THE ICON MAKER'S CRITIQUE

WINNER OF LAYOUT POLL

suchdainties — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 01:58:10 GMT

Hey guys. Sorry this took so long, but we really didn't have much action on the poll. Anywho, our winner is rozookie!!! Congratulations! rozilla, you may start revamping the layout the minute you read this. If you can't, just comment here and I--the second place winner--will take care of it.

Thank you SO much, to those of you who voted. And soon we'll have our new layout up and running with an altered user info (which I will take over) and perhaps I'll start up a suggestion post and take more applications for reviewers. If you have any questions or comments about my new plans, feel free to comment to this post. Thank you all again!

suchdainties — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 18:29:46 GMT

Sorry I didn't post sooner, but I was trying my best to prolong the poll. I'm very disappointed in the results seeing as we only had four votes. Thusly I'm extending this activity for another week so we'll hopefully score some more votes. To everyone who is reading this, please try to use the banner to promote us and the poll.

AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

BUTTON FOR WATCHERS/REVIEWERS

suchdainties — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 21:18:28 GMT

To promote our new desire to change, I've made a button for watchers and reviewers to put in their icon journals (or otherwise) that links to the poll. Please, PLEASE make use of it!!! PIMP OUR COMMUNITY AND MAKE IT ALIVE AGAIN!

And please don't forget to vote! We've only had two votes so far, and I know we can do much better than that!

ATTENTION WATCHERS/REVIEWERS

suchdainties — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 04:54:10 GMT

Since there has still been no word from _fleur (or summerstorm and saeva for that matter), I think it's about time the active reviewers decided to liven up this community again. The first change I proposed is a layout alteration. So if it is alright with ressie_noldo and rozillla, I would like to allow members of the community to vote for which of the three of us should revamp our layout.

If either of you have a problem (are too busy, etc.) just comment here to tell me. Otherwise:

IMC WATCHERS

Take a look at our journals and icon journals and choose who you think is most suited to make over theimc. Comment here with your top two choices--if for any reason, the person voted best cannot fulfill the responsibility, then the next winner will take their place. Use this template to place your screened vote:

REMEMBER: YOU MAY ONLY CHOOSE FROM THE ACTIVE REVIEWERS (me, noldo_icons, or rozookie)!!!

Voting will end September 1st. Reviewers, good luck and feel free to contact me in either my personal or graphic journal. And watchers, have fun voting and choose wisely!

EDIT : Voting has been extended until September 8th! PLEASE VOTE!!!

suchdainties — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 21:16:14 GMT

QUESTION FOR REVIEWERS:

_fleur claims her journal is dead and has not updated her icon journal since February. Should we consider her gone and hand over theimc to someone else? The community is dying and I hate that because this used to be one of my favorite things on livejournal as a beginning icon maker. I think we need a change of pace--and if _fleur really is not coming back to get on our butts about updating, should we start changing things on our own?

Hope you guys are reading this. I'll delete it, of course, if you don't find it appropriate.

toxxic_graphics (as reviewed by suchdainties)

suchdainties — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 21:19:12 GMT

[01] First Impression:
Well, I think it's safe to say the layout is rather simple. In fact, it's even a bit difficult, as the navigation links seem to be overlapping the text on the left. Most people like to see something representative of the graphic artist's work in their layout, so I'd highly recommend creating one that is appealing and shows your skill. Furthermore, I'd check out what's up with your codes that made the navigation links shift to cover the text. There are loads of communities that help with overrides and layouts; I've found the following to be particularly useful: howto, and everything_lj. And on top of that, you might consider putting more than one or two icons as a teaser outside the cut. It just helps to give everyone a better feel of what they're in for when they click on the cut.

[02] Prominent Subjects:
A very mixed journal, with plenty of funny fandom crossovers (especially with Harry Potter) spread about. Lots of music and a good variety of films.

