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Icon Post X

kanrinin — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:36:22 GMT

Wao, finally an icon post! I wasn't going to make another one, but I couldn't resist and joined manga_battle, so that's why I have stuff to post. Hopefully I didn't deprove!? I know I got lazy with text though. Anyways, hover over the icons to see the character/series!

8] Persona 3
22] manga_battle entries
•4] ARIA
•5] Kino no Tabi
•2] Eizou Houden
•3] Persona 3 (manga)
•8] Other
6] ARIA
2] Baccano!
1] Chrno Crusade
1] Xenosaga
------------------
Total: 40

Teasers:

Persona 3

1	2	3	4

5	6	7	8

manga_battle entries
I was Megumi Noda

9	10	11	12	13

14	15	16	17	18

19	20	21	22	23

24	25	26	27	28

29	30

Miscellaneous

31	32	33	34	35

36	37	38	39	40

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> Resources are here
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Revamped..!

kanrinin — Tue, 27 May 2008 07:41:58 GMT

Just taking the time to say that I finally changed the layout and userinfo of kanrinin! Check it out! I based it on the colours of the icon I'm using (by the awesome silverqe!).

I know I said that I won't be making icons for a while, but I guess I lied, since I went and joined a LIMS recently, so look for them icons..?! I'll try to get a DS skin (most likely of Joshua Christopher because I am obsessed with him) up soon as well, after exams and whatnot..!

Oh, and what do you guys think of the userinfos I've coded (#1 and #2)? If you like them, I can code more to share, but if not, I'll just scrap the idea...

Also, a plug for massive damage :D

Sorry for the spam, and see you with a real post soon! (Hopefully)

Icon Post IX

kanrinin — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:10:36 GMT

This will be my last icon post for a long while. Feel free to stop watching this journal..?! I haven't had the motivation to make any graphics lately (or LJ for the matter), so that's why this batch is lazy, old, small, and full of variations. Hope you like them anyways?! As usual, hover over the icons to see the character/series!

8] Eizou Houden (Blood Opera, original art, Wagaya no Oinarisama)
•2] Blood Opera
•3] Original art
•3] Wagaya no Oinarisama
3] ARIA
1] Baccano!
1] Gosick
3] Guilty Gear
2] Okami
3] rockmusiclims entries
1] Senko no Ronde
2] Shingetsutan Tsukihime (figure)
1] Vocaloid 2
------------------
Total: 25

Teasers:

Eizou Houden's Works

1	2	3	4

5	6	7	8

Manga/Games/Light Novels/LIMS

9	10	11	12	13

14	15	16	17	18

19	20	21	22	23

	24		25

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> Resources are here
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2 R4DS Skins - Senko no Ronde

kanrinin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:16:04 GMT

Wow, an update! I wasn't going to post these until I had something I could advertise, but I'm not really up to making a 3rd skin right now, so might as well post these anyways?! I made these like a month (or less) ago, so hopefully they're not too bad...

Also, frappetique's beautiful post at gavinnerism was a terrific reminder and encourager for me to post these..! Check it out! ~~I also stole her posting format...Don't kill me?!~~

Oh, and maybe look for more light novel colourings and stock icon posts in the very late future..?! I went to Europe during Spring Break and now I'm on an European architectural high. I'm also constantly obsessed with the Baccano! novel artwork..!

Series: Senko no Ronde (Videogame)

Download: Mediafire | NDSThemes

Download: Mediafire | NDSThemes

Note: If a link has expired/doesn't work for you, let me know and I'll reupload it.

> Installation instructions are here.
> Textures used are by dearest and myrasis.
> Like what you see? Friend me for updates!

Feedback Post

kanrinin — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 03:48:37 GMT

Hello, everyone! I've been pretty curious about...everything lately, so here's a poll! Please fill it out if you have a second :D Your opinions are greatly appreciated! There are a total of 7 questions.

Comments are screened, so if you have anything else to add, please leave a comment..!

View Poll: Feedback FTW

Icon Post XIII

kanrinin — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:39:28 GMT

I wasn't going to post this month, but then I realized that next month would be just as busy and that I wouldn't have much inspiration to make more icons anyways...Also, sorry about all the variations! I'm indecisive like that D': As usual, hover over the icons to see the character/series!

14] Baccano!
1] Black Cat
1] Chobits
1] Fire Emblem
1] Gankutsuou
2] Guilty Gear
1] Ichigo 100%
3] Mirai Nikki
2] Nabari no Ou
1] Pokemon
2] Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
1] Spiral Alive
1] Valkyrie Profile
1] Will o Wisp
-----------------
Total: 32

Teasers:

Baccano!

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14

Anime/Manga/Light Novels/Videogames

15	16	17	18	19

20	21	22	23	24

25	26	27	28	29

30	31	32

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---------------------------------------------

Be a part of the democratic process!

It's your time to VOTE~

LJ Animanga Iconist Awards: Round 03!

kanrinin — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 06:48:25 GMT

Be a part of the democratic process!

Also, DS Skins + icon post coming soon, hopefully..! :D Watch for some Senko no Ronde + Baccano!

2 internal DS Skins - Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and Baccano!

kanrinin — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 05:21:34 GMT

I've recently found some internal DS Skin templates, and have been addicted to making them now. :'D Enjoy!

Series: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
System: R4DS & M3Simply DS
Installation instructions: Here

Download: Mediafire | DSThemes

Series: Baccano!
System: R4DS & M3Simply DS
Installation instructions: Here

Download: Mediafire | NDSThemes

Note: If a link has expired/doesn't work for you, let me know and I'll reupload it. :D

> Textures used are by dearest, myrasis, ohfreckle, and randomfangirl.
> Like what you see? Friend me for updates!
> Have a request? Check out the request post!

50 watchers?!

kanrinin — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:17:13 GMT

Oh my, 50 watchers already?! Thanks so much! :D YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME. Since it's also that time of the year known as CHRISTMAS, I'll be taking graphic requests whoo! Everyone can request up to 2 icons, so...have fun, have a Merry Christmas (if you celebrate it), and enjoy! I'll try to fulfill them as timely as possible!

Here's a handy dandy request form:

Graphic type: Icons/friends only banners/userinfo header (No layout headers please! I'm not very good at those.)
Dimensions: Not needed for icons, but needed for banners.
Image: Please link me to an image! It can be of anything BUT real people, fanart, or doujinshi. D:
Sharable? Yes/No
Anything else? Textless, textful, make it in the same style as this, you name it!

There's no limit to how many people can request, so you don't need to reserve a spot!

Edit: REQUESTS ARE CLOSED.

Icon post XII

kanrinin — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:01:19 GMT

Say what! An icon post?! I know, I'm surprised too. Anyways, this post is mostly made up of LIMS/Battle entries, and therefore have a lot of random stuff. If you want something less random, check out the Senko no Ronde Obscure Fandom Challenge post! As usual, hover over the icons to see character/series!

8] animanga_lims entries
4] bssm_battle entries
4] icon_tournament entries
13] manga_battle entries
14] Xenosaga/Xenogears
Anime/Manga/Videogame/Novel
7] Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
3] Persona 3
1] ARIA
1] Chobits
1] D. Gray Man
1] Senko no Ronde
1] Kino no Tabi
1] Wolf's Rain
1] Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna
--------------
Total: 60

Teaser:

animanga_lims entries
Rank 18 out of 113

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8

bssm_battle & icon_tournament entries

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8

manga_battle entries
Rank 8 out of 53

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13

Xenosaga/Xenogears

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14

Anime/Manga/Videogame/Novel

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

16	17

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Senko no Ronde for Obscure Random Fandom Challenge

kanrinin — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 04:52:17 GMT

Oh wow, I haven't posted in 9 weeks! ...Or so LJ told me. D: Anyways, I've been meaning to complete this long ago, but since I've been lazy, it has taken very long. As with all recent posts, hover over the icons to see who is featured!

15] Senko no Ronde (+5 alternatives)

Promotional Blurb
Media: Videogame; XBox 360
Genre: Science fiction, shoot-em-up, fighter, arcade, mecha
Release: First released in Japanese arcades in 2005, and the first XBox 360 console release was on July 27, 2006. American release of the home console version was on May 24, 2007.
Where to buy: Electronic Boutique, Play-Asia
Summary: Wartech: Senko no Ronde's story is focused mostly on its distinct and creative battle system that incorporates both elements of shoot-em-up games as well as 2D fighting games. In addition to the compelling battle system, it also features a story that revolves around 8 characters who become involved in a mastermind's scheme to take control of the Aria Federation, which is a new empire for humans in space after a past catastrophe on Earth.
Extras: - Artwork download (high-res; from Majoria's News)
- A detailed article (with an additional gallery) that outlines every aspect of the game, from Hardcore Gaming 101.

