Skin/Icon Information

[Squidle]

Hey,

I made this for people who want to start with Skinning/Icons, or just for people who are searching for a usefull technique.
This is mine:

Name
Squidle
Age
15
Program(s) you use
Photoshop CS2
I make
Skins | Icons | Both
Special Technique(s)
Don't have really a special one...
I just ask how other people does it.
Your rank
Beginner | Novice | Advanced
Tips
Just practise as much as you can!

You can also post one of your first Skin/Icon with the

Hidden

tags on it.
You can copy the text below and fill it in if you want.
Just add [S] and [/S] for the multiple choice questions.
Like [s]Skins[/s] | Icons | [s]Both[/s]

Copy This

[box=Information][size=2][B][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Name[/COLOR][/B]
<Your Answer>
[B][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Age[/COLOR][/B]
<Your Answer>
[B][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Program(s) you use[/COLOR][/B]
<Your Answer>
[b][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]I make[/COLOR][/b]
Skins | Icons | Both
[B][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Special Technique(s)[/COLOR][/B]
<Your Answer>
[B][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Your rank[/COLOR][/B]
Beginner | Novice | Advance
[COLOR="yellow"][B]Tips[/B][/COLOR]
<Your Answer>[/SIZE][/box]

~Thanks!~

Special thanks to Sabelion, for the Grammar Check.

 

[Sabelion]

First of all, +rep for the idea Squidle and for the clean layout xD. Second of all here is mine.

Name
Sabelo
Age
15
Program(s) you use
GIMP 2
I make
Skins | Icons | Both
Special Technique(s)
I just draw with brush, it works fine on
some skins and terrible on others
Your rank
Beginner | Novice | Advantage
Tips
If you want high quality
skin dont smudge xD.

Third of all here is some skeleton I made from Hellscream ( I call him Deathscream), and pants are still WIP and maybe face and gloves too xD.

Deathscream

 

[breebree123]

nice idea +rep too

 

[Squidle]

Thanks ya so much both
And very nice skin Sabelion!

 

[Denu]

I like the idea of posting peoples first skins. I wonder if I still have mine around hidden somewhere...

 

[Hawkwing]

Name
Hawkwing

Age
13

Program(s) you use
Photoshop CS4

I make
Skins | Icons | Both | Other

Special Technique(s)
I use a a slightly soft brush with medium opacities ranging from 40%-60%. I have a tablet so a lot of the time my opacity is set to be pressure-sensitive.

Your rank
Beginner | Novice | Advantage

My actual first submitted skin was this. It consisted only of recolour and copy and paste.

Kul'Tiras Sorceress - Recolour to the Max!

My first serious and approved skin was this. The M.E.O.W. Bear - the first of the four. It was approved with a 4/5 (Recommended) rating.

M.E.O.W. Bear

There were others created between the two, but none were finished or submitted.

 

[Sabelion]

Aw fack, I didnt see you should post the first skin . That aint the first skin, it is only the one that I think looks best of mine that I am still working on .

My first skin was a reskin of rexxar to some sort of green blob I am serious, it was like no shading and highlight it was just like green .

And Hawkwing, cool that you are 13 and a hive mod xD

 

[Squidle]

Wow nice Hawking!
And Sabelion,
Doesn't mather if it isn't your first one.

 

[X.e.r.e.X]

Name
X.e.r.e.X
Age
15
Program(s) you use
Photoshop CS3
I make
Skins | Icons | Both
Special Technique(s)
I haz no technique really. I guess I just haz my own "style" or something.
Your rank
Beginner | Novice | Advantage
Tips
Do not diss smudge, it has feelings

It's not my first skin, but it's my only approved skin on Hive currently.

Skin

And this is my first approved icon on Hive

Icon

 

[Squidle]

Very nice XereX!
Dracula, right?

 

[X.e.r.e.X]

Yap, Dracula D:

 

[Sabelion]

Lol, look at X.e.r.e.X tip and mine .