[03] Style:
I was originally a bit misled by the styles I was presented in this journal. Initially I was seeing a lot of what I consider to be "yucky" graphic habits: oversharpening, tiny, unreadable text (when they are meant to be readable), not enough color manipulation in the images, or too much (as in big splotches of overly bright colors that distort the original picture). But then I saw the first musicicon100 post of The Mars Volta and I literally could not believe I was looking at graphics by the same artist. From the teasers, I wouldn't have known what sort of pretties lay under the cut, but luckily I checked it out--those icons are almost flawless! Excluding #21--which, again, has tiny unreadable text and poor coloration--the icons in that post are superb! They showed a total and complete mastery of composition and color, using techniques like image repetition and reflection, as well as fantastic fonts, brushes, and colors. This displayed a style I love--diverse, in that not all seem too grungy or too clean, but a subtle mix of both.

[04] Text:
You know how to work the big text. So please, for the love of Photoshop, stay away from all font sizes below 10pt, except for decoration!!! This is funny. But this is not anymore, because no one can read it! Don't bother trying to fit a large segment of funny text into a small 100x100 pixel icon--it's a dilemma all icon makers face and overcome.
And if you could include the kind of variety seen in the previously mentioned Mars Volta post with your fonts, you'd significantly improve your icon quality.

[05] Miscellaneous:
No real miscellany here--this journal is pretty much exclusively icons aside from a few music downloads.

[06] Overall Impression:
You enjoy humor--that's clear enough. But learn to execute the kind of humor you want to convey in your graphics with style. It'll just make what's already great into a far better thing.

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all):
Try to mimic that first Mars Volta post for your non-funny icons. They show so much skill and talent, it would be a shame not to try and reproduce that style with some other subject matter. And for your funny icons, stick to the large fonts! That way everyone can enjoy your Harry Potter/Anchorman crossovers!
And make a lovely layout for everyone to admire. It's definitely within your reach.

[08](three) Personal Favourites:

iconfolio (as reviewed by saeva)

saeva — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 03:29:29 GMT

[01] First Impression: At first glance I thought this was a personal journal which also hosted icons but then I got a look at the URL and realized it wasn't just for icons but an icon community.

As far as the layout goes, on the plus sides the colours are really complementary and soft and she's right that those pocket dragons are absolutely adorable. On the minus side, it really isn't immediately evident this is an icon journal -- it has the feeling of a personal one, especially given the top entry. Also, the navigation is a real pain.

[02] Prominent Subjects: The iconist has a real mixed bag with everything from video games to movies and television shows to music to (the adorable) pocket dragons to just misc. subjects. It's sort of rare you see this much variety in an icon journal, which is neat. She definitely leans towards fantasy and SF though.

[03] Style: Brushes, brushes, and more brushes. This journal is full of brushtastic icons and a lot of textures. You don't seem to do a lot with the colours of the images themselves, relying instead on textures almost exclusively, which is rare and sort of interesting.

You might want to explore with colouring a little more before applying texture -- there's a lot you can do to a base that doesn't involve texturing (though texturing is lots of fun) and branching out to experiment would improve the overall quality of your work tons.

[04] Text: Big text, like the big use of textures, is the name of the game here. A lot of it's blocky and seems to stick to the same few fonts. Maybe branch out a little.

[05] Misc.: Has some banners (scrolls?) and mood themes, which is neat. Mood themes are always challenging.

[06] Overall Impression: Overall I see a lot of grunge work and feeling out how a program works still. It's a very nice start for someone who's perhaps not the most adventurous with their program (or just really, really fond of a particular style) but I think that there's a lot more potential than skill here currently. The icons show a nice eye for cropping and a good variety of subject matter s/he's able to work with, I just wish there was a little more working with the original images and a little less covering them up with brushes.

I do like how you blend brushes though, especially in the examples of favorites I give below. The brush against the woman's skin in the first example is especially nice work.

[07] Constructive Criticism: I know I seem to rag on the overuse of brushes here but that's not really it -- I love texturing and I wish more iconists would utilize the effect. It's just in this case I think you're struggling with one trick a little too much and ignoring the magnitude of other things you could be playing around with. Right now the style is really muted which makes it hard for the eye to focus, something a little more contrast in your completed project would help.

A simple trick I'd suggest trying out is when you've applied the textures and brushes to your content duplicate the very first base layer, bring it to the top, and set it to soft light at the opacity that works best with the effect you're going for. It'll give more definition to your icons and I think that'd help a lot.

