Round 9 - Challenge 01 - Results
ROUND 9 - CHALLENGE 01 - RESULTS
1ST PLACE [5 points]:
angelamaria with +8 votes.
2ND PLACE [4 points]:
mm3butterfly with +7 votes (and more first place votes).
EQUAL 3RD PLACE [3 points]:
scoobyatemysnax with +7 votes (and equal first and second place votes).
EQUAL 3RD PLACE [3 points]:
regis with +7 votes (and equal first and second place votes).
BEST INTERPRETATION [2 points]:
angelamaria with +6 votes.
MODS CHOICE [1 point]:
absolutelybatty
sheekap
I love the sense of claustrophobia the blocking gives this icon, and the lighting highlights the shape of her face beautifully; the way you've done the shadows really accentuates this great feature!
raiindust
val_valerie
The play with light and shadow here is wonderful, and I love the monochrome tones that you’ve used to convey a sad sort of feeling. The grunge texture work/sharpening also adds an extra element that I think is fantastic as well.
TABLE KEY:
+++ = 1st Place Vote
++ = 2nd Place Vote
+ = 3rd Place Vote | Beginning of a new comment.
Note: Votes are not weighted in this round. Meaning a 1st, 2nd or 3rd vote will only give you 1 point when tallying the votes. Except in the case of a tie - then the icon with the most 1st place votes will be given first.
ICON VOTES
kayablePOSITIVE VOTES
NONE.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ Lovely crop here! It's the best crop of all, imho. However, the image looks a bit low-quality and pixelated, especially around the edges of the subject (the strand in their forehead and their chin). The coloring sort of "bleeds" into the subject as well, and the resulting magenta-ish tone isn't very appealing against the cool-toned background.
+ The crop is interesting and enhances the expression of the subject, but the icon feels like it falls a little flat--with the shadows theme, a bit of shadow play on the subject's face would have given this icon a good amount of depth and focus of interest as well. Also it seems there is some sharpening issue with the area of her hair, I would be careful with adding black blobs on soft light for shadows here (I think that's what happened?) as it adds to the sharpness of the underlying image. Otherwise I would probably run over the pixellated parts of her forehead/hair with the blur tool set to a low opacity like 5% to soften the harsh lines.
+ I like that you went for such a creative crop with the extreme negative space! Yet the subject placement seems a little awkward too me. I would suggest that you move the person up a bit to cover up more of its forehead and have more space between the icon's lower edge and the chin.
+ While I love the darkness of it and the cropping, I feel like something's missing... like it could've used some text, maybe.
+ I love the fading blues to black on this icon and the kind of melancholy look on the subjects face suits the theme really well. The crop does throw the icon a little of balance though so maybe one that was more central might work better? If that's not possible then maybe try blocking. I find these tutorials by naginis to be really helpful.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
NONE.
scoobyatemysnaxPOSITIVE VOTES
++ I really like the lighting of this icon and the monochrome-ish colouring works really well!
+ The moody look in the icon is great, the darkness emphasizing the emotion the subject is portraying.
+++ I love the darkness and moodiness the icon projects. The subject is literally lost in the dark but it's still visible. I also like the crop a lot because it further helps to convey a sense of loneliness.
++ Simple and efficient : you found the perfect balance between "dark" and "too dark".
++ I love how simple, and yet how beautiful the icon is.
+++ The colouring has such a dirty look to it, I like that. I am also a fan of the shadows on her face that are the same colour as the background.
+++ The coloring is beautiful, it goes really well with the theme and this type of lighting. That, together with the simplicity and the subtle grainy texture create a great overall look.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
+ No reason provided.
+ This icon is so haunting! The cut out is done really well and kind of monochrome choice of colouring is very clever. I like that this icon is muted and understated and I fully get the effect the maker was going for but I think brightening up the icon, or even making the the lighting a little more pronounced so that the highlights were brighter would have really made it pop off the screen a bit more. That, of course, is purely my personal opinion and other people would probably disagree with me :)
+ Wonderful use of lighting
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
NONE.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
NONE.
angelamariaPOSITIVE VOTES
+ The lighting here is perfect, and I like how the subject is a bit off-center, making you focus on the background "space"(?) texture instead.
+++ I really love the contrast between the deep dark and the light blues. Brilliant colouring.
++ Leaving a bit of the background in the icon, making it look like she's in a cave - that's brilliant! (And if it's the original cap, then it's still a brilliant choice.)
+ The kind of paradox between the theme and a bright and cheerful movie like The Sound of Music being chosen for this theme made me smile (at least I thinks that's the fandom). The way the cap blends into the shadows is beautiful and the colouring is so incredibly soft and beautiful. I think turning up the highlights or the using a curves layer to brighten the icon just a teensy bit would make the overall effect pop a little more but it's still a really beautiful icon :)
+ I really love the subtle lighting and how it serves to enhance the composition.
