Project Icon

Round One - Challenge Eight - Results

2007-01-07T18:35:46Z

I am a horrible person for posting this so late (rusalkatrix was totally on time, just so you all know), but I wanted to do this final round justice in my critiques and I've been crazy busy. But my tardiness seems to have brought all our voters out of the woodwork, so I'm happy for that. ^.~

Congratulations to the first winners of project_icon! Everyone who participated did a truly wonderful job, and it's been a lot of fun for us to see how you all respond to the challenges and help each other. A round of applause to everyone!

Winners were chosen for this final round on the strength of their entries as a set, as well as individual icons.

OVERALL WINNER: hocus

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: anniereckless

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: snm_queen

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: hocus - tie

COMMENTARY:

snm_queen: GUNSHOU SAYS: This set is adorable, and I really love the use of rounded edges to compliment the round face of the manga character, echoed in the round emote button in 1b and the rounded speech bubble in 1e. The flipping channels in 1a, complete with channel numbers, is a stunning testament to your patience and skill with animation. 1b's split-frame and texture use is fantastic, with a great use of contrast in the black lines to draw the gaze to the character's welling eyes. And the silly and sweet charm of 1e is accented by the watercolor shades and pencil strokes. But the light textures in 1a and 1d overwhelm too much of the image. In 1a, that blur in the bottom right catches my attention and detracts from the oh-so-nifty animation. In 1d, the falling snow makes the image "alive", and so the blue light bubbles look to me like the landing beams of a UFO hovering over her poor head. 1c has lovely vibrant coloring, but I have no idea what's going on in the image (although now that I've read Trixi's commentary, I think the parallelism is a really neat idea). Perhaps setting the character/woman closer together would help - my brain sees the green between them as the image and their figures as the field, and it's hard for me to reverse it.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This set is extremely cute overall. The rounded rectangle borders complement the round face/round eyes of the little girl, maintaining the softness of the set; the circles (1b, 1d) work toward that as well. I like the subtle animation effects, especially in the hush icon (the channel-changing animation is really clever & cute). The images in the b&w icon are well chosen--the black & white brings the emotion to the forefront, and the emoticon is a great detail: it's meaningful, and it also balances the icon. The cheerfulness in 1e is contagious. ^^ My criticisms for the set involve the light-texture blurriness in 1a, and the difficult-to-discern "real person" in 1c. I love the clean, crisp lines of the manga art, but the blurriness takes away from that. In the real person icon, it took me a while to figure out that the woman is holding an umbrella (just like the manga character), and her face is covered--at first I thought it was someone crouching in a garden, with a brown scarf over her head. I love the idea of the mix (manga girl and real person mirror each other), but the effect is lost if we don't know what we're looking at. The bright colors on the top and bottom of the icon are visually appealing, but run the risk of overwhelming the main image & adding to the confusion.

hocus: GUNSHOU SAYS: This set feels the most cohesive to me, with the combination of colors, light washes, black contrast, and blindness. Even as they are arranged on the webpage, they compliment each other: the black space in 2a edges into 2b, the texture of 2b is hinted at by the crop in 2c, the lights in 2c flow into 2d, and the black bar in 2d is repeated in 2e. I love each icon individually as well, and the creative blocking of each subject's eyes creates a somber sense of mystery. The angle of 2a's border nicely balances the angle of the crop, and tilted just enough to not be stark as a vertical line. 2b is complicated, and could perhaps use more contrast on the camera so I know what I'm looking at, but the inner border works really well to bound the camera's boxy angles and draw focus. I was so distracted by the lovely crimson in 2c that I totally missed all the scary shit in that person's lip. The black bar over someone's eyes is a chancy technique, but it works to fantastic effect in 2d, perhaps because the bar crosses nearly the whole icon, almost as a divided image border. The crop in 2d is arresting - the character reaches out blindly, and with his eyes hidden, he looks terribly apprehensive about it. I know you were worried about 2e, but I think this is a great icon. The muted colors make the red warm and comforting in the blanket, and while she's naked and vulnerable beneath, her red lips belie the uncertainty of her pose. I'm not so thrilled with the text, although I agree that something needs to be there, and I like how the black bar accents her hair.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The use of vibrant colors, black accents, and high contrast (as well as the "sightless" theme) really ties this set together. Even though the subjects differ (videogame art, manga art, real person), when my eyes skim all five from left to right, it's clear that they belong together. There also seems to be a theme of melancholy or yearning running through the set: the sightlessness somehow makes each character/figure incomplete, or damaged--like they've lost something. I don't know that I'd look at it that way if I saw these icons individually, but taken together, I'm very struck by that, and it makes me look at each one a little longer than I might normally. I like the odd mix of blindness & sight in the b&w icon--we can't see the figure's eyes, they're hidden from us, but we can't hide from his camera. 2c is extremely disturbing (ack! Painful!), but the subject matter & the vibrant reds make it one of the most compelling icons in the set. 2d is disturbing too, but subtly--at least, if I'm seeing it right. It looks like the character is reaching for something, but because his vision is blotted out, he can't possibly know what he's going to get. I love the red lips & the pose in the final icon, and the way the text brings out how they're at odds with each other. The figure is hiding herself (both with the blanket & because we can't see her eyes), but there's an undercurrent of longing, too--she doesn't want to hide and be alone. If she did, she wouldn't have bothered with that lipstick. ^.~

anniereckless: GUNSHOU SAYS: There are lovely icons in this set, but they all seem somehow lifeless, with little of the magic that made the movies such gorgeous productions. The dying autumn colors of Rivendell are enhanced quite prettily in 3a, although Frodo is nearly lost in the image. 3b seems very flat to me, without enough contrast to make his frightened face interesting. I like 3c very much, with the soft white on the left providing that bit of uncertain haziness as Sam ventures further out of the Shire than he's ever gone. The colors in this icon are beautifully enhanced, with the green corn a great contrast to his bright hair and drab hobbit clothes. While I love the crop for 3d, and Gollum's pitiful expression is made even more heart-wrenching by that big blue eye in all that grey/white, the text actually makes my eyes hurt trying to focus. The white wash on the left also looks half-hearted - full opacity may have been more effective here. 3e is pretty, and I really like the crop, but the fairy-lights are a little distracting over the woods. They look better as they lay over the boat and top of the image, but the two closest to Frodo's face seem too bold for the icon.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I love that you managed to make all the restrictions work with such an inclusive theme, due to the mix of real & animated characters in the movie. ^^ The icons with the most impact are the close crops (3b, 3d), IMO. The expressions are well chosen and interesting--both convey strong emotions, and help the viewer to connect with them. I especially like the silvery tone in the b&w icon--it reminds me of a technique used to print photographs. (I can't think of the name of it just now.) A few criticisms: I like the distant crop of the hush icon, but my eye doesn't know where to rest; neither the figure nor the house really command my attention. I think it would work better if one or the other stood out as the dominant image. I like the caption in 3d (his eyes are so sad!), but the font seems a little too hard-edged for the emotion. Lastly, I'm not sure the dotted light textures work on the object icon. If there's something magical about the boat he's rowing or the lake he's rowing across (I haven't seen the movie, so I don't know), then the light textures work. If not, they seem (to me, anyway) a bit tacked on. A less "pretty" light texture--waves or blurred streaks instead of dots, colors that aren't pastel--might integrate better with the image.