1: Chapter One	2: OTP	3: Hush	4: Climax	5: Romance

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

Alternatives

6a	7a	8a	9a	10a	15a

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New community: icon_tournament

kanrinin — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:22:43 GMT

A fast-paced LIMSxBattle icontest for animanga and videogames!
You know you want to join! :D

Icon post XI

kanrinin — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:44:23 GMT

Finally, an honest-to-goodness icon post! Good god I post a lot when I get around to it. D: Oh yeah, and you can now hover over each icon to see their character/series! Original idea (c) adaneko :D Also, check out my animanga_lims and manga_battle commentaries!

14] Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
12] asianlims Entries and unentries
12] Senko no Ronde
Manga/Videogame/Stock
2] GARASU no Kamen
2] Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
2] Odin Sphere
2] Stock
2] X
1] Black Lagoon
1] Death Note
1] Eyeshield 21
1] Prince of Tennis
1] Someday's Dreamers
--------------
Total: 53

Teaser:

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! (Manga)

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14

asianlims Round 1
Rank 4 out of 67

15	16	17	18	19

20	21	22	23	24

25	26

Senko no Ronde (Videogame)

27	28	29	30	31

32	33	34	35	36

37	38

Manga/Videogame/Stock

39	40	41	42	43

44	45	46	47	48

49	50	51	52	53

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manga_battle Challenge 1 Commentary

kanrinin — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 21:22:46 GMT

Apparently I loooove writing commentaries. Here are my thoughts on my manga_battle Challenge 1 chronicle! Warning: Very reading intensive! Also, Credit for icons is optional, but please don't claim as your own work! Commentary idea (c) whiteplums @ loveburnt!

Rank: 4th (out of 58)
Weeks: 11 (out of 11)
Points: 38 (Rank 1 for points)
Icons made: 17 (+5 bonus)

The Submissions

1: Preliminaries	2: Preliminaries	3: Round 1	4: Round 2	5: Round 3

6: Round 3	7: Round 4	8: Round 4	9: Round 4	10: Round 5

11: Round 6	12: Round 7	13: Round 8	14: Round 9	15: Final Round

16: Final Round	17: Final Round

Bonus Round Submissions

1: Preliminaries	2: Round 2	3: Round 6	4: Round 6	5: Round 6

Alternatives and Extras

1: Prelims	2: Round 3	3: Round 7	4: Round 7	5: Round 9

6: Final Round	7: Final Round

Notepad file of ~~doom~~ crits: Download?

Preliminaries - Provided Image & Free-For-All
Rank 21

0 Negative points
8 Favourite points
neonclover's Moderator's Choice

When I saw the Provided Image, I must admit that I thought it would be easy to icon, since CLAMP is so popular and everyone and their cousins seemed to be able to icon it easily. Oh how wrong I was!

First off, I had lots of trouble cropping this. There were many possibilities, but none of them really worked for me for some reason. I sorta started panicking, then I calmed down and picked a random point on the picture and chose that. (This is a lie D:) Then came the hardest part. OH THE COLOURS. It seemed that no matter what textures I added or what gradients I used, it would be too strong for the image, and it made the colours overpower the image, making it look like multicolour barf. In the end, I had to duplicate the base 5 times, set them on different blending modes, and adjust the colours on each so they can work together to moderate the fugliness. It was a lot of work, but I got it in the end. The final version had a total of 29 layers, and from this icon I learned that I failed at iconing CLAMP.

After I finished it, I seriously thought that it was pretty horrible, and that I would get lots of crits complaining about the messy colours and HUEG text. Wow was I wrong, and for the better. I even got MC wtf! What a beautiful start to this icontest. My life was perfect! Well, until I saw stuff for my free-for-all icon.

6 Elimination points
1 Favourite point

Alright, I have to admit that I really really hate free-for-all themes, because there is NOTHING to base anything on, so making decisions became really difficult. I'm indecisive like that.

Anyways, I was obsessed with ARIA at the time, because I found scans of the newest volume, so I decided to take a random picture from that volume. I figured that I should try something different from my usual dark-ish icons, so I layered on a lot of light textures this time, AND I use a cursive-y font, which I usually don't use. I was happy with my change of style, and thought I was sooo clever. Unfortunately,this was not the case.

Honestly, I thought this icon seriously owned when I first finished it. I think I was on drugs or something when I thought that, because it's so clear now that this icon is FAAAAR from ownage. The crits I got told me that the icon lacked a clear focus, and that it was too busy. It was also the only icon I got a negative number for after adding the Elim/Fave points up.

Preliminaries: Bonus Round - What Are You Good At?

->

Submitted under Inventiveness
Yes/Yes

Upon seeing the images, I knew right away that I was NOT going to icon the CLAMP image. 1) It's Tsubasa and 2) It's B&W.

Anyways, when I first started working on the icon, I had a hard time cropping it. There were a lot of contrasting colours and components in the image, so I wasn't really sure how to go about singling out one thing. Luckily, I somehow figured that I could direct attention to Okita's face by leaving lots of space at the top and covering that with random text, so that's how I solved my cropping problem. Then came the problem with colouring. Even though the scan was high-res, the colours were really varied, and could be made blindingly saturated or fugly if I wasn't careful. I had to moderate the colours a lot by duplicating layers and completely changing the colours on the textures I used, so this alone took a lot of work. After I finished colouring and putting text on, I ended up with the 2nd version, but realized that it wasn't really good enough to be submitted under any of the specialized categories, so I had to take the icon a totally different route so I can submit it under Inventiveness.

I think that this icon was the first in which I resized the coloured base, put it on another canvas, and expanded on it, so it is sorta special. It's also one of the first I've made that somewhat employs the use of a magazine-like layout. I was proud of this icon, but when I finished it, I was really nervous about whether or not I submitted it under the right category. I think this was because it takes a LOT for me to consider an icon truly creative, since I've seen so many icons that have been done already. Luckily, the judges don't think the way I do, and I got away with a YES from both judges. That made my day, plus the crit I got from neonclover was awesome as well. :D

- "I absolutely adored your icon. It was the first icon submitted to actually use that image, so it stood out from the start - it was also really creative, which fit the category just perfectly. I loved the text you used with it (the typography was also very nicely done), the japanese in the background, and the dark red coloring (greatly contrasting with the original image, but working - it'd also have gotten a "yes" for coloring from me, no doubt. :3)

I like how you managed to pull off generally opposing colors (blue and red) without the icon turning into an eyesore. It seems a bit too busy, but the icon itself is so well done that it's easy to overlook that."

Yay!

Round 01 - Battle Royale Style
Rank 10

When I first saw the theme, I was pretty excited, since there were so many choices set out. Too bad I was really indecisive, and couldn't really pick right from the start. I knew that I WOULD NOT pick the 3rd theme, though, because my icons are surely not better than icons of fearthechopstic AND neonclover. Therefore, the only choice I had left were 1+2. Then I found out that most of the images I had were not well suited for theme 1, so I was stuck with theme 2.

->

Submitted to Theme #02: Band Together
0 Negative points
8 Favourite points
Best Subgroup Overall

It really wasn't hard to find an image that was about love/friendship, but it WAS hard to find a picture without a lot of red. Thankfully, I thought to look in my B-Wanted pictures folder for once, and found this image. I really digged the green, so I chose it without a second thought.

Colouring and cropping for this image was very easy, and I didn't have a hard time enhancing the image at all, but there was one thing bad about it: There was no room for anything else! In order to make the icon look complete, I had to expand on it somehow, so I decided to take inspiration from an icon I made earlier. I felt pretty guilty about "copying" myself, but I had no new ideas, and at least I wasn't copying anyone else..?! Oh, and I should note that this is probably the first icon I've made in about 5 months that was shoujo-y cute, so I was glad to see that people liked it. :D

My crits were generally about how cute the icon was, and how the green stood out from the other icons. I was also surprised when someone mentioned that it was clean, because making clean icons is a hard task for me, and I didn't notice this was a clean icon until I read that. XD

Round 02 - The Poketest
Rank 9

First of all, I would like to say that THIS THEME ROCKS because pokemon is seriously ownage. However, I really didn't like the theme I was given, but I had to suck it up because I signed up for this. D:

->

Gym Leader; Thunder
4 Negative points
10 Favourite points
Rank in Gym Leader group: 4

I have never made a thunder-themed icon in all my 17 years of living, so I was a bit...bleh about it. Nevertheless, I made an icon anyways, although it came out as a lazy and uninspired icon. I was very disappointed with myself, and I still am when I look at this. I even forgot about the submission time, and I had to make it at the last minute.

So I just finished reading the whole Saikano series around this time, so the first series that popped up when I was choosing an image was.. Saikano. (HORRIBLE and GROSS final volume by the way. I advise you to skip to the last chapter if you want to finish it, unless you like pr0n.) I was a bit pressed for time, so I didn't really care about what the picture was as long as it was easy to work with, which it (luckily) was. For this icon, I copied myself yet again, because I had no time to get fresh with ideas. (I'm lazy, sorry!) However, I DID take some time and use changing fonts for my caption, which I rarely do because I fail at matching different fonts. Also, my caption wasn't totally pointless - I wanted it to reference Chise's superpowers (she can destroy the world with her powers silently lol) in the picture and also the theme.

