Round 11 - Challenge 11 - Results
ROUND 11 - CHALLENGE 11 - RESULTS
1ST PLACE [5 points]:
applepips16 with +6 votes.
2ND PLACE [4 points]:
john_scorpy with +5 votes.
3RD PLACE [3 points]:
&
partitioning & margerydaw_s2 with +4 votes.
BEST INTERPRETATION [2 points]:
&
applepips16 & john_scorpy with +3 votes.
MOD'S CHOICE [1 point]:
fangss
[The red in this icon certainly packs a vibrant punch; exactly the sort of thing this theme called for.]
TABLE KEY:
+++ = 1st Place Vote
++ = 2nd Place Vote
+ = 3rd Place Vote | Beginning of a new comment.
Note: Votes are not weighted in this round. Meaning a 1st, 2nd or 3rd vote will only give you 1 point when tallying the votes. Except in the case of a tie - then the icon with the most 1st place votes will be given first.
ICON VOTES
applepips16POSITIVE VOTES
+++ The red here is particularly well done and I like that you took it a step farther to red = blood and chose a Macbeth quote. Even centered like this, the text isn't in the way or out of place and it very easily could have been. This is a really good example of monochrome and the bit of ~texture added only improves it!
+++ Even though your icon is completely red it's not overwhelming at all. In fact, there's a perfect balance because of the fantastic lighting and the white text, which, by the way, is done perfectly. Plus it's such a cute quote to add in to such a serious moment.
+++ The color balance is really great and I love the texture and text use.
+++ Beautiful, flawless coloring!
+++ This icon is amazing! The red monochrome look is perfectly executed and I particularly love how the contrast has been toned down just a bit by making the blacks a little lighter. This adds a wonderful touch to the overall look. My favorite thing here is the text though, the white letters stand out so well against all the red, and the text arrangement is stellar, with a great font and size choices. The placement of the text is unusual but works.
+++ I think the use of monochrome in this one is just perfect, and the white text really stands out.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason provided.
+ No reason provided.
+ No reason provided.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ This icon is beautiful and the muted red is gorgeous, the only suggestion I have is to work a bit more on the script or to remove it completely so the image can come more into focus.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
None.
john_scorpyPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ I love the way the lighting lights up one side of her face and shadows the other. The hair too is dominant without being overpowering.
++ I really like the intense shadows here. The lighting works so well with such a simple icon, and I really love how her hair pops in such an otherworldly way.
++ Great crop! I love the shadow on the side of her face.
++ The light and vibrant red here are glorious!!
+ Love the coloring here! All dark and moody, and at the same time very powerful with that shade of red.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason provided.
+ No reason provided.
+ No reason provided.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I really like this icon actually, I think it just weirds me out that you can't really see her neck so she looks like a floating head and I don't get the feeling she wants to be a floating head. Also, there's something... off with the sharpness over her face but, again, probably my monitor so best to disregard.
partitioningPOSITIVE VOTES
++ I love the crop and color.
++ This is a very unique crop. I also love the strong contrast between light and dark.
++ This icon has gorgeous lighting. It's subtle but adds a lot of depth to the image, making the whole look very smooth which calms down the otherwise intense red monochrome look.
+ The coloring, this coloring here had me at hello! As did the cap, you choose a nice rage having cap to go with this deep red and it all simply came so beautiful together!
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The crop is a great one and I love the shadows in the icon but I just kind of wish the red had been more uniform. Right now the lighter red on the top of the icon is creating a divde with the other red in a awkward place across his face. Like cutting it in half but with two different colours.
+ I think this icon could have easily been one of the best of the bunch because the red is so well done but the shadows don't have a uniform feel to them. They're so dark on the left side that it completely obscures the line between the character's chin and neck, which is awkward, and the light at the top over the character's eyes looks like a white strip set to soft light(?) and therefore it doesn't blend into the color scheme well. What looks like an all red icon is suddenly faded white to pink to red and it's a bit jarring. A gradient map could help it to look more natural in the color scheme if you wanted to lighten the top half.
+ While the icon appears to have nice lighting, I think the texture or color fill layer(s) you've used overwhelms the subject too much. The crop is also slightly awkward because you see space on the left side but barely any on the right, and it looks uneven as a result. Perhaps adjusting the crop and making the background red would still allow those colors to pop without taking control of the icon.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
None.
margerydaw_s2POSITIVE VOTES
+++ This icon is gorgeous! I love the text and the way it is a part of the icon rather than just placed over it and those colors left me speechless, thank you!
++ I love the positioning of the text and how red plays a big part in the icon without taking away the details.
