Round 17 - Challenge 03 - Results
ROUND 17 - CHALLENGE 03 - RESULTS
1ST PLACE [5 points]:
shameless666 with +14 votes.
2ND PLACE [4 points]:
jsfunction with +8 votes.
3RD PLACE [3 points]:
alisea_dream with +6 votes.
BEST INTERPRETATION [2 points]:
novindalf with +6 votes.
MOD'S CHOICE [1 point]:
cool_spectrum
[I love the way the theme 'hidden' has been expressed in this icon. It's really clever, and I love that it wasn't just in the scan itself; you've added it in! I love the coloring as well. The contrast between the bold reds and the curling white smoke are really eye catching but also mysterious. You definitely get a teasing vibe from the composition and coloring that makes for a really compelling icon!]
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. [Tiebreaker procedure:]Except in the case of a tie - then the icon with the most 1st place votes will be given first. This is upheld in all cases unless 1) the amount of votes is equal in all cases (i.e. 3 first place, 2 second place, and 1 third place) or 2) breaking the tie would result in an icon with enough first place votes to place being knocked out of a placing spot (i.e a third place tie between two icons). In these cases, ties will stand as is in order to maintain a sense of fairness for all participants.
ICON VOTES
alisea_dreamPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ Everything about this icon is just beautiful - the colouring, the composition, the duplication of the image hidden behind the text, the text... Stunning work.
++ great blocking and amazing coloring! The typography is really great, too, and the quote fits the icon (and the game) quite well
++ The coloring, the lighting and the text are great!
+ The blocking and text works very well together, it's really eye-catching!
+ I love the composition of the icon. The duplication is great and the blocks really frame it well. And the text is a nice addition to the icon!
+ The text in this icon is all kinds of brilliant. I love that you made a funny icon and I could see lots of use for this type of icon and visually the text is just right; very clear, good font choice with enough emphasis on the important words. Love the blocking you've used and the vibrancy and lighting are absolutely perfect! Normally I might think the tiny character gets a bit lost in the composition, however for this theme it seems appropriate. And I really dig how the door and other parts of the cap create borders to the blocks.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the composition and the text work. Coloring and sharpening are also top-notch. The only comment I have is that the person behind the text is slightly distracting. I would try toning it down by overlaying it with a plain blue on Normal at middle opacity, or blur that part so it doesn't disturb the text.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I love the blocked effect and deep blue colors. The way the subject is peeking from behind the typography is a fun interpretation of the theme.
+ Nice texture use, but the character appears quite blurry and the focus is brought more to the text. A closer crop might suit this icon better, or you could also get rid of the text (even though I like it, it's just really distracting).
+ I love the blocking you're doing here! It really highlights the hidden theme, and the beautiful blue shades are just perfect. My only suggestion would be to maybe experiment a little with the text (A+ on the quote btw haha), maybe some variety on the font face or on the sizing of each line or word, or experimenting with colors--just to break up the four lines of white text and provide a bit of "texture" as well!
ghanimasunPOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I really like the colour scheme and atmosphere of this icon! The matte feel is very interesting, but I think it would work better if you added a bit more contrast. Using Auto Levels and Auto Contrast in Photoshop as indicators is usually a good way to see where you're at in terms of contrast. I also like the sharp feel of the icon, but I can see a loss of image quality, especially on her hair. Layer masking the oversharpened parts of a sharpened layer is a good way to fix the sharpening balance. Picking a colour from her hair and painting over the crispy, red-ish pixels from the middle of her hair on a new layer could also help.
+ The colors are super beautiful and I really enjoy the contrast. The '4E' text on the background is a bit distracting and gets a lot of attention on an otherwise empty background, I would mask the entire background out in this case or try to use the clone stamp tool to make that area blend with the rest of the background
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ unique crop and interesting coloring, giving it a vintage feel
+ Interesting use of colours and I like your crop, but the icon appears a bit oversharpened and grainy on my screen, especially her features and the edge of her face. I think it could work out better with a slightly smoother look.
+ Love the flat and matte look of the icon. I love how the hair of the subject stands out against the red of the icon. I feel like the crop is a little off-centre though and I would recommend centering it so that the hair becomes the focus of the icon.
+ The matte effect is really cool, and I like the dark/muted coloring. Paired with the off-center crop and faceless cap, it has a lovely mystery-noir feel. The only criticism I have is that the subject is a bit over-sharpened. You can see it mostly at the top of her head, and by her nose.
+ I really like the vintage coloring here. The lack of contrast and lighting work nicely and so does the subtle use of grunge. Her nose looks a bit too sharp which lowers the quality a bit, but overall I like this icon a lot.
naginisPOSITIVE VOTES
++ The crop is so beautiful and I also love the coloring!
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
+ The colouring and lighting obscures the subject in a great way to interpret the theme.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I really like the theme interpretation in this - the way the crop obscures a lot of the scene. Unfortunately, without the screencap, I couldn't tell that the pink corner was someone's face. Maybe not brightening the face quite as much would help preserve some of the facial features better.
+ The crop needs a bit more work: with the icon being so dark, it's hard to understand what's going on without looking at the cap. Specifically, I couldn't see what the man was holding, with the woman's face being cut out. Maybe try a slightly larger crop so that they both fit within the icon, or if you want to keep a close crop you could center it on one of the subjects only.
+ I love the close crop and play of shadows in your icon, but the pink coloring at the bottom made it impossible for me to tell what was going on in the icon until I looked at the original image. Pulling down some of the browns from the top half of the icon would help unify the coloring a little better.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ very interesting crop and unique coloring, though it was hard to discern her facial features due to the light pink coloring
+ The lighting and colouring are quite incredible! But I had a hard time figuring out what the icon was about, and I had to open the original caps to make sure. Maybe it's because I'm not familiar with the fandom but my eye kept being drawn to his hand which made it more difficult to "decipher" the icon and realise he has holding someone. In terms of contrast, sharpening and everything else, this icon is technically perfect though!
+ I love the obscure cropping of this icon, perfect for the theme! I think the colors of the shadows and highlights in this icon clash a bit. The pink highlights would look great with a dark vibrant color for shadows (maybe blue or purple) and the gorgeous golden tones of the shadows as they are now would look better with a neutral beige or another paler color for the highlights.
+ I love your crop on this icon, but because of the coloring and lighting I didn't realize what I was looking at until I viewed the original cap. The fact that her skin is so bright and pink really washes out detail in that part of the icon and I didn't realize there was another person there. I would tone down the layer that got you to that color, or mask it out over her face so she's more easy to understand. Or, if you really wanted to stay with the pink, dial down the brightness and perhaps even use a brush to add shadows to her face so her features stand out and viewers can easily comprehend what they are seeing.
I'm also not sure the yellow-green color in the shadows works with the pinks and oranges of the rest of the cap. It looks rather muddy, and I think those parts would look better in a color that's opposite either the pink or orange on a color wheel, or just if you left those bits of the cap dark - but then again, I do think the texture did a nice job of filling up the blank space to the left of the cap. If that was your goal for using that textures, there is a fairly easy way to tweak texture color in PS - just make a hue/saturation layer right above the texture, press ctrl/cmd + shift + g to clip it to that texture layer, and then play with the sliders until the color fits better with your icon. For this one, maybe a dark blue or purple would look cool with the color scheme, but either way, with that method you can just kind of experiment until you hit on something you love.
shameless666POSITIVE VOTES
+++ The composition and everything is so pretty. It also fits the theme very well!
+++ Love the coloring and the text. The crops are fantastic and the icon looks meticulously done.
+++ The composition is amazing and the contrast is so good! I love the background and text.
+++ The composition is gorgeous, I love the blending of close and far crops, and the way the typography has been placed is perfect.
+++ This icon is amazing on so many levels. The orange coloring suits the characters and gave a nice atmosphere. The choice of stock background and textures and text font: everything is working pretty well.
+++ I love the coloring on the icon. Its so vibrant and pretty. Also, I love the composition. It is very evocative and does not make the icon look overly busy. And last but not the least, fabulous use of text!
+++ This icon has such a unique composition with that blend, but it's exceedingly well done in all its elements - coloring, text, textures, and sharpening are spot on. Great job.
+++ The composition is wonderful, I really love how Sherlock is cropped and the text use and placement are really good!
+++ This is just superb! I love the composition, good job giving it a great sense of balance between the obscure extreme close crop, the far crop, the text and other compositional elements! It works really, really well.
++ Great coloring and text use
++ Good work on the composition, and I love your use of text and how "One" ends up bringing attention to John. Also, great work on the close crop of Sherlock's face.
++ Love the coloring. It's so bright and vibrant in complementary colors, and the background is still visible but well separated from the subject. I especially love the ingenious text placement, like the O wraps around his head.
++ This composition is amazing. All the parts fit wonderfully together: far-cropped John, close-cropped and obscure Sherlock, the background choice that is interesting yet not too attention-grabbing, and finally my favorite part, the absolutely amazing text! Love both font choices, and how you've spiced it up with the little white shape underneath the text. Beautiful contrast and coloring too!
+ the composition is really splendid on this, and the coloring is great. The typography is also really nice
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I really like the composition of this icon, but a couple of things are a bit distracting - there's a pixel or two thick line at the top which could easily be fixed, and the colouring of the icon seems a little confused - the background is a beautiful orange/yellow, but their faces look strangely unsaturated in comparison, and John's shirt seems to be blue. Perhaps an orange-yellow gradient on overlay might blend it all together better?