OVERALL WINNER: irisxchan

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: dagas_isa

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: irisxchan

COMMENTARY:

irisxchan: GUNSHOU SAYS: A cute theme, done very well. I love 4a, with the shadows muting the bold balloon colors and matching the couple's pensive expressions. 4b is like a poster my ex-roommate had in our dorm in college - one of those noir French prints. My old eyes aren't good enough to read the text, and I like the way it fills the space at the bottom to prevent the head-cutting crop from looking like a mistake. A touch more contrast might help the image, though, and bring more attention to the whites of the couple's shirts to provide a better focus for the eye. 4c is lovely, from the sweetness of the image, to the gently enhanced colors, to the cute text accented with a bit of color in the box, to the light texture to provide a bit of whimsy. 4d's split focus is too busy for me - it took me a while to figure out what was happening on the right, since my gaze wanted to stop on the left-hand image. The bordering strip there looks out-of-place, the colors too different from the rest of the icon to be a smooth contrast. 4e is a really cute idea, but the sky isn't bright enough to backdrop the flowers. "Lorem ipsum" is dummy text (taken from a really long Latin document) used for layout mock-ups, so to see it on an icon like this is goofy - and a warning not to use text brushes in foreign languages unless you know what they mean. ^.^;

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I really like the "two objects in one icon" theme--and the way it also translates to "couples/lovers/romance." Even the flowers seem to be in that category--they're close together, and one seems to be tilted toward the other, maybe admiring it? Cute. ^^ I love that you used very different techniques & accents in each icon, but still managed to tie them together with a strong theme. The colors in the hush icon are unusual/unnatural, but the balloons add whimsy and make the dominant blues & purples work. The strongest icons, for me, are the simplest: the crop in the b&w icon highlights the distance between the two figures, and starts to tell a story; the cut-out flowers against the sky backdrop & dotted line brush are light and fun. I also like the composition of the Sleeping Beauty icon--the two scenes, strolling & dancing, side by side--but it runs the risk of being too busy (with the texture, the light dots, and the split composition). I'd mask out the light dot by the Prince's face, or maybe lose the lights altogether to simplify things. I have a slight complaint about the text in 4b & 4e: it's almost tiny enough to serve as tiny text, but since I *can* read it, I'd like it to make more sense. 4b looks like a normal urban street, not a dark alley or somewhere moody enough to warrant that caption; and the flower icon is light-hearted and cute, so when I see Latin I'm like, "eh? what?" I like the text *style* on both, though.

dagas_isa: GUNSHOU SAYS: The wintry colors in this set really appeal to me, and make me look outside (where it's 60 degrees today) in disbelief. 5a and 5e are my favorites, with the gorgeous blues in both, and delicate and subtle light and brushwork. 5b would be stunning if her face weren't obscured by a brush - it looks like she's got unmentionable gunk on her nose - and if the contrast were higher to make her hair and eyes true black and stand out more from the background. I agree with rusalkatrix that the font is too harsh for the gentleness of the icon, although I like the text placement and use. 5c is pretty, but again is too washed out and pale to be really striking. A black and white gradient set to hard light (with the opacity lowered as needed) could really help to bring out the depths of the image without contrasting it so much that you lose detail. 5d is generic to me; some delicate color overlays or lights would add interest without making the image busier. 5e is adorable, but I think would work better without the top border - remember, icons don't have to be exact squares.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I love the soft chill that pervades this set. The textless icons are the strongest, especially 5a--I love the rich, beautiful blues, the soft white/gray of the snow and the faded edges. 5c and 5e also have a strong peaceful, almost magical atmosphere (the stardust brushes in 5c, the faded swirl brush in 5e), but I might adjust the crops by a few pixels. I'm not a huge fan of cutting off the tip of the nose (5c), and while I love the stretch of blue sky above the polar bear, I think the icon would feel more complete if the baby bear's face wasn't partially cut off. You could probably lose a section of the top white border, let us see more of the baby bear, & still keep the composition mostly intact. 5b and 5d, while appealing in their own right, are weakened by the hard, rigid text. This could simply be the way your program handles text (I'm not sure), but if that's the case, I'd advise going textless, because the impact of the captions (which I *do* like), are unlikely to compensate for a distracting font. Also, both 5b & 5d would benefit from simpler, thinner borders (you could even go borderless), since the icons contain a lot of elements. (A thick border tends to make everything look "packed in.")

Banners and prizes will be posted within the next week or so. If the overall winners have a preference for their prize-icons, let us know here. Otherwise, we'll pick from your interests lists.

mod note

2007-01-05T03:29:24Z

We haven't forgotten you all, but gunshou is having a severely rough week in terms of internet access. I'll have the results of the final round posted tomorrow afternoon, EST.

Round One - Challenge Eight - Vote

2006-12-30T00:31:08Z

Round One - Challenge Eight - "Themed Set"

It's time for all members to vote on the People's Choice! Voting will work a little differently this week, due to the nature of the challenge & the number of participants.

Please read the rules carefully. We will not only discard votes, but disqualify members who break the rules.

VOTING RULES

[x] You must be a member of the community to vote. Votes from non-members will be discarded.
[x] Vote for each track separately.
[x] Do not vote for yourself, or gather friends to vote for you.
[x] Strategic voting is stupid, especially in a small community like this. Don't do it.
[x] Icon number is located above the icon.

[x] Voting will end SUNDAY 8 AM EST.

Vote for your favorite icon in each set.
Your screened comment should look like this:
Advanced: Set 1 = icon#, Set 2 = icon#, Set 3 = icon#
Enthusiast: Set 4 = icon#, Set 5 = icon#

You're welcome to leave comments for the participants, if you feel inspired to do so. ^^

The restrictions for the set were as follows (one icon per restriction):

hush (no text whatsoever)
black and white
a real person
an animated/CGI/manga/comic person
an object or animal

ADVANCED TRACK:

Theme: All images used from Yotsubato! (manga), borders are all rounded rectangles, and ~~almost~~ all icons are textless

1a	1b	1c	1d	1e

Theme: Sightless/Blind (icons cropped so eyes don't show)

2a	2b	2c	2d	2e

Theme: Lord of the Rings; they all seem to be staring at something behind you.

3a	3b	3c	3d	3e

ENTHUSIAST TRACK:

Theme: Two in one. (Two people/objects in one icon)

4a	4b	4c	4d	4e

Theme: Wintry icons

5a	5b	5c	5d	5e

Good luck, everyone!

As always, if you have questions, please contact the mods or leave them as comments in this post.

Round One - Challenge Eight - Reminder, part the second

2006-12-29T02:58:34Z

Round One - Challenge Eight - Themed Set

Due to the complexity of the theme and my old age aches and pains, feel free to continue to tweak your sets until 8 AM EST tomorrow (December 29).

Still needing icons from:

anniereckless
tartankilts

SUBMIT, SUBMIT, THE END IS NIGH!