++ The composition of this is great. I love the way you've angled the lighter bit of the background behind the subject so she pops even more. The text is brilliant too. Even without knowing the quote (or fandom) and not being able to see some of the letters, I know what it says regardless.
+ You've positioned the text well against the subject, and the composition ends up matching nicely. My only suggestion would be to use a less prominent font. Perhaps something that's also Sans Serif but "feels" lighter to fit how petite-looking the girl is.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ I love that there are at least three ways this icons connects with the theme - red background, red outfit, AND character who looks like (and possibly is?) Red Riding Hood :D Also, the composition and text use in this icon are incredible!
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The coloring here is pretty, but a little flat. I think the subject needs to sharpening and contrast. Also, the text doesn't fit the color scheme. Perhaps a different color, like a more golden yellow, would fit better.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
None.
fangssPOSITIVE VOTES
+ This is definitely the most eye-catching icon in the voting, with the boldest reds. The contrast is great and the sharpening particularly well done, the sharpness of his features gives a nice contrast to the out of focus hands.
+ I just love the starkness of the colouring here. And the crop is great too!
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The character's hands lack definition, while his face is too sharp in some areas, which brings the quality down. Maybe you could have made the outlines of the hands more evident ?
+ I do like your red and the cleariness of the icon it is simply stunning! The only thing that I need could use some work is the crop, his fingers look so strange in this one.
+ I think the contrast here is just a bit too high. It makes the icon look pixelated and oversharned.
+ This isn't a bad icon at all but the cap choice makes his blurry hands lose their context so they are a little random compositionally. Also, there are some pixellated spots on the icon that could be smoothened.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ The red here is just overpowering, so much so that it's eating away at the definition of your subject. I think taking the color down a notch could help with all that, as well as adding some small light blobs to give the eye somewhere to focus and some texture (though you probably wouldn't need it if you changed the red used). It might be a tad oversharpened too but that could just be my screen.
+ I like the crop and lighting in this icon, but the red is much too overwhelming. Perhaps a more muted red would have worked better, or some kind of gradient to add in more contrast between the colors.
vaporPOSITIVE VOTES
+ Pretty use of negative space.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the blending into the background effect, the lighting (the light rays at the top and bottom look stunning) and the blurred look, which still leaves her features nicely sharp, great job with that! However I think the brightness and lowish contrast take away from the dramatic feel this icon could have if the shadows were a bit darker. (I get that they need to be red to fit theme though!)
+ The coloring here is really muddy and though sometimes it's super neat when a subject blends into the background, here I don't really feel like it's benefiting the icon. The light falls really well over the subject's face but the rest of the icon looks utterly flat in comparison. I think it could easily be fixed by adding some texture/grunge to the image and a gradient or two to play with the lighting on the rest of the image.
+ While I like the center crop and lighting taking place in this icon, areas of it are too blurry. For example, the edges around her face look sloppily removed instead of done on purpose. If you were going for a blurry/glowy look, I'd instead recommend just extracting the subject using layer masks or the polygonal tool, then duplicating that subject, blurring it and putting that on Soft Light. The top left and bottom right corners also have blurred triangles that seem randomly placed and don't add much to the composition. For a good border/frame look, adding border textures and fiddling with the layer mode (usually Screen or Multiply depending on the border/background colors) works well.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
None.
consumedlyPOSITIVE VOTES
+ Great color and texture use!
+ The coloring on this is all sorts of odd but for some reason it really appeals to me! The background and the subject are fused together really well rather than it looking like the image was slapped on as an afterthought.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the subtly textured look of this icon, and the creepy image choice is spectacular! However I'm a little confused about the coloring, it's almost monochrome but not quite which makes it look like his skin is just unintentionally red. I'd recommend either taking the monochrome look further (maybe with gradient maps, or just matching the hues of the character and background), or making the skin tone more natural.
+ I really really love the idea behind the icon but the background looks incredibly pixelly, which on the whole lowers the quality of the icon. I thing, maybe a painty texture could have worked here as opposed to a grainy texture. Also, a bit of gaussian blur with smooth away all the pesky pixels that are making him stand out far too sharply.
+ The lighting is a bit awkward, because the background doesn't have much variation between light and dark while the right side on the subject is much darker than the left. I think using a gradient on soft light above the background to intensify the shadows would make it more cohesive.
+ the replaced background is nicely done but the image quality is really grainy and the image coloring isn't complimented by the background color.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ While I like the gritty, somewhat grungy look of this icon, there are also areas that look a bit LQ, mostly from pixelation, especially on the right side of his head where the hair suddenly jumps to black. That look can work in icons, but only if the rest of the icon has equally stark color/tone changes, but the rest of the subject has softer, foggier, faded hues. I'd also suggest either a gradient or solid color for the background because that texture adds to the foggy LQ appearance right now.
