*whew* I SO prefer critiquing icons when I know the fandom as I have some hope of getting the iconographic elements.
1. I LOVE the glowing of the angels. I've worked with both of these caps and they are impossible. I love what you've done with color on these. My critique would be the small role that Anna plays in her part of the icon. Castiel fills his frame with his wings but Anna takes up about as much room as the tan strip on the right. And yet...red and gold is a favorite color combo of mine (I painted my dining room red and gold!)and I really groove on that part of the composition. (I'm a color slut. No, really. I'll sit and just stare at pretty colors like you have in there.)
I really don't think there's any way for their faces to look "normal" when they get that small. Shadows seem to be exaggerated when shrunk like this. I would argue that their faces are less important at this size: I'm identifying Cas by his wings and Anna by her hair, both of which feature prominently.
2. I don't think there's too much yellow (I may never say those words, though, so take that into account...). What I see as making it feel flat is that it feels like the background and his face are under an exclusion layer (or under some other kind of obfuscating layer?) while the reds of his shirts are popping and vibrant. The contrast makes the color of the non-shirt areas look duller. I honestly thought that was the point when I looked at the icon & before I read your words as the difference focuses my eye on his t-shirt and its message.
ETA: I just looked at the concrit written by the two people above me and I'm laughing over the thing I love is something that others don't. Gotta love the nature of concrit, the thing I love is off-putting to others -- and vice versa. I should elaborate a little: I like the extra bright spots BECAUSE these are Castiel & Anna. I would agree they're too bright if they were just people. But I like the brightness for the angels, as if their true selves are bleeding through their vessels. Sort of like the SPN cameras see light flares in monster eyes, we're seeing "angel flares."
ME TOO. Because I always assume there's going to be a ~deeper meaning~ to things that are done to an image. In this case, you're correct! Though this was cropped form a larger graphic, the intention was definitely to give that supernatural, angelic, made of light so bright it'll burn your eyes out of their sockets effect to them both. These two images, imo, are Anna and Castiel looking their most angelic (um, the SPN connotations of angelic apply here, lol) so I wanted to emphasize that. I think everyone else is picking up on the fact that it seems overwhelming in a smaller space. Although...that could kinda of be the impression I should make, huh? because they so would be.
I LIKE TALKING ABOUT THE WHY OF THINGS, CLEARLY. But, honestly, this was kind of a fun comment to read because you've pointed out all of the things that I was intentionally trying to do. And also kind of reassured me because I'm identifying Cas by his wings and Anna by her hair = awesome.
2. WELL. ACTUALLY. I was intending to highlight the t-shirt. You're on fire here! XD I think I was trying to make the other elements work as well though so that they weren't distracting from the t-shirt which I thought his face and/or the background or something was. But it might just be exactly what you said: I was trying to emphasize a certain point and the rest needed to be faded or washed over.
1. I LOVE the glowing of the angels. I've worked with both of these caps and they are impossible. I love what you've done with color on these. My critique would be the small role that Anna plays in her part of the icon. Castiel fills his frame with his wings but Anna takes up about as much room as the tan strip on the right. And yet...red and gold is a favorite color combo of mine (I painted my dining room red and gold!)and I really groove on that part of the composition. (I'm a color slut. No, really. I'll sit and just stare at pretty colors like you have in there.)
I really don't think there's any way for their faces to look "normal" when they get that small. Shadows seem to be exaggerated when shrunk like this. I would argue that their faces are less important at this size: I'm identifying Cas by his wings and Anna by her hair, both of which feature prominently.
2. I don't think there's too much yellow (I may never say those words, though, so take that into account...). What I see as making it feel flat is that it feels like the background and his face are under an exclusion layer (or under some other kind of obfuscating layer?) while the reds of his shirts are popping and vibrant. The contrast makes the color of the non-shirt areas look duller. I honestly thought that was the point when I looked at the icon & before I read your words as the difference focuses my eye on his t-shirt and its message.
ETA: I just looked at the concrit written by the two people above me and I'm laughing over the thing I love is something that others don't. Gotta love the nature of concrit, the thing I love is off-putting to others -- and vice versa. I should elaborate a little: I like the extra bright spots BECAUSE these are Castiel & Anna. I would agree they're too bright if they were just people. But I like the brightness for the angels, as if their true selves are bleeding through their vessels. Sort of like the SPN cameras see light flares in monster eyes, we're seeing "angel flares."
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I LIKE TALKING ABOUT THE WHY OF THINGS, CLEARLY. But, honestly, this was kind of a fun comment to read because you've pointed out all of the things that I was intentionally trying to do. And also kind of reassured me because I'm identifying Cas by his wings and Anna by her hair = awesome.
2. WELL. ACTUALLY. I was intending to highlight the t-shirt. You're on fire here! XD I think I was trying to make the other elements work as well though so that they weren't distracting from the t-shirt which I thought his face and/or the background or something was. But it might just be exactly what you said: I was trying to emphasize a certain point and the rest needed to be faded or washed over.
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