Round One - Challenge Eight - Reminder

2006-12-27T00:05:49Z

Round One - Challenge Eight - Themed Set

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a nice holiday. ^^

The first round of project_icon is drawing to a close--you're all working hard on your icon sets, right? ^.~ You have a couple more days to complete them.

Members who still need to submit by Thursday, December 28th at 9pm EST.:

anniereckless
tartankilts

We want to see your shinies! ^.^

Round One - Challenge Eight - Extension

2006-12-13T03:05:21Z

Hello everyone!!

By now you are probably thinking, "How am I going to finish a 5 icon set by Monday, December 18th?! Are the mods crazy??"

We may have been overly ambitious. ^^;

So we've decided to extend the deadline for the Final Challenge!

You now have until Thursday, December 28th at 9pm EST. That gives you 10 extra days. I hope that's enough, because due to RL obligations, it's unlikely we'll be able to extend beyond that date.

You are welcome to submit early, of course. ^^

Good luck!! XD

Round One - Challenge Eight - Submit

2006-12-09T03:51:44Z

Round One - Challenge Eight - Final Rounds

Congratulations to everyone who's made it to the final round; you've overcome some stiff competition to get here! Dig deep into those wells of creativity, and get ready for this week's challenge.

THEMED SET

For the final rounds, you'll each make five icons along a common theme. Your theme may be stylistic (e.g., all collage-style), subject (e.g., female characters), color (e.g., blue), or whatever else you can think of that would link the five icons together. Don't use the same image for all five icons - this isn't 10variations - and don't make a single icon and just swap out bases (as seen in this example by rusalkatrix.

There are some restrictions, or perhaps a little help if you get stuck. Each icon in the set should conform to one of the following:

hush (no text whatsoever)
black and white (you may use selective color here if color is what ties your theme together)
a real person
an animated/CGI/manga/comic person
an object or animal

In other words, you'll be making one hush icon, one black and white icon, one real person icon, and so on.

You'll have some extra time, since it's more than one icon. As we go into holidays and finals, we know it may be difficult to complete the challenge. Please be sure to contact the mods if real life intrudes; we want you to get the important things done, and we can try to work something out.

RULES:

[x] You must be a member of the community AND signed up for the round to submit.
[x] Your icons must conform to LJ standards: 100x100 px or fewer, >=40KB filesize, and .png/.gif/.jpg.
[x] You must remain in one track until the end of the round.
[x] There are no byes; you are committed to submit until the end of the round.
[x] If you decide you're dissatisfied with your submission, you may resubmit before the deadline.

Please submit five icons to this unscreened post by Thursday, December 28th at 9pm EST. Please have mercy on our feeble brains and submit them all together.

Thank you, and have fun!

Feel free to use the comments section of this post to talk to each other, ask questions, etc. If you'd like to track the comments (to keep up), click on the "Track comments" box (it looks like a push-pin; shown below), and you'll be notified each time someone makes a new comment.

Round One - Challenge Seven - Results

2006-12-08T17:50:28Z

This was one of our most complex challenges (well, it would have been for rusalkatrix ^.~), so a special congratulations to you all! And congrats on making it this far! Even if your track has proceeded without eliminations, your endurance, and constant creativity, is commendable. ♥

OVERALL WINNER: hocus: Vibrant and juicy, this icon has the power to convert even kiwi non-believers.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: anniereckless: The people have spoken!

RETIRED WITH HONORS: lufiamanaelf: A strong showing, especially that gorgeous KOSMOS icon in week six. We hope you'll continue to participate in the community, and you're welcome to sign up for the next round! ♥

No Mod's Choice in the final stages of competition.

COMMENTARY:

lufiamanaelf
GUNSHOU SAYS: If you hadn't told me this was a strawberry, I'd never know it. ^.^; I love the colors in this icon, but the crop and the textures combine to make it look really muddled. While I think the split composition is neat, I have no idea what it is in the bottom frame. I like the red brush at the top, but the right side border looks pretty empty with the straight line of color ending so abruptly.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The colors in this icon are pretty, and I like the background texture, but there is an overall muddled, almost blurred quality to the images. That might be due to a misplaced light texture or an exclusion layer--I'm not sure. The close-up cropping makes it difficult to determine what we are seeing--the strawberry I recognize, because of the seeds, but it lacks the bright juicy-ness I associate with fruit. The fruit salad on the bottom, though . . . even knowing what it is, I don't feel that I have enough perspective to see it properly. Drawing back a bit (on both images), & cropping them so that we can see more of the image, would help. I'd also suggest moving the images toward the center, so as to balance out that empty space on the right side.

hocus
GUNSHOU SAYS: Gorgeous, juicy colors! I like the split focus, and the way the vivid green is scattered across the lighter background. Even the Carnivalee works well. My favorite detail is the little bit of tiny text under the divider, which adds just the right amount of decoration in that blank space.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This icon just makes me happy--and I don't even *like* kiwi. In fact, I think they're gross--so that is quite a feat. ^^ The scattered placement of the kiwi slices, the yellow-y bubbles that offer a subtle, bouncy balance, the vibrant sliver of kiwi that acts as a divider (so clever!), the exuberant font, and the tiny kiwi-seed-like text--I love it all. And you ditched the exclusion layer!! A really nice job--I have no advice to offer you.

snm_queen
GUNSHOU SAYS: This is a cute icon, but it's hard to tell that there's a drink in that bucket, and I have no idea what's happening on the left side of the image. I really love the circle texture and brushes - like Coca-Cola's bubbles, it's the perfect visual for soda-pop. The rounded corners add to the pop feel, as does the fat, curved text. While the colors are cool and refreshing, they also seem to lack a certain...vitality - the red in the text becomes the focal point, and not the drink. I'll chalk that up to the whole bruhaha; the colors seem to reflect your (very justified) mood. ^.^;

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like the round, bubble theme going on here--it's upbeat and refreshing; and I love how the subtle curve of the text matches the path of the bubbles. I also like that you chose to icon drink bottles, because it's unusual and (I believe) challenging, and I admire that. But there are some confusing elements in this icon. To the left of the bucket, for instance, I have no idea what is going on--it might have been better to mask that out and add more bubbles to balance the empty space. It's also difficult to know that those are bottles, without being told--but that might have something to do with the fact that I'm not familiar with this drink. If they were Coca-Cola bottles, something might click in my brain & tell me, "ooh, bottles!" It's hard to know for sure.

anniereckless
GUNSHOU SAYS: Simple, with impact. I love the composition of the icon, with the tiny text border and the desaturated inset. The clean structure matches the basic elements of the glass and bowl on a white counter. My only complaint is that while I like the positioning of the inset, either the crop or the desaturation (or both) makes it hard for me to tell what it is.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The smoothie is so vibrant & drinkable! That luscious pink is my favorite part of the icon, which is why (for me) the desaturation doesn't work. If the subject were something *other* than food, I would love the desaturated inset, because it offers a nice contrast--but colorless food is not tasty. It makes me think of cigarette ashes and newspaper, not fruit smoothies. But I do love the white border and the overall clean, whiteness--it contrasts nicely with the bright colors of the smoothie, and gives them even more impact.