 

[XS-Archangel]

Name
XS-Archangel
Age
20
Program(s) you use
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Master
I make
Skins | Icons | Both
Special Technique(s)
Air brush, opacity 12%, dodge, burn, now with tablet
Your rank
Beginner | Novice | Advantage
Tips
Don't hurry

First skin - Sub Zero

Currently the last one

 

[Squidle]

Very nice first skin!
I like the blades

 

[Kwaliti]

Name
l0w_kwaliti / Kwaliti, depends where you look for me.
Age
16
Program(s) you use
Adobe Photoshop CS2
I make
Skins | Icons (if required, rarely though) | Other (Models)
Special Technique(s)
75% opacity modified via pen pressure, alternating hard and soft brushes, tablet
Your rank
Beginner | Novice | Advantage
Tips
To smooth down rough shading, use Alt+Click to pick a color in between two contrasted colors and brush in between

I've got one skin submitted so far, back from the time I was extensively using dodge and burn. This skin isn't what I'm really satisfied with though:

Click

http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/skins-552/the-king-61945/

And I've got one on hold for now:

Click

 

[Squidle]

Yeah that's what we're looking for!
More people with tips and techniques.

And Mr.Goblin...

If you gonna fill this in, just choose advanced cuz you're it.

 

[Sabelion]

hehe nice pepl.

 

[Mr.Goblin]

Name
Mr.Goblin
Age
17 wich is 20 for a goblin (mOuhahaha, now you're wondering right?)
Program(s) you use
Adobe Photoshop CS2, Paint, Gimp
I make
Skins | Icons | terrains
Special Technique(s)
1# Opaque color all over the region i want
2# I add the line of what the texture should look like
3# Observation on the model and the warp
4# do 2# and 3# until the result is good
5# add colors but darker
6# add the textures (scribble, filters, etc)
7# make the lightning with a same color used in 5# but more pale
8# finizaled the texture, shadow, lightning, contrast etc.
Your rank
Beginner | Novice | Advantage
Tips
OBSERVATION IS THE KEY!

New Skin

Oldest Skin ever

 

[Squidle]

Now that's are usefull techniques =]

 

[Sabelion]

Nice Mr.Goblin , and Squidle I just noticed that you wrote "Advantage" instead of "Advanced" Lol


I wish that I could be in Mr.Goblins Epic picture

 

[Squidle]

Nice Mr.Goblin , and Squidle I just noticed that you wrote "Advantage" instead of "Advanced" Lol


I wish that I could be in Mr.Goblins Epic picture

Dohh didn't noticed, Thanks! +Repz0rg
Can't rep ya ATM, will do it soon...

 

[Sabelion]

hehe no problemos

(PS: I mean "No problems" just wrote that cuz it sounds....weird)

 

[Amigurumi]

Name
Amigurumi
Age
16
Program(s) you use
Adobe Photoshop CS3
I make
Skins | Icons | Both
Special Technique(s)
1) I work with many layers, so I can work safer.
2) I work often with the smudge tool, to create nice effects.
Your rank
Beginner | Novice | Advance
Tips
Don't give up on your first try. Try it again and again
until you become a good artist.

Icons

I'm new at drawing icons, but that shouldn't be a problem, to post here or?

 

[Squidle]

I'm new too, and great icons there!

 

[Amigurumi]

thanks.
here, I have rep for you

 

[breebree123]

Name
Breebree123
Age
13
Program(s) you use
adobe Photoshop CS3,GIMP
I make
Skins | Icons | >>Both<<
Special Technique(s)
airbrush,smudge,burn,dodge
Your rank
Beginner |>> Novice<< | Advance
Tips
secret

 

[Sabelion]

realy nice icons amigurumi, and breebree123 I dont realy get your tips....should I keep my project secret with no WIP or???

 

[breebree123]

i dont wanna say my tips cause i dont have tips

 

[Squidle]

Aah, that explains alot.
But don't you have a first texture/icon?
It doesn't have to be finished.

 

[breebree123]

lol. .i hav a first icon and skin. .

 

[Sabelion]

but ya forgot to post it


And btw Squidle, you gonna post your icon or skin at ur post?

 

[Squidle]

Hum...

Then I'll have to finnish something...
Ya. I'll (think) I do that.

 

[Palaslayer]

Name
Palaslayer
Age
15
Program(s) you use
gimp 2.6 i think
I make
Icons
Special Technique(s)
well none really. gathering experience over time is good.i started with a blue blob ^^. what really helped me in the beginning were crs tutorial about icons and goblins texture tutorial.
Your rank
Novice
Tips
well, shading and highlights are everything. an object is defined by those. details are good, blur is bad, avoid using smudge if not making special effects. extrem shadings and highlights help to put definition into an icon. definition is more important than many think and working more than 10 min on an icon usually helps to improve the result.

