DON'T YOU DARE APOLOGISE FOR SUCH EPIC AWESOMENESS!!

Ohmigod so many pretty, pretty, pretties!!

Okay, so deep breaths. I'm calming down now. Deep breaths. That's it. Alright so here goes some sort of attempt to give this beast of a post the feedback it deserves ;D

Composition

So the wizard category icons would probably be the best place to start here and you, my friend, have some truly epic blocking/levels going on here! #5 and #21 from attempt 2 (the way they bring attention to the subject's face and expression), #13, #17 and #20 from attempt 3 (great examples of story telling within an icon), #1 and #17 from attempt 4 (again with the story telling) and #17 from attempt 5 can all be used as great examples of these techniques. You've really done the wizarding part of the challenge proud and I love the way that you used more that one type of composition. Your blending is fantastic and I particularly love how you used textures cropping and lighting in #5, 9 and 13 of attempt 5 to show that good composition doesn't have to equal a busy icon! Which brings me on to...


Cropping

While you seem to like center crops (which is definitely not a bad thing, I like them too) there are some really interesting close crops in this post. I love the one of Sansa from attempt 1, her expression is so Sansa and the play of shadow and light over her face adds a very intriguing dynamic, especially with that split lip. #22 from attempt 2 is lovely as well. There's a slightly melancholic feel to the icon that the muted colours work really emphasize. I also like the overall softness of this icon. I've never watched Survivor but I imagine that the contestants get a little...despondent at times and this icon captures that kind of feel perfectly. From attempt 3 #2 and #6 are really, really, stunning! Rose has such an iconnable face and you can get loads of interesting crops from her and you seem to have taken full advantage of that with this set. Well done! I love how attempt 4 captures so, so, so many of Ten's expressions. I've never seen past episode 1 of season 2 of Dr Who but I love David Tennant and I love his fave and I love how you combined close crops, center crops and distant crops for attempt 4! Really, really awesome job!!


Colouring

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I LOVE your colouring. I love the brightness and vibrancy of your icons and I really, really, love your use of light. I've seen a few muted icons from you as well lately and they're pretty damn awesome as well. Most of attempt 4 stand out here, #14, 15 and 19 in particular. The colours on these icons are subdued and subtle but still really gorgeously done and your contrast throughout this post is PERFECT! So well done, you!!
I do have to admit that on #6 and #10 from attempt 4, the colours seem a little too subdued. It's really the only two icons from the entire batch that I could say that on but, I dunno, maybe blocking on the background on #6 and matching it to his coat or adding a vibrancy layer to #10? If you're even using PS. Maybe even trying the old, copy merged, Gaussian blur then set to soft light trick?
They're still really, really gorgeous icons I just feel they don't punch through quite as much as the rest of this set does.

So really, awesome job on this post. I wish I could add more but I have to leave for the day and if I get time later I'll be back to leave more critique. But seriously, this was a total HBIC of a post! Congrats!!

OMGWOWWHATISTHISEVENANDHOWDOIDESERVEIT :OOO Thank you so so much, i can't believe how much effort and thought you've put into one comment and I'm so happy and flattered and ecstatic!!

I'm soooo glad you think so highly of the compositions because a) YOURS ARE SO FLAWLESS and b) you name pretty much my own favorite compositions here too so yay that someone appreciates them!

And I can't believe you just wrote that much about my cropping cause you're so right about me almost always going for a center crop and/or negative space without even thinking :p it's certainly the one iconing aspect I most often neglect. I'll make a note to make more close crops! I'm very flattered you like the Sansa one because everyone and their dog has made an icon of that cap so I didn't think mine really brought anything new to the table. And you're soo right about Rose and 10 having the most iconable faces everrrr. Tennant's is just so very expressive, and Rose is just so cute! (Also you stopped watching right when the show turned its awesomeness up to eleven! :P)

Thank you so much for the coloring feedback too - I'm glad you generally like both the vibrant and the muted ones here. The mutedness is definitely still a new territory so I muchly appreciate the concrity bit! (Yes, I use PS, and totally overuse the blurred softlight layer trick :D not on those icons though so I'll have to try that in them and/or keep that in mind for future!)

Also there is definitely no need to wish you would have added anything more, that's just insane, this comment is PERFECTION ♥

Hi,

So, uh, this is kinda a new thing for me to do since I never, ever want to impose on other makers but, if possible, would you be able to do a tutorial for 9 and/or 18? Feel free to say no because I understand that you're busy with college and stuff but I was just looking over this post again and these icons are seriously so, so gorgeous!

I really don't want to inconvenience you though so I'm being presumptuous I fully apologise! I'd just really love to see tutorials for those icons. Or PSDs. Whatever suits you more :)

Oh, that wouldn't be much inconvenience at all, since these are so new that I'm pretty sure I have all the psd's and remember why I did what I did. Just to make sure, do you mean #9 and #18 of the whole post and thus the first attempt? (If so this is even easier because neither has very many layers so a tutorial shouldn't take much time). I'll see what I can do and never ever hesitate to ask stuff like this, not only is it really flattering but it's also always wonderful to (try to) help!

(Also the size of this icon post suggests I clearly do have some free time on my hands :D)

Oh, awesome!

Yeah I mean of the whole post, from attempt one. Thanks a mill, you've totally made my day :D

Great! I'll start writing asap - I know I still have a couple of tuts to make for the ask the maker thing but I think I can do these two first cause they really are so short. I just checked and 18 has only 6 layers. If it's ok, I'll try to get these done by the end of the week :)

Thank you so much! How did I miss you on Ask the maker?

Anyway, thanks again and I really look forward to those tuts!!

Yay, done already :D Hope you'll get something out of them!

http://froonium-icons.livejournal.com/14991.html

Hee, I was a bit clever with Ask the Maker - I saw it the first day it was posted, but waited a few days so I wouldn't be on the first page. I wanted questions, but not a thousand of them like most of the first-pagers usually would get, and my theory is that a lot of the askers on the first few days just ask things even if they're not really interested, just to give a bit attention to everyone. I knew I didn't have time for things like that, only for a few questions that hopefully would really interest the asker, so I wanted to participate a bit late when things had calmed down a bit :)