Round One - Challenge Seven - Results
This was one of our most complex challenges (well, it would have been for rusalkatrix ^.~), so a special congratulations to you all! And congrats on making it this far! Even if your track has proceeded without eliminations, your endurance, and constant creativity, is commendable. ♥
OVERALL WINNER: becbet
Vibrant and juicy, this icon has the power to convert even kiwi non-believers.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE: anniereckless
The people have spoken!
RETIRED WITH HONORS: lufiamanaelf
A strong showing, especially that gorgeous KOSMOS icon in week six. We hope you'll continue to participate in the community, and you're welcome to sign up for the next round! ♥
No Mod's Choice in the final stages of competition.
COMMENTARY:
lufiamanaelf
GUNSHOU SAYS: If you hadn't told me this was a strawberry, I'd never know it. ^.^; I love the colors in this icon, but the crop and the textures combine to make it look really muddled. While I think the split composition is neat, I have no idea what it is in the bottom frame. I like the red brush at the top, but the right side border looks pretty empty with the straight line of color ending so abruptly.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The colors in this icon are pretty, and I like the background texture, but there is an overall muddled, almost blurred quality to the images. That might be due to a misplaced light texture or an exclusion layer--I'm not sure. The close-up cropping makes it difficult to determine what we are seeing--the strawberry I recognize, because of the seeds, but it lacks the bright juicy-ness I associate with fruit. The fruit salad on the bottom, though . . . even knowing what it is, I don't feel that I have enough perspective to see it properly. Drawing back a bit (on both images), & cropping them so that we can see more of the image, would help. I'd also suggest moving the images toward the center, so as to balance out that empty space on the right side.
becbet
GUNSHOU SAYS: Gorgeous, juicy colors! I like the split focus, and the way the vivid green is scattered across the lighter background. Even the Carnivalee works well. My favorite detail is the little bit of tiny text under the divider, which adds just the right amount of decoration in that blank space.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This icon just makes me happy--and I don't even *like* kiwi. In fact, I think they're gross--so that is quite a feat. ^^ The scattered placement of the kiwi slices, the yellow-y bubbles that offer a subtle, bouncy balance, the vibrant sliver of kiwi that acts as a divider (so clever!), the exuberant font, and the tiny kiwi-seed-like text--I love it all. And you ditched the exclusion layer!! A really nice job--I have no advice to offer you.
snm_queen
GUNSHOU SAYS: This is a cute icon, but it's hard to tell that there's a drink in that bucket, and I have no idea what's happening on the left side of the image. I really love the circle texture and brushes - like Coca-Cola's bubbles, it's the perfect visual for soda-pop. The rounded corners add to the pop feel, as does the fat, curved text. While the colors are cool and refreshing, they also seem to lack a certain...vitality - the red in the text becomes the focal point, and not the drink. I'll chalk that up to the whole bruhaha; the colors seem to reflect your (very justified) mood. ^.^;
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like the round, bubble theme going on here--it's upbeat and refreshing; and I love how the subtle curve of the text matches the path of the bubbles. I also like that you chose to icon drink bottles, because it's unusual and (I believe) challenging, and I admire that. But there are some confusing elements in this icon. To the left of the bucket, for instance, I have no idea what is going on--it might have been better to mask that out and add more bubbles to balance the empty space. It's also difficult to know that those are bottles, without being told--but that might have something to do with the fact that I'm not familiar with this drink. If they were Coca-Cola bottles, something might click in my brain & tell me, "ooh, bottles!" It's hard to know for sure.
anniereckless
GUNSHOU SAYS: Simple, with impact. I love the composition of the icon, with the tiny text border and the desaturated inset. The clean structure matches the basic elements of the glass and bowl on a white counter. My only complaint is that while I like the positioning of the inset, either the crop or the desaturation (or both) makes it hard for me to tell what it is.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The smoothie is so vibrant & drinkable! That luscious pink is my favorite part of the icon, which is why (for me) the desaturation doesn't work. If the subject were something *other* than food, I would love the desaturated inset, because it offers a nice contrast--but colorless food is not tasty. It makes me think of cigarette ashes and newspaper, not fruit smoothies. But I do love the white border and the overall clean, whiteness--it contrasts nicely with the bright colors of the smoothie, and gives them even more impact.
