#22 - multifandom icons (20)
Here's my set for the " All Things Random" challenge at somein30. I wanted to do a bigger set for ages but didn't have much time or inspiration. I loved the overall theme; I've always loved randomized prompts and fun categories and also themes that force me not to follow always the same path and do something different. That being said, I didn't like many of the prompts I got (more details in the ramblings at the end). Initially I thought to make less icons and leave out the ones that didn't inspire me much right away. But then I thought, this is part of the challenge, so I have to at least try. I have to say it went better than I anticipated in the end and I really like how the majority of them turned out, even the ones I thought where hideous at first.
I don't know how cohesive they look, honestly it was the last thing on my mind. I was more focused on them fitting the different prompts. I changed the order so at least the colors don't clash too much.
[brief digression]I'm eyeing that countdown with the corner of my eye as I do this, because I have the ability to waste time until the very end. And even when the deadline is extended I manage to waste even more.
Honestly, I procrastinate everything. I always have and though sometimes I try to fight this awful habit, I think it'll stay with me forever.
Anyway, it's not only the procrastination. On top of that, unfortunately I’m a perfectionist. Everything has to be as perfect as it can be (in my eyes) before I say I’m done and of course the more time I have the more something “could be made better”. And since many years ago I read this quote "Art is never finished, only abandoned." by Leonardo da Vinci, even when I'm done I always think "I'm really finished or did I just give up?" LOL
So I always end up posting almost last minute. But this is also in general, not only icon making or artsy stuff.
And even though I'm aware of it, I do this every time.
✗ProcrastinationQueen
Also, when I look at a 20 icon set, they don't seem too many. When I actually start to do them, they do. I don't know why I'm surprised, 20 is not a too small number lol.
It was a bit stressful towards the end (all my fault, really).
Now I remember why I don't end up doing bigger sets more often.
Anyway, here they FINALLY are.
Hover over them to see the fandom
Breaking Bad, Bridgerton, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Dynasty, Ginny & Georgia, Misfits, Music Video: And So It Went by The Pretty Reckless, Music Video: DAYWALKER by Machine Gun Kelly ft CORPSE, Once Upon a Time, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Wandavision
01-05
06-10
11-15
16-20
[prompts + ramblings]
1. Random album cover: John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom
I didn't like this cover at all. In the end I chose to recreate that high contrast, hard light thing and the reddish/orange tone (even though I went full red) and went from there. I think I like the result.
2. Random song title: Mystify
I followed this definition "make obscure or mysterious" and I tried to mystify Salem even more? lol
3. Random trope: Evil Tower of Ominousness
Obviously the Dark Tower was the first thing that came to mind with this trope, and of course I didn't want to do the easy thing. Also I wasn't really inspired to icon it. But after some time I gave up finding something else and just used it. It went better than expected.
4. Random character: Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)
It's not one of my favorite characters, never iconed her before I think. Anyway, I remembered I liked this cap while searching for others a while ago so I used this.
5. Random palette: Love Me
Not the greatest palette I've ever seen. Actually I didn't like it much, the colors are not amongst my favorites and a bit darker than I like. but I made it work with the cap.
6. Random quote: "We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." - Marcel Proust
Oh, the struggle in finding a character that could fit this! I watch so many things but when it's time to remember useful things my mind is blank. In the end I thought of Jesse Pinkman, I hope it fits enough.
7. Random book cover: Flow Blue by Gail Dennehy
This was the ugliest prompt of them all! In the end I strained my mind muscle and thought: scenery! And from there the first thing that came to mind at that moment was Bridgerton. But don't be fooled by the simplicity of the icon! It actually was hard to find a good cap that somehow resembled the cover. In fact this one is a mesh of two screencaps because there were too many people and I added Simon and Daphne to make it cuter lol
8. Random font: Verdana
Not a bad font, even though I'd hoped in something more cute and fun to play with. Also, for the first time ever I have an alt icon! But I don't know where to put it, so here it is.
9. Random icontest challenge: Challenge 67: Aparecium @ hpotterelite
The challenge was "your icons have to feature text and at least one of the fonts has to resemble hand-writing".
I don't usually go for cursive fonts first so I changed composition so many times and couldn't decide how to do it. In the end I was staring at it too long to like it right away, but I think I do now.
10. Random screencap pool: Dynasty (caps from kissthemgoodbye.net)
I also hated this screencap pool, lol. I really only like to icon Fallon from the show and the few caps of hers were ugh. Both of them with the mouth open and speaking. And so I did the only sane thing I could think of, which was to hunt down the exact moment of the cap (season, episode and minute), download the subtitles and copy the exact quote. Stressful, but rewarding lol
11. Random tutorial: Tutorial by afeastforme (the second tutorial on this page, for this icon)
For this one mainly I tried to recreate the outline with the inverted color effect, with a shape and a roughish texture on the background.
