Retrospective

[hsapiens.livejournal.com]

I joined ugly_icons today and took a few minutes to look over the locked entries. There are some massively ugly icons there...and there are also some icons that look to me like typical beginners' efforts. Every one of us started out as a nOOb. I shudder every time someone digs out an ancient icon of mine, adopts it, and tells me that she'll be certain to credit. Ha! Some of those I'd prefer to forget I ever made. *grin*

In my head, I think of my icons as Before Paddies (B.P.) and After Paddies (A.P.). Every icon maker should have an "elder statesman" icon maker like paddies who is as generous as she was with me. She gave me straight talk about my work and solid suggestions to improve. I'm still working my way through her comments after all this time. I seriously heart her.

Every icon maker should also have her own cheering section. Mine has been jalabert. From the first day I cracked open my copy of Photoshop Elements 3.0, she supplied me with a demand for my work, even when it mostly sucked, and gave me direction when I was first trying. She also said things to me like, "He's urine yellow! Why would you make him urine yellow?!?" Which, you know, I'd MUCH rather hear in private rather than see in a comm making fun of ugly icons. :)

All of this nostalgia got me to wondering about my own roots, where I've gone, and where I am. Thus...


I don't think that I started out *too* scary, but my penchant for oversharpening was evident from the start...


And oh boy, that sharpening had gotten a LOT worse by several posts later, when I think I'd graduated to using the sharpen filter TWICE before smoothing out the skin bits.


Thankfully, paddies pointed it out. Honestly, I didn't see it as oversharpened. I saw it as defined and definitely not "blurry." I just shake my head. The other thing she kindly suggested was that I learn to use textures. Oh boy.

I started out okay...


...and then I veered into the realm of nuclear holocaust as I tried to figure out how oxoniensis made these beautiful icons where it looked like she painted with textures. (To be clear, HER icons were not nuclear holocausts. My attempts to incorporate her methods into my own style were the scary ones.) I was playing with that at the same time I discovered selective coloring. Sometimes, I like what I came up with but other times? *shudder*

the Good:

the Bad:

the Was I Blind?!?:


One of the things I've found most disappointing in my work is that I tend to focus on faces rather than scenes. I love portraits; they're my favorite painting group and that shows up in my iconning. It doesn't help that my favorite fandom to work in is SG-1 and a lot of the filming on that series is tight shots of single characters. Multi-character shots often have a narrow focus depth so only one of the characters is truly in focus. I used to think the lack of variety was due entirely to my bias but choosing caps for sg1_lims has proven to me that I'm only *partly* to blame. Don't believe me? I randomly selected an episode from about mid-way through the series (Season 5): this is the first page of screen caps I chose. I didn't have to *look* for this. It's the norm for how the show is shot.)

That isn't an excuse; it just reinforces my weakness for the pretty shot of a pretty actor. Those icons are popular, but they're boring compositional-wise and they become boring to make. :|

I tried branching out. I sought out scenes. I discovered the joys of black and white. I iconned in other fandoms. I played with negative space.


I joined lantis_lims and started throwing anything and everything into the mix, trying to develop a style of my own:


I still don't know that I have a particular style. I don't know that one could look at an icon and know for certain that I made it. I've recently discovered "levels" (hey, I never claimed to be a quick study in Photoshop) and that has taken me new places with black and white icons. Instead of relying on the duotone/tritone/quadtone pre-sets, I can really play with them now. :)




I'm still far too fond of the head shot icon and centered cropping. Even though I *know* those don't typically make for visually interesting icons. If I knew everything and didn't still have a lot of room to improve, though, I don't suppose I'd be making icons at all because it would be just so *boring.*

Comments

[hsapiens.livejournal.com]

LOL! I didn't mean for this to be a "tell me why I'm awesome" kind of post. :) Seriously, icon makers get LOTS of positive feedback. Way more than, say, the majority of fic writers. I get plenty to feed my ego -- but I thank you all the same for your kind words. *g*

Funny that you mention the sharp focus aspect because that is *critical* to me. Maybe it's my long history of bad vision but a picture that isn't crisp drives me bananas. I won't even think of using a slightly fuzzy cap. I think it's one of the reasons I was oversharpening so heavily before but didn't see it as such and remains the motivating factor in my choices of caps and crops. You can't get the image too small without losing all identifying detail. And I do love detail. I want to see it ALL. I still weep that icons aren't 150x150 because you could cram in so much more detail.

But then I see an icon like these:

by emily_reich & by isiscaughey & by elli & by obaona

and I know I have so far to go before I get where I want to be. I'm not there yet but I hope to be some day. Over time, I've developed a new appreciation for some versions of softer focus (as evidenced by the second icon up there) but I have a hard time tolerating it in my own work because well, DETAIL. I must have detail.

You don't have to be involved in making icons to know what you like or to have valid opinions about what makes good icons. Just as I don't have to be a writer to have valid opinions about what makes a good fanfic. :) But I suppose it's the "telling a story" -- and drama -- that I'd like to have more of in my icons.

Thank you for being here.
*hugs* Thank you for being here. *hugs again*

[memento1.livejournal.com]

SQUEE!!!

I am ALL OVER any discussion on graphic design and technique. This made me so happy, Mish. I should do a "retrospective" look at my own work, although I'm terrified of looking back at some of the crap I made.

But I agree, everyone needs that guiding hand, that expert artist to hold your hand and offer you tips and encourage your efforts. I still miss Creative terribly because it was that to me. I was lucky to have several "masters" to learn from - Tere and Vered especially, and a whole community of supporters. I haven't found anything like that since, and I miss it.

I am horrified to say that I didn't learn the wonders of sharpening and color correction until the last few years, but I developed a lot of other useful skills in that time that are not so common nowadays. We are all a product of our times, I guess.

[hsapiens.livejournal.com]

I'm not certain this qualifies as a discussion of graphic design and technique but I don't think that my "style" has changed that much to have a true discussion. I'm glad it pleases you. :) It's humbling, indeed, to look at icons that I once was extremely proud to have made -- and cringe. Ah well.

We are, indeed, all a product of our time. Thus those selective color horrors up there. *points*

[sasusc.livejournal.com]

I just came to this post to mention that I nominated one of your icons over at sg_awards and couldn't help to read this. It's always funny to look at one's older icons and say "WTF was I thinking?" Someone once told me that icons didn't look "finish" without a border and I listened to them. There was a period of my icons all with some sort of borders before I realized borders don't always work. lol, and then joining icon challenges only served to help make me branch out and improved.

I just one to say that I love most of your icons, and looking through yours always seems to make me go "Oh, I want to try something like that!". So thanks so much for inspiring me and some of my icons! ^_^

[hsapiens.livejournal.com]

Sorry to have been out of touch; we were dealing with a terminally ill family member. Thank you for nominating one of my icons; it's always a thrill. I'll have to go see which one it was.

I know that border issue, too. Nobody told me icons needed borders but I decided on my own that they did. I collected an astonishing number of border brushes and was fearless in using them. Icon challenges DEFINITELY make one a better icon maker.

I'm stunned that you get inspiration from me. If you ever want to know how I did anything or where I got a cap or texture or whatever, please feel welcome to ask. I'm always happy to talk icons.

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

I adore that black and white icon of Teal'c in the bottom group. Textures, huh? I'll have to try that...

[hsapiens.livejournal.com]

:) Textures are very cool. If you *ever* want to know how I do something, made an icon, or just want to "talk shop" then please feel free to ask me. I love to share anything I might know.

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

I will absolutely be taking you up on that! : )

[hsapiens.livejournal.com]

I look forward to it. :D