OVERALL WINNER: dagas_isa
Warm and delicious, this icon makes excellent use of the scrapbook technique.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE: irisxchan
The people have spoken!
RETIRED WITH HONORS: crazykeira
A strong showing, especially that stunning Poison Ivy icon in week six. We hope you'll continue to participate in the community, and you're welcome to sign up for the next round! ♥
No Mod's Choice in the final stages of competition.
COMMENTARY:
irisxchan
GUNSHOU SAYS: A cute lollipop picture, but the decorative pieces really overpower and clutter the image. I like the blue-grey arrow and dots, but the tannish arrows at the bottom distract from the clean lines of the lollipop sticks. And I think the image would have greater impact without the text at the top. The ornate font is just far too busy for the simple fun of the icon.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The lollipops are a wonderful choice--the sphere shapes and the range of colors give this icon instant "cute." But with this style of icon, it can be difficult to know when to stop with the little details--and I think that's what happened here. I like the gold arrows, but they might look better *above* the image, where the gray arrow is now. (Or the gray arrow & dots would look better in that gold color--I am just totally digging that color. ^^) The gold would add warmth to the top half of the icon, to help balance the brightness at the bottom. And I didn't realize the font at the top was text at first; it's so ornate, it looks like an antique swirly design instead--and it doesn't quite go with the mood of the icon.
dagas_isa
GUNSHOU SAYS: A fun icon, and excellent use of decorative elements to go with the scrapbook theme. The cookies are nice and clear, and the text goes with them perfectly. I really like that swirly thing, and the red borders/decoration/text is a great color for a backdrop. But everything is sort of falling off the right side of the icon! If it were just the top or just the bottom, it would look fine, but both makes me lean to the right to save the cookie pile. ^.~
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This icon is so tasty! You're lucky there are no Xmas cookies in my house, or I would be devouring them right now--and it would be your fault. ^.~ I really love all the elements in this icon, & how they come together: the cookies look vibrant & delicious; the swirl brush on the right & the warm colors give a cozy feel; the tiny text on the paper-colored background suggests that we're really looking at a recipe. My only complaint is that the balance is slightly off: The left side, particularly the bottom half, seems overly bare. I think that could be remedied by either expanding the vertical rectangle at the bottom, so that the edges match up with the top "secret recipe" section, or by centering the bottom pieces a bit more.
crazykeira
GUNSHOU SAYS: I really like the bottom picture (and gingerbread men), but the top on is too blurry for my poor eyes. A red or green border around the cookie pictures would be more interesting than the plain black. I think I'd also place the picture of the single cookie overlapping the multiple cookies instead of underlapping - it's the better focal point.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: Gingerbread men! ^^ I like the images you chose--particularly the solo gingerbread man on the bottom--and agree that the icon would have more impact if he were overlapping the multiple-cookie pic. (The multiple-cookie pic lacks contrast, I think.) The black frames around the images seem too stark against the pale, somewhat bland background--a vibrant red or green (or both) texture might be a better match with the black. The text doesn't add much to the icon, visually--a decorative brush or little stamps along the edge might be a better way to fill that space.
tartankilts
GUNSHOU SAYS: I don't know what's with me and strawberries today, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what's in this icon. The texture is just too busy (and to me, the colors clash); the bright pinks overwhelm the pretty red on the strawberries and plate. The tiny text on the left is also too dotty for the texture - it blends in with the white spots on the left and is then too stark over the plate on the right. A more dashy tiny text would work better there.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like the placement of the strawberries and the plate, but as I mentioned in irisxchan's critique, I think this icon suffers from an overload of detail. The bright pink/red background doesn't complement the strawberries so much as overwhelm them with colorful brightness; and the heart brush and the flower would be cute, if they weren't adding to the overall pink/red mix. A lighter colored, more subtle background would allow the accents to really shine. The tiny text is also a bit too present--a smaller, softer colored block of tt might work better, and I think that erasing the section of tt that overlaps the plate would allow the plate to remain the focal point, rather than forcing it to compete with the tiny text.