++love the use of cap and color
++ I really like the composition, including a bit of the background was definitely a good choice. The colors of the character could do with a touch more saturation to make her stand out more, but they look great anyway.
+++ I love how pure you managed to keep the colors amidst all the shadows!
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
+ The composition of the icon is really captivating.
+ The way this icon is lit and the interesting contrast between the space/cloud-like background and the foreground fits the theme well, because it looks like an actual comet.
+ It's like the comet lights a part of what's around her but the rest is hidden in shadows and darkness.
+ It looks like she is quite literally following the light! I really love this one!
+ No reason provided.
+ No reason provided.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
NONE.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
NONE.
sheekapPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ This is quite creative! I love how the light gives her a sharp silhouette form, and how the slight blocking done reinforces this silhouette.
++ Great repetition! The lightning gives the icon a sense of being haunted and fits the theme perfectly. I also like the composition because while still following the theme you managed to make a complex icon.
++ Lovely crop! I think the composition is quite interesting too, though I think it would look better without the bottom bar.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The icon looks too sharp, especially on the outline of her face and over her ear. I suggest using the blur tool on this. :)
+ The use of repetition/blocking is very nice here, but there are some issues with the quality of the image. There's a distinct dark line between the white highlights and the rest of the character's face, it looks like a side effect of using the Topaz filter. It looks rather unnatural, so I'd suggest masking it out.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I'm not sure what the original icon looked like but I think this icon would have been better without the repeated parts. The lighting is absolutely beautiful though
+ While this icon has wonderful lightning, the repetition of the image looks a bit unnecessary to me. The multiple focal points distract a bit from the subject. It would be a much more powerful icon if it was minimalistic with focus on the light/silhouette, imho.
+ Nice composition, very emotional !
+ Just wanted to say how much I love the uniqueness of this icon and how it was made. Not only is visually great, but it also gives you a feeling of, maybe, sadness? Longing?
ellaangelusPOSITIVE VOTES
+ I like that this one has both a recognizable light and dark section; Arya's expression, the misty light the quickly gives way to shadow, the grunge texture, the color, and even sticking to a monochrome color scheme all fit really well with the mood of the cap chosen. My eye was instantly drawn to this icon.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ Interesting concept with the texture and shadows, and it has potential. I believe, however, it could benefit from a bit more contrast - darker shadows specially. The way it is right now the subject fades too much into the background, and her head looks shapeless around the top.
+ I like the colour you used in this one! Still The light texture you used seems too overwhelming for the subject because it takes too much away from it. I'd suggest either trying to lower the opacity or rotating it once 90 degrees clock-wise to give make the lighting seem more natural and benefitting for the subject.
+ The picture looks really grainy, and there is also too much light. You might want to soften down that big white spot on the top right corner, maybe by lowering the opacity. Also, your character does not stand out enough, see if you can make her brighter.
+ In my opinion the lights are a bit too dominant. Arya could be a bit more visible but I like the colour of the texture.
+ The grunginess of this icon is awesome. Really, kudos to the maker because I find grunge really tricky and I think that anyone who attempts it is really brave :) The brown hues to the shadows are really pretty and I like the lighting I just think that the textures that are giving light from the top right of the icon are a little strong. Maybe try lowering the opacity so that Aria's features are more defined?
+ Because the cap in this icon has pretty high contrast, the texture over the darker parts of Arya's face lightens those bits up without adding any detail, so her eye kind of gets lost among the grunge in the texture.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I think the gradient is a little too overwhelming in an otherwise beautiful icon
regisPOSITIVE VOTES
++ It's the lighting in this that makes the icon, along with the coloring. It's all very beautifully done.
+++ Even though the icon's focus is dark, the maker managed to make the blacks really rich and incorporated the colours really well.
++ This icon keeps growing on me the longer I look at it. The harsh shadows coupled with the dark, dark blue used as the background/shadows are lovely in contrast to the warm tones of the subject, and gives this icon a soft touch to balance the harshness of the shadows.
+ I love how the subject seems to be getting out of the darkness. Great colouring !
+++ The coloring is simply brilliant, not too much, not too little, just enough. And the lighting is perfect.
++ the cap and crop on this icon is really well suited to the theme. The emotion conveyed here is amazing and the colouring is really skillfully done. The sharpening, on my monitor, is a bit strong but that might be intentional to emphasize the desperation on her face (which it does very nicely)
+++ I love the sense of movement and how the dramatic coloring sets this dangerous mood in the icon.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
+ No reason provided
+ No reason provided
+ In addition to what I've said above, this icon even has a sense of movement/action in it which I think really matches the theme (chasing, comet).