As for my crits, I was VERY surprised that people liked it, and that I wasn't ranked last in the group. When I saw voting, I seriously thought I was a goner, but since I'm always wrong, that wasn't quite the case. Anyways, people mostly complimented the changing fonts, the composition, and the font. The crits also complained about the light texture, supposedly low image quality, the snowflakes and the suitability of the caption. I'll be staying away from snowflakes and light textures for sure now. D:

Round 02: Bonus Round - So I Herd Sum Things

3 Votes

Even though this bonus round was optional, I just HAD to submit because the theme was win PLUS I got 1 point just for submitted. Mudkips are awesome like that.

When I was choosing an image, I flew directly to my CLAMP folder. There is nothing I like more than mocking CLAMP works, because they are usually so serious omg. I planned to use an X image at first, but I couldn't really find and image I could edit mudkip in properly, so I settled with this Syaoran panel from CCS. It was hard work editing the mudkip out, and it took me quite a long time. I also had a lot of trouble colouring it, so I left it grey. :D; Otherwise, there's nothing really special about the icon, and I couldn't make it funny in a normal way ~~due to lack of crack~~.

I'm glad that the favourite comments I got were complimenting about the irony of it looking serious but having a dumb caption. Most pointed out that the black didn't work too well, though...

Round 03 - (Neo)Romantic Matchmaker
Rank 6

I really liked this theme, because I was seriously into dating sims at the time, downloading demos, screencapping, and visiting a LOT of different sites to leech pictures off them. So when I saw this posted, I was omg surprised wtf. I liked it not only because I was liking it at the time, but also because dating sims are rarely brought into light in this LJ world. (I think D:)

This was an icon I made for this week, but I didn't end up actually submitting it. I'm glad that I chose not to, because it's really quite a horrid icon. The hair is too yellow, the red clashes, and the overall appearance is quite messy. Nevertheless, I had fun making it, and the caption was pretty special. ("Reconquista" is also the title of a dating sim, but I came up some other sort of meaning to make Eve relate to it.) I even sorta made a long explanation for it when I tried to submit it. I had lots of fun making this icon, and I actually thought it was pretty unique and out-there for an icon. (Though far too outstanding for a LIMS.)

Submitted under Yuu Kanda (Hush theme)
1 Negative point
2 Favourite points

I was going to stay away from the Hush theme at first (I can't really live without tiny text D:), but then I realized that there's no harm in trying this theme, and that there were no other themes I really wanted to submit to anyways. I had a hard time choosing an image, since there were so many, but I eventually settled on something I've always liked iconing - Gunslinger Girl. This particular image appealed to me because of Henrietta's innocent smile coupled with a lethal gun in her hands. This blatant irony was very good for a hush icon, since it expressed so much already that no words were needed.

Anyways, the composition of this picture was pretty great. I love how the gun was large enough to fill up the space of the icon, so I had no room to put text in even if I wanted to. I tried to go for an old, after-a-war sort of look, so I layered on a lot of grungy textures to suit that mood. I also coloured the gun red to make a reference to blood that could be shed with the use of the weapon. I also made it smooth-looking on purpose to contrast with the dirty look of the rest of the icon, to express something like the gun will be the only one left clean and standing.

As for my crits, the comments were pretty brief. The favourite comment stated that the gun filled up the space nicely, and that the colouring was nice. The elimination comment was about how unsuitably dark the icon was, and how the shine of the gun is weird. I wasn't too happy or angry with these crits, but I did think that my icon would do better than it did. (Though probably not, because the other icons for this theme were spectacular.)

->

Submitted under Umehito Nekozawa (Darkness/Black Magic theme)
0 Negative points
14 Favourite points
Lucky Date winner

Dark icons are pretty much all I make, so I just HAD to submit to this theme. I had a hard time choosing an image, though, because I'm picky like that. Anyways, I eventually settled on this image because the colours were pretty, and because I had no other ideas for an image.

However, this image was not at all that easy to work with because of all the text. I had to doctor the base so that there was fading darkness to block out the text in the background, and had to erase a lot of Kureha's flowing hair, but still make her face easy to identify. I decided to use a gradient over selectively coloured white layer, but boy was it hard to blend that picture into one.

Once I got past that annoying stuff, though, it was a breeze colouring the picture. ..Then I got stuck again. I had no idea what to do with all the space, so I just kinda died a little. Luckily, an idea hit me soon after dying - I can just copy myself and put swirly brushes on the background!! So that's what I did, and made the corners a bit darker with some grungey textures. I also added a checkered background so it wouldn't look to empty, and voila! An icon.

I actually didn't like this as much as my Gunslinger Girl one, but after it got favourited, it began to grow on me, and now I like it. The comments I got told me that people liked the fading darkness, the suitable caption, and the typography. I was surprised that people actually liked the typography, because it is so plain.

Round 04 - The 98% Miss
Rank 5

When I first saw the theme, I thought THIS IS WIN, but after I got the battle results, I cried a little inside. I spent a loooooong time figuring out my stats, and thought I would have a good chance of winning since I knew how Fire Emblem worked. (I used to loove the games) Apparently that was NOT the case again, and I got owned in MY FIRST BATTLE. I didn't even get to win one battle. WOE.

->

Submitted under Theme 1 (Provided Image)
2 Negative points
9 Favourite points

This icon was mainly the reason why I was procrasinating for the week that the theme was up for. Even though it was really easy to colour and crop, I didn't know wtf I should do to the image, making me not want to work on it at all. Therefore, the outcome came out kind of half-assed. D:

One of my crits asked me why I used BLACK as the background for the text, and all I can say is.. I HAVE NO IDEA. I think I was on drugs or something. :/ I hate this icon, so I don't really want to go in depth about it.

Submitted under Theme 2 (Battle)
0 Negative points
35 Favourite points
1st Peoples' Choice

A VERY lazy icon. I had like 2 hours before deadline, so I was rushing and rushing. Picking an image was freaking easy, because I already had an image in mind, and that is a picture of the awesome Rosette from Chrno Crusade. I looove that image, and since it was colourful and easy to crop, I have no trouble iconing it. I just slapped on some standard text/tiny text, made "ready" blue just for fun, and quickly started to work on my other icon.

When I saw voting, I knew/thought I was a goner. "SHIT THESE ICONS ARE NICE" is what I thought, so as you can expect, I was TOTALLY SURPRISED when I saw that people liked this more than the other icons, most of which probably took a lot of time and effort to make. I guess being wrong all the time may be a good thing sometmes. D: Anyways, my comments told me that people REALLY DIGGED the coloured text, the catchy quote, the colours of the image, and the cleanness. I'll keep this in mind the next time I'm pressed for time kekeke.

Submitted under Theme 3 (Black & White)
1 Elimination point
6 Favourite points

Another lazy icon. I don't like it at all. The cropping, text, and red all fail miserably. I have nothing good to say about this.

Round 05 - The Seven Deadly Sins
Rank 3

Yeah, I didn't like this theme too much, because I was forced to choose how to lose. D:

->

Submitted under Lust for point gain/lost method
0 Elimination points
11 Favourite points

I have never liked themes related to the deadly sins/heavenly virtues, because I could never find the right images to go with them. This round was no exception, and it didn't help that I wasn't very inspired. D: Anyways, I picked an image where the person looked somewhat smug and where the image had nice colours to work with. I didn't have any trouble colouring it, but expanding on it was pretty hard. I couldn't find the right colour for a background, thus resulting in that piece of light-blue barf up there. Since it looked so horrible, I jsut HAD to change it, so I slapped on whatever grungy textures I could find, and there was my outcome.

Since grungy icons seem to fail at LIMS, I was really surprised that I got 0 negative points. Most of the comments pointed out that the composition, colours, and cropping were nicely done, but I actually thought that the colours were really very ugly. Apparently I'm somewhat blind. D:

Round 06 - Untrendy
Rank 1

I loooved this round, because the bonus stage was the ugly incarnation of Nike, the goddess of victorly.

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12 Negative points
14 Favourite points

This was a very easy icon to make, and even the image was easy to pick. I was reading Mushishi at the time, so I thought, "Oh yeah, the cover had ownsome colours!", so I used that for this icon. It was really really fun colouring the image, and I had such a great time I almost forgot to actually do more stuff to it. Since a grungy style was pretty untrendy in the animanga iconing world, I decided to layer on all (or most) papery textures I had, and even added in a notebook binding thing for the lulz. This was the icon I had the most fun making in a looooong time.