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ The composition, colour, background and text are amazing! I was this close to voting for this icon, but the way you've cropped Sherlock's face bothered me. I know if you'd shown more of it it might not have been right for the theme anymore but the way his mouth is cut off looks rather awkward to me. Maybe rotating the image, so you don't have to show his whole face but his features aren't cut off so brutally might work (focusing on his hair and eyes, for example).
cool_spectrumPOSITIVE VOTES
++ The coloring here is so well done. And when I see the scan used, I'm even more amazed on all the works done to make that red vibe. I also think this is the smartest way to use the theme 'hidden'.
++ My eye keeps getting drawn to this icon! I love the reds and whites you're using and how they both hide and enhance the subject. The texture usage feels really quite apt! I think there is a "danger" of this being a tad bit too busy but it's daring and I personally think it works!
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Love the colouring and lighting on the icon!
+ great texture blending and color use; the red is spot on and the smoke texture adds a wonderful sense of mystery
+ really nice icon, I love the way you've softened the stark contrast and coloring of the original image to something more subtle. The smoky texture is a clever, original way to go about the theme and creates a truly interesting look!
+ Nice colouring and use of negative space, however the white swirls hide the character a bit too much and it's difficult to see what's going on at first. I think the swirls are too bright, maybe lower their opacity, or move them around until you find the right balance.
julie_izumiPOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the depth in this icon between the dark and the blues. The only thing is the dark on the left side of the icon has overwhelmed the face and made the character look as though part of their face is missing in an unusual way. I think the effect of the dark is lovely but I would look to change the crop or lighten around the edges of the faces.
+ I like the lighting and coloring of this but the crop feels a little awkward with the large empty space on the left. I suggest moving the image over towards the center more and focusing on using shadows for the 'hidden' theme.
+ I love the sci-fi undertones of the icon, especially the blue lighting under the face. However, I think there's too much of a shadow on the left, which makes for a empty space. It gives the icon a bit of an unfinished feel. If you want to still keep the empty space, you can make the crop more extreme by having 3/4th of the icon filled with negative space. Alternatively, if you want to get rid of the empty space, you can centre the crop and still keep the shadows.
+ I love the way you've used light to shape your icon and determine which parts of the cap the viewer can see. I would suggest taking that approach a bit further because right now the crop is a little strange with the subject talking on the phone - I think a light texture that shadows that part out might help shape it into a composition that focuses fully on their face. If you don't want to use a light texture, you could always just take a black brush, paint over that area, blur, and set to soft light as well. I also think this icon could benefit from a bit of sharpening, as it's kind of blurry on my screen. I don't think it needs to be super sharp, as the lighting scheme seems to lend itself to a softer look (imo) but I feel a bit more definition could benefit some of the lower-contrast parts of the face, at least, and the higher-contrast parts could simply be masked out on a sharpen layer to keep it from going too far in the other direction!
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ the stark coloring is really pretty and works very well for the theme
+ I love the bold placement of her, it fits the theme perfectly. The bold colors in her face are great and they seem all the brighter because there is so much black space.
+ I love the extreme use of contrast and shadows in this icon and you did a wonderful job bringing some deep, vibrant colors into a dark cap! I'd sharpen her features a bit more but this might just be personal preference.
+ Wonderful job blocking off the darker portions to create a chiaroscuro effect! I like how you've emphasised the blues to create a neon effect, however, I think they've been overworked just a little too much. The blues on her chin, just under her lips, look unnatural... perhaps over-smoothed?
+ The chiaroscuro was a very good idea to go with this theme, however the way the lights and shadows fall here doesn't work completely on my screen. The right side of MK's face is a bit too dark IMO, it looks as if it's been cut off, especially with the other side being so bright. Also we can see some of her hair on the bottom which is a bit distracting. So basically: good crop, good idea, just a bit more work on the light and you'll get there!
thyla87POSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Super interesting composition, and the full body silhouette is nicely clear and well cut. I like the idea of combining a mint green with browns, but the green looks a bit too vibrant, I'd change it to a bit paler shade to fit the color scheme better.
+ I like the overall muted coloring, especially in the portion on the right, but I feel that the icon has too many silhouette-style elements that create a disconnected feel to the composition. Part of the problem might be that the dark portion with the uneven-edge on the left gives the impression that there is yet another silhouette hidden beneath the full-bodied image.
+ I like how creative this icon is, the silhouette effect is really well done on both sides. I'm not sure about the line in the middle, a straight line might work out better. Still, interesting icon!
+ the coloring is very interesting, giving the icon a vintage feel, but the attitude of the cutout doesn't really match background image's mood, since one seems striking and the other seems serene. Perhaps swapping out the background image to a cap from a different music video (like Bad Blood or Blank Space) would help tie the themes together
starkwarsPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ The coloring in this icon caught my eye immediately. The vibrant matte coloring is just fantastically executed, with the sky and sand both having clear, distinct colors that fit really nicely together. There's also some fabulous composition/texture work going on: the centered extreme far crop looks great surrounded by the geometry texture, and I'm not sure what the circular shape is (texture/added shape or a sun/planet that was already in the cap) but whatever it is I like how it gives even more geometry and symmetry to the composition. Perfect icon!
++ The warm colouring is absolutely gorgeous. The extreme negative space works perfectly and the texture work is very clever.
+ Great crisp lines and colors! I love how clean and smooth this icon is, perfect for the tone as well as a great way to highlight the scene and cap itself, I love how they seem to be are walking into the sunset! If anything, my only comment would be that the line going down near BB-8 feels quite distracting, I would probably mask it off either completely or partially (i.e. the line is still visible but a lot more faint).
+ I love your colors, and the simplistic but bold look of this icon. I do wish the lines texture you used was a bit better frame instead of crowding/cutting off bb8, because I feel that goes against the simple/negative space aesthetic you're going for here. Maybe rotating the texture or resizing it a bit to give the characters room would help?
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Lovely coloring and texture use!
+ Really love your colouring here, so bright! And the subtle texture works very well IMO.
+ amazing coloring and cropping, although the white line texture is a little distracting
+ The icon is lovely, but it feel like it needs an extra something to make it spectacular. Maybe adding a bit more contrast, or upping the vibrance on the bottom half? Or emphasising the lighting a little more?
+ The bright colors are lovely, and I like the addition of geometric shapes, but I think you could have been even more bold with the lines and the circle element in the background to make it look more heavy and graphic. They seem a bit shy, but you can get away with being a little more crazy with such an iconic, recognizable cap
novindalfPOSITIVE VOTES
++ Gorgeous coloring! I also really love the lighting.
+ Such wonderful interpretation! The warm colors are wonderful, and drew my eye in immediately. The addition of lighting really softens up the edges and gives the icon a lot of added depth
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
+ Love the coloring and choice of crop.
+ This is just so perfect for the theme!
+ Perfect screencap choice for the theme! The lighting is also lovely.
+ I love how the scene is so very apt, and also how glowy and bright and just lovely. Great work!
+ such a lovely rendition of "hidden"! The coloring is lovely and the cap is just perfect for this theme
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Nice crop and I like how vibrant this is!
+ Wow, this is super pretty. Beautiful lighting, contrast and coloring. You added so much depth to a challenging cap, really good job.
applepips16POSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ There's a happy, springtime feeling with the bright contrasting colors, but the overall icon is very washed out. Her skin has no contrast, and the darkest areas in her hair are sort of an off-blue color that makes the image look a LQ. I'd reccomend using a medium-beige or soft purple filter on Soft Light to adjust the coloring rather than increasing the contrast settings, and then perhaps popping areas you want brightened up with a white brush on Soft Light. It will give you the same light-bright effect, but will be gentler on the original image.
+ I like how glowy and vibrant the icon looks but I think it's really too bright, her skin looking white. I think that if you painted a light beige/pink color on top of her back would help making it look more natural and more balanced.
+ Though the coloring is very pretty, her skin is so bright it looks completely white. It makes my eyes drawn only to the lower right part (her back) and not to the icon as a whole. Adding a multiply layer with a dark color should help even out the lighting.
+ The crop here is nice. The only thing that matters me is the fact that her skin looks so white. Maybe I could suggested you saturate her less. Also, the tiny text texture is a nice idea.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Lovely colouring and composition, her skin is a bit too bright IMO, but it still works.
+ the bright coloring is very pretty, and the script texture adds a nice bit of elegance to the icon
+ This icon has a very magical feel, which is fitting! I generally love the blurriness and bright colors, but also her skin is quite washed out and that brightness kind of overwhelms the rest of the icon. I think masking out some of the screen/brightness/etc. layers over that part of the icon would help rein it in a bit, or perhaps adding some color back to her back by painting on a blank layer and then using multiply or darken layer modes. Then the eye would be drawn more to the highlights of her hair and her dress, which I think are more fitting and interesting!
+ I love the vibrant coloring in this icon, especially the combination of pink+cyan. The white decorative texture is a nice touch too. Although I love the yellow colors you used on her hair, there's a slightly imprecise quality to it, it looks like there's a small greenish halo around her hair in some parts, especially visible at the bottom parts of her hair, more on the right. If you used blurred color layers to achieve the coloring, I'd suggest masking these layers a bit around that area. Still, what a lovely icon!
