! (Hey- I'm curious so if I can ask- what kind of job do you have?) Cap hunting is the worst isn't it???? And I don't know, but it's even harder if you do it for a challenge like this, because you need specific caps at times. If you don't want to update your personal lj you shouldn't. I'm actively around again, but it's definitely hard to suddenly start again. But I did that- just randomly start again and now I'm glad I'm back.
Well I couldn't really find other icon challenges unfortunately. But I currently joined s1icontest which is good and I'm also participating in these 20in20 comms: musicians20in20, females20in20 and hbic20in20. I know there are also big communities still, like those land comms or lims, but I figured they were too much work and effort for me for right now. I can't remember those names from the top of my head either. Haha and yes- I've gone a little overboard to be honest ;) But I figured: unemployed now so I might as well make the most of it!
Color use is beautiful. I have no idea how you made that colouring work, but it just looks stunning and the soft orange border just really adds something to the icon. Duplicate is also amazing, really love the warm colouring here and how you manage to tell a story with the use of the duplicated image. Minimalism is stunning, truly amazing cropping. I also love provided texture and it's alt version. Great cropping in AC1 and the colouring in especially AC2 and AC3 is stunning and the use of the lighting in both is excellent- makes the icons stand out, makes them pop. Just beautiful icons all around!
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I'm also really happy that you post icons again even though we don't seem to have the shows in common ^^ Did you struggle with the execution of the themes/the black & white category or was it easy for you? And do you still "icon" the way you used to or did something change considering techniques, routines etc.? This was my first 20in20 set and it was actually harder than I thought, especially the black & white part although I used to love making b&w icons. They just always wanted to stay colorful D:
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Ohhh that's a good question btw about "iconning" the same way. I think in a lot of ways, I do. I did change the way I colour or add textures a bit, because I tried something out the first time I made icons again and that really worked. A slight difference in colouring/lighting, I suppose. And I can colour more without textures. How is that for you? Your icons still definitely feel the same you (as do your larger graphics btw), but maybe you also changed some things?
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I think Colour Use, Old Timey and Upside Down were the hardest for me. I'm still not really satisfied with the coloring in Old Timey and the rotation in Upside Down feels off but the challenging part was still fun :). It was also difficult to keep the exact shade of pink coloring in Color Use because the pink was rather subdued and I was tempted to add more contrast and/or light to give it more depth but oh, well. I still like how that icon turned out, though. How about you, which themes were the hardest?
I've also struggled finding the right pictures for the Category Set because of the negative space aspect but even though it took longer it felt somehow more rewarding when I finally finished the five icons. So even though part of me feels limited by the restrictions of a 20in20 challenge, it's also a great way to experiment.
I actually think that your icons also characteristically feel like you! Especially the cropping and coloring style which I'm really glad about because the whole icon community seemed to change so much (seriously, I've seeing color explosions everywhere. Which has its awesome aspects but it's like I only see rainbows and can't concentrate on the icon itself or the other aspects such as cropping or text anymore. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IDK).
I've caught myself abusing the saturation tool at times (especially with the ITF icons since they had such a low contrast) because I have a newer PS version and I'm still struggling with the sharpening aspect when I make icons. I've also basically lost all my fonts D: Then again, I found new awesome ones so I guess it's all good. What hasn't changed is the fact that I still take ages to finish an icon :D aaaand my obsession with the soft and lightening layer will probably never disappear. Oh, you know what was really awkward? Getting used to the german version of PS when you've only ever known the English version <.<.
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Yeah your color use icon turned out really amazing, I'm so impressed! Not surprised, since you do colouring so well, but yeah- yours is definitely the best one I've seen so far. And I like the cropping you added in upside down. But I agree- those three themes were definitely the hardest on me too. Though Old Timey actually worked out quite well for me, I worked a long time on figuring out how I wanted to make an icon.
And yes, I totally agree with you on that! That's actually exactly why I've been doing so many 20in20 challenges- they really make you experiment. And for me, personally, it's also what really helps me make icons. There's often times that I want to make icons, but if I don't have to, I usually don't. If that makes any sense.
Yesss! that totally makes sense! and it's great to see so many colours, but yes, you're so right. Half the time those icons also just don't seem to capture the emotions and everything that I'm looking for in icons. And like you say: you can't concentrate on cropping. And let's be real- most of those icons also have standard center cropping so there's not that much to focus on, unfortunately.
Haha, yeah I can totally understand that about the getting used to the German version ;) And you're right: ITF does have an insane low contrast! You did make the saturation tool work on those icons though, it looked so colourful and pretty. Yeah the sharpening aspect is always a tricky one for some reason, isn't it? But have you been enjoying making graphics/icons again in general? Do you think you'll do another 20in20 challenge soon?
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I definitely have, it's a great creative outlet. At the same time, it's really time consuming which is not exactly optimal because my job already requires a lot of time sitting in front of the computer. But who cares, making icons is just way more fun than doing business related stuff. I'd love to make wallpapers again but my that mojo somehow got stuck in 2010 ;__; Also, cap hunting! So tedious ^^ I've noticed that I somehow obsess over profile shots and people looking down. Making icons is also easier than updating my personal journal which I haven't properly updated since 2010/2011 and also don't feel like it because too much has happened and it's hard to start somewhere.
I'm not sure where to find all the 20in20 challenges, do you have recommendations, also for other kind of icon challenges? I'll probably take a break because I'm working on a "normal" DD icon post but maybe after that. I noticed you're on a roll, though :D.
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Well I couldn't really find other icon challenges unfortunately. But I currently joined s1icontest which is good and I'm also participating in these 20in20 comms: musicians20in20, females20in20 and hbic20in20. I know there are also big communities still, like those land comms or lims, but I figured they were too much work and effort for me for right now. I can't remember those names from the top of my head either. Haha and yes- I've gone a little overboard to be honest ;) But I figured: unemployed now so I might as well make the most of it!
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