October's Featured Icon
distressed_dove
About the Icon:
Explain what we're seeing in this icon:
This is Dumbledore about to
leave baby Harry on the Dursleys' doorstep in the first movie. The word 'destiny' is
there because I see this as the real beginning of Harry's life. Everything before that,
myth and rumor. For Harry, anyway.
Why did you decide to make an icon on this subject?
Not so sure about this question.
Icons aren't quite that serious, lol. It's usually just looking through photos/screencaps
and finding one I like/can work with. I rarely know what I want when I start working on
an icon.
What programs did you use to make it?
Photoshop 7 and a free graphics program called
the GIMP.
How long have you been working on icons?
I made my first icon a year or so ago with
MS Paint. I started learning how to make decent ones a couple months later.
What was the process involved in the conception and creation of this
icon?
I started with just looking through screencaps. I decided to try using this cap from dj_capslock on LJ. Now, you say 'conception and creation', but for me, it's just the opposite. I'm usually like halfway done before I have any idea what I
want.
Anyway, I experimented with ways to crop the image and decided on what you see in the
finished icon. The screencap was not of the best quality because the scene in question
happened at night, so before I did anything else, I had to fix all the little
imperfections in the image. After that I just began experimenting with lighting,
colouring, and texturing. Sometime during this, I got the idea in my head that the word
'destiny' should be there. Once I was done with the image itself, I started playing with
the text. Got what you see here, and that was the end of it.
Is there somewhere that we can find more of your icons?
All my presentable icons
are in my LJ.
Do you have any advice for icon artists that want to make icons of
your caliber?
First off, get a good program. No MS Paint or any program that doesn't
use layers. They're completely useless. If you can't afford Photoshop or Paintshop Pro,
try the GIMP. It's totally free, and just as good as Photoshop in
many ways.
Second, EXPERIMENT. I can't stress that enough. So what if you end up with a monstrosity?
At least you'll know what doesn't work next time. If you use the same techniques
all the time, your icons may not look crappy, but they'll never look great either. So sit
down in front of your computer and play with it.
And finally, read tutorials. All the time. Tutorials helped me more than anything else in
the beginning. The LJ community icon_tutorial has
hundreds of great tuts, and it's the perfect place to ask a question if you're having
trouble with your program or a certain technique.
About the Artist:
Name: Karen
Age: 19
Residence: British Columbia
Which HP book was your favorite?
Definitely OotP.
Which Was your favorite film?
CoS. *misses canon movies horribly*
Who is your favorite character from the series?
Either Luna or Ron. I'm a fan of
misfits, lol.
Which house would you hope to be sorted into?
Ravenclaw.
Is there anything interesting about yourself that is worth
mentioning?
Nope. Just your average Potter freak. :)