+ Lots of potential for this icon, but at the moment it looks a bit too washed out - try adding some contrast to the icon, especially over her back which kind of glows at the moment :P Also, her hair looks a bit too yellow and it kind of seeps into her skin, making her look jaundiced around the next, so you could try reducing the saturation/vibrance of the yellows using selective colouring? I do love the blue and pink colouring though.
spirits_risePOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The cropping is perfect, it shows just enough of both characters while leaving them both partly obscured. I like the fact that you've toned down the pinkish shades of the cap to achieve a more flattering vintagey coloring, but I still find the overall look of this icon a bit plain. I think the icon would make more of an impact if the coloring was taken even further to some direction, for example making it more muted (I'd try a brownish or b&w gradient map on a mid opacity), more contrasted (maybe just a desaturated stamped layer on soft light), or going to the other direction by making it less contrasted, maybe with a dark brown color fill layer on screen. These are just some suggestions, it's definitely not a bad icon as it is!
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Very nice crop and colouring.
+ the crop is nice and the coloring is perfect, through the icon could be a little bit more sharp to help define the edge between Daryl’s and Rick's faces
+ I love the crop and coloring, but the way you've popped the subject in the foreground out makes his outline a little bit blurry, and his coloring seems a little under-saturated compared to the treatment of the background.
+ Great crop and lighting, but it looks a bit blurry on my monitor compared to the other icons - a little sharpening on the guy on the right should fix that!
angelamariaPOSITIVE VOTES
++ Love the composition of the silhouette and texture use, lovely.
++ The muted coloring and double image/double exposure double whammy looks so elegant and refined. I love the fading text across the top, it adds a nice little embellish without taking away from the subject in any way.
+ I love the blending of the two images, and the muted colours are beautiful! Normally I don't like side borders but it works so well here to frame the icon. The edges of the silhouette image are a little blurry, and the text is very hard to decipher, but other than that, it's stunning.
+ This icon has such a gorgeous composition. Love the silhouette blending, text and borders, it's so wonderfully atmospheric and emotional and fits the theme perfectly!
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
+ No reason given.
+ Great composition, very well executed. Both the colours and the font used fit the theme quite well, and I like how it looks slightly grainy, but not too much - it's the perfect balance!
+ I loooove this icon and wish there had been room in my top3 for this one as well. The blend is completely gorgeous and that combined with the decorative text and the muted coloring really embody the theme and look spectacular. There are so many elements but they all fit together seamlessly, fantastic work!
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The composition is amazing - love the blending and the font you used for the text. However, the bottom line is a bit hard to read, because the words are the same color as the silhouette image and they blend in. I'd recommend using lighter shades so it won't fade into the background. Also the face of the subject looks a bit oversharpened on my screen, using smudge tool to smooth the edges of the hair and face features would really fix that.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I love this! It looks like an old stamp, and the text is amazing in both font choice and text placement.
+ the muted coloring fits the theme perfectly, and the blending of the two images is wonderfully executed. The text, however, is a little hard to read, and perhaps making it darker would help
+ Your icon has absolutely stunning composition and is great thematically as well, but it looks super sharp on my screen around the edges of the woman in the foreground. Perhaps masking out the sharpen layer on the borders around her, or taking a blur brush to that area, would help. I'm also not sure what the second line of text says. I absolutely adore your font and don't want to suggest you change it, but perhaps making it a smidge darker would help. Other options include making it bold, making it a bit bigger, or playing around with the antialiasing settings in PS (if you select the text tool without clicking in the text box, they should display on your top bar) - I've found strong and crisp (sharp?) sometimes shape the text a bit differently so it's easier to read.
tinnnyPOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ The faded coloring elements look to give this a great antique feel.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The composition idea, colour scheme and text placement are very interesting! But I couldn't make out the subjects until I opened the caps. I think the amount of grunge/grainy textures led to the icon losing a lot of detail, so I would have gone for a smoother look in order to make the subject and the silhouette stand out more. Adding contrast to the small subject could also help. The silhouette is also quite blurry. I don't know what technique you used, but in Photoshop, creating a selection with the pen tool usually helps you create a silhouette with defined edges.
+ the idea behind this icon is fantastic! The composition works wonderfully and the blending of the two caps is really creative! However, the icon is lacking a little contrast, causing some of the shapes to blur together. Try using a brightness/contrast layer and increasing each a little bit.
+ The composition is really creative, and the text works very well with it. Unfortunately, the icon looks a bit too dark and grainy on my monitor, especially around Nick, making it look slightly LQ. You can keep the soft colouring, but I don't think the grainy effect fits this icon.
+ I love the dark somber feel of the icon. Its very moody and the text reflects that very nicely. However, I would recommend using a different texture. The current texture makes the icon look a little muddy, especially on the text. I would recommend erasing it on the text parts, so that the text can stand out more clearly.
+ I really enjoy muted colors here but the icon is unclear. The icon looks a bit blurry to me so it's hard to see the character. I'd add a soft light layer to bring more contrast, this would make details more visible.
+ Great idea of composition but the coloring is so dark it's really hard to see the subject. I also think that the grungy texture is too overpowering, maybe lowering down the opacity would help, especially on the text.
+ The composition with the silhouette is very creative, but the icon looks very grainy. To the point were it's a bit hard to see the subject. I understand wanting to stick to the theme of antique, but just keeping the brownish coloring would be enough.
+ There are some really good ideas here, but the overall look is a bit unclear. I absolutely love the idea of blending the fox character with the bunny's silhouette. However I had to take a look at the caps to recognize the silhouette, it's not immediately identifiable because of the blur effect, I'd recommend leaving the shape sharp. I like the cohesive muted coloring, but I'd lower the opacity of the grunge textures a bit to get some more contrast, which would further help with clarity.
+ I like the grunge texture use, but it makes the subject look rather grainy and low-quality - you could try masking/erasing the texture over the subject to make them more clear? And while I really like the textured effect of the text, I think it could do with being a Serif or more antique-y looking font, because at the moment it looks too modern and clashes with the overall vintage effect of the icon.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ The composition is so pretty, I love the placement of the text, and the subtleness of the silhouette. I think the teal from his shirt could be popped a little more since it adds such a nice element of contrast, and I think the icon needs a little bit more sharpness, but otherwise this is really lovely!
+ Very gorgeous use of light and texture in this icon - it has such a moody aesthetic and I really dig it! I also love the font you used, though it looks a bit blurry on my screen, almost like you put it on the icon early in the process and then had a lot of duplicated layers with it there that degraded the quality. I typically put text on my icon last (or even if I want to put it on earlier, I drag it up so it's almost last in my layer order) just so it stays sharp. I also think the "I" should be a bit more centered over the rest of the text, as I didn't see it at first glance!
gribouillePOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the crop here. The coloring is pretty nice too. The only thing that could be improved in my opinion is that the icon could use a little more contrast.
+ the crop on this is wonderful and perfectly eyecatching! The coloring is a little harsh, however, and Peggy seems a little too orange. Try playing with black and white gradient maps (lower the opacity and use with soft light) and brightness contrast layers (to bring back definition)
+ You have a very interesting crop and some nice deep colors in this icon, and I like how it frames the subject differently than usual. I think it would really draw the eye a bit more if it were a bit brighter (and then possibly had a bump in contrast to preserve those nice shadows) and a bit sharper as well. Given the theme, perhaps a dusty brown layer set to screen would help with the brightness while sticking with the antique guideline. I also am a bit thrown off by the shadow that's around her mouth - it's possible that this could be fixed by a white soft brush painted over that section of the icon and then set to softlight. If not, another trick I use to get rid of weird shadows such as that is to steal the color from the skin around that area using the eye dropper tool (I believe you hold down ctrl/cmd while the brush tool is selected, depending on your program), paint all the areas that are darker than they should be, and then set the layer mode to "luminosity". You may have to put a slight blur on the layer for best effect, but either way, it's a nice and simple way to make sure everything has the same amount of light.
+ I love the obscure crop! I love the drama in your icon, great work on the shadowing/lighting! My only suggestion would be maybe to punch up the highlights a bit more, especially where the light meets her face--higher contrast to give it a teensy bit more drama as well as heighten the clarity of colors--right now it feels a bit "muddy" because of the low contrast and yellow/brown coloring, but just a bit more contrast I feel would do wonders!
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I really like this icon. The lighting is so smooth and the warm coloring is flattering and the cropping works really nicely. The icon has a lot of depth and everything just looks balanced and perfect for the theme!
+ The play of shadows is so pretty, and I love how you've highlighted the details of her outfit with the crop. I think that the yellows/reds in your icon are a little too overpowering though, it feels slightly over-saturated.
laxiryaPOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Looking at the original image, the colouring you've done is beautiful! Her face looks too washed out and bright though, so try adding a dark layer on soft light, especially in the top-left corner, to bring back some contrast and definition to her face?
+ My eye keeps getting drawn to this icon! I love how simple it is, the resulting icon really highlights the beautiful likes of the source material but enhances it so well, as all icons strive to do! The colors you've chosen and heightened are just lovely and I think the slight glowy feel of the icon really works out super well!
