Aw, it makes me so happy to hear I was even slightly inspiring. That comment was so unspecific and useless though, sorry I failed to give you actual tips. :P Not that you need it since you've got this whole PS thing down way better than I. Insane coloring is definitely a good thing. Don't you dare believe otherwise because that's one of my favorite aspects of your icons!

Sawyer is tied (with Sun) for my favorite character though, so I love that the person we have in common is someone both of us really love! Not to mention we both watch Once Upon a Time now. And Supernatural... ish (I can flail with you up until season six).

There will always be naysayers, but please try not to let them affect you in any way, in terms of making icons or otherwise. Clearly, there were enough people out there who thought you deserved those awards and voted for you (including me), so always keep that in mind!