[08]Personal Favourites:

lvlwing_icons (as reviewed by suchdainties)

suchdainties — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 01:24:46 GMT

[01] First Impression
Even though I'm not too crazy about the bland green and yellow, I love how you have your header fading into the patterned background - stunning, absolutely brilliant work. It has that rancid sort of look that makes it seem like extra glue from behind the pictures turned the color of the paper it was sitting on; fantastic.

[02] Prominent Subjects
You've covered almost everything (many of my favorites among them)! Subjects range from Beetlejuice, and Scrubs to Dogma, Office Space, and Constantine, but with a majority focusing around Japanese rocker, Miyavi. If anyone's looking for variety, you're definitely the one they should be checking out.

[03] Style
Some of the softer icons I find to be lacking. Icons like this one, and this seem plain, at best - I know the effort is there, but the blandness of the color and the daintiness of the text really does nothing for the picture. But other times, you're right on target, with bold and graphic chunks of images, and high contrast, blocky text, like in this one. I definitely think that's the sort of style you should expand on, because there you can definitely see the originality, and the boldness in your graphic-making style.

[04] Text
As I said before, you're smaller text is a bit plain. I'd opt for the larger, chunkier texts, since you seem to have an amazing handle on them, and are really doing great things with that style.

[05] Miscellaneous
Plenty of miscellany, ranging from brushes and tutorials, to layouts, screen caps, and videos. Quite a resourceful little journal.

[06] Overall Impression
This is an experienced and sophisticated journal, worthy of recognition from anyone in the icon community. With great resources and widely ranging icon subjects, the only thing wrong here is a few poor icons, which can easily be disregarded when compared to some of the other brilliant and hilarious graphics. Keep up the amazing work.

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all)
As I've said before, your style seems to lend itself towards simpler, yet bolder graphics. Avoid the rough, grunge look and the delicate, plain styles - they're not for you. Your clean and simple icons have real class.

[08](three) Personal Favourites

fadeto (as reviewed by goddessofsouls)

rozillla — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 01:23:04 GMT

[01] First Impression
Although it's a premade layout, the colors, added with icon and content make it look very nice. Nothing freakishly extreme and gives you the ability to first let you eyes to be caught onto the actual icons.

[02] Prominent Subjects
Firefly, Firefly and MORE Firefly! Oh yes, some Narnia and Lord of the Rings as well.

[03] Style
You have a pretty prominate style going on already and that's great! Everything seems to fit nicely through out the pages and I'm really adoring the black and white meets a hard lighted color on top, but not covering the entire image.
I am honestly in awe on the originality of the style you've used in this icon. There being a plethora of it is great and very appealing to the eye, and truthfully, not over done at all. And though your recent posts have gone down in flashiness, they're still quite beautiful!

[04] Text
I'm really enjoying the originality of your text placement, too. The off centre, wacky placed letters and even when text covers the icons main point (usually the face of someone) it really makes the icon as a whole.

[05] Miscellaneous
Helpful and nicely done light textures, dotted line scribbles and regular scribbles.

[06] Overall Impression
I was definitely impressed with the over all look and feel of your journal and icons. Like I said before everything seemed to fit quite nicely.

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all)
I think you're going in a great direction and definitely want to see more of your new stuff in the future.
Suggestions? Dabbling in other fandoms. Seeing what you could do as far as color goes and making icons into JPEGs. The last, because alot of people have a hard time looking at PNG's because of the extreme sizes and people on 56k comps are sitting for more than 5 minutes just to check out the icons themselves and may draw away from the general appeal of the icons.

[08](three) Personal Favourites

theiconasylum (as reviewed by goddessofsouls)

rozillla — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 22:07:52 GMT

[01] First Impression
The journal layout is quite clean and the colors match the header perfectly - though working on the code to achieve the header to move fluently with the rest of the journal would be my suggestion toward it.
The header itself at first glane is nice but you start to notice that the image quality isn't what it could be, I suggest (if using Photoshop CS) when saving as to use maximum 12 quality to make the image look more crisp without having to sharpen it too much.