12. Random inspiration icon: Icon by schryosel
For this I clearly took inspiration from the composition and the purple tones. At first I wanted to use the element of the car, but I could not find a suitable cap in a fandom that I wanted to icon. Actually, I remembered some car shots from the pilot of Ginny & Georgia but I didn't like them for this. But looking for the car I stumbled upon the cap on the right and it's angle inspired me. The image for the background is the exact moment when Georgia was thinking about her youth (which is the cap with the sunglasses). I also wanted to use a rectangular texture and I ended up finding the exact one, but I tried to use it differently coupled with a few others. Actually the texture search here inspired a lot of texture use in the other icons. I rediscovered my love for larger size textures. Or what I call "tumblr textures" lol
13. Random word: cane
Here I immediately thought of the music video for 'And So It Went' by The Pretty Reckless, that I iconed not long ago and in which the singer has a cane in one of the scenes. So, of course I didn't want to use it, it was too easy and I'd already iconed it before. But after briefly considering going the "candy cane" route (or cheating and using it in Italian, which would mean 'dog' lol) I caved in and used the music video. I made it glow though.
14. Random song: Scatman John - The Invisible Man (YouTube | Spotify | Lyrics)
Oh man. My first thought was "what the hell is this!", my second "why!? I love making icons from songs, why couldn't it have been a song I liked! Or recognized at least!". After this, I tried reading the lyrics but nothing came to mind. So I though ok, I'll use the title, albeit it's the easy road. But even then, the only character that I could think of was good old Simon Bellamy from Misfits. I wanted something more recent, dang it. Alas. Also, I had done a much simpler icon, but I didn't like it, so I went a bit crazy in the end lol
15. Random textures: trapunta, evenstarss, scoobyatemysnax
Guess what? I did not like these either, lol. It's not that they're not pretty per se, but not for the way I usually use textures. And so it was hard to incorporate at least one of them and still make it recognizable. I changed my mind numerous times here, in the end I used the second one.
16. Random screencap: Once Upon a Time (originally posted here by vapor
I stopped watching Once Upon a Time at the beginning of season 6, when it was still airing. It had become boring. So I didn't have that fondness towards it that I had when I iconed it in the past. at least the cap wasn't too bad. I didn't even use text, I had no idea what to write.
17. Random praise: "I like how the texture is used to highlight the image. I also like the colors and the overall softness of the icon."
Strangely, as soon as I read the praise, I thought of an icon like the one I made, kind of monochromatic and soft. I also more or less had in mind what position I wanted the character to be in. So I just had to find the right cap and figure out how the texture could be perceived as 'highlighting the image'. In this case, the lighter circle should make her hair pop and the rays draw attention to her.
18. Random remake: this icon
The situation with this icon was so bizarre/unbelievable. To be noted that I hate that original icon. It's not one of my favorite. Also I almost never do (or did) blocking icons, too many possibilities, they never look right to me as I make them etc. BUT. I immediately remembered this screencap (which I came across not long before) which had (like the one in the original) multiple characters, talking outside, and one in the almost exact position of the other! And ... THEY'RE ALSO WITCHES! What were the odds! Also, I couldn't read the text and I didn't know what to write so I wrote "witch club". Then, out of curiosity, I found the psd and checked the original text, guess what the it says? :O
19. Random art: Order Restored in the Kingdom's Finances (Charles Le Brun, 1678-1684)
Needless to say, I was not happy with this prompt. Couldn't it have been something nicer, with some elements more clearly usable? Nope. So I sort of tried to include a frame since it was visible in the prompt, put some flowers like the ones at the sides the painting, and tried to match the colors and the kind of muted tone in Wanda and Vision. I chose Wandavision since the painting is something on display, kind of like they're on display in the tv show.
20. Random movie poster: ivans xtc. (2002)
This was the last one I made. I take it back. The ugliest prompt wasn't the book cover. It was this one! I was so excited to take inspiration from a nice movie poster. The utter disappointment! lol The only thing I could conceivably take from it was the blending. I hate blending even more than blocking. I can't ever do it right. It doesn't ever look good enough when I do it. And so inevitably I left it at the end, with time running out, stressed and never satisfied. At some point I went berserk and made so many random changes and added stuff and now I don't know if I just hate it or kind of like it?
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