OVERALL WINNER: dagas_isa: Warm and delicious, this icon makes excellent use of the scrapbook technique.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: irisxchan: The people have spoken!

RETIRED WITH HONORS: crazykeira: A strong showing, especially that stunning Poison Ivy icon in week six. We hope you'll continue to participate in the community, and you're welcome to sign up for the next round! ♥

No Mod's Choice in the final stages of competition.

COMMENTARY:

irisxchan
GUNSHOU SAYS: A cute lollipop picture, but the decorative pieces really overpower and clutter the image. I like the blue-grey arrow and dots, but the tannish arrows at the bottom distract from the clean lines of the lollipop sticks. And I think the image would have greater impact without the text at the top. The ornate font is just far too busy for the simple fun of the icon.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The lollipops are a wonderful choice--the sphere shapes and the range of colors give this icon instant "cute." But with this style of icon, it can be difficult to know when to stop with the little details--and I think that's what happened here. I like the gold arrows, but they might look better *above* the image, where the gray arrow is now. (Or the gray arrow & dots would look better in that gold color--I am just totally digging that color. ^^) The gold would add warmth to the top half of the icon, to help balance the brightness at the bottom. And I didn't realize the font at the top was text at first; it's so ornate, it looks like an antique swirly design instead--and it doesn't quite go with the mood of the icon.

dagas_isa
GUNSHOU SAYS: A fun icon, and excellent use of decorative elements to go with the scrapbook theme. The cookies are nice and clear, and the text goes with them perfectly. I really like that swirly thing, and the red borders/decoration/text is a great color for a backdrop. But everything is sort of falling off the right side of the icon! If it were just the top or just the bottom, it would look fine, but both makes me lean to the right to save the cookie pile. ^.~

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This icon is so tasty! You're lucky there are no Xmas cookies in my house, or I would be devouring them right now--and it would be your fault. ^.~ I really love all the elements in this icon, & how they come together: the cookies look vibrant & delicious; the swirl brush on the right & the warm colors give a cozy feel; the tiny text on the paper-colored background suggests that we're really looking at a recipe. My only complaint is that the balance is slightly off: The left side, particularly the bottom half, seems overly bare. I think that could be remedied by either expanding the vertical rectangle at the bottom, so that the edges match up with the top "secret recipe" section, or by centering the bottom pieces a bit more.

crazykeira
GUNSHOU SAYS: I really like the bottom picture (and gingerbread men), but the top on is too blurry for my poor eyes. A red or green border around the cookie pictures would be more interesting than the plain black. I think I'd also place the picture of the single cookie overlapping the multiple cookies instead of underlapping - it's the better focal point.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: Gingerbread men! ^^ I like the images you chose--particularly the solo gingerbread man on the bottom--and agree that the icon would have more impact if he were overlapping the multiple-cookie pic. (The multiple-cookie pic lacks contrast, I think.) The black frames around the images seem too stark against the pale, somewhat bland background--a vibrant red or green (or both) texture might be a better match with the black. The text doesn't add much to the icon, visually--a decorative brush or little stamps along the edge might be a better way to fill that space.

tartankilts
GUNSHOU SAYS: I don't know what's with me and strawberries today, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what's in this icon. The texture is just too busy (and to me, the colors clash); the bright pinks overwhelm the pretty red on the strawberries and plate. The tiny text on the left is also too dotty for the texture - it blends in with the white spots on the left and is then too stark over the plate on the right. A more dashy tiny text would work better there.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like the placement of the strawberries and the plate, but as I mentioned in irisxchan's critique, I think this icon suffers from an overload of detail. The bright pink/red background doesn't complement the strawberries so much as overwhelm them with colorful brightness; and the heart brush and the flower would be cute, if they weren't adding to the overall pink/red mix. A lighter colored, more subtle background would allow the accents to really shine. The tiny text is also a bit too present--a smaller, softer colored block of tt might work better, and I think that erasing the section of tt that overlaps the plate would allow the plate to remain the focal point, rather than forcing it to compete with the tiny text.

Round One - Challenge Seven - Vote

2006-12-06T03:53:31Z

Round One - Challenge Seven - "Edibles"

It's time for all members to vote on the People's Choice!

Please read the rules carefully. We will not only discard votes, but disqualify members who break the rules.

Vote for your two favorite icons in each track.
Your screened comment should look like this:
Advanced: 1st, 2nd
Enthusiast: 1st, 2nd

ADVANCED TRACK:

o1	o2	o3	o4

ENTHUSIAST TRACK:

o1	o2	o3	o4

Good luck, everyone!

As always, if you have questions, please contact the mods or leave them as comments in this post.

Round One - Challenge Seven - Extension

2006-12-05T16:10:19Z

Round One - Challenge Seven - Edibles

This challenge will be extended until Tuesday, December 5th at 9pm EST.

If you have already entered & would like to alter your submission, you are welcome to do so. Otherwise, sit back & relax. ^^

Round One - Challenge Seven - Reminder

2006-12-05T01:05:40Z

Round One - Challenge Seven - Edibles

I am so sorry you guys! I completely forgot to post the reminder yesterday! If you were counting on that to remind you & so are now off schedule, please leave a comment here & we'll try to work something out.

Members who still need to submit by Monday, December 4th at 9pm EST.:

snm_queen

We want to see your shinies! ^.^

Round One - Challenge Six - Results

2006-12-01T04:33:12Z

The icons just keep getting better and better, folks!

OVERALL WINNER: lufiamanaelf: Fantastic coloring that makes even a cold battle android look warm and delicate.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: anniereckless: The people have spoken!

No Mod's Choice in the final stages of competition.

COMMENTARY:

lufiamanaelf
GUNSHOU SAYS: The delicate blush against the desaturated image is really effective! I like the tiny text placement as a tool to draw the eye from the spots of color through the rest of the icon, but I think fading it a bit more, or possibly placing the lines closer together, would keep attention on KOS-MOS' eye as a focal point.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: A subtle but effective use of selective color. The subtle blush of her cheeks is really lovely, and the red of her eye is striking against the gray-blue tones. I also think that this is an interesting fit for the technique, because Kosmos is a robot/android, right? So there's this kind of cold, metallic look contrasted with the warmth of her complexion . . . I like that a lot. I'm slightly iffy about the tiny text though. It doesn't look bad; I'm just not sure you need it.