[02] Prominent Subjects
I see a lot of old fashioned type movies (EG: That Thing You Do, Dirty Dancing, Catch Me If You Can, etc.) as well as dabbling in Lost characters, pop singers and miscellaenous actors, too.

[03] Style
Scrolling down the page I see alot of different techniques being used in each batch but alittle of yourself in each one. Though your newest post seems to be the least prominate and distinct as the rest. I think what you've been doing will get you a long way. I like how you try different colors and text in each one but remember not using text is good too - though I think in your Britney Spears post it seems though text could be used, as well as different cropping techniqes and coloring. They seem so plain compared to your earlier works. I also advise not using the sharpen tool so much. Sometimes with image quality the sharpening makes it look funky and takes away from the artistic view of the icon itself.
A tutorial that helped me best with coloring the most would be this one by undercoveregg. You can always try playing with the different selections as well and you can come up with some amazing coloring techniqies along the way.

[04] Text
Like I said before you do alot of dabbling in text which is good, I notice some icons can be left without it but when you've made your text prominate it doesn't over power the image to the extreme. I think, though, you should try harder colors or adding backgrounds to your text sometimes since it may be hard to read with a multicolored image for a background.
I found some text related tutortials at icon_tutorial that you may find helpful. 01, 02, 03.

[05] Miscellaneous
Two posts of nicely created screencaps.

[06] Overall Impression
It was interesting looking through your journal. You had many different icons to look at and pick from and you didn't just stay in one specific fandom.

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all)
As said before, know your text limits. Try different backgrounding text styles. Easy on the sharpen and try to give your icons a better image quality. As far as your recent post, be more creative! You have the will to do it and I think you can make some seriously great things, try different techniques. If you're ever in a slump, goto places like takenote_icons and ultimateicons and see what other people have created. Not saying you should copy but when I look through other icons they inspire me and give me ideas of my own.

[08](three) Personal Favourites

iconophilia (as reviewed by ressie_noldo)

ressie_noldo — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 07:32:47 GMT

[01] First Impression I was quite impressed by the layout, which is in neutral tones and is very elegant. The 'icon' part of 'iconophilia' in the background seems to be partially blocked out by the text boxes when I open the page; this did not look intentional, and could possibly be due to my screen resolution. The userinfo is neat and well-organised, although there seem to be a few broken images there.

[02] Prominent Subjects Miscellaneous movies and music. In the recent posts I noticed quite a bit of Eternal Sunshine.

[03] Style The style is extremely appealing, even on first glance; lots of clean space, bright, contrasting colours and clean-looking icons. Not much detailing on most of the recent ones, which seem to go for bright simplicity rather than fussy 'busy' appearances. Some interesting experiments with composition too. A lot of those 'repeating picture' icons as well.

[04] Text In some of the older icons, the text is marginally jarring, whether due to odd antialias settings or mismatched colour; this seems to have been overcome to a large extent (barring the odd icon), and text use in the later icons is quite lovely. A bit of the tiny text is too chunky and intrusive for the way the icon is set up, though.

[05] Miscellaneous A few miscellaneous wallpapers and resources. The wallpapers are very nice, especially a few of the Eternal Sunshine ones, which have the same clean, airy feel I loved in the icons.

[06] Overall Impression Love the way the journal seems to be looking at the moment, especially the more recent entries, where the style is really quite individual and not bogged down by icon-making fads.

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all) I'd suggest being a little more selective about your images; the icon style is crisp and clean, but some of the images are blurred and don't match. Sharpening to a limited degree on some of these. Some of the text, like I've mentioned, is a little off for the icons, especially the chunkier tiny-text; I'd suggest scouting around for the clearer, sharper tiny-text brushes and whatnot. They'd do a lot for some of those moodier icons.

Brushwork seems to be pretty minimal; experimentation along this line might be nice.

Also, avoid the common trends if at all possible, because you seem to have a few unusual ideas that work just fine on their own.

[08](three) Personal Favourites

iconvexity (as reviewed by suchdainties)

suchdainties — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 15:50:41 GMT

[01] First Impression
Very professional. The brushwork in the header is crisp and clean, and the colors likewise. However I was surprised to see that there was only one page of recent posts - and out of that, only five held icons.