+ No reason provided.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The contrast is so high on this icon that it's hard for me to tell what's going on. It also makes the piece look kind of oversharp on my monitor. I think a bit more soft approach to lighting would help maintain details while keeping the wonderful use of shadows.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I almost voted for this icon, it has a gorgeous coloring, lightning, contrast and texture work. My only qualm about it is how "clumpy" (for a lack of a better word) the coloring looked, specially around her face, and distorts her facial features. If those were smoothed just a little bit it would be a perfect icon for me.
12feethighPOSITIVE VOTES
++ The bright foreground contrasting with the black background, especially since his shirt looks like a part of the bg but there's still "floating" colored shapes, make for an interesting composition, imho. Looks like one of those dance numbers where the actors are dressed all in black, but with a modern twist (due to the shapes)
++ I like the muted and clean colours and how the bright skin and colourful objects on his shirt stress the contrast between the solid background. The texture use is also stellar because it keeps the black background from being too overwhelming.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
NONE.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ This is quite an interesting icon! I love how his shirt blends into the background, the geometric shapes on his shirt, and his skin, a sharp contrast against the black. However I think it is a bit too stark a contrast, I think a non-black black (a very dark blue perhaps, or even a dark red) would lessen the sharpness and even add a bit of depth to the icon.
+ I love the concept behind this icon. The geometric shapes on the guys top are quirky and a really unique point of interest but his skin looks a little to bright on my monitor and it's lowering the quality of the icon. Maybe a color fill layer in beige set on darken or multiply on reduced opacity might help?
rocketgirl2POSITIVE VOTES
+++ While I think darker shadows could draw even better focus to his face, the daring text use sells this for me as the winner. The outlandish font is unusual but it doesn't look too much in the overall composition of the icon, since the rest is minimalistic enough, and the way the text is set up doesn't look cluttered.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I'm in love with the text use in this icon, I would just up the contrast a little though :)
+ I like the pale colouring and the crop, but the texture on the right is a tad distracting and the font doesn't fit the mood of the icon.
+ This is an interesting icon and has a lot of potential, the muted misty coloring is nice. However the font used does not seem to match the rest of the icon; for example the grunge portion on the right side is sharp and...grungy, but the text used is loopy, soft, and misty/faint. The combination of the loops and swirls in the font, text placement (in relation to the other text), and mistiness/blurriness also make the text a bit difficult to read, and also uneven (i.e. the top of the "h" in "there" is a bit sharp); I would expect this font on a misty, foggy, and/or smoky icon, not on a grungy one.
+ I think the soft coloring is very pretty, but I'm not too keen on the text. At first I had trouble reading it, because the "ll" in all kinda looked like "n", and the font seems a bit childish, clashing with the overall mood of the icon.
+ crop is stunning but choice of font takes from the icon. Perhaps something in straight font such as Arial, modern 20 but otherwise a nice icon
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I really like the use of text (great font !!), I just think you could go a bit darker on the background or on the right side of his face.
+ The crop and lighting on this icon is so, so pretty! I love the softness of the icon as well and the text is lovely, excellent choice of font and the texture over the shadows blends in really well.The only thing I would change would be to make the text a bit stronger and smoother.
+ I think the crop and coloring here are quite fantastic, but the font seems too 'fun' and fancy for the text and the overall mood of this icon. Something more classic would fit much better.
margerydaw_s2POSITIVE VOTES
NONE.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
NONE.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I like the crop on this icon and the lighting as well. Mostly I love simple icons but I feel like this icon is a bit too simple. A bit of texture of maybe a background colour picked from his hair or coat instead of plain black might make a difference.
marcasitePOSITIVE VOTES
+ I really love the high contrast in your icon. Parts of it look oversharpened on my monitor, but it's still a gorgeous piece!
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I really like the crop of this icon but it looks a little over-sharpened on my monitor especially around the edges of her hair. I'd also mask some of the red on her cheek and neck as well :)
+ Although the extraction/masking of the subject is really spot on, the 100% black background behind is too harsh. Some light blob textures really would be useful to make the icon less flat.
+ The icon is very sharp, especially on the bottom part of her hair and where her hair touches her face. I think smudging those parts a little could help the icon look much better.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Nice use of negative space, and I like the colours on her hair, unfortunately her face looks a bit too orange which makes it look unnatural and rather unflattering. You can play with colour balances or add "paint" her face white on another layer set to soft light with varied opacity to try and solve that.
+ The icon, per all, is alright, but it seems a little bit oversharpened.