+ I love that this icon actually looks like an old illustration, I think it's the rich luxurious coloring and the decorative look of the base image that achieve this really nice effect. The image you used doesn't look easy to work with, since the outlines aren't very strong and sizing down to icon size and adding some light on her face have made it even harder to see the lines that define her facial features. I'd mask out some of the light textures on her face or perhaps try a base copy on Multiply there, but other than that this icon looks truly wonderful and is one of my favorite interpretations for this challenge.
+ The colors are beautiful, and I love the additional lighting. Her eyelashes get a little bit washed out though. I would reccomend erasing the portions of the light that cover them since they're the only prominent facial feature of the scan.
+ This is a very cool cap you're working with, and I'm impressed by the way you colored it! I do think that the white of her skin looks washed out next to the bright colors that you added, though - I would suggest adding maybe just a hint of color to her so her skin looks like it belongs with the rest of the image. I also might try tracing over her features with a very small black/dark brush, then blurring that layer a bit and setting it to soft light just so there's a bit more definition to her face. That might also help with the problem of her looking washed out.
+ Wow, impressive work painting/colouring this cap! I think her facial features could be a bit sharper/darker, but it's still a very nice icon.
+ fantastic coloring and cut out! I couldn't tell the image originally had a white background, so bravo! The crop is also wonderful, and overall this icon had a nice warmth to it
jsfunctionPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ The composition is flawless! Love the different circles you used to build the background. Having the subject framed by textures/stock is also a great idea. It's a busy icon but it doesn't stop the subject from standing out and the circular text is the perfect final touch.
+++ the composition is fabulous! The muted colors with a black and white subject work wonderfully together as well. Everything just blends together perfectly
+++ The composition is georgeous, the used textures really fit the vintage theme and the typography is great.
+++ I love the composition! Great colour choices as well. Well done!
++ I love the creative texture work you've done with this icon! Really stunning way to incorporate a cutout onto its background. My one complaint is that I can't read the second word because too many of the letters are cut off and I'm not familiar with the fandom/character/scene you're referencing. I know when I make text I always think it's ~super easy~ to read because my brain knows what letters are where already, but it turns out that others can't quite make it out. Between the super small size and the cut off letters, this is a case where I'm on the other side for once.
++ The composition is stunning! Texture work is unbelievable and they fit the character so well. I really love muted tone here.
+ Composition here is super creative and the coloring and texture use is lovely!
+ Such a complex composition, incredibly creative. The text is small but well readable.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ On second/third looks I really like this icon! I love the incredible amount of detail you've put in it, the faint pattern within the circle, the text going around the circle, the vine patterns ouside. I don't completely understand the significance of the decorative textures (the bird and the goblet) but they are fairly pleasing to the eye as well, although I feel it's rather cluttered with three different elements fighting for attention all within the center of the icon. I might suggest leaving the goblet out? Because the bird texture works really harmoniously with the circle and the rest of the icon, and the goblet breaking the circle (while the bird does not) gives it a lopsided feel. I also feel that the subject would do better to be a little on the same color family as the rest of the icon, as opposed to black and white, as it almost felt like he doesn't fit in the icon, when really it's a brilliant piece of composition! Regardless this is such a creative icon, great job!
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Lovely composition!
+ I love the palette you've chosen, and the circular composition is stunning, I especially like the filigree elements at the corners, and the circular text. The only thing I don't particularly like is the tan-ish element (the cup?) behind the subject. It draws my eye away from him, and overcomplecates the composition in my opinion.
marcasitePOSITIVE VOTES
++ This is beautiful in its simplicity - the crop is wonderful, and the subtle lighting draws my attention to the subject even more. Great work.
+ I love the use of light here, great contrast, and the negative space adds a nice effect. Simple but effective
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ nice crop and good coloring, through the white light blob on the right side of the icon seems a little out of place amongst all the warm colors of the icons, so perhaps changing it to beige color would blend better
+ I love the ambiance you brought to this icon with your lighting and coloring. It looks very dark and moody. Great job!
+ Lovely cropping and lighting! Love the cohesive warm brown color scheme and how HQ and smooth this icon looks overall.
+ I really love the unique angle of the cap, and the crop is perfect. The way the shadows are partially swallowing her up feels sort of mysterious and ominous.
tiptoetwirlPOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the muted coloring and the shadows. However the way the icon is cropped makes it look unbalanced, moving the subject a bit to the right would really help bring balance to the icon.
+ I like the muted coloring that have you have here, it really works with the background and the clothing. I would just watch the light on the top right as it pulls away some of the depth that you have created with your coloring. Either a levels layer or a soft light mask to tone the whites down.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Love the lighting and colouring of the icon. It is very pretty!
+ You have some great lighting and this is a wonderful simple icon; the only thing for me is that parts of it (his nose at the bottom, his mouth, his collar) look too sharp on my screen. Other than that, wonderful job!
+ nice coloring and shading/lighting! The subject maintains a perfect shadow/light ratio. However, he doesn't really blend will with the background, mainly on the right side, and perhaps a color closer to that of his hair/sweater would fit better
+ I like your use of light and colouring. Reed's facial features (especially his left eye, his lips and the hair on the bottom left side of the icon) appear a bit too sharp on my screen, but the rest is fine.
+ The colors are so pretty, I really like how the lighting feels very stark and raw on the character, making him stand out against the background. I'm not so sure I like the white-ish outline you've added around his hairline though, it looks too much like an extraction leftover since there are no other obviously painted-over areas in the icon.
+ The sharpness and coloring on this icon is great, I also like the contrast and lighting. The cutout doesn't look completely precise around his hair, there are some parts where the bright original background is visible, especially on the left near his jaw. The cap looks very difficult to cut so this is understandable, but in these cases it's often better to cut too much than too little. Using a color closer to the original background color can also help the character blend with the new background.
adriftingseaPOSITIVE VOTES
++ I love the muted, vintage feel of the icon. The texture and the coloring really sell that aspect of the icon. Also, adore the stark simplicity of it!
+ Great coloring and composition, love the frame texture!
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I like the muted colors and the frame used. It looks too sharp around the hair strand and her eyes and the frame is a bit over sharpened as well. I suggest lowering the strength of the sharpness to bring it together.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Great composition! I almost didn't recognize Lydia in that vintage frame - and that's not a critique, just a testament to your composition skill.
+ Good composition and use of texture, I think you accentuated her lips a bit too much as they look so dark it's a bit odd on my screen, same for her hair, maybe lower the opacity of that layer? The colour works really well on her skin though, it looks nice.
+ I love the coloring and use of the framed element. There's a smooth quality to the limited palette of rich colors that is just lovely to look at... like visual chocolate. My only issue is that the character is missing some important contrasting areas, which essentially make it look like she has no nose. Otherwise, this is a gorgeous icon
+ I love the composition! The negative space, the stripey texture and the frame all look great. The coloring on Lydia looks a bit dark to me, maybe just compared to the white frame. I'd try making Lydia brighter with a masked curves or brightness/contrast layer and/or use a color fill layer with a beige color on multiply masked so that it doesn't affect Lydia.
nightbulbsPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ It's so incredibly detailed, and the coloring is beautiful - nicely balanced between natural and vintage. I like the whimsical composition with that huge hand and broad border contrasting with the fine lines of the subject and the building in the background. It still looks like it all belongs together.
+ Nice muted tones and multiple image use
+ Such a pretty coloring and composition, I really like the texture use!
+ The colors here are beautiful and the lighting so pretty. I love the background, too!
+ I know nothing about this show but I got the feeling this icon is telling me a story anyway. The colors chosen for the stock pictures (or screencaps?) compared to the black&white of the character is really interesting and pretty.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
+ You've really given your icon a feeling of charming antiquity with the use of textures and muted colors. I love the play of tans and greens in the background especially. You've also given a fresh feeling to an outdated technique with the border, which is especially impressive.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Super creative and love the coloring
+ Love that interpretation of the theme, and brilliant job with the cutout! A great icon.
+ great blending with the cap and the background; I thought the hallway was part of the original cap. The coloring is also really nice and gives a nice vintage feel
+ Love your composition! I love the chunky borders and the color scheme you've got going--the cool greens and yellows and black really work together!
+ The muted colours are gorgeous, but I'm a little confused by the hand. I'm guessing it would make sense if I were familiar with the show, but at the moment it just seems a bit random, whereas the archways fit so well with the subject and the theme.
+ I think you have a some really interesting work here between the cutout and the background you found and the vast difference in coloring. But I admit, I'm thrown by the hand in the background. Maybe it's because I don't know the fandom, but to me, it seems to infringe on the rest of the icon and pull my focus away because it's lighter than the actual subject, and it takes up as much space as her. Perhaps making it darker or smaller, or making it a similar color to the rest of the background, would help it not distract focus from the woman too terribly.
+ This icon is fascinating, I particularly like the background choice, it definitely gives an antique vibe with the muted colors and the shapes that look like architecture. Very nice sharpness too! I'm not sure about the border, because its color seems a bit too bright to fit the vintagey coloring you have going on in the main image. Perhaps a neutral beige or a muted yellow picked from the hand thing on the background would work better, but then again I'd love to see more of the interesting background too so the icon might work better without the frame at all, or making it smaller.
Updated spreadsheet can be found here.