[02] Prominent Subjects
There aren't really enough posts to determine the most prominent subjects, but I do see a lot of actors (Charlize Theron, Uma Thurman, Dwayne Johnson, Angelina Jolie), some Friends icons, The Lion King, Veronica Mars, Boyd Holbrook.

[03] Style
You have some very sophisticated brushes in most of your graphic work, but sometimes they don't necessarily mesh well with the image or colors. I don't think you've quite found that balance between picture and brush, even though many of the brush sets offered in the journal are absolutely stunning. In addition, there seems to be a lot of muted and desaturated coloring. But in most cases, little or nothing has been done to the original image.

[04] Text
The tiny text is fine. In most of these icons, the smaller text does nothing but enhance the image. But the larger text - featured in a majority of the work - just seems to take away from the graphics. Either the setting it's on or the format under which you saved your icons is changing its quality. My advice would be really to avoid text altogether - there are a great many icons that could have been far more beautiful or popular if there had been no text at all.

[05] Miscellaneous
Plenty of amazing brush sets. They're all quite stunning, and I'm not surprised at their popularity. Beautiful work, really.

[06] Overall Impression
This journal does not have enough content to really be reviewed, in my opinion. The first post was made in December 2005, and even though there has been some development since then, it isn't enough to earn a true representation of the kind of work you can present. But the layout is lovely, and the brushes are perfect.

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all)
Make some icons without text and brushes! Learn about masks, curves and image effects at icon_tutorial, because there is so much more you could do to your images. And on that note, learn to be a little more selective with the original base images you choose. Don't settle for less than good quality pictures when you're dealing with such popular subjects. cap_it has more than enough images and screen captures for you to be truly selective with the images you use. By far, your Boyd Holbrook icons were the best, and the simplicity of the ones without text, or the ones that only sported some tiny text proved you do know what you're doing. Churn out some more like those, and you'll be well on your way.

[08](three) Personal Favourites

iridescent_life (as reviewed by suchdainties)

suchdainties — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 03:25:50 GMT

[01] First Impression
The header and colors are really great. The journal has that indie, couture type vibe that makes the white and the warm colors meld perfectly. But I do have to say that long list of affiliates and credits (not under a cut) rather ruins my immediate satisfaction with the journal layout.

[02] Prominent Subjects
Actors/Actresses (most recently, nicole kidman and zooey deschanel), Alias, The O.C.

[03] Style
Although there is a lot of the typical icon fads included in some of these graphics, there are a few very unique ones where I can see a different style emerging. They're rare, but a few of them have a perfect, light and airy balance of light textures and image color alterations - with little tidbits of floral accents and textures here and there. It's really beautiful.

[04] Text
I don't know what setting you have your text on or what font you're using, but most of the black text seems way too chunky for the type of icons you're using them in. Most of your white text, comparatively looks a lot cleaner and daintier - appropriate for the icon.

[05] Miscellaneous
Plenty of easy to follow tutorials, some textures and dynamic wallpapers.

[06] Overall Impression
From 2005 onward, things have begun to pick up and a few quality icons are emerging - definitely something people would be interested in looking into. Everything before then is mostly beginner's work.

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all)
Don't get sucked into icon fads (oversharpening and blurring of the skin, little boxes, text brushes, etc.) - there are some really golden icons and graphics in your journal that deserve to be elaborated on. Work on your own unique style, because it's really great.
In addition, just because your text is so chunky, either try a different font or text setting, or even forget text altogether. I saw quite a few icons that would be stunning without any text at all.

[08](three) Personal Favourites

SUBMIT HERE.

_fleur — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 17:33:49 GMT

(once you've been reviewed, your comment will be deleted from this entry)

->To the reviewers/co-mods:
Please, make sure that you review the first journal/community on this page;
no sifting through comments and picking someone you want to review! And
don't forget to delete the comment before you start you reviews................

Thanks, _fleur

NOTE: If you have submitted yourself to this post, there is no need to comment here. We will get through all the previous comments before starting on this post.

NEW REVIEWERS NEEDED!

_fleur — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 17:12:48 GMT

so i waited and waited and waited for people to comment on this post, and NO ONE did.

SO.