+ I love the idea behind this icon. The crop is lovely and the black background makes for great contrast but I feel like the sharpness is bit too strong. Maybe using the ever faithful Gaussian blur/soft light combo to add a nice glow to the icon?
val_valeriePOSITIVE VOTES
+ The monochrome colour scheme is really lovely here :)
+ The vintage, pale colouring works really well with the darkness of the icon.
+ The pale skin and the dark reds look very nice together, like blood and porcelain. Idk, I really like those together. The sharpness is also just right.
+ love the coloring
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The use of colour is nice but the blacks aren't dark enough (especially on her hair, where you could have a nice contrast with the wall), maybe adding a bit of contrast or duplicating your picture and setting it to soft light might help.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ There is a lot of potential in this icon, the center crop is perfect and the monochrome color scheme is lovely. Only I can't put my finger on if this is meant to be misty or not, because her face is a bit blurry but her neck/dress is sharp, plus the light/space behind her seem to be rather pixelated/grungy as well. I would probably go all the way misty with this icon, softening up the grunge and adding a few light bulbs to enhance the lights against the shadow.
+ The crop and softness of this icon is so great. I love the simplicity and the lighting but the bit of background/texture to the left of the icon is distracting. Maybe masking over it?
gribouillePOSITIVE VOTES
NONE.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ It looks very obvious that the skin has been blurred (I'm guessing this is because the image was low quality), and this is not very good look because it looks very unnatural. I suggest lowering the opacity of the blurred layer to around 50%. This will make the skin still smooth but not too much.
+ This icon is a bit too focused on the hair and not on the blacks and it lacks a bit of sharpness. The crop is very good though.
+ the crop is so pretty and I love the overall coloring but the overly bright yellow of her hair takes away from the icon
+ While I like the crop here, the coloring, especially the unnaturally yellow hair, is not very flattering. Also, the character's face has been smoothed too much, which gives her a plastic/artificial appearance, and it clashes a bit with the bottom right part of the icon, which looks quite grainy.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I love the creativeness of the crop of this icon, I would just sharpen her features a little.
+ Really interesting crop, but I believe this icon would benefit from a bit more contrast, sharpening, and a different coloring. The greenish hues in the shadows are a bit unflattering to the subject, and too clashing with the bright yellow hair (which doesn't fit the overall mood of the icon)
+ I absolutely love the coloring, but the image looks a little low quality, maybe some gaussian blur would've done the trick or maybe a texture above it like on icon #8
+ This icon is all kinds of gorgeous! The coloring is gorgeous and I love, love, love the yellows of her hair. To me, the crop looks a little awkward so maybe something that got a bit more of her shoulders in view might be worth considering? Other than that this is a really lovely icon.
mm3butterflyPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ I love the balance between light and dark, and the colours you've brought out into the icon are beautiful
+++ The coloring makes the icon stand out amongst the other icons (in a good way). The lighting is also very good.
++ The colour explosion makes the icon really fun. The way 1/2 of the icon is dark and the other half is bright is really catching the eye.
+++ I love how this icon sticks to the theme withe the purple-ish hue to the shadows but the maker has also brought out vibrant reds and blues that make it stand out from the rest of the the more muted icons in this batch. The only thing that I can say is that the purples on the hair on the bottom right of the icon are a little harsh, maybe turning the hue to include a little more blue? Or even a darker purple?
+++ crop is beautiful and with stunning use of light
+ The colors are beautiful, they make this icon stand out among the rest. The contrast is very well done as well, but her neck and shoulders could be more visible - at first glance it seems as if it's an icon of a floating face.
++ The bright colors here really make your icon pop. Even though the brightest parts look a tad washed out on my monitor, I love what you're doing here.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
+ I really love the use of colour, you managed to grasp the theme while still making your icon colourful.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
NONE.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Can I just say the oranges in her hair look epic?
vampire_sessahPOSITIVE VOTES
+ The lighting is mindblowing here and I love how it's not too oversaturated.. it has color, but it doesn't go over the top.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I know that the dots are supposed to be the comet's tail and I love that the user was trying to represent the theme as good as he/she could, but they sort of seem random and out of place..
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Ah, Alexandra. She so iconnable isn't she? This is a great cap, full of expression and the choice of crop was good too. It's hard to ignore body language with Nikita caps. I also love the brown hue to the shadows and the lighting is amazing, soft and really beautiful. What I would suggest is maybe revising the use of that texture that's putting those white flecks on the icon? It's a little distracting and I think the end product would have more of an impact without it :).
+ Your icon is really lovely, but I don't think the grungy texture fits with it too well, as the rest of it looks very smooth. The dots of sharpness kind of break the mood of the icon, in my opinion.
Updated Scoring Spreadsheet
1ST PLACE [5 points]:
angelamaria with +8 votes.
