Tutorial 3 - Frodo and Ring
Tutorial for 
By request of hotoko.
This icon was made in GIMP 2, but can translate to other programs - I've personally tried it in PS Elements, so I'm sure it'll work in PS or PSP.
I started out with a base cropped from a cap found at the LotR Image Library.
I didn't like the way it looked, so I applied the 'Sharpen' filter (Filters>>Enhance>>Sharpen) at a level of 50, and got this:
Now, I took my second base, also cropped from a cap from the LotR Image Library.
I applied the Sharpen filter again at the same settings to get this:
I pasted the second base on top of the first in a new layer. Then, I added a layer mask (Layer>>Mask>>Add Layer Mask) in white.
Now, I used a round fuzzy brush to carefully mask out the parts of the second base that I didn't want by painting in black, like so:
The icon looks like this at this point:
I took a gradient (by crumblingwalls, I think):
And set it to soft light at 100 % opacity.
I used another gradient (I don't know who it is from, please tell me if you do)
And set it to 'Lighten Only':
Then, I duplicated the original base:
I dragged it to the top and set it to Soft Light. My icon looked like this:
Now for some fun. I took a small round brush, and drew some random black dots. Then I went to Filters>>Blur>>Motion Blur and blurred them at an angle of 0 and length of 75.
This is what my blur looked like (black on white background for convenience):
I set this to Soft Light and duplicated it a few times. My icon looked like this:
I duplicated the first gradient again and brought it to the top:
Then, I added text. The small text is a brush I made myself; the larger, legible text is in Times New Roman Bold Italic with Antialiasing on and hinting off.
It's a decent icon, but I felt it wasn't quite done. I added this texture brush by hotoko/swept_off in black on a new layer and set it to soft light:
And there, I'm done. The finished icon:
The icon can be snagged, but credit noldo_icons, please.
By request of hotoko.
This icon was made in GIMP 2, but can translate to other programs - I've personally tried it in PS Elements, so I'm sure it'll work in PS or PSP.
I started out with a base cropped from a cap found at the LotR Image Library.
I didn't like the way it looked, so I applied the 'Sharpen' filter (Filters>>Enhance>>Sharpen) at a level of 50, and got this:
Now, I took my second base, also cropped from a cap from the LotR Image Library.
I applied the Sharpen filter again at the same settings to get this:
I pasted the second base on top of the first in a new layer. Then, I added a layer mask (Layer>>Mask>>Add Layer Mask) in white.
Now, I used a round fuzzy brush to carefully mask out the parts of the second base that I didn't want by painting in black, like so:
The icon looks like this at this point:
I took a gradient (by crumblingwalls, I think):
And set it to soft light at 100 % opacity.
I used another gradient (I don't know who it is from, please tell me if you do)
And set it to 'Lighten Only':
Then, I duplicated the original base:
I dragged it to the top and set it to Soft Light. My icon looked like this:
Now for some fun. I took a small round brush, and drew some random black dots. Then I went to Filters>>Blur>>Motion Blur and blurred them at an angle of 0 and length of 75.
This is what my blur looked like (black on white background for convenience):
I set this to Soft Light and duplicated it a few times. My icon looked like this:
I duplicated the first gradient again and brought it to the top:
Then, I added text. The small text is a brush I made myself; the larger, legible text is in Times New Roman Bold Italic with Antialiasing on and hinting off.
It's a decent icon, but I felt it wasn't quite done. I added this texture brush by hotoko/swept_off in black on a new layer and set it to soft light:
And there, I'm done. The finished icon:
The icon can be snagged, but credit noldo_icons, please.