Updated Scoring Spreadsheet
1ST PLACE [5 points]:
applepips16 with +6 votes.
2ND PLACE [4 points]:
john_scorpy with +5 votes.
3RD PLACE [3 points]:
&
partitioning & margerydaw_s2 with +4 votes.
BEST INTERPRETATION [2 points]:
&
applepips16 & john_scorpy with +3 votes.
MOD'S CHOICE [1 point]:
fangss
[The red in this icon certainly packs a vibrant punch; exactly the sort of thing this theme called for.]
TABLE KEY:
+++ = 1st Place Vote
++ = 2nd Place Vote
+ = 3rd Place Vote | Beginning of a new comment.
Note: Votes are not weighted in this round. Meaning a 1st, 2nd or 3rd vote will only give you 1 point when tallying the votes. Except in the case of a tie - then the icon with the most 1st place votes will be given first.
ICON VOTES
applepips16POSITIVE VOTES
+++ The red here is particularly well done and I like that you took it a step farther to red = blood and chose a Macbeth quote. Even centered like this, the text isn't in the way or out of place and it very easily could have been. This is a really good example of monochrome and the bit of ~texture added only improves it!
+++ Even though your icon is completely red it's not overwhelming at all. In fact, there's a perfect balance because of the fantastic lighting and the white text, which, by the way, is done perfectly. Plus it's such a cute quote to add in to such a serious moment.
+++ The color balance is really great and I love the texture and text use.
+++ Beautiful, flawless coloring!
+++ This icon is amazing! The red monochrome look is perfectly executed and I particularly love how the contrast has been toned down just a bit by making the blacks a little lighter. This adds a wonderful touch to the overall look. My favorite thing here is the text though, the white letters stand out so well against all the red, and the text arrangement is stellar, with a great font and size choices. The placement of the text is unusual but works.
+++ I think the use of monochrome in this one is just perfect, and the white text really stands out.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason provided.
+ No reason provided.
+ No reason provided.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ This icon is beautiful and the muted red is gorgeous, the only suggestion I have is to work a bit more on the script or to remove it completely so the image can come more into focus.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
None.
john_scorpyPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ I love the way the lighting lights up one side of her face and shadows the other. The hair too is dominant without being overpowering.
++ I really like the intense shadows here. The lighting works so well with such a simple icon, and I really love how her hair pops in such an otherworldly way.
++ Great crop! I love the shadow on the side of her face.
++ The light and vibrant red here are glorious!!
+ Love the coloring here! All dark and moody, and at the same time very powerful with that shade of red.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason provided.
+ No reason provided.
+ No reason provided.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I really like this icon actually, I think it just weirds me out that you can't really see her neck so she looks like a floating head and I don't get the feeling she wants to be a floating head. Also, there's something... off with the sharpness over her face but, again, probably my monitor so best to disregard.
partitioningPOSITIVE VOTES
++ I love the crop and color.
++ This is a very unique crop. I also love the strong contrast between light and dark.
++ This icon has gorgeous lighting. It's subtle but adds a lot of depth to the image, making the whole look very smooth which calms down the otherwise intense red monochrome look.
+ The coloring, this coloring here had me at hello! As did the cap, you choose a nice rage having cap to go with this deep red and it all simply came so beautiful together!
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The crop is a great one and I love the shadows in the icon but I just kind of wish the red had been more uniform. Right now the lighter red on the top of the icon is creating a divde with the other red in a awkward place across his face. Like cutting it in half but with two different colours.
+ I think this icon could have easily been one of the best of the bunch because the red is so well done but the shadows don't have a uniform feel to them. They're so dark on the left side that it completely obscures the line between the character's chin and neck, which is awkward, and the light at the top over the character's eyes looks like a white strip set to soft light(?) and therefore it doesn't blend into the color scheme well. What looks like an all red icon is suddenly faded white to pink to red and it's a bit jarring. A gradient map could help it to look more natural in the color scheme if you wanted to lighten the top half.
+ While the icon appears to have nice lighting, I think the texture or color fill layer(s) you've used overwhelms the subject too much. The crop is also slightly awkward because you see space on the left side but barely any on the right, and it looks uneven as a result. Perhaps adjusting the crop and making the background red would still allow those colors to pop without taking control of the icon.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
None.
margerydaw_s2POSITIVE VOTES
+++ This icon is gorgeous! I love the text and the way it is a part of the icon rather than just placed over it and those colors left me speechless, thank you!
++ I love the positioning of the text and how red plays a big part in the icon without taking away the details.
++ The composition of this is great. I love the way you've angled the lighter bit of the background behind the subject so she pops even more. The text is brilliant too. Even without knowing the quote (or fandom) and not being able to see some of the letters, I know what it says regardless.