hocus
GUNSHOU SAYS: If we were still MCing, I would choose this icon. I love how the colors against the wall provide a dramatic backdrop to Hiro's face -- like a stained glass window. And the touch of color in his shirt keeps him from fading into the border, which is slanted nicely to give a natural line to the icon. But I have the same complaints as rusalkatrix: Hiro looks a bit smudged in the face, and the large text is very sharp and jagged from the rotation, which takes away from the dreamy theme set up by the colors.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like this composition, and I like the pretty touches of color in the sky. (Although I have to keep reminding myself that those aren't buildings on fire--just light textures!! Ack. I'm a little off today.) Two elements of this quite-nice icon are distracting to me: One, the text is a sort of wiggly-looking from being rotated. Two, there is a faint blur (?) along the side of Hiro's cheek . . . and since the text seems to plow right into it, my eye is drawn there every time! I'm not sure if you can see what I mean, or if I'm imagining it, or what. O.o

snm_queen
GUNSHOU SAYS: Oh, I really love the composition of this icon; it helps that you chose my new boyfriend as a subject! The font and text placement work perfectly, with the tiny text providing a little contrast to draw the eye along that white line. And you managed to crop out the potholder -- always a good thing. I like the way the dotted textures play an unobtrusive but important role in the overall scheme. But the light texture obscures the actual selective coloring, and washes out Basch's ~~sexy~~ features a bit too much. The focus become the stark white text, when it should be his ~~manly~~ rugged face.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I love this crazy pop-art style you have going on--I think Basch looks very regal/heavenly/statuesque here. The composition is nice, very creative and attractive--my only complaint is that I wish the selective color stood out a bit more (for the sake of this challenge).

anniereckless
GUNSHOU SAYS: I love the strip of color caused by the characters' knees and their reflection in the water. But I think the one white light between them draws attention away from the characters' expressions and body language. This icon also feels unfinished to me somehow -- maybe it's the lack of border to frame the image with all that desaturated blank space around the edges. The text and font are great. ^.~

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like the contrast between the caption and the obvious reluctance in the characters' body language. And I like the lights (especially the blue ones ^^). But I would have liked to see more b&w in the characters themselves (more of a contrast between color & b&w), rather than just in the background.

OVERALL WINNER: crazykeira: Selective coloring and high contrast enhance Poison Ivy's sexy badness.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: dagas_isa: The people have spoken!

No Mod's Choice in the final stages of competition.

COMMENTARY:

irisxchan
GUNSHOU SAYS: Honestly? My old eyes can't make out any color on this, although I'll take rusalkatrix' word that it's in the background. The contrast of the image is wonder, but I would probably have colored the medals on Vayne's uniform to keep the focus on him as well as added the pretty light texture in the background. As it is, my eyes go straight to the streak next to his head rather than to him. ^.^;

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The selective color here is very subtle--it's in the background, right? And very faintly so. But I think it's *too* subtle. I like that you chose to go with muted color, but a bit more contrast between the b&w and the colored parts would make this icon "pop." As it stands it's a bit too monotone.

dagas_isa
GUNSHOU SAYS: The crop, red eyes, and the shadow in the upper left make the icon nice and creepy. But the selective coloring (set to overlay or color, it looks like) comes out a little too harsh and glowy. I like the texture, but the splash over his face might be erased to keep it from being distracting.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like the bright colors and the way his gaze demands your attention. The blood splatter is a nice creepy touch, but I think it could be toned down a bit--for example, on his face and his shirt, it's distracting--it looks messy instead of evil, like an angry hot dog vendor squirted ketchup at him. The selective color on his tie could stand to be neatened--the edges don't look as smooth as they could be. Unless that's due to too much sharpness? Hard to tell. But overall it is quite striking.

crazykeira
GUNSHOU SAYS: I really dig the crop and coloring of this icon -- Ivy looks sexy and villainous and mysterious all at once. But the text in the upper left is unnecessary and really pulls attention away from the image. Some kind of framing action -- a smudgy border, maybe -- would also help to make this really striking.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The selective coloring looks great in this icon, and Ivy--with her fabulously contrasting red hair & green costume--is the perfect choice. I also like the shadows--around her eyes, under her hair, on her arm--and think that icon could be even more striking if you added some shadow to the top left corner. You could blacken that whole section (and omit the text), to kind of frame her.

tartankilts
GUNSHOU SAYS: Hmm. I'm not sure what's happening in this icon. Sesshoumaru's white hair became dark grey, and he developed some sort of skin rash on his cheek. ^.~ The wispy red brush looks great along the left and bottom, but it's a bit too distracting on his face. And while the text is greatly appropriate to the image and mood, the font renders it unreadable and it's big enough to overwhelm the composition.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This image definitely looks dark & villainous--but the details get lost behind the darkness/dark colors and the slightly muddled text. A smaller, less obtrusive font, & a paring down of excess details (like that snaking red swirl) would help to keep the focus on the character's ominous expression.

Congratulations to all!

Round One - Challenge Seven - Submit

2006-11-30T19:26:02Z

Results from Challenge Six will be posted later today. No one was eliminated (due to a drop-out in the A. Track), so you're all good to go. ^^

Round One - Challenge Seven

EDIBLES

In other words: food, drinks, candy, etc. Each track will also have a technical challenge to work with--details and examples below. Flickr, Corbis and Getty are all good sources for food images.

Note that this challenge will result in the first E. Track elimination!

ENTHUSIAST TRACK: scrapbook (your icon should feature one or two images with brushwork or textures behind them, or little accents)

Examples:

gunshou	__iiicons	dreamsquare

ADVANCED TRACK: collage (your icon should look a little like a collage, with numerous pictures or versions of an image cut and pasted)

Examples:

__iiicons	__iiicons	lovebit

Please submit one icon to this unscreened post by Monday, December 4th at 9pm EST.

Thank you, and have fun!

Feel free to use the comments section of this post to talk to each other, ask questions, etc. If you'd like to track the comments (to keep up), click on the "Track comments" box (it looks like a push-pin; shown below), and you'll be notified each time someone makes a new comment.

Round One - Challenge Six - Vote

2006-11-28T15:05:15Z

Round One - Challenge Six - "Selective Colors"

It's time for all members to vote on the People's Choice!

Please read the rules carefully. We will not only discard votes, but disqualify members who break the rules.

Vote for your two favorite icons in each track.
Your screened comment should look like this:
Advanced: 1st, 2nd
Enthusiast: 1st, 2nd

ADVANCED TRACK:

o1	o2	o3	o4

ENTHUSIAST TRACK:

o1	o2	o3	o4

Good luck, everyone!

As always, if you have questions, please contact the mods or leave them as comments in this post.

Round One - Challenge Six - Reminder

2006-11-27T01:02:03Z

Round One - Challenge Six - Selective Colors

Members who still need to submit by Monday, November 27th at 9pm EST.:

twisted_fruitie

We want to see your shinies! ^.^

Round One - Challenge Five - Results

2006-11-23T18:36:00Z

You guys are all so amazing! *hugs* I'm really pleased with the way everyone is taking risks & being creative, with fantastic results. ♥

OVERALL WINNER: snm_queen: Ugly trends battled prettiness, and pretty pwned them hard.

GUNSHOU's CHOICE: hocus: The combination of trends produces a pretty, emo effect that works well with the subject.

RUSALKATRIX' CHOICE: anniereckless: I love this coloring: an amazing blend of rockstar and angelic.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: lufiamanaelf: The people have spoken!