1ST PLACE [5 points]:
shameless666 with +14 votes.
2ND PLACE [4 points]:
jsfunction with +8 votes.
3RD PLACE [3 points]:
alisea_dream with +6 votes.
BEST INTERPRETATION [2 points]:
novindalf with +6 votes.
MOD'S CHOICE [1 point]:
cool_spectrum
[I love the way the theme 'hidden' has been expressed in this icon. It's really clever, and I love that it wasn't just in the scan itself; you've added it in! I love the coloring as well. The contrast between the bold reds and the curling white smoke are really eye catching but also mysterious. You definitely get a teasing vibe from the composition and coloring that makes for a really compelling icon!]
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. [Tiebreaker procedure:]Except in the case of a tie - then the icon with the most 1st place votes will be given first. This is upheld in all cases unless 1) the amount of votes is equal in all cases (i.e. 3 first place, 2 second place, and 1 third place) or 2) breaking the tie would result in an icon with enough first place votes to place being knocked out of a placing spot (i.e a third place tie between two icons). In these cases, ties will stand as is in order to maintain a sense of fairness for all participants.
ICON VOTES
alisea_dreamPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ Everything about this icon is just beautiful - the colouring, the composition, the duplication of the image hidden behind the text, the text... Stunning work.
++ great blocking and amazing coloring! The typography is really great, too, and the quote fits the icon (and the game) quite well
++ The coloring, the lighting and the text are great!
+ The blocking and text works very well together, it's really eye-catching!
+ I love the composition of the icon. The duplication is great and the blocks really frame it well. And the text is a nice addition to the icon!
+ The text in this icon is all kinds of brilliant. I love that you made a funny icon and I could see lots of use for this type of icon and visually the text is just right; very clear, good font choice with enough emphasis on the important words. Love the blocking you've used and the vibrancy and lighting are absolutely perfect! Normally I might think the tiny character gets a bit lost in the composition, however for this theme it seems appropriate. And I really dig how the door and other parts of the cap create borders to the blocks.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the composition and the text work. Coloring and sharpening are also top-notch. The only comment I have is that the person behind the text is slightly distracting. I would try toning it down by overlaying it with a plain blue on Normal at middle opacity, or blur that part so it doesn't disturb the text.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I love the blocked effect and deep blue colors. The way the subject is peeking from behind the typography is a fun interpretation of the theme.
+ Nice texture use, but the character appears quite blurry and the focus is brought more to the text. A closer crop might suit this icon better, or you could also get rid of the text (even though I like it, it's just really distracting).
+ I love the blocking you're doing here! It really highlights the hidden theme, and the beautiful blue shades are just perfect. My only suggestion would be to maybe experiment a little with the text (A+ on the quote btw haha), maybe some variety on the font face or on the sizing of each line or word, or experimenting with colors--just to break up the four lines of white text and provide a bit of "texture" as well!
ghanimasunPOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I really like the colour scheme and atmosphere of this icon! The matte feel is very interesting, but I think it would work better if you added a bit more contrast. Using Auto Levels and Auto Contrast in Photoshop as indicators is usually a good way to see where you're at in terms of contrast. I also like the sharp feel of the icon, but I can see a loss of image quality, especially on her hair. Layer masking the oversharpened parts of a sharpened layer is a good way to fix the sharpening balance. Picking a colour from her hair and painting over the crispy, red-ish pixels from the middle of her hair on a new layer could also help.
+ The colors are super beautiful and I really enjoy the contrast. The '4E' text on the background is a bit distracting and gets a lot of attention on an otherwise empty background, I would mask the entire background out in this case or try to use the clone stamp tool to make that area blend with the rest of the background
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ unique crop and interesting coloring, giving it a vintage feel
+ Interesting use of colours and I like your crop, but the icon appears a bit oversharpened and grainy on my screen, especially her features and the edge of her face. I think it could work out better with a slightly smoother look.
+ Love the flat and matte look of the icon. I love how the hair of the subject stands out against the red of the icon. I feel like the crop is a little off-centre though and I would recommend centering it so that the hair becomes the focus of the icon.
+ The matte effect is really cool, and I like the dark/muted coloring. Paired with the off-center crop and faceless cap, it has a lovely mystery-noir feel. The only criticism I have is that the subject is a bit over-sharpened. You can see it mostly at the top of her head, and by her nose.
+ I really like the vintage coloring here. The lack of contrast and lighting work nicely and so does the subtle use of grunge. Her nose looks a bit too sharp which lowers the quality a bit, but overall I like this icon a lot.
naginisPOSITIVE VOTES
++ The crop is so beautiful and I also love the coloring!
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
+ The colouring and lighting obscures the subject in a great way to interpret the theme.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I really like the theme interpretation in this - the way the crop obscures a lot of the scene. Unfortunately, without the screencap, I couldn't tell that the pink corner was someone's face. Maybe not brightening the face quite as much would help preserve some of the facial features better.
+ The crop needs a bit more work: with the icon being so dark, it's hard to understand what's going on without looking at the cap. Specifically, I couldn't see what the man was holding, with the woman's face being cut out. Maybe try a slightly larger crop so that they both fit within the icon, or if you want to keep a close crop you could center it on one of the subjects only.
+ I love the close crop and play of shadows in your icon, but the pink coloring at the bottom made it impossible for me to tell what was going on in the icon until I looked at the original image. Pulling down some of the browns from the top half of the icon would help unify the coloring a little better.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ very interesting crop and unique coloring, though it was hard to discern her facial features due to the light pink coloring
+ The lighting and colouring are quite incredible! But I had a hard time figuring out what the icon was about, and I had to open the original caps to make sure. Maybe it's because I'm not familiar with the fandom but my eye kept being drawn to his hand which made it more difficult to "decipher" the icon and realise he has holding someone. In terms of contrast, sharpening and everything else, this icon is technically perfect though!
+ I love the obscure cropping of this icon, perfect for the theme! I think the colors of the shadows and highlights in this icon clash a bit. The pink highlights would look great with a dark vibrant color for shadows (maybe blue or purple) and the gorgeous golden tones of the shadows as they are now would look better with a neutral beige or another paler color for the highlights.
+ I love your crop on this icon, but because of the coloring and lighting I didn't realize what I was looking at until I viewed the original cap. The fact that her skin is so bright and pink really washes out detail in that part of the icon and I didn't realize there was another person there. I would tone down the layer that got you to that color, or mask it out over her face so she's more easy to understand. Or, if you really wanted to stay with the pink, dial down the brightness and perhaps even use a brush to add shadows to her face so her features stand out and viewers can easily comprehend what they are seeing.
I'm also not sure the yellow-green color in the shadows works with the pinks and oranges of the rest of the cap. It looks rather muddy, and I think those parts would look better in a color that's opposite either the pink or orange on a color wheel, or just if you left those bits of the cap dark - but then again, I do think the texture did a nice job of filling up the blank space to the left of the cap. If that was your goal for using that textures, there is a fairly easy way to tweak texture color in PS - just make a hue/saturation layer right above the texture, press ctrl/cmd + shift + g to clip it to that texture layer, and then play with the sliders until the color fits better with your icon. For this one, maybe a dark blue or purple would look cool with the color scheme, but either way, with that method you can just kind of experiment until you hit on something you love.
shameless666POSITIVE VOTES
+++ The composition and everything is so pretty. It also fits the theme very well!
+++ Love the coloring and the text. The crops are fantastic and the icon looks meticulously done.
+++ The composition is amazing and the contrast is so good! I love the background and text.
+++ The composition is gorgeous, I love the blending of close and far crops, and the way the typography has been placed is perfect.
+++ This icon is amazing on so many levels. The orange coloring suits the characters and gave a nice atmosphere. The choice of stock background and textures and text font: everything is working pretty well.
+++ I love the coloring on the icon. Its so vibrant and pretty. Also, I love the composition. It is very evocative and does not make the icon look overly busy. And last but not the least, fabulous use of text!
+++ This icon has such a unique composition with that blend, but it's exceedingly well done in all its elements - coloring, text, textures, and sharpening are spot on. Great job.
+++ The composition is wonderful, I really love how Sherlock is cropped and the text use and placement are really good!
+++ This is just superb! I love the composition, good job giving it a great sense of balance between the obscure extreme close crop, the far crop, the text and other compositional elements! It works really, really well.
++ Great coloring and text use
++ Good work on the composition, and I love your use of text and how "One" ends up bringing attention to John. Also, great work on the close crop of Sherlock's face.
++ Love the coloring. It's so bright and vibrant in complementary colors, and the background is still visible but well separated from the subject. I especially love the ingenious text placement, like the O wraps around his head.
++ This composition is amazing. All the parts fit wonderfully together: far-cropped John, close-cropped and obscure Sherlock, the background choice that is interesting yet not too attention-grabbing, and finally my favorite part, the absolutely amazing text! Love both font choices, and how you've spiced it up with the little white shape underneath the text. Beautiful contrast and coloring too!
+ the composition is really splendid on this, and the coloring is great. The typography is also really nice
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I really like the composition of this icon, but a couple of things are a bit distracting - there's a pixel or two thick line at the top which could easily be fixed, and the colouring of the icon seems a little confused - the background is a beautiful orange/yellow, but their faces look strangely unsaturated in comparison, and John's shirt seems to be blue. Perhaps an orange-yellow gradient on overlay might blend it all together better?
