icon tutorial

[fun_like_that]

I posted this earlier to icon_tutorial but I thought I'd stick it here as well, in case anyone else could get use out of it.

I'm probably the last person that should write a tutorial given I've just started to get the hang of proper icon making a little while ago (compared to what I used to do) but I liked the way this icon came out so well I thought I'd share. Big thanks to nikita_80 for looking this over for me before I posted so it didn't sound wonky.



I was trying some various effects that I've seen in other tutorials here and was using this picture.

I went from that to this: .

Here's how I did it.

1) I "crop" my pictures wrong. I just never got the hang of it. What I do is resize the main picture until I have the size I like, then copy paste onto a new 100x100 image so I have an extra blank layer at the very bottom. Not the fastest or most productive way but it's how I learned. *shrugs* So I did that and found the best way to position the image that I liked (conveniently excluding Ethan. Blech). I ended up with this: layer 2 (as layer 1 is blank)
Opacity: Normal 100%

2) I picked up the next step(s) from the tutorials at Syndarys.
a) Duplicate layer 2.
b) Sharpen the duplicate. Opacity: screen 50%.
c) Duplicate sharpened layer. Opacity: lighten 100%.
d) Desaturate sharpened duplicate layer 100%.
It should look something like this:

3) The next two steps I got from teh_indy's tutorial on muted colours.

New layer, #3. Fill with #110A6A, set to exclusion 100%.

4) New layer, #4. Fill with #F5C095, set to colour legacy 50%.

These two steps brought me to here:

I like bright, coloured icons so I wasn't satisfied with this look so I tinkered a little more with colours and gradients. This is where I stopped following tutorials and just tried different things to see what I liked/didn't like.

5) New layer, #5. I filled with this gradient, set to softlight 74%: and it gave me this effect: .

6) New layer, #6. I filled with this gradient, set to dodge 12%: which gave me this effect:

7) New layer, #7. I was satisfied with the colours now so I wanted to add a texture or some sort of brush. I'm still discovering what brushes I like and don't like, what colours work and so forth so it takes me awhile, usually, to pick a brush and stick with it. I'm indecisive like that.

I finally chose a texture brush by pekeana: . I set it to lighten, 62% in a colour similar to #E9D1A3 (can't remember exactly). I got this result: .

8) I wasn't totally satisfied so I added this border brush by counterglow in a colour similar to #855F41: and got this result:

9) I added text to mine for an icon challenge so, obviously, add your own text or leave it blank. Whatever strikes you fancy. Just don't copy this exact step-by-step guide with that exact picture. Personally I've found that I really like finding tutorials with bits and pieces I can use, rather than the whole thing so then I can make the icon my own.

Hope this helps someone! Enjoy!

Comments

[like-a-memory.livejournal.com]

blah blah blah