All the old mods are removed, and I'm wanting new ones NOW!

If you would like to be a reviewer, comment with the following...

REMEMBER: You need to have lots of time on your hands, basically.

Good luck! All comments are screened.

MOD STUFF

_fleur — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 10:55:03 GMT

When reviewing, please follow these instructions :)

1. go to this post, and pick the first comment. do not go through and chose. when you have saved the journal name, delete the comment. DO THIS BEFORE YOU START TO REVIEW.

NOTE: At the moment the review post for moderators is different to the new submit post for members. When all comments to this post have been deleted, moderators will start on this new post [to save any confusion!]

2. Copy and paste the coding below into a new update.

SUBJECT LINE= <lj user="ICON JOURNAL"> (as reviewed by <lj user="YOUR USERNAME">) [01] First Impression [02] Prominent Subjects [03] Style [04] Text [05] Miscellaneous [06] Overall Impression [07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all) [08](three) Personal Favourites

remember to put the "SUBJECT LINE=..." bit INTO the subject line :P

3. Fill it out! REMEMBER: save the three personal favourite icons on your own server. Hotlinking is NEVER EVER a good thing.

4. Post your review to theimc.

5. Leave it to me to sort your review into the community memories.

ALSO
- You no longer need a personalised icon for theimc. If you wish to that's fine, but you don't HAVE to.
- Please try to review once or twice a week.
- Do not do more than four reviews a week.

_fleur — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 10:07:06 GMT

so this community is dead, basically. and i promised i wouldn't let that happen.

SO. the current reviewers, please COMMENT to be kept. in commenting to this post, you promise to keep going.

if you have not commented by the 29th December, i will remove you.

i will be looking for new reviewers in the mean time.

stormwindicons as reviewed by lumare

baublez — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 14:17:26 GMT

First off I want to apologise for the delay in reposting this - I had posted it some weeks ago and only just found out some couple of days ago that LJ ate the post, as it seems to be doing a lot lately *sigh*

[01] First Impression
THE LAYOUT IS NICE AND SIMPLE, THE COLOURS ARE SOFT AND VERY COMPLIMENTARY, AND THE SET UP IS VERY PLAIN (WHICH IS GOOD FOR THOSE OF US THAT AREN'T TOO GOOD AT POKING AROUND, LOL). ROUGHLY 3 TEASER ICONS PER POST, AND THE ICON JOURNAL IS UPDATED REGUALRLY.
[02] Prominent Subjects
CSI, DOCTOR WHO, FIREFLY, LOST, WITHOUT A TRACE, VERONICA MARS.
[03] Style
BRIGHT AND VIBRANT COLOURS, ARTISTIC CROPPING, LIGHT TEXTURES AND COMPLIMENTARY TEXT ARE USED.
[04] Text
TEXT IS MINIMALISTIC, AND USED SPARINGLY. WHERE IT IS USED, IT IS A COMBINATION OF BOTH CREATIVE FONTS AND PLACEMENT AND TINY TEXT. TEXT DOESN'T CLUTTER THE ICONS, AND I REALLY LIKE THE WAY IT IS USED HERE.
[05] Miscellaneous
NONE
[06] Overall Impression
VERY POLISHED ICON JOURNAL. THE ICONS ARE VARIED AND OF GREAT QUALITY. THE TIME YOU SPEND ON YOUR ICONS SHOWS THROUGH IN THE QUALITY. I LIKE THE WAY YOU HAVE USED COLOURS AND GRADIENTS, AND CREATIVE USE OF LIGHT TEXTURES AND DESATURATION. IT'S UPDATED REGULARLY TOO WHICH IS ALWAYS A PLUS! =)
[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all)
NONE
[08] (three) Personal Favourites*

moony_graphics [as reviewed by dogwasstar]

dogwasstar — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 02:21:37 GMT

[01] First Impression A nice purply-pink layout, not the kind you usually see for icon journals. There is an list of links on the left, which is easy to navigate. Overall, very pleasing to the eye

[02] Prominent Subjects Wow, this is a prolific icon journal. There are a lot of entries. Actors [particularly British] and actresses, various movies [especially Harry Potter], and even a few internet cult favorites [the 15 minutes films and "i harth darth" comics.]