2ND PLACE [4 points]:
mm3butterfly with +7 votes (and more first place votes).
EQUAL 3RD PLACE [3 points]:
scoobyatemysnax with +7 votes (and equal first and second place votes).
EQUAL 3RD PLACE [3 points]:
regis with +7 votes (and equal first and second place votes).
BEST INTERPRETATION [2 points]:
angelamaria with +6 votes.
MODS CHOICE [1 point]:
absolutelybatty
sheekap
I love the sense of claustrophobia the blocking gives this icon, and the lighting highlights the shape of her face beautifully; the way you've done the shadows really accentuates this great feature!
raiindust
val_valerie
The play with light and shadow here is wonderful, and I love the monochrome tones that you’ve used to convey a sad sort of feeling. The grunge texture work/sharpening also adds an extra element that I think is fantastic as well.
TABLE KEY:
+++ = 1st Place Vote
++ = 2nd Place Vote
+ = 3rd Place Vote | Beginning of a new comment.
Note: Votes are not weighted in this round. Meaning a 1st, 2nd or 3rd vote will only give you 1 point when tallying the votes. Except in the case of a tie - then the icon with the most 1st place votes will be given first.
ICON VOTES
kayablePOSITIVE VOTES
NONE.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ Lovely crop here! It's the best crop of all, imho. However, the image looks a bit low-quality and pixelated, especially around the edges of the subject (the strand in their forehead and their chin). The coloring sort of "bleeds" into the subject as well, and the resulting magenta-ish tone isn't very appealing against the cool-toned background.
+ The crop is interesting and enhances the expression of the subject, but the icon feels like it falls a little flat--with the shadows theme, a bit of shadow play on the subject's face would have given this icon a good amount of depth and focus of interest as well. Also it seems there is some sharpening issue with the area of her hair, I would be careful with adding black blobs on soft light for shadows here (I think that's what happened?) as it adds to the sharpness of the underlying image. Otherwise I would probably run over the pixellated parts of her forehead/hair with the blur tool set to a low opacity like 5% to soften the harsh lines.
+ I like that you went for such a creative crop with the extreme negative space! Yet the subject placement seems a little awkward too me. I would suggest that you move the person up a bit to cover up more of its forehead and have more space between the icon's lower edge and the chin.
+ While I love the darkness of it and the cropping, I feel like something's missing... like it could've used some text, maybe.
+ I love the fading blues to black on this icon and the kind of melancholy look on the subjects face suits the theme really well. The crop does throw the icon a little of balance though so maybe one that was more central might work better? If that's not possible then maybe try blocking. I find these tutorials by naginis to be really helpful.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
NONE.
scoobyatemysnaxPOSITIVE VOTES
++ I really like the lighting of this icon and the monochrome-ish colouring works really well!
+ The moody look in the icon is great, the darkness emphasizing the emotion the subject is portraying.
+++ I love the darkness and moodiness the icon projects. The subject is literally lost in the dark but it's still visible. I also like the crop a lot because it further helps to convey a sense of loneliness.
++ Simple and efficient : you found the perfect balance between "dark" and "too dark".
++ I love how simple, and yet how beautiful the icon is.
+++ The colouring has such a dirty look to it, I like that. I am also a fan of the shadows on her face that are the same colour as the background.
+++ The coloring is beautiful, it goes really well with the theme and this type of lighting. That, together with the simplicity and the subtle grainy texture create a great overall look.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
+ No reason provided.
+ This icon is so haunting! The cut out is done really well and kind of monochrome choice of colouring is very clever. I like that this icon is muted and understated and I fully get the effect the maker was going for but I think brightening up the icon, or even making the the lighting a little more pronounced so that the highlights were brighter would have really made it pop off the screen a bit more. That, of course, is purely my personal opinion and other people would probably disagree with me :)
+ Wonderful use of lighting
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
NONE.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
NONE.
angelamariaPOSITIVE VOTES
+ The lighting here is perfect, and I like how the subject is a bit off-center, making you focus on the background "space"(?) texture instead.
+++ I really love the contrast between the deep dark and the light blues. Brilliant colouring.
++ Leaving a bit of the background in the icon, making it look like she's in a cave - that's brilliant! (And if it's the original cap, then it's still a brilliant choice.)
+ The kind of paradox between the theme and a bright and cheerful movie like The Sound of Music being chosen for this theme made me smile (at least I thinks that's the fandom). The way the cap blends into the shadows is beautiful and the colouring is so incredibly soft and beautiful. I think turning up the highlights or the using a curves layer to brighten the icon just a teensy bit would make the overall effect pop a little more but it's still a really beautiful icon :)
+ I really love the subtle lighting and how it serves to enhance the composition.