+ You've positioned the text well against the subject, and the composition ends up matching nicely. My only suggestion would be to use a less prominent font. Perhaps something that's also Sans Serif but "feels" lighter to fit how petite-looking the girl is.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ I love that there are at least three ways this icons connects with the theme - red background, red outfit, AND character who looks like (and possibly is?) Red Riding Hood :D Also, the composition and text use in this icon are incredible!
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The coloring here is pretty, but a little flat. I think the subject needs to sharpening and contrast. Also, the text doesn't fit the color scheme. Perhaps a different color, like a more golden yellow, would fit better.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
None.
fangssPOSITIVE VOTES
+ This is definitely the most eye-catching icon in the voting, with the boldest reds. The contrast is great and the sharpening particularly well done, the sharpness of his features gives a nice contrast to the out of focus hands.
+ I just love the starkness of the colouring here. And the crop is great too!
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The character's hands lack definition, while his face is too sharp in some areas, which brings the quality down. Maybe you could have made the outlines of the hands more evident ?
+ I do like your red and the cleariness of the icon it is simply stunning! The only thing that I need could use some work is the crop, his fingers look so strange in this one.
+ I think the contrast here is just a bit too high. It makes the icon look pixelated and oversharned.
+ This isn't a bad icon at all but the cap choice makes his blurry hands lose their context so they are a little random compositionally. Also, there are some pixellated spots on the icon that could be smoothened.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ The red here is just overpowering, so much so that it's eating away at the definition of your subject. I think taking the color down a notch could help with all that, as well as adding some small light blobs to give the eye somewhere to focus and some texture (though you probably wouldn't need it if you changed the red used). It might be a tad oversharpened too but that could just be my screen.
+ I like the crop and lighting in this icon, but the red is much too overwhelming. Perhaps a more muted red would have worked better, or some kind of gradient to add in more contrast between the colors.
vaporPOSITIVE VOTES
+ Pretty use of negative space.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the blending into the background effect, the lighting (the light rays at the top and bottom look stunning) and the blurred look, which still leaves her features nicely sharp, great job with that! However I think the brightness and lowish contrast take away from the dramatic feel this icon could have if the shadows were a bit darker. (I get that they need to be red to fit theme though!)
+ The coloring here is really muddy and though sometimes it's super neat when a subject blends into the background, here I don't really feel like it's benefiting the icon. The light falls really well over the subject's face but the rest of the icon looks utterly flat in comparison. I think it could easily be fixed by adding some texture/grunge to the image and a gradient or two to play with the lighting on the rest of the image.
+ While I like the center crop and lighting taking place in this icon, areas of it are too blurry. For example, the edges around her face look sloppily removed instead of done on purpose. If you were going for a blurry/glowy look, I'd instead recommend just extracting the subject using layer masks or the polygonal tool, then duplicating that subject, blurring it and putting that on Soft Light. The top left and bottom right corners also have blurred triangles that seem randomly placed and don't add much to the composition. For a good border/frame look, adding border textures and fiddling with the layer mode (usually Screen or Multiply depending on the border/background colors) works well.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
None.
consumedlyPOSITIVE VOTES
+ Great color and texture use!
+ The coloring on this is all sorts of odd but for some reason it really appeals to me! The background and the subject are fused together really well rather than it looking like the image was slapped on as an afterthought.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the subtly textured look of this icon, and the creepy image choice is spectacular! However I'm a little confused about the coloring, it's almost monochrome but not quite which makes it look like his skin is just unintentionally red. I'd recommend either taking the monochrome look further (maybe with gradient maps, or just matching the hues of the character and background), or making the skin tone more natural.
+ I really really love the idea behind the icon but the background looks incredibly pixelly, which on the whole lowers the quality of the icon. I thing, maybe a painty texture could have worked here as opposed to a grainy texture. Also, a bit of gaussian blur with smooth away all the pesky pixels that are making him stand out far too sharply.
+ The lighting is a bit awkward, because the background doesn't have much variation between light and dark while the right side on the subject is much darker than the left. I think using a gradient on soft light above the background to intensify the shadows would make it more cohesive.
+ the replaced background is nicely done but the image quality is really grainy and the image coloring isn't complimented by the background color.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ While I like the gritty, somewhat grungy look of this icon, there are also areas that look a bit LQ, mostly from pixelation, especially on the right side of his head where the hair suddenly jumps to black. That look can work in icons, but only if the rest of the icon has equally stark color/tone changes, but the rest of the subject has softer, foggier, faded hues. I'd also suggest either a gradient or solid color for the background because that texture adds to the foggy LQ appearance right now.
Updated Scoring Spreadsheet