OVERALL WINNER: becbet
Vibrant and juicy, this icon has the power to convert even kiwi non-believers.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE: anniereckless
The people have spoken!
RETIRED WITH HONORS: lufiamanaelf
A strong showing, especially that gorgeous KOSMOS icon in week six. We hope you'll continue to participate in the community, and you're welcome to sign up for the next round! ♥
No Mod's Choice in the final stages of competition.
COMMENTARY:
lufiamanaelf
GUNSHOU SAYS: If you hadn't told me this was a strawberry, I'd never know it. ^.^; I love the colors in this icon, but the crop and the textures combine to make it look really muddled. While I think the split composition is neat, I have no idea what it is in the bottom frame. I like the red brush at the top, but the right side border looks pretty empty with the straight line of color ending so abruptly.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The colors in this icon are pretty, and I like the background texture, but there is an overall muddled, almost blurred quality to the images. That might be due to a misplaced light texture or an exclusion layer--I'm not sure. The close-up cropping makes it difficult to determine what we are seeing--the strawberry I recognize, because of the seeds, but it lacks the bright juicy-ness I associate with fruit. The fruit salad on the bottom, though . . . even knowing what it is, I don't feel that I have enough perspective to see it properly. Drawing back a bit (on both images), & cropping them so that we can see more of the image, would help. I'd also suggest moving the images toward the center, so as to balance out that empty space on the right side.
becbet
GUNSHOU SAYS: Gorgeous, juicy colors! I like the split focus, and the way the vivid green is scattered across the lighter background. Even the Carnivalee works well. My favorite detail is the little bit of tiny text under the divider, which adds just the right amount of decoration in that blank space.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This icon just makes me happy--and I don't even *like* kiwi. In fact, I think they're gross--so that is quite a feat. ^^ The scattered placement of the kiwi slices, the yellow-y bubbles that offer a subtle, bouncy balance, the vibrant sliver of kiwi that acts as a divider (so clever!), the exuberant font, and the tiny kiwi-seed-like text--I love it all. And you ditched the exclusion layer!! A really nice job--I have no advice to offer you.
snm_queen
GUNSHOU SAYS: This is a cute icon, but it's hard to tell that there's a drink in that bucket, and I have no idea what's happening on the left side of the image. I really love the circle texture and brushes - like Coca-Cola's bubbles, it's the perfect visual for soda-pop. The rounded corners add to the pop feel, as does the fat, curved text. While the colors are cool and refreshing, they also seem to lack a certain...vitality - the red in the text becomes the focal point, and not the drink. I'll chalk that up to the whole bruhaha; the colors seem to reflect your (very justified) mood. ^.^;
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like the round, bubble theme going on here--it's upbeat and refreshing; and I love how the subtle curve of the text matches the path of the bubbles. I also like that you chose to icon drink bottles, because it's unusual and (I believe) challenging, and I admire that. But there are some confusing elements in this icon. To the left of the bucket, for instance, I have no idea what is going on--it might have been better to mask that out and add more bubbles to balance the empty space. It's also difficult to know that those are bottles, without being told--but that might have something to do with the fact that I'm not familiar with this drink. If they were Coca-Cola bottles, something might click in my brain & tell me, "ooh, bottles!" It's hard to know for sure.
anniereckless
GUNSHOU SAYS: Simple, with impact. I love the composition of the icon, with the tiny text border and the desaturated inset. The clean structure matches the basic elements of the glass and bowl on a white counter. My only complaint is that while I like the positioning of the inset, either the crop or the desaturation (or both) makes it hard for me to tell what it is.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The smoothie is so vibrant & drinkable! That luscious pink is my favorite part of the icon, which is why (for me) the desaturation doesn't work. If the subject were something *other* than food, I would love the desaturated inset, because it offers a nice contrast--but colorless food is not tasty. It makes me think of cigarette ashes and newspaper, not fruit smoothies. But I do love the white border and the overall clean, whiteness--it contrasts nicely with the bright colors of the smoothie, and gives them even more impact.