RETIRED WITH HONORS: incubloss: A strong showing, especially that bright and lively L.A. icon in week four. We hope you'll continue to participate in the community, and you're welcome to sign up for the next round! ♥

COMMENTARY:

lufiamanaelf
GUNSHOU SAYS: The black and white photo is striking, and really well done. The blob placement and even color work for me, but it could be faded out a bit more so it doesn't look like the sun is setting in her armpit. I actually like Violation, and the text placement is in a great spot to bridge the visual gap between her face and the decoration on her arm. The grey double-border also works really well to frame the icon and give it a fashion-photo feel.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like how this icon manages to be b&w and shiny at the same time--the diamonds in the image add the right touch of sparkle, and the contrast is perfect. I also like the blob! I suppose it wouldn't hurt to fade it out a bit more, but I don't think it's overly bright--I think it's actually very tasteful. The white text also looks great, & the loopy quality of the font complements the pattern of diamonds on her arm. The frame provides a simple, clean finish.

incubloss
GUNSHOU SAYS: A dotted border seems to work best with a light grey or white solid inner border; the grey fading effect is too soft for the black dots. Also the black text seems really oversharpened and sort of stuck in there for the sake of having text. I like the decorative boxes, though, especially with the blob behind them. The crop is odd, with most of the guys cut off and the strangest pose right in the center - there's too much going on with the right half of the icon, and dead space on the left.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I think this icon would be stronger if it were cropped to focus on the central figure. Right now we have these half-heads all around the sides: eyes, maybe an ear, part of a nose--too many disparate elements. Also, the coloring and the blurred & dotted border (put together) strike me as being a bit outmoded. And while I applaud your use of senseless text, I think it would have worked better if it were harder to read--a smaller, scribblier font, perhaps. Right now it draws a lot of attention, and just makes me wonder where Phil is.

hocus
GUNSHOU SAYS: The fuzzy and thick black borders, the purple blob, the squished Violation - they all scream emo!Jared. I really like how all these effects came together to produce the mood of the icon. The fugtastic text chunk is a little too sharp, though; Jared can almost cut himself on those edges. Blurring that a bit would echo the blurred borders nicely.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: Very dramatic! The smudgy black border & circle outline perfectly complement Jared's moody eye makeup, and the text placement draws the viewer's eye to his gaze--which I think pulls the whole thing together. I don't have any strong feelings on whether the text is too sharp; but he's looking so emo . . . maybe he *wants* to cut himself on the text. ^.~ I also really like the pink blob--it contrasts nicely with the black, & doesn't overwhelm or make it look like he has an eye infection. Always a plus. ^.~

snm_queen
GUNSHOU SAYS: Everything comes together in this icon in such a nice way that the trends really become fresh looking again. Utada's face looks really oversharpened, though, so that her eyes look like holes. But I wonder if that's a product of my monitor/graphics card?

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I love the ovals, the coloring . . . it all comes together to create this futuristic atmosphere (rings of Saturn?), which I think is evocative of Utada's music. I also really like the text effect. My only real complaint is that there's a bit too much sharpness in this icon--the edges of the ovals are a little jagged (which might be unavoidable; I'm not sure). But the overall feel of this icon is very "smooth," which is why that bit of jagged-ness stands out.

anniereckless
GUNSHOU SAYS: I think Avril came out really pretty, even with the strange multi-colored hair effect that selective coloring can produce. The grainy texture also does a good job of adding...well, texture. ^.^ The floral brush came out like a flat stamp over top of it, though, and distracts from the real-life photo. I'm not sure if the trend is floral brushes in general or that style of them in particular, but a more realistic floral - or even one of dearest's watercolors - would have gone better with the delicate grain of the texture and Avril's coloring.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I think the use of selective coloring here is absolutely fantastic. I have seen *so* many icons lauded for their "gorgeous" coloring (when made with this technique), but they are almost all hideously over-colored and painful to behold. Your icon actually makes me want to give it a try sometime! I also love the combination of the grainy texture & the pretty flower brush--I will have to disagree with gunshou here, because I don't think it distracts at all. The lineart/unrealistic appearance makes it look like a tattoo--which, when combined with the grainy texture, seems very "rockstar." To me, anyway. ^.~

microcake
GUNSHOU SAYS: I love the scratches, the inset, the texture, even that font (which I normally detest). But the selective coloring makes Karen look jaundiced, at least on my monitor. It's just a little too oversaturated in the yellow and blue.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: You have a talent for taking multiple elements and weaving them together seamlessly, and this week's icon is no exception. Really great use of trends--that ugly font actually looks good for once! The image crop works especially well with the inset circle. I might lower the opacity on the scratch a bit (to keep the emphasis on the text), and tone down the yellow-blue coloring. Right now her arm looks like a weird stripe, which is a little odd. ^^;

OVERALL WINNER: irisxchan: The picture, text, and trends all come together to form a striking icon.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: tartankilts: The people have spoken!

No individual MCs due to the number of participants.

COMMENTARY:

irisxchan
GUNSHOU SAYS: The scratchy texture and subdued light goes perfectly with the Kiera's forlorn expression. The text placement along the horizon nicely draws the gaze through that blank space on the right. A hint of a border along the top bounds the icon and keeps it self-contained, also echoing her pensive countenance. I think a little more in the way of scratch/decoration could be in that upper right grey area, but not so much it would distract from the mood.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: You've done a wonderful job of capturing emotion in this icon. The text is subtle & meaningful, and the overall gray/rainy tones & the scratch texture contribute to the feel of sadness. The crop is lovely, too--the way her face is framed by the ropes, so she looks somewhat trapped. The text does a nice job of filling the empty space, and accenting the gray/white horizon.

dagas_isa
GUNSHOU SAYS: I like the composition of this icon - the placement of the inset and the smaller image of Austin's head with the close-up as background. I know you were going for simple, but the coloring is a little too simple, making the larger image look more like a cropped base than a finished icon, especially with the stark black borders. I also think I would have gone for more of a close-up shot in the background - maybe half the face instead of the whole, in order to create a less crowded feeling with the inset.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: Omg, that expression! It's a perfect match for the text. And I love the way the little circle-inset Austin seems to be regarding his larger self, like, "oh, I *am* fabulous!" Both images are nice and bright and clear. But I think the white background with black borders is too stark. Cropping the main image to eliminate some of the white, or jazzing up the color, might help with that.

crazykeira
GUNSHOU SAYS: This is a good pose of David, and I like the repeating circles on the side. More could have been done with coloring; it looks sort of bland as is. The light blobs generally work best faded and set to screen or lighten over part of the image, but it's neat to use it as a backlight here to dress up that side of the icon. Placing the layer over the main image of David and reducing the opacity would help those two areas to blend better.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like this composition; I think the circles add visual interest, the dashed line works to separate the two sections of the icon, and it looks great textless. I might do something to perk him up, color-wise--right now he looks like he could use a jolt of caffeine. ^.~ A little extra contrast might work wonders.

tartankilts
GUNSHOU SAYS: I like the circular theme here, with the dashed line border around the inset. I really love the little colored circles - they add a bit of brightness to the pastels. The text placement is nice and makes it a decorative element rather than a competing focus. I think more could have been done color-wise with the image of Jasmine - she blends into the pink background, which makes the focus all the decorative pieces instead of her.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The colors in this icon are really pretty, and I love the everywhere-circles and the sweet text--the whole frame is adorable. ^^ But I think Jasmine looks a little crammed in. A smaller/more distant picture of her (or even an extreme close-up) might take better advantage of the circular frame.