Anyways, the points I got were mostly either +3 (first priority loves) or -3 (first priority hates), so submitting such a grungey icon CAN result in ~~Switzerland~~ neutrality. It's not good to make an icon like this if you want to win, though, but whatever. D: So uh, people either HATED or LOVED the messiness and/or the unusual colours. What do you want me to do then?! I am at a loss. HOWEVER, I was pretty happy that people liked the strong composition overall, even if it was a bit too full. Also, I found this crit funny:

- "It feels horribly cluttered. The textures seem to fight with the image for the user's attention."

lol internal iconflicts?!?! *was shot*

Round 06: Bonus Round - How to Not Win an Icontest

Worst Colouring WINNER (2 points)
Worst Effects WINNER (3 points)
Worst Overall points: 10
Worst Text: 4 points
Worst Cropping: 1 point

When I first saw the Bonus Round theme, I thought I MUST BUTCHER TRC SAKURA, because I really dislike that useless girl. I'm sorry if this offends anyone who likes her, but I just can't stand her. ANYWAYS, when I first started working on this, I knew I had to use the texturizer and add in a fugly lens flare, so they were part of my grand plan right from the start. When I got into the heart of things, though, I was using everything photoshop had, and setting almost all the settings to maximum, resulting in ultimate fugly. Here were some of my terrific crits:

- "SHE IS GOING TO GREET ME, THEN EAT MY BRAINS. I lovingly call her Happy Zombie Sakura, mmyes."

- "You should be banned from using Photoshop/PSP ;__; What did your graphic program do to you? ;____;"

THIS COMMENT MADE ME CRY ;_;, but whatever. Nevertheless, this icon DOES NOT COMPARE to my next one, which was...

Worst Overall 1st Place (19 points)
Worst Cropping WINNER (9 points)
Worst Colouring WINNER (2 points)
Worst Effects WINNER (3 points)

I WON IN EVERY CATEGORY BUT 2 with this icon. I was sooooooo pround of it. :') But yeah, this icon is really bad. I didn't even save the .psd for it, and I save the .psd for EVERYTHING. D:

When I saw the theme, I just knew I had to butcher Kobato as well, because I didn't like the her either. :[ (I'm such a hater ;_;) I had no trouble finding the image, and when I did, I suddenly remembered that I can just bareeeely resize the thing, and thus this icon was born. I also wanted to try using those default pen tool frames for once, and wow, it turned out BEAUTIFULLY, didn't it! I love this icon so. Here were some of the lovely comments I got:

- "It's fugly ;_; I mean, what is the subject of the icon? Vomit? :o Vomit with pink text and a lens flare, omg. I can't find the right words to describe it ;_;"

- "I have no idea what's in there .-."

As they say... JUST AS PLANED.

Worst Overall 3rd Place (14 points)
Worst Cropping: 1 point
Worst Text: 1 point
Worst Effects: 1 point

This icon didn't do as well as the others, but it did make Hulk appear among the voters:

- "SYAORAN'S ANGRY? NOT AS ANGRY AS I AM. SMASH!!!!"

I thorougly enjoyed reading these crits. XD

Round 07 - The Power is Yours!
Rank 2

I didn't like this round as much, because the theme I was given was hard for me. Plus I always got owned for making dirty icons. ;_;

I was originally going to submit this icon, but it was too empty and I remembered afterwards that I wasn't allowed to put text on it. :[ Plus the colours weren't earthy enough anyways, so I gave up on it.

7 Negative points
7 Favourite points

I had absolutely no idea what kinda of image I should use for this theme, so I just settled on a cute Hibari picture and made it all sorts of earthy colours. I didn't colour in any part of the picture with a brush at all, so it saved me a lot of time, and was very fun. Umm, I don't have much else to say, so..on to my crits!!

Honestly, they surprised me a bit. I thought I would place last in the group, but I placed 3rd, much to my relief. However, I was a bit blah about one of the long crits I got complaining about everything. D: It's probably one of the harshest I've gotten, but I guess it's not actually that harsh, compared to other ones I've heard others getting. Here it is!

- "I like the concept, but I don't really care for the coloring job and can see visible pixellation in the image, which looks like a resizing issue. The spiral notebook binding at the top also appears to be a bit too photo-realistic to mesh with the rest of the icon. (If you colored that part as well, it looks really awesome! It just.. doesn't match, that's all.)

Aside from that, I don't quite see how the character fits the theme. I had to ask to figure out whether this icon was "earth" or "wind;" unless you're trying to portray Hibari as an earthquake, it doesn't quite make sense. And even if you were, Hibari is associated with "cloud," someone whose main character trait is being mercurial. While he is arguably a force of nature, I see portraying him as "earth," is anathema to his character. (But this is really about the coloring and resizing issues, when I first saw it, I went "...Hibari~!" at it. Then I went "Why does it look like Hibari's head is attatched to a sea turtle shell." It's not very tactful, but that's honestly what I thought. :|)"

Poor Hibari, being mentioned with sea turtles. ;_; Sorry! I thought the earth theme was pretty visible myself, because of all the brown. D: As for the other crits, everyone some really hated the notebook thing, and some didn't mind it too much. Also, there were a lot of contrasting opinions about the colouring, so I guess grunge is seriously a hit or miss. (But mostly miss. D:)

Round 08 - Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies
Rank 2

AHHHHHHHH Obligatory CLAMP icons will be the death of me. ;_; I didn't like this round at all, and I felt that the image I was given was WAY harder than that of my opponent's no matter how you looked at it. INJUSTICE. Oh well, I volunteered for this, so NO WHINING. Oh, and a warning to people with CRT monitors: REALLY FUGLY COLOURS AHEAD. (Or so one of my crits tell me)

->

Opponent: Kureha Fujishima
Result: Tie
11 individual votes
5 favourite points

First things first: I think that this is the most exhausting icon I have ever made or ever will make IN MY LIFE. It totally beats that Angelic Layer icon by a LONG mile. I had 12 versions prior to the final for this, and from start to finish took about 10 hours LITERALLY. Also, the final version had freaking 47 layers in total. YES, FORTY SEVEN. I basically forgot that iconing was a hobby when I had to make this. D:

So uh, for my first try, I knew that I would have trouble, but I didn't think I would have THAT much trouble. D: The first difficulty I encountered was in CROPPING of all freaking things. Usually images are easy to crop, but god, a hanging man sure is hard. I'll be staying away from those pictures from now on. Anyways, my first idea on how to crop it would be to resize it to a small size where the whole figure of kakyou could be seen, but I soon scrapped that because it was waaay too small to make out. I didn't even save a version for that. Then my next idea was to focus on the face, because the human face is something easy to point out. However, the position of Kakyou was far too weird, and could be easily mistaken for something else. I thought making it all sorts of colours would help make that easier, but I seriously SUCK at colouring CLAMP images.

For colouring, I was going to use my usual routine, and that is a bit of screen and soft light with some sharpness applied to the base. However, that seems to be way too crazy for this image (which is so white that more brightness means blinding everyone who sees it). So I did the exact reverse (multiply) and wow, I can actually see stuff now!! Too bad multiply makes his hair look really gross, so I had to "fix" that with textures. That didn't go over too well though, and resulted in the first piece of junk up there. How sad.

For my second attempt, I decided to rotate Kakyou so his face will be easier to distinguish even without my multiply layers, and decided to stop adding colours on him. But as usual, I was wrong about not needing Multiply, and used it anyways, so now he looks sorta unclean again. :(

I soon scrapped that and tried a third time. This time I decided to try the same vertical crop but with less purple and more orange in terms of colouring. I thought this would work because the yellow-ish colour of his hair would detract from the dirtiness, but he ended up looking too saturated and crazy instead. :[

After and hour and a half of playing with ver.3, I gave up again and started on ver.4. This time, I tried a crop that I saw another iconist used (but rotated), though I didn't think it would go over too well because he was too small and hard to distinguish. Plus he looks a bit awkward just floating like that. I tried working with colours again, and though these colours aren't too bad, the lines of the artwork were not dark enough to be traced at first glance. Looking back at this icon, though, I think the colours of this were most favourable out of the others thanks to its generally clean colouring. I regret not expanding on this icon more at the time, since it does have a lot of potential.

As for ver.5, I made only slight changes in cropping and colouring. For cropping, I excluded his hand from the picture, and directed all attention to his face. It kinda lacks a good focus, though, because it can lead to a weird composition after I add text on it. (Which I would add to the left-hand side, making both vying for attention) As for colouring, I thought I would have more varied colours, but they look kinda ugly, so I scrapped this too.

Then came ver.6. This was the crop I ended up using for the final version, and I actually liked this, though it took me a long time to decide on it. Too bad the colours look like shit, otherwise I wouldn't have to give up and start over again.

Good god, ver.7. I almost submitted this, because it was the farthest I've come to a complete icon at that moment, and I was beginning to feel pressed for time. Anyways, another face-centered crop but this time with shiny-ish colours. I would have liked this icon if the hair didn't look so dirty, but I really couldn't figure out why the hair looked like it did. WOE.