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ The composition, colour, background and text are amazing! I was this close to voting for this icon, but the way you've cropped Sherlock's face bothered me. I know if you'd shown more of it it might not have been right for the theme anymore but the way his mouth is cut off looks rather awkward to me. Maybe rotating the image, so you don't have to show his whole face but his features aren't cut off so brutally might work (focusing on his hair and eyes, for example).
cool_spectrumPOSITIVE VOTES
++ The coloring here is so well done. And when I see the scan used, I'm even more amazed on all the works done to make that red vibe. I also think this is the smartest way to use the theme 'hidden'.
++ My eye keeps getting drawn to this icon! I love the reds and whites you're using and how they both hide and enhance the subject. The texture usage feels really quite apt! I think there is a "danger" of this being a tad bit too busy but it's daring and I personally think it works!
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Love the colouring and lighting on the icon!
+ great texture blending and color use; the red is spot on and the smoke texture adds a wonderful sense of mystery
+ really nice icon, I love the way you've softened the stark contrast and coloring of the original image to something more subtle. The smoky texture is a clever, original way to go about the theme and creates a truly interesting look!
+ Nice colouring and use of negative space, however the white swirls hide the character a bit too much and it's difficult to see what's going on at first. I think the swirls are too bright, maybe lower their opacity, or move them around until you find the right balance.
julie_izumiPOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the depth in this icon between the dark and the blues. The only thing is the dark on the left side of the icon has overwhelmed the face and made the character look as though part of their face is missing in an unusual way. I think the effect of the dark is lovely but I would look to change the crop or lighten around the edges of the faces.
+ I like the lighting and coloring of this but the crop feels a little awkward with the large empty space on the left. I suggest moving the image over towards the center more and focusing on using shadows for the 'hidden' theme.
+ I love the sci-fi undertones of the icon, especially the blue lighting under the face. However, I think there's too much of a shadow on the left, which makes for a empty space. It gives the icon a bit of an unfinished feel. If you want to still keep the empty space, you can make the crop more extreme by having 3/4th of the icon filled with negative space. Alternatively, if you want to get rid of the empty space, you can centre the crop and still keep the shadows.
+ I love the way you've used light to shape your icon and determine which parts of the cap the viewer can see. I would suggest taking that approach a bit further because right now the crop is a little strange with the subject talking on the phone - I think a light texture that shadows that part out might help shape it into a composition that focuses fully on their face. If you don't want to use a light texture, you could always just take a black brush, paint over that area, blur, and set to soft light as well. I also think this icon could benefit from a bit of sharpening, as it's kind of blurry on my screen. I don't think it needs to be super sharp, as the lighting scheme seems to lend itself to a softer look (imo) but I feel a bit more definition could benefit some of the lower-contrast parts of the face, at least, and the higher-contrast parts could simply be masked out on a sharpen layer to keep it from going too far in the other direction!
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ the stark coloring is really pretty and works very well for the theme
+ I love the bold placement of her, it fits the theme perfectly. The bold colors in her face are great and they seem all the brighter because there is so much black space.
+ I love the extreme use of contrast and shadows in this icon and you did a wonderful job bringing some deep, vibrant colors into a dark cap! I'd sharpen her features a bit more but this might just be personal preference.
+ Wonderful job blocking off the darker portions to create a chiaroscuro effect! I like how you've emphasised the blues to create a neon effect, however, I think they've been overworked just a little too much. The blues on her chin, just under her lips, look unnatural... perhaps over-smoothed?
+ The chiaroscuro was a very good idea to go with this theme, however the way the lights and shadows fall here doesn't work completely on my screen. The right side of MK's face is a bit too dark IMO, it looks as if it's been cut off, especially with the other side being so bright. Also we can see some of her hair on the bottom which is a bit distracting. So basically: good crop, good idea, just a bit more work on the light and you'll get there!
thyla87POSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Super interesting composition, and the full body silhouette is nicely clear and well cut. I like the idea of combining a mint green with browns, but the green looks a bit too vibrant, I'd change it to a bit paler shade to fit the color scheme better.
+ I like the overall muted coloring, especially in the portion on the right, but I feel that the icon has too many silhouette-style elements that create a disconnected feel to the composition. Part of the problem might be that the dark portion with the uneven-edge on the left gives the impression that there is yet another silhouette hidden beneath the full-bodied image.
+ I like how creative this icon is, the silhouette effect is really well done on both sides. I'm not sure about the line in the middle, a straight line might work out better. Still, interesting icon!
+ the coloring is very interesting, giving the icon a vintage feel, but the attitude of the cutout doesn't really match background image's mood, since one seems striking and the other seems serene. Perhaps swapping out the background image to a cap from a different music video (like Bad Blood or Blank Space) would help tie the themes together
starkwarsPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ The coloring in this icon caught my eye immediately. The vibrant matte coloring is just fantastically executed, with the sky and sand both having clear, distinct colors that fit really nicely together. There's also some fabulous composition/texture work going on: the centered extreme far crop looks great surrounded by the geometry texture, and I'm not sure what the circular shape is (texture/added shape or a sun/planet that was already in the cap) but whatever it is I like how it gives even more geometry and symmetry to the composition. Perfect icon!
++ The warm colouring is absolutely gorgeous. The extreme negative space works perfectly and the texture work is very clever.
+ Great crisp lines and colors! I love how clean and smooth this icon is, perfect for the tone as well as a great way to highlight the scene and cap itself, I love how they seem to be are walking into the sunset! If anything, my only comment would be that the line going down near BB-8 feels quite distracting, I would probably mask it off either completely or partially (i.e. the line is still visible but a lot more faint).
+ I love your colors, and the simplistic but bold look of this icon. I do wish the lines texture you used was a bit better frame instead of crowding/cutting off bb8, because I feel that goes against the simple/negative space aesthetic you're going for here. Maybe rotating the texture or resizing it a bit to give the characters room would help?
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Lovely coloring and texture use!
+ Really love your colouring here, so bright! And the subtle texture works very well IMO.
+ amazing coloring and cropping, although the white line texture is a little distracting
+ The icon is lovely, but it feel like it needs an extra something to make it spectacular. Maybe adding a bit more contrast, or upping the vibrance on the bottom half? Or emphasising the lighting a little more?
+ The bright colors are lovely, and I like the addition of geometric shapes, but I think you could have been even more bold with the lines and the circle element in the background to make it look more heavy and graphic. They seem a bit shy, but you can get away with being a little more crazy with such an iconic, recognizable cap
novindalfPOSITIVE VOTES
++ Gorgeous coloring! I also really love the lighting.
+ Such wonderful interpretation! The warm colors are wonderful, and drew my eye in immediately. The addition of lighting really softens up the edges and gives the icon a lot of added depth
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
+ Love the coloring and choice of crop.
+ This is just so perfect for the theme!
+ Perfect screencap choice for the theme! The lighting is also lovely.
+ I love how the scene is so very apt, and also how glowy and bright and just lovely. Great work!
+ such a lovely rendition of "hidden"! The coloring is lovely and the cap is just perfect for this theme
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Nice crop and I like how vibrant this is!
+ Wow, this is super pretty. Beautiful lighting, contrast and coloring. You added so much depth to a challenging cap, really good job.
applepips16POSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ There's a happy, springtime feeling with the bright contrasting colors, but the overall icon is very washed out. Her skin has no contrast, and the darkest areas in her hair are sort of an off-blue color that makes the image look a LQ. I'd reccomend using a medium-beige or soft purple filter on Soft Light to adjust the coloring rather than increasing the contrast settings, and then perhaps popping areas you want brightened up with a white brush on Soft Light. It will give you the same light-bright effect, but will be gentler on the original image.
+ I like how glowy and vibrant the icon looks but I think it's really too bright, her skin looking white. I think that if you painted a light beige/pink color on top of her back would help making it look more natural and more balanced.
+ Though the coloring is very pretty, her skin is so bright it looks completely white. It makes my eyes drawn only to the lower right part (her back) and not to the icon as a whole. Adding a multiply layer with a dark color should help even out the lighting.
+ The crop here is nice. The only thing that matters me is the fact that her skin looks so white. Maybe I could suggested you saturate her less. Also, the tiny text texture is a nice idea.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Lovely colouring and composition, her skin is a bit too bright IMO, but it still works.
+ the bright coloring is very pretty, and the script texture adds a nice bit of elegance to the icon
+ This icon has a very magical feel, which is fitting! I generally love the blurriness and bright colors, but also her skin is quite washed out and that brightness kind of overwhelms the rest of the icon. I think masking out some of the screen/brightness/etc. layers over that part of the icon would help rein it in a bit, or perhaps adding some color back to her back by painting on a blank layer and then using multiply or darken layer modes. Then the eye would be drawn more to the highlights of her hair and her dress, which I think are more fitting and interesting!
+ I love the vibrant coloring in this icon, especially the combination of pink+cyan. The white decorative texture is a nice touch too. Although I love the yellow colors you used on her hair, there's a slightly imprecise quality to it, it looks like there's a small greenish halo around her hair in some parts, especially visible at the bottom parts of her hair, more on the right. If you used blurred color layers to achieve the coloring, I'd suggest masking these layers a bit around that area. Still, what a lovely icon!
