Tutorial for PSP8;
Learn how to make this:
from 
using PSP8 but I'm sure it can work in other programs. and under ten steps.
Well, first I do whatever I think needs to be done. This icon (well, what I used to think an icon was.) was one I made forever ago and now can make it better! yay. And do you know who it is? I hope you do, just the coolest people ever, John Deacon and Freddie Mercury from a little known band called Queen. Enough for backround information. I have to do a lot to my bases sometimes because of the quality, and you do not see any high resolution pictures of Queen or The Beatles lately, so I go through a procedure I do with a lot of my pictures, but seeing as this one wasn't too bad, I only sharpened the base once, and set to soft light and got this:
slightly clearer. then I took a dark shade of blue (#000B10) and flood-filled my icon and set to exclusion. It didn't give me quite what I wanted, so I duplicated the exclusion layer and got it.
Now I added a gradient by
oxoniensis and set to multiply.
--> 
I liked the colour, so I didn't add any more colours. I added a few brushes and PUT A BORDER AROUND IT. Yes, I know I abused the shift button there. For some icons I don't add borders, but like these, they just need them. Or at least I think so. Well, this tutorial is very opinionated on my side. I'll show you the finished icon again.
other icons I made from this:
These colours just work wonders with Freddie. all of those icons are usable if you'd like, but please credit.
from using PSP8 but I'm sure it can work in other programs. and under ten steps.
Well, first I do whatever I think needs to be done. This icon (well, what I used to think an icon was.) was one I made forever ago and now can make it better! yay. And do you know who it is? I hope you do, just the coolest people ever, John Deacon and Freddie Mercury from a little known band called Queen. Enough for backround information. I have to do a lot to my bases sometimes because of the quality, and you do not see any high resolution pictures of Queen or The Beatles lately, so I go through a procedure I do with a lot of my pictures, but seeing as this one wasn't too bad, I only sharpened the base once, and set to soft light and got this:
slightly clearer. then I took a dark shade of blue (#000B10) and flood-filled my icon and set to exclusion. It didn't give me quite what I wanted, so I duplicated the exclusion layer and got it.
Now I added a gradient by
oxoniensis and set to multiply. --> I liked the colour, so I didn't add any more colours. I added a few brushes and PUT A BORDER AROUND IT. Yes, I know I abused the shift button there. For some icons I don't add borders, but like these, they just need them. Or at least I think so. Well, this tutorial is very opinionated on my side. I'll show you the finished icon again.
other icons I made from this:
These colours just work wonders with Freddie. all of those icons are usable if you'd like, but please credit.