Version 8, now with a new crop! I was most satisfied with this before the final version, but the text was so lacking that I couldn't submit it. Oh, and I tried making Kakyou's face easier to distinguish from his hair by blacking out the mass of hair at the bottom. I felt very clever about doing this, but it's too bad I didn't utilize it in the final. Also, the image quality looked really bad here, and since I couldn't do anything about it, I was forced to give up again.

On to version 9! I think that I'll be lazy and say this was just me fooling around with version 6 and adding text and tiny text on it. Note that the colours still look like barf, so it's time for...

Version 10! I actually liked this version, because it was more creative than the other ones. I combined ver.8 with ver.9, so there's less empty space. I couldn't fit text in properly, though, so I had to scrap it yet again.

Phew, we're almost at the final product! But right now, version 11! I finally got less-fugly colouring, but that was because I spent a long and hard time getting it right. There are still a bit barf-coloured parts (notably on the end part of his bangs and the cropping hair), but I couldn't figure out how to fix that for the life of me. Anyways, I also finally found a caption (from the title of an arc in the Tsukihime game lol) to add that was long enough to fill up the space, but the colour had to be adjusted with more textures, and the changing fonts didn't come together smoothly. Therefore, I had to rearrange this, resulting in...

THE FINAL PRODUCT! Yay, we're finally here! This time, I put emphasis on "end" rather than "eternity", and changed the roman-styled font to a sans-serif ~~for massive damage~~. I laid low on the echoing of text in the background, and slapped on some tiny text, because otherwise it would seem incomplete. I also made the strings completely visible so that the viewer can tell that Kakyou is hanging on a string rather than just floating around. Oh, and I added in some subtle spiderweb textures to make the black seem less empty. Good god, what an annoying icon to make.

Finally, on to the crits I got. EVERYONE LIKED THE TYPOGRAPHY YAY. That was the part of the icon I liked best and worried about the 3rd most, so I'm glad people liked it. :D Someone even liked the cropping and the colouring! However, this crit made me cry a little bit ;_;

- "ON LCD MONITOR: I really like the colours and contrast used in this icon. The crop is good and supports this and at the same time gives you enough space for the text. Which doesn't look too bad either. Some parts of the icon do look a little "dirty", with greyish splotches (like on the neck) that seem out of place, as if the original image was dirty or something. His face is also a bit too yellow if you ask me.

ON CRT MONITOR: This icon has some of the UGLIEST colours EVER. I knew CRT monitors generally display colours more accurately than LCD ones, but I never imagined the difference could be so big. On this CRT monitor, there's purple and green ALL OVER the icon. The lower right part of his hair looks like it's puked on. You got my fav before, but after seeing how bad it looks like this, I just can't fav it.

I have no idea how to fix this problem, because it looks fine on the CRT monitor I have. D:

Round 09 - The Mirror
Rank 1

I thought this round would be a breeze, but I wasn't. Why am I always wrong..? :(

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1st; Most Original (12 points)
3rd; Best Overall (11 points)
4th; Best Colouring (3 points)
5th; Best Cropping (2 points)
3rd; Best Typography (3 points)

Although I loooved the image and have worked with it before, it was weirdly hard to colour and crop. The first three to four of the versions displayed up there was my playing around with cropping and colouring, and the fourth was me trying to expand a picture and failing again. D:

Then I got bored with playing about and started to actually work on the freaking icon!! :D

Anyways, the inspiration for the camera frame came from suddenly noticing one of the stock icons I had made by eternalphoenix_, so I went looking for camera pictures on google/stock exchange. Good god I had fun with this. Even though it was annoying having to extract the frame myself with the elliptical marquee tool, it was a very smooth process overall. ...Until I got to the text, that is. D: I used a caption I saw on another ARIA icon I've seen before (Don't kill me ahh!!), but it was really hard to fit in smoothly, even if I my favourite font ever (Libel Suit). After trying like a bazillion ways with the text (I even tried warping the text around the left end of the frame), I soon gave up, and went for a different frame I extracted for fun.

This frame was like, magical. I'm not kidding. Once I put the picture in, I just KNEW what I had to do to finish it. I put on some sky textures like I usually do, and WOW, it turned out like reflection on water instead. I was really surprised, but it was exactly what I was looking for. I also tried to make the icon look a bit like a stock icon as well, giving it some natural lighting (to look like there's shade above the setting), and some shine to the frame and make the picture's colours be subjected to similar colouring as the background. To finish off the image, I tried to give the picture some dimension by brushing in a light circle on the inner side of the frame, so it looks more like it's bevelled. Too bad nobody noticed this, but I think it really does make a difference in the end. As for the text...GOOD GOD I LOVE MY TEXT. I just knew I had to arrange it like so, because I wanted to let parts of the background show, and to make the text look more dynamic. I also like that I used a cursive font for "see", because it makes such a nice statement, and it just seriously goes with the whole icon's relaxing type of atmosphere. I do admit that I was a bit heavy on the tiny text (I can't help it! I love it ;_;), but I really don't think it matters that much. It's just a component to flush out the text and make it more full. All in all, I am COMPLETELY satisfied with this icon (and I really really rarely am), and I SERIOUSLY LOVE IT, though I really didn't think it was creative AT ALL.

Anyways, I'm surprised how well this icon did, because the icons I like usually fail. I have no taste, apparently. The icon got points in every category, and there were generally no outstanding complaints. However, there were a few, and one of them was about the colours being fugly on a CRT monitor. It looks fine on my CRT monitor, though, so I don't know how to change that. D: Other crits told me that the text was too large, and that there was too much tiny text.

Most people complimented the colours, the use of the frame, the composition, the creativity, and the typography. I found it funny that the people who voted this icon for Most Original thought I put it in a mirror, because that wasn't intentional at all. I thought it would be obvious it was a camera lens, but..I guess not! I'm really glad it turned out like that, though, because I loove seeing different interpretations of the same thing, positive or otherwise. I'm also glad that people found the caption fitting, as I did. Hurrah!

FINAL ROUND - Portfolio
Rank 4

Tied with luxrays (Luke Fone Fabre)
Total: 341 points
Trinities: 118 points
Three Best: 82 points
Three Worst: 141 points

I love portfolios, so I loved this theme. ...Well, maybe not the Free Choice part. I HATE FREE CHOICE WITH A PASSION YES I DO. I also really hated the "Points are discarded now" part, because I worked hard for those points, and I had a lot of them. ;_;!

->

Submitted under Provided Image

When I saw the image, I KNEW I wasn't going to touch the ASN one, and I KNEW I would icon Naoto, because she is one of the most ownsome characters in DOGS. Plus she's pretty.

Anyways, I had this lame idea to try and combine my two favourites (Naoto and Badou), and as you can see in the first version, it kinda failed, since it made Badou look somewhat like an old lady with shawl. I gave up on this quickly, because I don't like to waste time. (Lies)

Then I got into the heart of ~~the cards~~ iconing by focusing on and colouring Naoto. Wow did she turn out awesome. I used my usual methods, but she turned out SO CLEAN. I was really proud of these colours, and I liked the sky texture I used for the background. Except...I didn't know wtf to do after I coloured it. D: Then randomly I had this idea of duplicating the image and using her outline to make some sort of creepy human frame. D: I thought it was clever, but I also thought it was way too weird for the audience, so I didn't submit it. I personally liked it, though, so I was sad it wouldn't appeal to the masses.

Since weirdness does not go over well in LIMS, I tried a more conservative approach. My motto for first and last rounds is, after all, "Keep it conservative, guys!". I used a texture on the bottom (because it was empty), and tried to put text on it, but failed. I don't know why, but putting text on a horizontal line is very..hard. I got really frustrated with the text, so I went on to make a new version with different cropping.

I basically just copied the other version in terms of colouring method for this, but it turned out a lot better than the other one, and I was pretty shocked at the fact. I was also surprised that I was at a loss when I tried to think of a caption for this, and so I was a bit scared. There's really nothing special about this version, because it was an attempt at creating a boring icon much like my Chrno Crusade one. (Round 4)

My final version was the same as the previous one but with a new caption (from a Nelly Furtado song yay!), a different font, some more highlights and colour changes in the image, and MORE MORE MORE tiny text. I love tiny text, but you already knew that.

The crits I got for this icon was that many liked the colouring and the typography in general, but most questioned the need for tiny text, and didn't really like the larger text because of how it doesn't blend in with the rest of the icon, and because of how large and how much of it there was.

Submitted under Provided Resources

At first, I was really happy about getting such beautiful resources to work with, but that happiness soon faded when I couldn't think of an image to use. I had to browse through my pictures for about half an hour or so before I settled on good old Basil from Katekyo Hitman Reborn!.

Luckily, the hardest part was soon over, and the making of this was a breeze. Even I was surprised at how smooth it went. Since the image was high-res and beautiful, colouring it was absolutely no problem at all. After doing that, I just slapped on some text and textures, and called it a day. There is something special about this icon, though, and that is the lack of in-your-face text. It has been a long time since I've slapped on text like this, and I thought it fit perfectly for once, given the evasive feel of the caption and image.

