questions and answers
▉question&answers
this entry is originally dedicated to this post here.
rules: ask and you shall receive.
Welcome to bearrs Q&A post.
I cannot promise I know everything, but I welcome all questions relating to any graphics I have made (including the ones posted at birdtotes.)
Below is also a list of all tutorials I have made (which may also be found at my resources post) then the questions. All of my tutorials and/or questions are based in the program PS (photoshop) and any manga colorings in SAI.
If you have a question about anything, or a comment-please direct it here or feel free to pm me.
▉tutorials
none at the moment.
▉001. what adjustment/colouring layer do you usually use the most often in your icon(s)?
While this will be shown in more detail in a tutorial I will be making upon request, I do not mind answering it partially here. I can be lazy and use the same base coloring and adjust it as I see fit. Also, I normally do not just use one layer to get the exact look you may see in my icons.
Regardless, I use selective colors a lot. I know a lot of people who use curve, however, I normally only use that for brightening my icons (if brightness/contrast does not cut it) because I have not yet mastered curve in PS for coloring. I tend to use one base selective coloring layer, and then add/adjust as each image is unique in its own right.
▉002. i'm always curious about how you make such pretty fanarts icon without abusing the original prettiness of the artwork itself?
This question tends to be a matter of opinion for me. To be honest, I tend to be very picky about the fanart I collect and/or use. Maybe being an artist myself I am prone to lean towards a certain style/look but to be honest the fanart does most of the work. I make "pretty fanart icons" mainly due to originally pretty fanart. However, that is not what you are asking/curious about. (:
To answer your question to the best of my ability is to study how the fanart is originally designed. Is it centered? Does it tend to have a bright vibrancy or a dark muteness? What are the colors it tends to use? Are the reds cooler or warmer? Even with using warm and cool colors-what is the general feeling of this fanart? My suggestion-study a bit about the use of color in works of art. While still a novice at this myself, if you really want beautiful fanart icons but do not lose where you started from, knowing how color works in paints, drawings, artwork, and everyday life is a great way to start.
Despite this, add your own flare to it. I have made fanarts that were originally cool-warm, and warm-cool. I tend to be a warm icon maker because I like richness and warm tones tend to give me that feeling, however I am trying to make some cooler colored icons for those of you cold-blooded reptiles.
Hope that answered your question.
▉003. how can you make gorgeous b&w icons without losing all its gloriousness~?
To be honest, I have never really figured out how I make such gorgeous black and white icons myself, because I never really knew I did. Hahah, regardless, I think it still comes down to what I said above.
The reason people, or I, make beautiful black and white icons simply lies in observation of the photo, stock, fanart, or picture as a whole. To be honest, some works of art are not meant to be in black and white, and that is part of it. I know some people in a PS class I took (which I hated), that they would just pop the image black and white and then leave it at that. Whaaa-? It is great when we make it black and white and it already looks good, but what if it looks so/so? Maybe it is too dark? This is when people just stop and go, 'it cannot be done', when PS is nice enough to know that not all black and white images are the same. Some are lighter, highlight more grey area than anything, while some are dark, being mainly black rather than white, and yet makes the white seem like beacons to be lit. When you use a black and white filter, be sure to mess with the settings your editing program allows.
You may also wish to add color layers to the image (after the initial change from color to black and white) to give it a more personal style. Such as, if you have noticed, most of my black and white images tend to have a more brown look to them, that is because I set a filter with a tan color and make it set to darken color or multiply. When I do not want that effect, I just click it to hide it. So I guess, play around with the way different pictures reflect black and white. Learn shadows, highlights, and what makes a picture pop.
I know this may seem weird for a Q&A to say things like this, but honestly, the more you know about how it all gets affected influences how well you can or cannot make a graphic. I am learning just as much as you, and I do not claim to know it all. This is, of course, my own opinion on the matter, and if looking for something more specific or more 'do it this way'-do look somewhere else. I am more about informing you of ways you can help yourself rather than telling you this is the only way to do it.