+ Lots of potential for this icon, but at the moment it looks a bit too washed out - try adding some contrast to the icon, especially over her back which kind of glows at the moment :P Also, her hair looks a bit too yellow and it kind of seeps into her skin, making her look jaundiced around the next, so you could try reducing the saturation/vibrance of the yellows using selective colouring? I do love the blue and pink colouring though.
spirits_risePOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The cropping is perfect, it shows just enough of both characters while leaving them both partly obscured. I like the fact that you've toned down the pinkish shades of the cap to achieve a more flattering vintagey coloring, but I still find the overall look of this icon a bit plain. I think the icon would make more of an impact if the coloring was taken even further to some direction, for example making it more muted (I'd try a brownish or b&w gradient map on a mid opacity), more contrasted (maybe just a desaturated stamped layer on soft light), or going to the other direction by making it less contrasted, maybe with a dark brown color fill layer on screen. These are just some suggestions, it's definitely not a bad icon as it is!
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Very nice crop and colouring.
+ the crop is nice and the coloring is perfect, through the icon could be a little bit more sharp to help define the edge between Daryl’s and Rick's faces
+ I love the crop and coloring, but the way you've popped the subject in the foreground out makes his outline a little bit blurry, and his coloring seems a little under-saturated compared to the treatment of the background.
+ Great crop and lighting, but it looks a bit blurry on my monitor compared to the other icons - a little sharpening on the guy on the right should fix that!
angelamariaPOSITIVE VOTES
++ Love the composition of the silhouette and texture use, lovely.
++ The muted coloring and double image/double exposure double whammy looks so elegant and refined. I love the fading text across the top, it adds a nice little embellish without taking away from the subject in any way.
+ I love the blending of the two images, and the muted colours are beautiful! Normally I don't like side borders but it works so well here to frame the icon. The edges of the silhouette image are a little blurry, and the text is very hard to decipher, but other than that, it's stunning.
+ This icon has such a gorgeous composition. Love the silhouette blending, text and borders, it's so wonderfully atmospheric and emotional and fits the theme perfectly!
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
+ No reason given.
+ Great composition, very well executed. Both the colours and the font used fit the theme quite well, and I like how it looks slightly grainy, but not too much - it's the perfect balance!
+ I loooove this icon and wish there had been room in my top3 for this one as well. The blend is completely gorgeous and that combined with the decorative text and the muted coloring really embody the theme and look spectacular. There are so many elements but they all fit together seamlessly, fantastic work!
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The composition is amazing - love the blending and the font you used for the text. However, the bottom line is a bit hard to read, because the words are the same color as the silhouette image and they blend in. I'd recommend using lighter shades so it won't fade into the background. Also the face of the subject looks a bit oversharpened on my screen, using smudge tool to smooth the edges of the hair and face features would really fix that.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I love this! It looks like an old stamp, and the text is amazing in both font choice and text placement.
+ the muted coloring fits the theme perfectly, and the blending of the two images is wonderfully executed. The text, however, is a little hard to read, and perhaps making it darker would help
+ Your icon has absolutely stunning composition and is great thematically as well, but it looks super sharp on my screen around the edges of the woman in the foreground. Perhaps masking out the sharpen layer on the borders around her, or taking a blur brush to that area, would help. I'm also not sure what the second line of text says. I absolutely adore your font and don't want to suggest you change it, but perhaps making it a smidge darker would help. Other options include making it bold, making it a bit bigger, or playing around with the antialiasing settings in PS (if you select the text tool without clicking in the text box, they should display on your top bar) - I've found strong and crisp (sharp?) sometimes shape the text a bit differently so it's easier to read.
tinnnyPOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ The faded coloring elements look to give this a great antique feel.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The composition idea, colour scheme and text placement are very interesting! But I couldn't make out the subjects until I opened the caps. I think the amount of grunge/grainy textures led to the icon losing a lot of detail, so I would have gone for a smoother look in order to make the subject and the silhouette stand out more. Adding contrast to the small subject could also help. The silhouette is also quite blurry. I don't know what technique you used, but in Photoshop, creating a selection with the pen tool usually helps you create a silhouette with defined edges.
+ the idea behind this icon is fantastic! The composition works wonderfully and the blending of the two caps is really creative! However, the icon is lacking a little contrast, causing some of the shapes to blur together. Try using a brightness/contrast layer and increasing each a little bit.
+ The composition is really creative, and the text works very well with it. Unfortunately, the icon looks a bit too dark and grainy on my monitor, especially around Nick, making it look slightly LQ. You can keep the soft colouring, but I don't think the grainy effect fits this icon.
+ I love the dark somber feel of the icon. Its very moody and the text reflects that very nicely. However, I would recommend using a different texture. The current texture makes the icon look a little muddy, especially on the text. I would recommend erasing it on the text parts, so that the text can stand out more clearly.
+ I really enjoy muted colors here but the icon is unclear. The icon looks a bit blurry to me so it's hard to see the character. I'd add a soft light layer to bring more contrast, this would make details more visible.
+ Great idea of composition but the coloring is so dark it's really hard to see the subject. I also think that the grungy texture is too overpowering, maybe lowering down the opacity would help, especially on the text.
+ The composition with the silhouette is very creative, but the icon looks very grainy. To the point were it's a bit hard to see the subject. I understand wanting to stick to the theme of antique, but just keeping the brownish coloring would be enough.
+ There are some really good ideas here, but the overall look is a bit unclear. I absolutely love the idea of blending the fox character with the bunny's silhouette. However I had to take a look at the caps to recognize the silhouette, it's not immediately identifiable because of the blur effect, I'd recommend leaving the shape sharp. I like the cohesive muted coloring, but I'd lower the opacity of the grunge textures a bit to get some more contrast, which would further help with clarity.
+ I like the grunge texture use, but it makes the subject look rather grainy and low-quality - you could try masking/erasing the texture over the subject to make them more clear? And while I really like the textured effect of the text, I think it could do with being a Serif or more antique-y looking font, because at the moment it looks too modern and clashes with the overall vintage effect of the icon.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ The composition is so pretty, I love the placement of the text, and the subtleness of the silhouette. I think the teal from his shirt could be popped a little more since it adds such a nice element of contrast, and I think the icon needs a little bit more sharpness, but otherwise this is really lovely!
+ Very gorgeous use of light and texture in this icon - it has such a moody aesthetic and I really dig it! I also love the font you used, though it looks a bit blurry on my screen, almost like you put it on the icon early in the process and then had a lot of duplicated layers with it there that degraded the quality. I typically put text on my icon last (or even if I want to put it on earlier, I drag it up so it's almost last in my layer order) just so it stays sharp. I also think the "I" should be a bit more centered over the rest of the text, as I didn't see it at first glance!
gribouillePOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the crop here. The coloring is pretty nice too. The only thing that could be improved in my opinion is that the icon could use a little more contrast.
+ the crop on this is wonderful and perfectly eyecatching! The coloring is a little harsh, however, and Peggy seems a little too orange. Try playing with black and white gradient maps (lower the opacity and use with soft light) and brightness contrast layers (to bring back definition)
+ You have a very interesting crop and some nice deep colors in this icon, and I like how it frames the subject differently than usual. I think it would really draw the eye a bit more if it were a bit brighter (and then possibly had a bump in contrast to preserve those nice shadows) and a bit sharper as well. Given the theme, perhaps a dusty brown layer set to screen would help with the brightness while sticking with the antique guideline. I also am a bit thrown off by the shadow that's around her mouth - it's possible that this could be fixed by a white soft brush painted over that section of the icon and then set to softlight. If not, another trick I use to get rid of weird shadows such as that is to steal the color from the skin around that area using the eye dropper tool (I believe you hold down ctrl/cmd while the brush tool is selected, depending on your program), paint all the areas that are darker than they should be, and then set the layer mode to "luminosity". You may have to put a slight blur on the layer for best effect, but either way, it's a nice and simple way to make sure everything has the same amount of light.
+ I love the obscure crop! I love the drama in your icon, great work on the shadowing/lighting! My only suggestion would be maybe to punch up the highlights a bit more, especially where the light meets her face--higher contrast to give it a teensy bit more drama as well as heighten the clarity of colors--right now it feels a bit "muddy" because of the low contrast and yellow/brown coloring, but just a bit more contrast I feel would do wonders!
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I really like this icon. The lighting is so smooth and the warm coloring is flattering and the cropping works really nicely. The icon has a lot of depth and everything just looks balanced and perfect for the theme!
+ The play of shadows is so pretty, and I love how you've highlighted the details of her outfit with the crop. I think that the yellows/reds in your icon are a little too overpowering though, it feels slightly over-saturated.
laxiryaPOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Looking at the original image, the colouring you've done is beautiful! Her face looks too washed out and bright though, so try adding a dark layer on soft light, especially in the top-left corner, to bring back some contrast and definition to her face?
+ My eye keeps getting drawn to this icon! I love how simple it is, the resulting icon really highlights the beautiful likes of the source material but enhances it so well, as all icons strive to do! The colors you've chosen and heightened are just lovely and I think the slight glowy feel of the icon really works out super well!