As for the crits, many either loved or hated this icon. Most thought the lack of special typography made it a bit lacking, the use of tiny text was unnecessary, and didn't think the use of green was good. However, some were really drawn to the second icon, so..I don't know what to make of this!

An icon I was debating on whether to include into the set or not for the Free Choice theme. I actually worked really hard on this, and I was quite pleased with the result, considering the hard time I had trying to make this. However, I felt that it was far too grungy, and from my past experiences, I knew that the voters did NOT dig the grunge. Therefore, I opted for the other icon I made instead. (Shown below)

Submitted under Free Choice

Ahh, back to my Kozue Amano roots (sorta). I actually started on this icon before the one above, but I wasn't liking the colouring I had at the time, so I gave up on it to start on the other one. However, since the other turned out to be grungey, I had to finish this one instead. (I had no other ideas for images to icon anyways)

So uh, this icon wasn't too hard to make, but bringing out the blue of the icon was a bit hard. I had to use a few different textures, and I had to moderate it so it doesn't overshadow the focus of the whole thing. It came out pretty nicely, though, so I'm happy about that. There's, again, nothing really special about this icon, except that the caption was supposed to be "marina" (but it was too short), I coloured her jacket blue to fit the "brilliant blue" caption, and actually used borders for the first time in...god knows how many months. Oh, and I used my favourite font for my grand finale - Libel Suit. I love that font almost as much as tiny text. :']

On to the crits! Many people complimented this icon, and said it really caught their eye with the nice blue colours. Some also said the spacing for the text was weird, but I think it looks alright.

For the whole set, some felt that text on the icons were not needed at all, others just thought that the text for 1+3 were far too large. Also, some thought the crops were boring and uninspired. Overall, thought, people were impressed with typography, colouring, and composition.

Things I Learned

- Lay low on light textures (Prelims)
- Nice colours does not make up for clutter (Prelims)
- Clean icons are well received (Round 1)
- Blatantly relevant captions are best (Round 2)
- Stay away from grunge (Round 3)
- Coloured text and bold colours can draw good attention (Round 4)
- Busy, grungy icons can be hits or misses (Round 6)
- Addition of a notebook spiral can be a hit or a miss (Round 7)
- Notebook spirals can take attention away from an image. (Round 7)
- Notebook spirals should not be used with manga because it is too photo-realistic (Round 7)
- Dark icons are generally not well received (Round 7)
- Great typography may or may not make up for lack of vibrant colours (Round 8)
- Huge layering of textures may result in barf on CRT monitors. (Round 7)
- Camera lenses may be used as a frame to expand on. (Round 9)
- Large, unaligned text is generally not well received. (Round 9)
- Conservativeness works in final rounds as well. (Final round)
- Clean, pure colours may or may not make up for a boring crop. (Final round)
- White text should not be too white if used on an icon with a generally dark colour scheme. (Final round)
- Use tiny text in moderation. (Final round)

Final Thoughts

Well, it's finally over! The 11-week craze that is manga_battle Challenge 1 has come to an end. I felt that I learned a LOT through this experience and have come up with new things to work with and expand on. The style of my icons has gone from absolutely no distinctive style, to something that may be recognized as "kanrinin's icons". I had a great and truly unique experience overall, despite feeling some stress at times, and will surely be back for future Challenges.

A huge thanks to my fellow contestants, who provided such tough competition that I had to give my all every round, and an EVEN LARGER thanks for the moderators, neonclover & fearthechopstic, and their unwavering dedication. It's amazing that you guys were able to mod this huge contest starting from scratch and finish the challenge off on such a high note.

Until next challenge,
kanrinin

P.S. This took me about 6 hours to write, so if you read all that, you deserve a prize! Comment here with a manga image and I'll make you an icon! :D If you were a contestant or a mod from Challenge 1, you are eligible for 2 icons! Let the iconmaking begin once again!

animanga_lims Round 2 Commentary

kanrinin — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:28:57 GMT

So here's a commentary of my animanga_lims experience. I looked forward to writing this, but I was caught up with other LIMS at the time, so I sorta forgot. Plus I was a bit lazy...Original idea (c) whiteplums @ loveburnt!

1	2	3	4	5

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Challenge 1 - BLEACH (manga)

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0 Vote-offs
0 Favourites

Upon seeing the theme, I was like BLEACH OH GOD NO WHY, because I really didn't like the series, and the image didn't appeal to me either, so I kinda died a little inside. Then I got over it and decided to make a really boring, hard-to-notice, and conservative icon. My motto for first rounds is "Keep it conservative, guys!", because standing out too much will seriously kill you. Anyways, this icon was hard to make, since I debated a lot between which characters to use. I was going to use Ichigo at first, but I thought his expression looked really ugly, so I went for Hitsugaya.

No crits, no faves, nothing to complain or be happy about!

Challenge 2 - Angelic Layer (anime)

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0 Vote-offs
5 Favourites
nyaabo's Moderator's Choice

When I first saw the theme + images, I was PUMPED, because I liked Angelic Layer, so I thought I would have no trouble iconing it despite seeing all those comments about how the image was pretty hard to work with. Then I set to work in Photoshop, and I began to have trouble cropping and choosing a focus. Since the two humans (Misaki and her mom) were hard to crop in that they were glued to one side of the picture, the only avaliable candidates left were the angels (Athena and Hikaru). The only problem was that they had a billion pieces of text on them, so I figured I would have put them in a frame somehow to avoid the need for editing.

My first attempt was by using Athena's part of the picture, but it really didn't turn out too well. I think that the lack of visible pupils and a weird creamy colour for hair made her hard to distinguish on the small canvas of 100x100, and also hard to enhance the colour on. Also, I was only limited to using some part of the picture because of all the text, making the central point small and blah.

For my second attempt, I totally gave up on Athena, and the only character left to icon was Hikaru. I think she was the easiest anyways, since there were nice, vibrant reds that I could enhance. The cropping was, again, hard because of all the text. My second idea on how to cover unwanted spots would be by brushing some black onto the places I wanted to cover, but that overpowered the image too much, so I scrapped that too. Plus for some reason it was hard to focus on Hikaru's face.

So, time for a 3rd attempt, and by this time I was getting more annoyed at the image. Then all of a sudden I had a revelation! The exact reason as to why she was so hard to make a focus out of was because of the white at the top of her hair! After I figured this out and coloured the hair, the work became a lot easier, and I had a more enjoyable time. Even so, it wasn't easy, and it took a lot of different textures to get the colouring I wanted. After doing all that and covering the unwanted parts, I still felt that the icon needed a lot of work, and was seriously not good enough to be submitted.

..And then for a 4th attempt. I was in my "think inside the box" mode, and had the idea to resize the whole base and put it into a new canvas, expanding on the icon. This time I sorta copied an icon I submitted for asianlims, but was still feeling a bit iffy about it, since it looked a bit messy, and unclear. I was on the verge of submitting it (or did I actually submit? I can't remember), but I still felt that it wasn't good enough.

Then came the 5th and final attempt. I was somehow totally refreshed this day, and while looking for textures to abuse, I came across one of the polaroid masks by 77words. I thought, AWESOME, I should totally inverse it and use this to block out the text on the image, and so I did. I duplicated the coloured base from Attempt3 a few times, enhanced colours EVEN MORE, and did some magic to make Hikaru look smoother and in-motion. Then I adding finishing touches and called it a day. PHEW what an icon to make. I think the final version, counting all the layers used to adjust+enhance colours, had a total of 28 layers or so. That's a lot for a 100x100 icon. D:

As for the crits I got, I was pretty happy I got no vote-offs AND an MC. A few of the crits said the colouring and overall appearance was simple, and I found that funny, because it was far from what it actually was. I'm really glad that it doesn't look forced though, because adding so much stuff can make things look complicated.

Challenge 3 - Peacemaker Kurogane (manga)

1 Vote-off
0 Favourites

A very lazy icon. When I first saw the image, I knew that I could leave it until the last minute, and I did. I basically just copied one of the icons I made for another LIMS, and left it at that. I had fun making it though, because the colours were easy to enhance, and all I had to do was expand on it. The end result was really unspectacular, though, and I hate how the white parts of the image stand out so much. Oh well.

As for the crit I got..I completely agree.

Challenge 4 - Wolf's Rain (anime)

->

2 Vote-offs
4 favourites
nyaabo's Moderator's Choice

What is it with these anime themes?! They're all from anime I know and love! Anyways, I was psyched about iconing this series, because 1) OMG WOLF'S RAIN LHJAJ;;KA; and 2) OMG SO MANY COLOURS. I started iconing as soon as I saw the theme, and I chose the first image (whoever that is. I've only watched the first 3 episodes, so I don't know) because the 2nd one was ugly to me, and the 3rd one was bound to be iconed by everyone and their cousins. Anyways, I got to work, and colouring was super easy. The trouble, though, was that it was hard to make it really unique, and I really didn't know what to do once I was done colouring. So I resize the picture and set it on a new canvas again, but the huge black space was hard to work with, so I scrapped that.

