*wails*

[azurite]

Well, I was eliminated in the very first preliminaries of Battle #18 over at bssm_battle. It was my first ever icontest-type competition in a long while, and having lurked on the community and scoped out the competition, I knew it'd be a miracle if I DID make it past the prelims. Still, I'm a bit bummed about not just being eliminated (which means I wasn't in the Top 10), but scoring SECOND TO LAST. Yeah, I'm sure you can figure out which icon I made and which character I was from that. *sigh*

So, I have a lot of icon makers on my FL. What are your secrets? How do you go about making an icon? (Regardless of whether you do icontests or challenges, that is. If you do, by all means, talk about how you fit your idea to the restrictions.)

Tackle these hard-thought subject areas such as
* Originality: how do you stand out from the crowd?
* Aesthetics: how do you make it "eye-catching" or "pretty?" What combination of effects, be they layers of images, opacity, overlays, brushes, shapes, and/or fonts do you use?
* Timing: be honest, how long does it really take to churn out a "good" icon? How about a "great" or "excellent" one?
* Anything else....!?

Give examples (e.g. images) if you can. Point me at tutorials. Show me plugins, favorite brush download sites, whatever! I want help!

If I were to ever try again, I'd like some Pro Tips (so to speak) to help me out. I tried even though I wasn't very confident... matter of fact, the icon I did submit was the second one I attempted to make. I knew an image I wanted to work with, but it was getting that image into an idea, a coherent "form" that I struggled with. And even then, when I thought I'd decided on something, I hadn't. I scrapped everything-- format, layers, opacity, font, etc. for a new idea with the same art. I'm sure either way I would have failed, but... urgh, I want to try again! Someday....

Comments

[dqbunny.livejournal.com]

What icon did you make? I didn't see anything about the round 18 stuff up there.

[azurite]

All the entries were locked, so if you're only watching the community and didn't join it, you won't see them.

I did the one of "The Rescuers" with the black "plus" sign in the middle.

[arien-elensar.livejournal.com]

Wo-ho, that is quite a mouthful. I've ben make icons and participating in contests for a while so I think I can help you and have alot of suggestions but I'll have to get back to you on it because I'd like to compile a fat load of material for you instead of quick solutions. :P