I hope this answered your question.
this entry is originally dedicated to this post here.
rules: ask and you shall receive.
Welcome to bearrs Q&A post.
I cannot promise I know everything, but I welcome all questions relating to any graphics I have made (including the ones posted at birdtotes.)
Below is also a list of all tutorials I have made (which may also be found at my resources post) then the questions. All of my tutorials and/or questions are based in the program PS (photoshop) and any manga colorings in SAI.
If you have a question about anything, or a comment-please direct it here or feel free to pm me.
▉tutorials
none at the moment.
▉001. what adjustment/colouring layer do you usually use the most often in your icon(s)?
While this will be shown in more detail in a tutorial I will be making upon request, I do not mind answering it partially here. I can be lazy and use the same base coloring and adjust it as I see fit. Also, I normally do not just use one layer to get the exact look you may see in my icons.
Regardless, I use selective colors a lot. I know a lot of people who use curve, however, I normally only use that for brightening my icons (if brightness/contrast does not cut it) because I have not yet mastered curve in PS for coloring. I tend to use one base selective coloring layer, and then add/adjust as each image is unique in its own right.
▉002. i'm always curious about how you make such pretty fanarts icon without abusing the original prettiness of the artwork itself?
This question tends to be a matter of opinion for me. To be honest, I tend to be very picky about the fanart I collect and/or use. Maybe being an artist myself I am prone to lean towards a certain style/look but to be honest the fanart does most of the work. I make "pretty fanart icons" mainly due to originally pretty fanart. However, that is not what you are asking/curious about. (:
To answer your question to the best of my ability is to study how the fanart is originally designed. Is it centered? Does it tend to have a bright vibrancy or a dark muteness? What are the colors it tends to use? Are the reds cooler or warmer? Even with using warm and cool colors-what is the general feeling of this fanart? My suggestion-study a bit about the use of color in works of art. While still a novice at this myself, if you really want beautiful fanart icons but do not lose where you started from, knowing how color works in paints, drawings, artwork, and everyday life is a great way to start.
Despite this, add your own flare to it. I have made fanarts that were originally cool-warm, and warm-cool. I tend to be a warm icon maker because I like richness and warm tones tend to give me that feeling, however I am trying to make some cooler colored icons for those of you cold-blooded reptiles.
Hope that answered your question.
▉003. how can you make gorgeous b&w icons without losing all its gloriousness~?
To be honest, I have never really figured out how I make such gorgeous black and white icons myself, because I never really knew I did. Hahah, regardless, I think it still comes down to what I said above.
The reason people, or I, make beautiful black and white icons simply lies in observation of the photo, stock, fanart, or picture as a whole. To be honest, some works of art are not meant to be in black and white, and that is part of it. I know some people in a PS class I took (which I hated), that they would just pop the image black and white and then leave it at that. Whaaa-? It is great when we make it black and white and it already looks good, but what if it looks so/so? Maybe it is too dark? This is when people just stop and go, 'it cannot be done', when PS is nice enough to know that not all black and white images are the same. Some are lighter, highlight more grey area than anything, while some are dark, being mainly black rather than white, and yet makes the white seem like beacons to be lit. When you use a black and white filter, be sure to mess with the settings your editing program allows.
You may also wish to add color layers to the image (after the initial change from color to black and white) to give it a more personal style. Such as, if you have noticed, most of my black and white images tend to have a more brown look to them, that is because I set a filter with a tan color and make it set to darken color or multiply. When I do not want that effect, I just click it to hide it. So I guess, play around with the way different pictures reflect black and white. Learn shadows, highlights, and what makes a picture pop.
I know this may seem weird for a Q&A to say things like this, but honestly, the more you know about how it all gets affected influences how well you can or cannot make a graphic. I am learning just as much as you, and I do not claim to know it all. This is, of course, my own opinion on the matter, and if looking for something more specific or more 'do it this way'-do look somewhere else. I am more about informing you of ways you can help yourself rather than telling you this is the only way to do it.
I hope this answered your question.