As for my second attempt, cropping and general colouring was easy, but the acidic green everywhere blinded me a bit, so I just monochromed it and picked one of my favourite colours to work with - red. I copied myself with the text, and voila, I had an icon I really really liked. I even thought it would pwn the competition because I was oh-so-creative in making it red instead of green/blue, but of course, I'm always wrong, so none of that for me. There was still a slight boost in ego for me though, because nyaabo MC'd me yet again, much to my joy.

Oh, and for the vote-off comments I got...I was wounded. I thought I did good with the light textures (for once), and that the red DID NOT overpower everything. I loved my favourite comments, though, so it's all good. :D

Challenge 5 - DOGS (manga)

1 Vote-off
0 Favourites
adaneko's Moderator's Choice

Ohh, this week was ~~horrible~~ fun! I had to ask for the theme earlier because exams were coming up, so I was sorta panicking about both things. I wanted to survive both! Anyways, when I saw the theme, I kinda cried a little inside, because manga colouring is my second largest iconing weakness, after CLAMP images. But since I liked DOGS after seeing all those cool icons out there, I got over it and started iconing.

My first attempt was at iconing Naoto (Not the picture I used for the final). The final result of this was so horrible that I don't even want to comment on it too much in fear of people imagining too much. Let's just say the icon turned out looking a bit like grey barf. :(

Since my first attempt failed so much, I was panicking about whether or not I would be able to icon it at all, what with the tight schedule and whatever. Luckily, I got bored with studying one day and started looking at other peoples' icons, and found out that one did NOT have to colour manga! Just use grunge! This inspired me so much that icon making was not a problem anymore, and I finished it somewhat quickly. I was pretty proud of my result, and was happy that I got to use a magazine-like layout for the icon. I looove magazine layouts. They're so awesome!

Anyways, I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH MY BRIEF CRIT. I thought the text size was just right, and that it made a statement without being too overpowering. Plus I thought the outlines of Naoto and Noki were dark enough that they could still be seen.

Challenge 6 - Howl's Moving Castle (anime)

->

4 Vote-offs
4 Favourites

When I first saw the images for this theme, I thought I would take the picture of Sophie+Howl and turn it into something out of an old story book, with gothic-style fonts and an elaborate frame. I tried doing that in my first attempy, but I couldn't even colour the image nicely because of all the brown, so I just scrapped it.

For my second try, I used the other image and figured it would be really easy to colour, because my favourite thing to colour is the sky. I was right, it was very easy (I just employed stock icon techniques), but it made everything look really dark, so I had to change the whole mood of the icon. When I got past the colouring and cropping, I only had the text left to do, and wow did I have trouble with that. I thought a cursive font would go well with an idyllic-ish image like this, but it was really hard to fit in, so I went and looked at some of my favourite iconists' work, and learnt that Century Gothic is THE all-purpose font. Much to my joy, it worked really well, and was very easy to fit in, thus my icon was completed.

As for my crits, I really like the long one I got. It was seriously AMAZING. Whoever wrote it deserves a star. I think I'll share it:

"I love the balance of light and dark in this icon. It simulates dusk, the way the bright orange near Sophie's face moves onto a darker shade on the left. The way the font is varied, yet is not overly flashy--it still remains a sans-serif--is very subtle yet it fits. I've said this in previous preferences but I'll say it again: I love how it simulates old film quality. Also, the different transparencies of the text--nevermind if it's not readable--don't make it seem stationary, it looks like it's moving. I like that. I like it when icons---which are stationary media for the most part, .gifs not withstanding--can trick the eye into movement using simple but cleverly-placed tricks."

For my other crits, though, I found that many people didn't like the contrasting/overly saturated colours, but most liked the text, which I was happy about.

Challenge 7 - Katekyo Hitman Reborn! (manga)

->

11 Vote-offs
1 Favourite
Mutual Moderator's Choice

First off, I liked this icon. I thought I would get complaints about the yellow, but not THAT many complaints. D: I'm never going near yellow ever again.

Anyways, I worked really hard on this icon (it took me about 3 hours in total), because I thought Hibari looked cool, and that he was somewhat hard to crop compared to someone like Gokudera or Chrome. I also thought that having him fade-to-black was pretty creative, and that the large text made a great statement. Also, I thought that even if the colours of the image weren't too appealing, my text would still redeem it, since I honestly thought that the typography on most of the other icons was lacking. Of course, I'm wrong as usual and wow, people really hate yellow.

Looking back at the older versions, I should've taken ver.1, added in a fading border, and called it a day, because that icon didn't have that much yellow, and was pretty clear. It's too bad that I was going for a "submerged" sort of feel when I made the icon (to fit the stormy caption), resulting in my demise.

For my crits, most complained about the yellow face, the blurred border, the blue on his face, the mass of text, and the textures, but most of these things were intentional, and I thought they looked okay. The point I was most iffy about was the blue on his face. I really did that on purpose because I wanted to make it seem like the text was behind and shining on him. D: That really didn't go over too well, though, so no more of that.

Things I learned

- Neutralness works (Challenge 1)
- Rich colours work (Challenge 2)
- B+W manga does not always have to be coloured (Challenge 5)
- Crazy contrast does not work (Challenge 6)
- No overly bright text (Challenge 7)
- No overly large text (Challenge 7)
- STAY AWAY FROM YELLOW (Challenge 7)

Anyways, that was my first animanga_lims experience! I had quite a lot of fun, and finished at 25th out of 127. That's not too bad, but I do hope that I'll do better next round!

Odin Sphere for Obscure Random Fandom Challenge

kanrinin — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:39:42 GMT

This post is long overdue. D: Pardon me for the lateness and the green text on the banner as well as for its size. I sincerly hope that it doesn't slaughter anyone's layouts.

15] Odin Sphere

Promotional Blurb
Media: Videogame; Playstation 2
Genre: Fantasy, action
Release: First released in Japan on May 17th, 2007. Localized release in North America on May 22nd 2007.
Where to buy: Electronic Boutique, Play-Asia
Summary: Odin Sphere's story is focused on the perspectives of 5 different people in the fantasy world of Erion. Each character is part of a warring, and the stories interconnect with each other as the game progresses. The cause of this war is because Ragnanival, the realm of the Demon Lord Odin, has invaded the forested realm of Ringford, home of Elfaria and her fairy subjects, and thus conflict begins.
Extras: Artbook download (high-res; from Majoria's News)

The icons

1: Chapter One	2: OTP	3: Hush	4: Climax	5: Action

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

Featured Characters:
[1 - Griselda + Gwendolyn]; [2 - Velvet + Cornelius]; [3 - Gwendolyn]; [4 - Oswald + Gwendolyn]; [5 - Oswald]; [6 - Mercedes]; [7 - Gwendolyn]; [8 - Griselda + Gwendolyn]; [9 - Velvet]; [10 - Yngwie]; [11 - Gwendolyn]; [12 - Oswald]; [13 - Gwendolyn]; [14 - Gwendolyn]; [15 - Cornelius]

Alternatives

8a	10a

Icon Tutorial 1: Rico from Gunslinger Girl "This is the end"

kanrinin — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:18:34 GMT

Wow, 2 posts in one day. I must be really bored. So anyways, this is my first attempt at a tutorial. I hope it's helpful..!

Note: This tutorial is meant to be a reference only, and was based on Photoshop 7.0 and higher. Possibly translatable to other programs. Do not follow exactly.

Step 1 - Cropping
Crop your desired image. This wallpaper was from an official site, and it doesn't look like any image manipulation has been done, so it seemed okay to use.

So here is the base:

Step 2 - Base image colouring
Since the base image makes Rico look a bit faint and wishy-washy, let's enhance the colours by duplicating the image a few times and setting each layer on different blend modes.

Layer 1 ~ Base; Normal 100%:

Here is your base layer. Don't do anything to it.

Layer 2 ~ Copy 1; Screen 100%:

The original was wavering between light and dark, so we should direct the brightness to the light side first. Adjust opacity as you see fit.

Layer 3 ~ Copy 2; Hard Light 100%:

Now we direct the brightness to dark, enhancing all the dark colours of the image. Adjust opacity as you see fit.

Layer 4 ~ Copy 3; Multiply 100%:

Time to balance everything out! This darkens everything and enhances all the colours in the image. Adjust opacity as you see fit. Do NOT set on Screen no matter what image you're using.

Step 3 - Addition of textures
So after all that clone-making, it's time to add textures! Here's what the icon looks like after Step 2.

It's very plain, so we must put something in it so it looks less pointless. The textures will go in between different layers, so pay attention to what goes where!