++love the use of cap and color
++ I really like the composition, including a bit of the background was definitely a good choice. The colors of the character could do with a touch more saturation to make her stand out more, but they look great anyway.
+++ I love how pure you managed to keep the colors amidst all the shadows!
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
+ The composition of the icon is really captivating.
+ The way this icon is lit and the interesting contrast between the space/cloud-like background and the foreground fits the theme well, because it looks like an actual comet.
+ It's like the comet lights a part of what's around her but the rest is hidden in shadows and darkness.
+ It looks like she is quite literally following the light! I really love this one!
+ No reason provided.
+ No reason provided.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
NONE.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
NONE.
sheekapPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ This is quite creative! I love how the light gives her a sharp silhouette form, and how the slight blocking done reinforces this silhouette.
++ Great repetition! The lightning gives the icon a sense of being haunted and fits the theme perfectly. I also like the composition because while still following the theme you managed to make a complex icon.
++ Lovely crop! I think the composition is quite interesting too, though I think it would look better without the bottom bar.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The icon looks too sharp, especially on the outline of her face and over her ear. I suggest using the blur tool on this. :)
+ The use of repetition/blocking is very nice here, but there are some issues with the quality of the image. There's a distinct dark line between the white highlights and the rest of the character's face, it looks like a side effect of using the Topaz filter. It looks rather unnatural, so I'd suggest masking it out.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I'm not sure what the original icon looked like but I think this icon would have been better without the repeated parts. The lighting is absolutely beautiful though
+ While this icon has wonderful lightning, the repetition of the image looks a bit unnecessary to me. The multiple focal points distract a bit from the subject. It would be a much more powerful icon if it was minimalistic with focus on the light/silhouette, imho.
+ Nice composition, very emotional !
+ Just wanted to say how much I love the uniqueness of this icon and how it was made. Not only is visually great, but it also gives you a feeling of, maybe, sadness? Longing?
ellaangelusPOSITIVE VOTES
+ I like that this one has both a recognizable light and dark section; Arya's expression, the misty light the quickly gives way to shadow, the grunge texture, the color, and even sticking to a monochrome color scheme all fit really well with the mood of the cap chosen. My eye was instantly drawn to this icon.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ Interesting concept with the texture and shadows, and it has potential. I believe, however, it could benefit from a bit more contrast - darker shadows specially. The way it is right now the subject fades too much into the background, and her head looks shapeless around the top.
+ I like the colour you used in this one! Still The light texture you used seems too overwhelming for the subject because it takes too much away from it. I'd suggest either trying to lower the opacity or rotating it once 90 degrees clock-wise to give make the lighting seem more natural and benefitting for the subject.
+ The picture looks really grainy, and there is also too much light. You might want to soften down that big white spot on the top right corner, maybe by lowering the opacity. Also, your character does not stand out enough, see if you can make her brighter.
+ In my opinion the lights are a bit too dominant. Arya could be a bit more visible but I like the colour of the texture.
+ The grunginess of this icon is awesome. Really, kudos to the maker because I find grunge really tricky and I think that anyone who attempts it is really brave :) The brown hues to the shadows are really pretty and I like the lighting I just think that the textures that are giving light from the top right of the icon are a little strong. Maybe try lowering the opacity so that Aria's features are more defined?
+ Because the cap in this icon has pretty high contrast, the texture over the darker parts of Arya's face lightens those bits up without adding any detail, so her eye kind of gets lost among the grunge in the texture.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I think the gradient is a little too overwhelming in an otherwise beautiful icon
regisPOSITIVE VOTES
++ It's the lighting in this that makes the icon, along with the coloring. It's all very beautifully done.
+++ Even though the icon's focus is dark, the maker managed to make the blacks really rich and incorporated the colours really well.
++ This icon keeps growing on me the longer I look at it. The harsh shadows coupled with the dark, dark blue used as the background/shadows are lovely in contrast to the warm tones of the subject, and gives this icon a soft touch to balance the harshness of the shadows.
+ I love how the subject seems to be getting out of the darkness. Great colouring !
+++ The coloring is simply brilliant, not too much, not too little, just enough. And the lighting is perfect.
++ the cap and crop on this icon is really well suited to the theme. The emotion conveyed here is amazing and the colouring is really skillfully done. The sharpening, on my monitor, is a bit strong but that might be intentional to emphasize the desperation on her face (which it does very nicely)
+++ I love the sense of movement and how the dramatic coloring sets this dangerous mood in the icon.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
+ No reason provided
+ No reason provided
+ In addition to what I've said above, this icon even has a sense of movement/action in it which I think really matches the theme (chasing, comet).