OVERALL WINNER: dagas_isa
Warm and delicious, this icon makes excellent use of the scrapbook technique.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE: irisxchan
The people have spoken!
RETIRED WITH HONORS: crazykeira
A strong showing, especially that stunning Poison Ivy icon in week six. We hope you'll continue to participate in the community, and you're welcome to sign up for the next round! ♥
No Mod's Choice in the final stages of competition.
COMMENTARY:
irisxchan
GUNSHOU SAYS: A cute lollipop picture, but the decorative pieces really overpower and clutter the image. I like the blue-grey arrow and dots, but the tannish arrows at the bottom distract from the clean lines of the lollipop sticks. And I think the image would have greater impact without the text at the top. The ornate font is just far too busy for the simple fun of the icon.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: The lollipops are a wonderful choice--the sphere shapes and the range of colors give this icon instant "cute." But with this style of icon, it can be difficult to know when to stop with the little details--and I think that's what happened here. I like the gold arrows, but they might look better *above* the image, where the gray arrow is now. (Or the gray arrow & dots would look better in that gold color--I am just totally digging that color. ^^) The gold would add warmth to the top half of the icon, to help balance the brightness at the bottom. And I didn't realize the font at the top was text at first; it's so ornate, it looks like an antique swirly design instead--and it doesn't quite go with the mood of the icon.
dagas_isa
GUNSHOU SAYS: A fun icon, and excellent use of decorative elements to go with the scrapbook theme. The cookies are nice and clear, and the text goes with them perfectly. I really like that swirly thing, and the red borders/decoration/text is a great color for a backdrop. But everything is sort of falling off the right side of the icon! If it were just the top or just the bottom, it would look fine, but both makes me lean to the right to save the cookie pile. ^.~
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: This icon is so tasty! You're lucky there are no Xmas cookies in my house, or I would be devouring them right now--and it would be your fault. ^.~ I really love all the elements in this icon, & how they come together: the cookies look vibrant & delicious; the swirl brush on the right & the warm colors give a cozy feel; the tiny text on the paper-colored background suggests that we're really looking at a recipe. My only complaint is that the balance is slightly off: The left side, particularly the bottom half, seems overly bare. I think that could be remedied by either expanding the vertical rectangle at the bottom, so that the edges match up with the top "secret recipe" section, or by centering the bottom pieces a bit more.
crazykeira
GUNSHOU SAYS: I really like the bottom picture (and gingerbread men), but the top on is too blurry for my poor eyes. A red or green border around the cookie pictures would be more interesting than the plain black. I think I'd also place the picture of the single cookie overlapping the multiple cookies instead of underlapping - it's the better focal point.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: Gingerbread men! ^^ I like the images you chose--particularly the solo gingerbread man on the bottom--and agree that the icon would have more impact if he were overlapping the multiple-cookie pic. (The multiple-cookie pic lacks contrast, I think.) The black frames around the images seem too stark against the pale, somewhat bland background--a vibrant red or green (or both) texture might be a better match with the black. The text doesn't add much to the icon, visually--a decorative brush or little stamps along the edge might be a better way to fill that space.
tartankilts
GUNSHOU SAYS: I don't know what's with me and strawberries today, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what's in this icon. The texture is just too busy (and to me, the colors clash); the bright pinks overwhelm the pretty red on the strawberries and plate. The tiny text on the left is also too dotty for the texture - it blends in with the white spots on the left and is then too stark over the plate on the right. A more dashy tiny text would work better there.
RUSALKATRIX SAYS: I like the placement of the strawberries and the plate, but as I mentioned in irisxchan's critique, I think this icon suffers from an overload of detail. The bright pink/red background doesn't complement the strawberries so much as overwhelm them with colorful brightness; and the heart brush and the flower would be cute, if they weren't adding to the overall pink/red mix. A lighter colored, more subtle background would allow the accents to really shine. The tiny text is also a bit too present--a smaller, softer colored block of tt might work better, and I think that erasing the section of tt that overlaps the plate would allow the plate to remain the focal point, rather than forcing it to compete with the tiny text.