Texture 1 ~ On top of Copy 1; Darken 100%:
~>
On the left is our lovely texture, made by kanrinin (me). On the right is what the icon looks like after this. I set this on Darken to make Rico's hair darker, and to make her figure sorta fade to black because it looks cool.

Texture 2 ~ On top of Copy 3; Screen 87%:
~>
On the left is yet another lovely texture, made by myrasis. For this particular icon, I changed the hue of the texture to red, because I wanted red as my dominant colour in the icon. Adjust colour (ctrl+u) and opacity as you see fit. Erase any parts you don't want the texture to cover. I erased the part that covered up the front of the gun.

Texture 3 ~ On top of Texture 2; Lighten 100%
~>
Yet another texture made by kanrinin. This time I flipped it vertically and moved it a bit to the right so it's not on Rico's head. This was basically added because it looks sorta cool. The product is on the left. Remember to adjust opacity if needed.

Step 4 - Text
So right now, the icon looks sorta complete, but sorta not. Therefore it is time to add text. If you have trouble thinking of a caption, just add tiny text and flee. But since I love thinking of captions, I'll be putting readable text on here. This is what I have so far:

Text 1 "THIS IS" ~ On top of Copy 3; Normal 100%

Font style: Ultra Condensed Sans Serif
Font size: 12 pt (Resolution of image is 72)
Spacing/Kerning: 50
Anti-alias: Crisp
Other: Faux Bold

Text 2 "THE END" ~ On top of Copy 3; Normal 100%

Font style: Ultra Condensed Sans Serif
Font size: 22 pt (Resolution of image: 72)
Spacing/Kerning: 10
Anti-alias: Crisp
Other: Faux Bold

I also changed the settings in Layer -> Layer Style as follows:

Gradient Overlay
Blend Mode: Normal
Opacity: 100%
Gradient: Default B&W with custom opacity settings
Angle: 90 degrees

I chose the font style based on how "emotionless" the theme is. Since Rico is basically a killing machine, I thought that a default-ish/professional font style might help enhance the theme and make a statement.

Arrange the text as you like, but if you have a long caption, I suggest breaking it into parts and with varying font sizes, so the whole caption would seem sorta dynamic. Oh, and placing it close to the subject in the picture can make the text look more uniform and less random. Make sure you have enough space, though, or the icon will look very cramped. Note: This tip does not apply for all images.

"THE END" is emphasized because that's the statement I sorta wanted to make. The gradient was added to help add to the fade to black effect that was also used on the image.

Text 3 Tiny Text ~ On top of Texture 2; Normal 100%

I actually typed this out myself, because I forgot about the existence of tiny text brushes at the time. Here are the settings:

Font style: Eurostile
Font size: 2 pt (Resolution of image: 72)
Spacing/Kerning: 1000
Anti-alias: Crisp

Tiny text is added because I love it. Plus it makes it seem like there's more to the icon than just the main statement. It basically complements the rest of the caption.

Here's what the icon looks like after adding text:

Step 5 - Finishing Touches
Well, the icon is basically finished, but to me at the time, it needed more emphasis on somewhat critical points. Therefore, I decided to add tiny red blobs ~~of doom~~ to stress key points of the icon. You can skip this part if you really hate shining blobs.

Brush 1 on text ~ On top of Text 1 "THE END"; Screen 81%; #F60C07; Default Feathered Brush 21px

The text seemed sorta empty to me, and since the texture didn't reach that part, I decided to add these blobs. Remember to choose really light, saturated colours near the top right of the colour picker! Adjust opacity and hue as you see fit.

Brush 2 on gun ~ On top of Text 3 Tiny Text; Screen 80%; #F60C07; Default Feathered Brush 27px

Emphasis on the front of the gun was needed to tell people that Rico can and will shoot you. ~~lol yeah right~~

Step 6 - Enjoy!
Here's our final product.

I hope you had fun making it, and that you learned something new. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, please tell me! I love getting feedback.

60 Eyeshield 21 Bases

kanrinin — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:59:57 GMT

Here are more bases, because I like making them for every awesome manga I read. Again, credit is optional, but don't claim these as your work! I also greatly appreciate comments and suggestions.

1] Akaba
26] Hiruma
3] Kakei
1] Komusubi
3] Kurita
20] Sena
2] Shin
3] Suzuna
1] Zokuto Manager

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

16	17	18	19	20

21	22	23	24	25

26	27	28	29	30

31	32	33	34	35

36	37	38	39	40

41	42	43	44	45

46	47	48	49	50

51	52	53	54	55

56	57	58	59	60

Love them all? Download the entire set!

> No hotlinking!
> Modify away! These are bases, after all. :D
> Do not claim as your work!
> Credit is optional.
> Comments are loved
> Like what you see? Friend this journal for updates and/or affiliate! :D

22 Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Bases

kanrinin — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 04:05:08 GMT

I'M ON A ROLL!! Bases are really fun to make so I couldn't stop. These bases include characters who are NOT Hibari Kyoya. If you're looking for bases of him, check out this post. These bases might not be as nice than the Hibari ones, but that's only because I only have enough patience to edit Hibari's pics. Hahaha. Excuse me if these are less 1337. Oh, and pardon the rainbow text on the banner~

Anyways, credit is optional, but don't claim these as your work! And don't forget that I LOVE COMMENTS!

2] Belphegor
4] Dino
2] Futa
1] Gokudera
10] Mukuro
1] Tsuna
2] Yamamoto

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

16	17	18	19	20

21	22

Love all of these? Download the set!

I don't have any sample icons this time, but if you make an icon using one of these, please submit it here, and I'll add it to the post! :D~

30 Hibari Kyoya Bases

kanrinin — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:40:27 GMT

Because this guy is my favourite character from Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, I have gone on a base making spree. Plus this ~~character~~ series needs more more more love, so get to iconing these!! Credit is optional, but don't claim these as your work! Oh, and I LOVE comments.

30] Hibari Kyoya Bases

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

16	17	18	19	20

21	22	23	24	25

26	27	28	29	30

Love all of these? Download the entire set! (It includes a bonus base!)

Two sample icons

By chopstickicons	By kanrinin

Animanga Iconist Awards Voting

kanrinin — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:24:55 GMT

Exercise your right to vote . . . again!

kanrinin — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 06:09:31 GMT

Since I didn't advertise this last year...

Vote vote vote!

Texture Sets III & IV

kanrinin — Mon, 28 May 2007 02:44:14 GMT

Part 2 of textures I've made a long time ago. :D;;

« Download »
10 100x100 textures.

« Download »
16 100x100 textures and 4 large textures.

> Please do not claim as your own work~
> Credit is optional.
> Please comment if taking! :D
> Like what you see? Then friend this journal for updates!

Icon Post X

kanrinin — Wed, 23 May 2007 03:55:21 GMT

Omg, 3 posts in one month...:( But I just cannot resist posting anymore! T__T Anyways, here's what's featured:

Manga/Novel
2] Air Gear
5] ARIA
3] Miscellaneous
-- GARASU no Kamen
-- Kino no Tabi (Novel)
-- Rozen Maiden

Videogames
2] Ys
2] Resident Evil 4
3] Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
9] Miscellaneous (1 icon per series)
-- Atelier Lise
-- Baten Kaitos
-- Farland Symphony
-- Grandia II
-- Hotel Dusk: Room 215
-- Super Smash Brothers Brawl
-- Wii Manual
-- Xenosaga II

Pokemon
10] Official TCG

Miscellaneous
1] Amsterdam, Holland
1] Heroes
3] Mini Cooper

Total: 40

Teaser:

Manga/Novel

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

Videogames

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

Pokemon

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

Miscellaneous

1	2	3	4	5

> No hotlinking!
> No modifying!
> Do not claim as your work!
> Credit is optional. :]
> Comments are loved ♥
> Resources are here
> Like what you see? Friend this journal for updates and/or affiliate! :D

Icon Post IX - Lee Jun Ki

kanrinin — Sun, 20 May 2007 23:38:18 GMT

Uh oh, 2 posts in one month again. XD Anyways, here are the icons. They lack consistency in style, as always. ;_;

20] Lee Jun Ki

Teasers:

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

16	17	18	19	20

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

16	17	18	19	20

21	22	23	24	25

26	27	28	29	30

31	32	33	34	35

36	37	38	39	40

41	42	43	44	45

46	47	48	49	50

51	52	53	54	55

56	57	58	59	60

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

16	17	18	19	20

21	22	23	24	25

26	27	28	29	30

31	32	33	34	35

36	37	38	39	40

41	42	43	44	45

46	47	48	49	50

51	52	53	54	55

56	57	58	59	60

1	2	3	4	5

6	7	8	9	10

11	12	13	14	15

16	17	18	19	20

21	22	23	24	25

26	27	28	29	30

31	32	33	34	35

36	37	38	39	40

41	42	43	44	45

46	47	48	49	50

51	52	53	54	55

56	57	58	59	60