[03] Style Rich, deep colors. A lot of gradients are used, but very nicely, so as to not overpower the original photograph. Sometimes the brushes are too harsh, but mostly, the focus is on the colors of the photograph.

[04] Text The tiny text as decoration is perfect. Sometimes, the large text looks a bit out of place.

[05] Miscellaneous Movie caps and mood themes are also offered. The memories are well organized.

[06] Overall Impression It's clear that you know what you are doing. You have your own style without seeming out of the loop.

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all) Don't be afraid to experiment with the text. Sometimes, the icons look as if they could be a little sharper. Besides that, just keep on doing what you're doing!

[08](three) Personal Favourites

caffeineproduct [as reviewed by dogwasstar]

dogwasstar — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 02:00:05 GMT

[01] First Impression Nice header and blue color. Easy on the eyes, and well organized. Yay for teaser icons!

[02] Prominent Subjects A couple of movies, WB TV shows [everwood, gilmore girls, dawson's creek], various musicians.

[03] Style Bright, clean, and colorful. A lot of borders are used. Very smooth, about as far as you can get from grungey.

[04] Text There is a nice variety of fonts, and some of the text is very good. Not every icon has text, and it still works. However, in the older entries, the text is a bit out of place. There has been a great improvement.

[05] Miscellaneous The info page is marvelously organized. There is a list of upcoming icon projects, a list of what not to expect [I like this a lot], and the memories are well organized and easy to go through.

[06] Overall Impression A well established journal with a good number of entries and variety in subject, but I've yet to see a definite personal style.

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all) A lot of the original photographs could be tampered with a bit more, to get to a better quality icon. I'd also check out some textures. Your text and choice of brushes is great, but don't be afraid to add a bit of texture in there. Overall, you're on the right track!

[08](three) Personal Favourites

ephemeralicons (as reviewed by irdamajere)

irda — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 20:56:16 GMT

[01] First Impression
The info page is nice and simple. Rules are clearly stated, though there's no mention of resources. Perhaps you don't use brushes/textures/gradients by other people? The layout is also simple, black and reds. You put some sample icons before the cut, always a good thing.

[02] Prominent Subjects
Video games and anime, almost exclusively. There's a hint of other things, various movies and I believe I spotted a stray Amy Lee icon.

[03] Style
Rather plain. Often it seems nothing's been done to the icon other than cropping and adding some text. Occasional brushwork, and sometimes templates.

[04] Text
It's often hard to read what the icons say, except when bitmap fonts are used. Other than that, the text looks fine. Good choice of font, always anti-aliased.

[05] Miscellaneous
I'm a bit confused, because at the beginning of the journal it says that the entries are friends only, yet I can view several of them? Maybe only some of the entries are locked, and obviously the memories are. Also, some entries have as little as two icons each. Might be a better idea to wait 'til you have more before posting. If the entries that are viewable to the public are only sample entries, it'd be better to mention that in the userinfo. Then people know that they need to add and be added to see the rest!

[06] Overall Impression
Even though the journal was created over a year ago, there haven't been many entries. Though as mentioned before, that might be because some are friends only. Hard to tell. I can see definite signs of improvement with each batch of icons, keep practicing!

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all)
Gradients! Those are excellent to create some nifty colouring effects. You can find a bunch at icongradients. You should also try for more creative cropping styles. quebelly made an excellent cropping tutorial here. Check icontutorials to learn new tips and tricks.

[08] (three) Personal Favourites

icondesign as reviewed by pumpernickelpip

baublez — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 09:12:38 GMT

[01] First Impression:
The layout is simple, soft and easy on the eyes. I like it because it is understated, and it loaded very easily.

[02] Prominent Subjects:
Alicia Keys, Buffy, Lost, Oz, Eve et al.

[03] Style:
Bright, strong colours, with a smooth finish to the icons - the blur (or smudge) tool is in use a fair bit here. It is a clear and fresh look, with some desaturation.

[04] Text:
Predominantly tinytext - I enjoy the understated and complimentary style and effect that tinytext is used for here - and when larger fonts are used, they don't crowd the icons, but are merely for an impact - it looks VERY nice.