Round One - Challenge Six - Submit

2006-11-23T14:49:07Z

Round One - Challenge Six

SELECTIVE COLORS

This is perhaps one of gunshou's favorite effects to use: a black and white image with selective spots of color. You can achieve this in several ways - allow one or two colors of an original image to come through a desaturated layer, or colorize a black and white image in a few select spots. You can find a tutorial here, and within the comments here. The black and white image guide by grrliz that rusalkatrix posted previously will be a great help here.

Here are some examples by gunshou:

ENTHUSIAST TRACK: heartless villains

ADVANCED TRACK: noble heroes

Please submit one icon to this unscreened post by Monday, November 27th at 9pm EST.

Thank you, and have fun!

Feel free to use the comments section of this post to talk to each other, ask questions, etc. If you'd like to track the comments (to keep up), click on the "Track comments" box (it looks like a push-pin; shown below), and you'll be notified each time someone makes a new comment.

Slight Delay, yo

2006-11-23T14:44:36Z

I don't even have any tryptophan in my body & already I'm acting like a lazy b*tch. ^.~

Results for Challenge 5 will be up later this afternoon. Sorry all!!!

I'll post the new theme, though, so anyone who wants to can get started. And . . . if by some chance you were eliminated, & you make a new icon for naught . . . at least it will look pretty! Right? ^^;

Happy Thanksgiving, to those of you who celebrate it. ♥

Round One - Challenge Five - Vote

2006-11-21T04:12:23Z

Round One - Challenge Five - "Trendy"

It's time for all members to vote on the People's Choice!

Please read the rules carefully. We will not only discard votes, but disqualify members who break the rules.

Vote for your two favorite icons in each track.
Your screened comment should look like this:
Advanced: 1st, 2nd
Enthusiast: 1st, 2nd

ADVANCED TRACK:

o1	o2	o3	o4

o5	o6	--	--

ENTHUSIAST TRACK:

o1	o2	o3	o4

Good luck, everyone!

As always, if you have questions, please contact the mods or leave them as comments in this post.

Round One - Challenge Five - Reminder

2006-11-20T00:35:58Z

Round One - Challenge Five - Trendy

Members who still need to submit by Monday, November 20th at 9pm EST.:

seraphic_muse

We want to see your shinies! ^.^

Round One - Challenge Four - Results

2006-11-16T18:47:08Z

Fantastic job, everyone! The critiques are a little shorter this time, because of the overall quality of the icons and because we're a little swamped this week. But we're really pleased with how everyone's stepping up to the challenges and getting creative. ^.^

OVERALL WINNER: anniereckless: Bright, clear, and interesting, with little details that pull the whole image together.

GUNSHOU's CHOICE: incubloss: Strong contrasts and a sense of speed capture the spirit of a bustling city.

RUSALKATRIX' CHOICE: snm_queen: Pretty and dreamy, with an exotic touch.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: hocus: The people have spoken!

RETIRED WITH HONORS: helgarr: A strong showing, especially that cute lil' rodent icon in week three. We hope you'll continue to participate in the community, and you're welcome to sign up for the next round! ♥

COMMENTARY:

lufiamanaelf
GUNSHOU SAYS: You have an odd mixture of vibrant colors in the buildings and a cloudy texture over top that obscures those bright colors. All that stuff at the bottom (I totally can't tell what it is, except it looks like a skating rink to me) pulls the focus downward. I think the image would be better served by a higher crop that sets those brilliantly lit buildings against the dark sky.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The buildings in this icon are really bright and pretty, but the overall coloring is muted, which takes away from that. And since the light textures appear mostly white, they have the effect of muddling parts of the icon, making it look kind of cloudy. I think a sleek, bright look would have worked better with this image. I'm not quite sure what's going on in the bottom portion of the icon; clearer coloring might solve that, or maybe a different crop.

incubloss
GUNSHOU SAYS: I love the brilliant red speed lines on the highway echoed in the building lights. The sense of movement, the bright colors against dark buildings, and the sunset shading of the sky all capture a bustling city at dusk. I just feel a need for a border, perhaps to contain the sense of rushing off the image.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I love this crop; the road in the foreground gives it a sense of movement & excitement, and makes the city our visual destination. The vibrant coloring (which is slightly too bright for me, but that might just be a personal preference) adds to the feel that something is going on here, even if we can't see it. You've done a nice job of capturing the liveliness of the city.

hocus
GUNSHOU SAYS: It's a crazy image, and you've done well with a plain black border that angles up to compliment the angles in the picture. But it's a little heavy on the exclusion layer; it looks too old and faded for a bright, moving giant crab. And it would have been awesome if you wrote "super magical crabs of hope and flower petals," never mind what rusalkatrix says about it. ^.~ Because Japan is totally crazy like that.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This icon looks kind of crowded, but Japan is crowded, so I think it works. ^.~ I like the black-white-red color scheme--the relative starkness makes the vibrant red elements really stand out. The text is a little silly (I know you know this), but fortunately most people who see this will either A.) not know wtf it says anyway or B.) be thrilled that they just read something using their mad hiragana skillz. But hell, giant crabs are silly. At least you didn't write "crabs of hope" or something.

snm_queen
GUNSHOU SAYS: I love this shot and coloring; it's like an illustration in an urban Rapunzel. The leaves in the upper right and the faint curly letter and tiny text help frame the image and add balance. The shadowed portion of the border starts to overpower the image, though - perhaps the shadow of Godzilla after he got lost on the way to Tokyo?

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: You've made Taipei look like it's part of a fairy tale! ^^ The soft coloring and distant crop make the skyscraper look like a tower, with the rest of the city acting as the colorful, surrounding village. The leaves in the upper righthand corner add visual interest, and help to make the crop seem more intimate. I don't have any major suggestions, but I'd be curious to see this icon with a brown border instead of a black one--something that doesn't offer such a striking contrast.

anniereckless
GUNSHOU SAYS: I think this icon is fantastic. I really like the bright colors bordered by pastels, especially the clean-edged pink heart that picks up the pink at the bottom of the building. The divided image makes for a interesting and balanced composition.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This icon is really gorgeous and clean-looking; not too complicated, not too simple--a nice, balanced composition. I also love that you used a light gray frame--it's unusual, but not to the point where it's distracting or looks out of place. The cute touches (turquoise tiny text, the heart) also help this icon to stand out. I am a sucker for hearts! Very nice. ^^

helgarr
GUNSHOU SAYS: I appreciate the simplicity of it, but I feel like so much more could have been done to bring out the colors. Some sort of decorative brush or text on the upper left would help balance the composition a bit also - my gaze never rises above that line of houses, so the icon as a whole seems to stop midway up. It looks like such a pretty place, but the icon is rather flat and uninteresting.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This is a simple icon with bright, crisp coloring--generally I'm in favor of that. But I think it's a bit *too* simple. The empty space above the houses takes up more than a third of the icon, and leaves it looking unfinished; I think a mask or some sort of frame would have worked well here, to interrupt the empty space. Even some text or a splash of color--it's just begging to be played with.

microcake
GUNSHOU SAYS: I love the chance you took here with a concept - the travel ticket, bright coloring, placement of elements, and even the multicolored dots. But the burlap seems such an odd choice, and I think one version of the phrase "wish you were here" would have worked better. The repeating text distracts from the scrawled postcard effect.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This icon is extraordinarily clever. I love that the image of the city doubles as a luggage tag; it sends a clear message of travel (along with the caption), and the crop sets the skyline off nicely. But I don't think the background texture quite works here. You have all these elements that say "travel," and then a texture that resembles a potato sack. A map or ticket or passport stamp background (or even a texture with less grit) might suit the image better.

