Guest Maker Spotlight #1: azuremonkey
In addition to including our Guest Maker in the monthly Group Activity (psst, azuremonkey made some amazing icons for Group Challenge 03), the makers at wonderous_stuff wanted to share a few of the reasons as to why azuremonkey was chosen to be spotlighted. And maybe praise some stunning icons as well...
absolutelybatty says:
azuremonkey is a unique icon maker. I know, I know. People throw that adjective around a lot about lots of things, but honestly? I 100% know an azuremonkey icon when I see it, absolutely no doubt about it. There are very few of us with truly unique styles out there, but azuremonkey is definitely one of them. The color palettes are a delightful blend of pastel and vibrant that make for quirky color combinations. The texture work is, well, actually textured which is beyond awesome (side note: she makes awesome textures as well; oh and tutorials about how she uses them), and her texture work always enhances the graphic. As others have already said, azuremonkey's work often looks like a painting. I think it takes true talent to do that, do it consistently, and do it ridiculously well. Props to you, azuremonkey. Props to you.
deternot says:
azuremonkey's work is a style onto herself and one that I think is extremely cool. Picking examples from her is a terrifying task since I love so many of her icons, but I picked these six because they are all examples of how she can turn regular old screencaps into what look like paintings and posters. I love her ability to pull forward details and brush back backgrounds into such interesting texturized looks. She plays with all kinds of colors and crops, from simplistic elegance to more complicated works that balance several different elements. I'd especially like to point out how she handles shadowing and contrast. Her icons always have depth without being overly searing or intense on the eyes. Basically, azuremonkey rocks!!!
firstillusion says:
I don't know anyone who uses textures the way azuremonkey does and it continues to surprise and inspire me. Yet she isn't 'just' about textures. She has fabulous composition skills and she doesn't back away from a challenge - whether it is one you set her (challenge communities) or one she sets herself (new techniques). Her work is colourful in ways you sometimes didn't even realise were possible - or would look good, but she definitely pulls it off! Her work is exciting and stands out from a crowd, which is a real achievement.
raiindust says:
What amazes me most, while looking through azuremonkey's posts, is how consistently creative her icons are. They aren't the run of the mill crop and colour icons. There is so much depth to them (not only in terms of the stunning colour she brings out) but they each have a look to them, like you could physically reach out and touch them. And that is truly amazing. Not only that, but her tutorials straddle that wonderful line of ingredients and information, and she dabbles in all that is textured goodness as well.
saxify says:
While going through azuremonkey's icons, I think that what really amazed me about her work was her truly unique style. The amount of variety in her batches is crazy. She seems to have used all the colours (and some you didn't even know existed!), tried all the techniques and styles (and is awesome at every single one of them!) and yet you can easily tell if a icon is hers. I find that wonderful, and definitely something not every maker can accomplish.
tinebrella says:
What's amazing about azuremonkey's work is that she seems to be confident with well, any technique and style you can think of. Browsing through her entries, you can find stunning close crops, complex composition and awesome negative space use. Crispness & soft blurriness, heavy & subtle texture use. And there is no color she's afraid to work with, apparently. She's impressive, really.