[05] Miscellaneous:
Icon tutorials are also available, with good resources and memories.

[06] Overall Impression:
Very polished and precise icons - I really like this journal, it is very professional and you can see the effort that goes into the icons that are posted. They are all very high quality, and each aspect compliments the subject.

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all):
Maybe post some men! =P that was the only thing I felt this was lacking - I loved the Oz post, and I'd love to see more.

[08] (three) Personal Favourites

iconbitch as reviewed by pumpernickelpip

baublez — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 08:56:27 GMT

[01] First Impression:
The Layout, while pretty, gave me a couple of personal frustrations - these are just little peevs of mine, but I don't like rollover links that expand, and I think the layout would have looked nicer if it scrolled with the entries instead of being fixed. Aside from those two pet peevs, I REALLY like the layout. I really didn't like the fact that there were no teaser icons on the posts - I had NO idea what I was in for.

[02] Prominent Subjects:
Ioan Gruffudd, Jossverse, Alias.

[03] Style:
Gradients, sharpened contrasting colour and "large" text.

[04] Text:
Text is only really used in one way, it seems, and in terms of fonts, it's bare bones. Only plain fonts are used, and I haven't seen much tinytext at all, while the larger text is used for effect in a couple of places I feel it clutters.

[05] Miscellaneous:
Icon tutorials, and even help with s2 customisation is available (flexible squares).

[06] Overall Impression:
I'm undecided if I really like this or if I'm just ok with it - I can't quite put my finger on it, but in places the icons just seem to lack something...It is a solid base to work on, for sure, but I haven't seen any icons that really jump out at me and say "wow! that is AWESOME!"

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all):
I felt in some places that your text is un-necessary, or could have been better subsituted for tinytext. Maybe veering away from blue/green gradients and trying some other colours too, after a while I got a bit bored with seeing the same colour gradients on icons, and lastly maybe have a go at diversifying your fonts - dafont.com has some really pretty fonts and there are thousands to choose from to add a little spice to icons. Try the "unsharpen" mask, or "sharpen edges" filter too, or even "sharpen fade" at about 85% or so - I felt some of the icons were a bit too sharpened.

[08] (three) Personal Favourites

twilight_icons as reviewed by pumpernickelpip

baublez — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 13:08:40 GMT

[01] First Impression:
Basic Layout, which I like - I think the basic and muted tones of this layout really show off the teaser icons more and put more of an emphasis on the contents, not the packaging. =) The header is really pretty too - I love the leaves!

[02] Prominent Subjects:
Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy, Crossing Jordan, The OC

[03] Style:
There isn't one set style I can see in this journal - which is good - there are bright icons, and there are also muted pastel icons. There is a good mix between light and dark, and there is a lot of colour masking going on.

[04] Text:
Text is used well - there is a nice mix between tiny text (home made or brush is undetermined) and full sized text, and the text is always relevant to the icons - there isn't crowding of subject matter either.

[05] Miscellaneous:
-none-

[06] Overall Impression:
I like this journal - I like your style of icons, and I like that you haven't restricted yourself.

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all):
Possibly try moving into some more diverse subjects - like some men *winks*

[08] (three) Personal Favourites*

olivejuice_icon (as reviewed by _fleur)

_fleur — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 12:55:01 GMT

[01] First Impression Layout has nice colours, but unfortunately does not support my browser, lol. Memories and teasers!

[02] Prominent Subjects Girls such as Britney, Paris, Nicole, Lindsay

[03] Style "burned" style, with exclusion layers and such. Its a nice style and compliments the subjects.

[04] Text mostly tiny text

[05] Miscellaneous Wallpapers is all I can seem to find in the memories

[06] Overall Impression The icon style does support the subject- that "group" of girls. A lot of icon makers seem to be linking the two together for some reason. It's not bad though!

[07] Constructive Criticism (if any at all) Text! I got a little fed up of the tiny text. Don't get me wrong- I use it, but after a while it can get repetitive. Download some good fonts and experiment. A little colour/gradient experimenting would be lovely too! Oh, and Sharpen a bit more too. A lot of the icons are a bit fuzzy for me.

[08](three) Personal Favourites