+ I love that this icon actually looks like an old illustration, I think it's the rich luxurious coloring and the decorative look of the base image that achieve this really nice effect. The image you used doesn't look easy to work with, since the outlines aren't very strong and sizing down to icon size and adding some light on her face have made it even harder to see the lines that define her facial features. I'd mask out some of the light textures on her face or perhaps try a base copy on Multiply there, but other than that this icon looks truly wonderful and is one of my favorite interpretations for this challenge.
+ The colors are beautiful, and I love the additional lighting. Her eyelashes get a little bit washed out though. I would reccomend erasing the portions of the light that cover them since they're the only prominent facial feature of the scan.
+ This is a very cool cap you're working with, and I'm impressed by the way you colored it! I do think that the white of her skin looks washed out next to the bright colors that you added, though - I would suggest adding maybe just a hint of color to her so her skin looks like it belongs with the rest of the image. I also might try tracing over her features with a very small black/dark brush, then blurring that layer a bit and setting it to soft light just so there's a bit more definition to her face. That might also help with the problem of her looking washed out.
+ Wow, impressive work painting/colouring this cap! I think her facial features could be a bit sharper/darker, but it's still a very nice icon.
+ fantastic coloring and cut out! I couldn't tell the image originally had a white background, so bravo! The crop is also wonderful, and overall this icon had a nice warmth to it
jsfunctionPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ The composition is flawless! Love the different circles you used to build the background. Having the subject framed by textures/stock is also a great idea. It's a busy icon but it doesn't stop the subject from standing out and the circular text is the perfect final touch.
+++ the composition is fabulous! The muted colors with a black and white subject work wonderfully together as well. Everything just blends together perfectly
+++ The composition is georgeous, the used textures really fit the vintage theme and the typography is great.
+++ I love the composition! Great colour choices as well. Well done!
++ I love the creative texture work you've done with this icon! Really stunning way to incorporate a cutout onto its background. My one complaint is that I can't read the second word because too many of the letters are cut off and I'm not familiar with the fandom/character/scene you're referencing. I know when I make text I always think it's ~super easy~ to read because my brain knows what letters are where already, but it turns out that others can't quite make it out. Between the super small size and the cut off letters, this is a case where I'm on the other side for once.
++ The composition is stunning! Texture work is unbelievable and they fit the character so well. I really love muted tone here.
+ Composition here is super creative and the coloring and texture use is lovely!
+ Such a complex composition, incredibly creative. The text is small but well readable.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ On second/third looks I really like this icon! I love the incredible amount of detail you've put in it, the faint pattern within the circle, the text going around the circle, the vine patterns ouside. I don't completely understand the significance of the decorative textures (the bird and the goblet) but they are fairly pleasing to the eye as well, although I feel it's rather cluttered with three different elements fighting for attention all within the center of the icon. I might suggest leaving the goblet out? Because the bird texture works really harmoniously with the circle and the rest of the icon, and the goblet breaking the circle (while the bird does not) gives it a lopsided feel. I also feel that the subject would do better to be a little on the same color family as the rest of the icon, as opposed to black and white, as it almost felt like he doesn't fit in the icon, when really it's a brilliant piece of composition! Regardless this is such a creative icon, great job!
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Lovely composition!
+ I love the palette you've chosen, and the circular composition is stunning, I especially like the filigree elements at the corners, and the circular text. The only thing I don't particularly like is the tan-ish element (the cup?) behind the subject. It draws my eye away from him, and overcomplecates the composition in my opinion.
marcasitePOSITIVE VOTES
++ This is beautiful in its simplicity - the crop is wonderful, and the subtle lighting draws my attention to the subject even more. Great work.
+ I love the use of light here, great contrast, and the negative space adds a nice effect. Simple but effective
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ nice crop and good coloring, through the white light blob on the right side of the icon seems a little out of place amongst all the warm colors of the icons, so perhaps changing it to beige color would blend better
+ I love the ambiance you brought to this icon with your lighting and coloring. It looks very dark and moody. Great job!
+ Lovely cropping and lighting! Love the cohesive warm brown color scheme and how HQ and smooth this icon looks overall.
+ I really love the unique angle of the cap, and the crop is perfect. The way the shadows are partially swallowing her up feels sort of mysterious and ominous.
tiptoetwirlPOSITIVE VOTES
None.
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I love the muted coloring and the shadows. However the way the icon is cropped makes it look unbalanced, moving the subject a bit to the right would really help bring balance to the icon.
+ I like the muted coloring that have you have here, it really works with the background and the clothing. I would just watch the light on the top right as it pulls away some of the depth that you have created with your coloring. Either a levels layer or a soft light mask to tone the whites down.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Love the lighting and colouring of the icon. It is very pretty!
+ You have some great lighting and this is a wonderful simple icon; the only thing for me is that parts of it (his nose at the bottom, his mouth, his collar) look too sharp on my screen. Other than that, wonderful job!
+ nice coloring and shading/lighting! The subject maintains a perfect shadow/light ratio. However, he doesn't really blend will with the background, mainly on the right side, and perhaps a color closer to that of his hair/sweater would fit better
+ I like your use of light and colouring. Reed's facial features (especially his left eye, his lips and the hair on the bottom left side of the icon) appear a bit too sharp on my screen, but the rest is fine.
+ The colors are so pretty, I really like how the lighting feels very stark and raw on the character, making him stand out against the background. I'm not so sure I like the white-ish outline you've added around his hairline though, it looks too much like an extraction leftover since there are no other obviously painted-over areas in the icon.
+ The sharpness and coloring on this icon is great, I also like the contrast and lighting. The cutout doesn't look completely precise around his hair, there are some parts where the bright original background is visible, especially on the left near his jaw. The cap looks very difficult to cut so this is understandable, but in these cases it's often better to cut too much than too little. Using a color closer to the original background color can also help the character blend with the new background.
adriftingseaPOSITIVE VOTES
++ I love the muted, vintage feel of the icon. The texture and the coloring really sell that aspect of the icon. Also, adore the stark simplicity of it!
+ Great coloring and composition, love the frame texture!
BEST INTERPRETATION
None.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I like the muted colors and the frame used. It looks too sharp around the hair strand and her eyes and the frame is a bit over sharpened as well. I suggest lowering the strength of the sharpness to bring it together.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Great composition! I almost didn't recognize Lydia in that vintage frame - and that's not a critique, just a testament to your composition skill.
+ Good composition and use of texture, I think you accentuated her lips a bit too much as they look so dark it's a bit odd on my screen, same for her hair, maybe lower the opacity of that layer? The colour works really well on her skin though, it looks nice.
+ I love the coloring and use of the framed element. There's a smooth quality to the limited palette of rich colors that is just lovely to look at... like visual chocolate. My only issue is that the character is missing some important contrasting areas, which essentially make it look like she has no nose. Otherwise, this is a gorgeous icon
+ I love the composition! The negative space, the stripey texture and the frame all look great. The coloring on Lydia looks a bit dark to me, maybe just compared to the white frame. I'd try making Lydia brighter with a masked curves or brightness/contrast layer and/or use a color fill layer with a beige color on multiply masked so that it doesn't affect Lydia.
nightbulbsPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ It's so incredibly detailed, and the coloring is beautiful - nicely balanced between natural and vintage. I like the whimsical composition with that huge hand and broad border contrasting with the fine lines of the subject and the building in the background. It still looks like it all belongs together.
+ Nice muted tones and multiple image use
+ Such a pretty coloring and composition, I really like the texture use!
+ The colors here are beautiful and the lighting so pretty. I love the background, too!
+ I know nothing about this show but I got the feeling this icon is telling me a story anyway. The colors chosen for the stock pictures (or screencaps?) compared to the black&white of the character is really interesting and pretty.
BEST INTERPRETATION
+ No reason given.
+ You've really given your icon a feeling of charming antiquity with the use of textures and muted colors. I love the play of tans and greens in the background especially. You've also given a fresh feeling to an outdated technique with the border, which is especially impressive.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
None.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Super creative and love the coloring
+ Love that interpretation of the theme, and brilliant job with the cutout! A great icon.
+ great blending with the cap and the background; I thought the hallway was part of the original cap. The coloring is also really nice and gives a nice vintage feel
+ Love your composition! I love the chunky borders and the color scheme you've got going--the cool greens and yellows and black really work together!
+ The muted colours are gorgeous, but I'm a little confused by the hand. I'm guessing it would make sense if I were familiar with the show, but at the moment it just seems a bit random, whereas the archways fit so well with the subject and the theme.
+ I think you have a some really interesting work here between the cutout and the background you found and the vast difference in coloring. But I admit, I'm thrown by the hand in the background. Maybe it's because I don't know the fandom, but to me, it seems to infringe on the rest of the icon and pull my focus away because it's lighter than the actual subject, and it takes up as much space as her. Perhaps making it darker or smaller, or making it a similar color to the rest of the background, would help it not distract focus from the woman too terribly.
+ This icon is fascinating, I particularly like the background choice, it definitely gives an antique vibe with the muted colors and the shapes that look like architecture. Very nice sharpness too! I'm not sure about the border, because its color seems a bit too bright to fit the vintagey coloring you have going on in the main image. Perhaps a neutral beige or a muted yellow picked from the hand thing on the background would work better, but then again I'd love to see more of the interesting background too so the icon might work better without the frame at all, or making it smaller.
Updated spreadsheet can be found here.