OVERALL WINNER: tartankilts: Dreamy and delicate, the lake like a jewel in a verdant setting.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: irisxchan: The people have spoken!

No individual MCs due to the number of participants.

COMMENTARY:

irisxchan
GUNSHOU SAYS: I love the colors in this icon - the sharp yellow against that brilliant blue. The flowers are just a blur of color, soft and elysian, and the ornate text adds to idea of a biblical paradise. The bottom of the icon is a little off, though, with the sharp white lines on left side and the muted, ragged edge on the right. I like one effect or the other, but not both, although the placement of both spots of color is great. They just need to be both soft or both sharp to really come together.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This is a really pretty icon: the bright sunny coloring, the way the sunflowers contrast with the soft blue of the sky, the caption that sums it all up. I also like the white at the bottom of the icon, and the little strip of color that peeks through above the tiny text. What I don't like are the skinny white lines above the word "paradise." The icon has an overall "soft" feel, and the lines, to me, are harsh interruptions that sort of come out of nowhere. Fading them out a bit, or using a white brush with softer lines, might be less jarring.

dagas_isa
GUNSHOU SAYS: The colors are a lovely warm gold, with that cool splash of water, but the flowery brush at the top obscures the image and makes it difficult to see what the picture really is. It's also a touch blurry; a little sharpening, especially along the rocks, would really bring out the sparkle in the natural colors.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like the way you brought out the blue in the water and made the rocks look almost golden--it looks like a beautiful place. But I think the crop might be a little too tightly focused. I'd love to see it pulled back a bit, so that the viewer has more context & can better appreciate the image. (Right now, it might not be immediately clear that we are looking at a waterfall.)

crazykeira
GUNSHOU SAYS: This icon would do much better without text; the font is too large for the space and dominates the icon. The image also seems to be washed out, except for the spots of bright blue. I'd like to see the mountains in the background as vibrant as their reflections in the lake. The crop is really excellent, it's just the coloring that seems off.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like what you did with the coloring in this picture--it's simple, but the vibrant, almost unreal blue of the lake is especially appealing, and the overall atmosphere is very relaxing. I like the caption, too--it's very fitting. But I think it would be even more effective with less obtrusive text--maybe a soft script font that's still legible when you shrink it down. The color of the text really works with the icon, though--I'd keep that just as it is.

tartankilts
GUNSHOU SAYS: I love all that bright green surrounding the crystal blue lake - what a gorgeous place! The gradient over the sky may be a little too heavy; while the colors are lovely, the gradient mutes the details of the image enough that the icon loses focus about halfway up. On the other hand, it produces a pretty disappearing-into-the-haze effect, so I think maybe lowering the opacity a skosh would be enough. Or else it's the tiny text in that spot that bugs me and breaks up the icon into a sharp bottom and blurred top.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I love the mix of softness and vibrancy in this icon. The atmosphere is very placid and relaxing--I feel like I could step into this image and instantly be refreshed. If I could change anything, it would be the tiny text. I actually *like* most things about it--the color, the placement--but it seems a little too choppy for this image, like a row of little dominoes. I am not a tiny text maestro, so I can't give really constructive suggestions, other than to try a few different fonts/font sizes until you find one that's subtler.

seraphic_muse
GUNSHOU SAYS: I love the colors here! It's a beautiful crop, with that line of yellow across the center bordered by the deep blue sky and the softer reflections in the water. The brush along the bottom edge is a nice one for bordering the image. I'm not a fan of the text, though; I think a cursive font would have better fit the delicacy of the rolling clouds. The letter-spacing is too small, making that side of the icon look overbalanced. As it is, the block of letters with the dark glow pulls focus away from the details in the image itself.

RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This is a great image. The coloring is very vibrant (slightly *too* vibrant, but that might just be me), and the white frame keeps it from being too overwhelming. (A full 100x100 px of this image might have been too much.) My one real complaint is that the sunrise should be the star of the show, but the text (maybe because of the size) draws my eye away from it. I do like the white-on-white text, but a smaller, less obtrusive font might work better.

Round One - Challenge Five - Submit

2006-11-16T15:44:29Z

Round One - Challenge Five

TRENDY

This week your challenge is to take an overused (perhaps even ugly) trend and make it pretty again. You can choose one, or mix and match--just make sure it looks good in the end. ^.~

Trends include: fonts like Violation and Carnivalee Freakshow, dotted/dashed line brushes, inset circles/multiple-head disease, radioactive saturation, those little colored squares, oversharpened eyes & blurred skin, text like "bringing sexyback," scratch brushes/textures, and the glowing blob of doom. Please let us know which trends you're using when you submit, and feel free to suggest others we may have missed.

Here are some poorly made examples by rusalkatrix:

ENTHUSIAST TRACK: actors/actresses (from film, television, stage)

ADVANCED TRACK: musicians (singers, members of a band or orchestra, etc.)

Please submit one icon to this unscreened post by Monday, November 20th at 9pm EST.

Thank you, and have fun!

Feel free to use the comments section of this post to talk to each other, ask questions, etc. If you'd like to track the comments (to keep up), click on the "Track comments" box (it looks like a push-pin; shown below), and you'll be notified each time someone makes a new comment.

The results of Challenge Four - "Scenery" will be posted this afternoon.

late post

2006-11-16T04:16:46Z

A thousand apologies, folks. The results will be delayed until early tomorrow afternoon; I just can't stay awake long enough to finish up the post. We'll get it and the new theme up as soon as possible, though. Please bear with me us!

Round One - Challenge Four - Vote

2006-11-14T02:23:14Z

Round One - Challenge Four - "Scenery"

It's time for all members to vote on the People's Choice!

Please read the rules carefully. We will not only discard votes, but disqualify members who break the rules.

Vote for your two favorite icons in each track.
Your screened comment should look like this:
Advanced: 1st, 2nd
Enthusiast: 1st, 2nd

ADVANCED TRACK:

o1	o2	o3	o4

o5	o6	o7	o8

ENTHUSIAST TRACK:

o1	o2	o3	o4

o5	--	--	--

Good luck, everyone!

As always, if you have questions, please contact the mods or leave them as comments in this post.

Round One - Challenge Four - Reminder

2006-11-12T22:01:40Z

Round One - Challenge Four - Scenery

Members who still need to submit by Monday, November 13th at 9pm EST.:

OMG everyone's in!

We want to see your shinies! ^.^