+ No reason provided.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The contrast is so high on this icon that it's hard for me to tell what's going on. It also makes the piece look kind of oversharp on my monitor. I think a bit more soft approach to lighting would help maintain details while keeping the wonderful use of shadows.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I almost voted for this icon, it has a gorgeous coloring, lightning, contrast and texture work. My only qualm about it is how "clumpy" (for a lack of a better word) the coloring looked, specially around her face, and distorts her facial features. If those were smoothed just a little bit it would be a perfect icon for me.
12feethighPOSITIVE VOTES
++ The bright foreground contrasting with the black background, especially since his shirt looks like a part of the bg but there's still "floating" colored shapes, make for an interesting composition, imho. Looks like one of those dance numbers where the actors are dressed all in black, but with a modern twist (due to the shapes)
++ I like the muted and clean colours and how the bright skin and colourful objects on his shirt stress the contrast between the solid background. The texture use is also stellar because it keeps the black background from being too overwhelming.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
NONE.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ This is quite an interesting icon! I love how his shirt blends into the background, the geometric shapes on his shirt, and his skin, a sharp contrast against the black. However I think it is a bit too stark a contrast, I think a non-black black (a very dark blue perhaps, or even a dark red) would lessen the sharpness and even add a bit of depth to the icon.
+ I love the concept behind this icon. The geometric shapes on the guys top are quirky and a really unique point of interest but his skin looks a little to bright on my monitor and it's lowering the quality of the icon. Maybe a color fill layer in beige set on darken or multiply on reduced opacity might help?
rocketgirl2POSITIVE VOTES
+++ While I think darker shadows could draw even better focus to his face, the daring text use sells this for me as the winner. The outlandish font is unusual but it doesn't look too much in the overall composition of the icon, since the rest is minimalistic enough, and the way the text is set up doesn't look cluttered.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I'm in love with the text use in this icon, I would just up the contrast a little though :)
+ I like the pale colouring and the crop, but the texture on the right is a tad distracting and the font doesn't fit the mood of the icon.
+ This is an interesting icon and has a lot of potential, the muted misty coloring is nice. However the font used does not seem to match the rest of the icon; for example the grunge portion on the right side is sharp and...grungy, but the text used is loopy, soft, and misty/faint. The combination of the loops and swirls in the font, text placement (in relation to the other text), and mistiness/blurriness also make the text a bit difficult to read, and also uneven (i.e. the top of the "h" in "there" is a bit sharp); I would expect this font on a misty, foggy, and/or smoky icon, not on a grungy one.
+ I think the soft coloring is very pretty, but I'm not too keen on the text. At first I had trouble reading it, because the "ll" in all kinda looked like "n", and the font seems a bit childish, clashing with the overall mood of the icon.
+ crop is stunning but choice of font takes from the icon. Perhaps something in straight font such as Arial, modern 20 but otherwise a nice icon
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I really like the use of text (great font !!), I just think you could go a bit darker on the background or on the right side of his face.
+ The crop and lighting on this icon is so, so pretty! I love the softness of the icon as well and the text is lovely, excellent choice of font and the texture over the shadows blends in really well.The only thing I would change would be to make the text a bit stronger and smoother.
+ I think the crop and coloring here are quite fantastic, but the font seems too 'fun' and fancy for the text and the overall mood of this icon. Something more classic would fit much better.
margerydaw_s2POSITIVE VOTES
NONE.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
NONE.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I like the crop on this icon and the lighting as well. Mostly I love simple icons but I feel like this icon is a bit too simple. A bit of texture of maybe a background colour picked from his hair or coat instead of plain black might make a difference.
marcasitePOSITIVE VOTES
+ I really love the high contrast in your icon. Parts of it look oversharpened on my monitor, but it's still a gorgeous piece!
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I really like the crop of this icon but it looks a little over-sharpened on my monitor especially around the edges of her hair. I'd also mask some of the red on her cheek and neck as well :)
+ Although the extraction/masking of the subject is really spot on, the 100% black background behind is too harsh. Some light blob textures really would be useful to make the icon less flat.
+ The icon is very sharp, especially on the bottom part of her hair and where her hair touches her face. I think smudging those parts a little could help the icon look much better.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Nice use of negative space, and I like the colours on her hair, unfortunately her face looks a bit too orange which makes it look unnatural and rather unflattering. You can play with colour balances or add "paint" her face white on another layer set to soft light with varied opacity to try and solve that.
+ The icon, per all, is alright, but it seems a little bit oversharpened.
+ I love the idea behind this icon. The crop is lovely and the black background makes for great contrast but I feel like the sharpness is bit too strong. Maybe using the ever faithful Gaussian blur/soft light combo to add a nice glow to the icon?
val_valeriePOSITIVE VOTES
+ The monochrome colour scheme is really lovely here :)
+ The vintage, pale colouring works really well with the darkness of the icon.
+ The pale skin and the dark reds look very nice together, like blood and porcelain. Idk, I really like those together. The sharpness is also just right.
+ love the coloring
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ The use of colour is nice but the blacks aren't dark enough (especially on her hair, where you could have a nice contrast with the wall), maybe adding a bit of contrast or duplicating your picture and setting it to soft light might help.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ There is a lot of potential in this icon, the center crop is perfect and the monochrome color scheme is lovely. Only I can't put my finger on if this is meant to be misty or not, because her face is a bit blurry but her neck/dress is sharp, plus the light/space behind her seem to be rather pixelated/grungy as well. I would probably go all the way misty with this icon, softening up the grunge and adding a few light bulbs to enhance the lights against the shadow.
+ The crop and softness of this icon is so great. I love the simplicity and the lighting but the bit of background/texture to the left of the icon is distracting. Maybe masking over it?
gribouillePOSITIVE VOTES
NONE.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ It looks very obvious that the skin has been blurred (I'm guessing this is because the image was low quality), and this is not very good look because it looks very unnatural. I suggest lowering the opacity of the blurred layer to around 50%. This will make the skin still smooth but not too much.
+ This icon is a bit too focused on the hair and not on the blacks and it lacks a bit of sharpness. The crop is very good though.
+ the crop is so pretty and I love the overall coloring but the overly bright yellow of her hair takes away from the icon
+ While I like the crop here, the coloring, especially the unnaturally yellow hair, is not very flattering. Also, the character's face has been smoothed too much, which gives her a plastic/artificial appearance, and it clashes a bit with the bottom right part of the icon, which looks quite grainy.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ I love the creativeness of the crop of this icon, I would just sharpen her features a little.
+ Really interesting crop, but I believe this icon would benefit from a bit more contrast, sharpening, and a different coloring. The greenish hues in the shadows are a bit unflattering to the subject, and too clashing with the bright yellow hair (which doesn't fit the overall mood of the icon)
+ I absolutely love the coloring, but the image looks a little low quality, maybe some gaussian blur would've done the trick or maybe a texture above it like on icon #8
+ This icon is all kinds of gorgeous! The coloring is gorgeous and I love, love, love the yellows of her hair. To me, the crop looks a little awkward so maybe something that got a bit more of her shoulders in view might be worth considering? Other than that this is a really lovely icon.
mm3butterflyPOSITIVE VOTES
+++ I love the balance between light and dark, and the colours you've brought out into the icon are beautiful
+++ The coloring makes the icon stand out amongst the other icons (in a good way). The lighting is also very good.
++ The colour explosion makes the icon really fun. The way 1/2 of the icon is dark and the other half is bright is really catching the eye.
+++ I love how this icon sticks to the theme withe the purple-ish hue to the shadows but the maker has also brought out vibrant reds and blues that make it stand out from the rest of the the more muted icons in this batch. The only thing that I can say is that the purples on the hair on the bottom right of the icon are a little harsh, maybe turning the hue to include a little more blue? Or even a darker purple?
+++ crop is beautiful and with stunning use of light
+ The colors are beautiful, they make this icon stand out among the rest. The contrast is very well done as well, but her neck and shoulders could be more visible - at first glance it seems as if it's an icon of a floating face.
++ The bright colors here really make your icon pop. Even though the brightest parts look a tad washed out on my monitor, I love what you're doing here.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
+ I really love the use of colour, you managed to grasp the theme while still making your icon colourful.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
NONE.
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Can I just say the oranges in her hair look epic?
vampire_sessahPOSITIVE VOTES
+ The lighting is mindblowing here and I love how it's not too oversaturated.. it has color, but it doesn't go over the top.
BEST INTERPRETATION/MOST CREATIVE
NONE.
CONSTRUCTIVE VOTES
+ I know that the dots are supposed to be the comet's tail and I love that the user was trying to represent the theme as good as he/she could, but they sort of seem random and out of place..
ADDITIONAL VOTES
+ Ah, Alexandra. She so iconnable isn't she? This is a great cap, full of expression and the choice of crop was good too. It's hard to ignore body language with Nikita caps. I also love the brown hue to the shadows and the lighting is amazing, soft and really beautiful. What I would suggest is maybe revising the use of that texture that's putting those white flecks on the icon? It's a little distracting and I think the end product would have more of an impact without it :).
+ Your icon is really lovely, but I don't think the grungy texture fits with it too well, as the rest of it looks very smooth. The dots of sharpness kind of break the mood of the icon, in my opinion.
Updated Scoring Spreadsheet