 

[Squidle]

Bump.

People... FILL IN!
Or I will send... the... I...
Just fill in.

 

[Paladon]

Name
Paladon
Age
17
Program(s) you use
Adobe Photoshop CS4
I make
Skins | Icons | Both
Special Technique(s)
I sketch the shape on one layer, filling it out on a secondary, lower, with one simple colour.
Afterwards i delete the first layer with all the outlines and continue working with dodge and burn replacing the previous outline with a darkened shape.
Details are added by a big low-opacity splash of the wished colour and further burn tool adjustments.
Afterwards, i delete the icon and start again, doing everything better than before.
Then comes submission (usual icons) or sending (requested skins/icons).
Your rank
Novice
Tips
Shape okay?
Shading okay?
Highlights okay?
Effects not overused?
No filters used?
Showed the resource someone else?
Deleted and redone?
Then comes submission.

I generally advice to practice shadings by drawing parts of the human body.
It's probably the most effective training for this. I avoided drawing hands until i was asked to make a touch icon, it somehow worked.
Just try it!

 

[Squidle]

Now THAT are tips!

But do you really delete your Icon and REMAKE it!?

 

[Paladon]

In 90% of the cases, yes.
I usually dont like the first (or second) outcome.

 

[Zombie]

Name
zombie2279
Age
17
Program(s) you use
Photoshop CS2
I make
Icons
Special Technique(s)
Damn if I can tell.
Your rank
Novice
Tips
-Always check if shadings and highlights are in order. These are very influental and often ignored elements.
-Reference pictures are good, but creativity is key.
-Tuts help, but it's the best if you make up your own technique.
-Don't give up. There's no perfect artwork.
-Filtering is not a freehand technique :]

 

[Elfsilver Lord]

Name[
Elfslver Lord
Age
13
Program(s) you use
Adobe CS3 Master Collection
I make
Skins | Icons | >>Both<<
Special Technique(s)
1. Liquify filters on icons. It has to be the easiest color-blending without loosing too much sharpness.
2. When applying highlights, often use different colors than your base. Ie: if you are shading something red, use yellow highlights, then orange, and finally red to create a dynamic color-change.
3. Pen tool. The best tool ever. If you don't know how to use it, learn.
Your rank
Beginner |>> Novice<< | Advance
Tips
Keep it up. Go to http://deviantart.com and look up tutorials. There's some pretty trippin' stuff on there.

 

[Palaslayer]

well, its actually funny that even good icon makers select novice.

 

[Paladon]

Arrogance...is bad. I can completely understand that.

 

[Palaslayer]

yes. but its quite funny indeed (wait, what did goblin chose?)

 

[Kwaliti]

Well, a real classification would be Beginner>Advanced>Pro and people are probably considering it that way, since in a psychological way people who aren't beginners, nor pros would usually pick the middle choice.

 

[Sabelion]

Wow you thanked me in the first post, Thank you very much m8

Anybody else think we should sticky this thread?

EDIT: And NO, it is not only because he thanked me in that post, but I think people can learn from everybodies tips. But that he wrote thank you want me to sticky it more tho....

 

[Archipelago]

Name
Archipelago
Age
13
Program(s) you use
GIMP
I make
Skins | Will probobly start making icons soon
Special Technique(s)
None, just started
Your rank
Beginner
Tips
No tip availible from me

Fel Troll Trapper

Not my first though

This is my first (Kind of);

Joker

 

[Palaslayer]

you gotta practice a lot.

 

[Squidle]

Bumpz0rg.

C'mone... I know there are WAY more skinners/icon makerz.

 

[dab]

Name
David
Age
13
Program(s) you use
CS3
I make
Skins | Icons | Both | Misc
Special Technique(s)
Cursoring!
Your rank
Beginner | Novice | Advance
Tips
Keep doing your thing, one day you'll get pro

 

[67chrome]

Name
67chrome
Age
21
Program(s) you use
Adobe Photoshop CS2
I make
Skins+Icons for my skins
Special Technique(s)
- While burn and dodge are not the best tools for shading, they can do an awesome job with metal. When using them to shade metal, set their power to 100.
- The selection tool can be used to prevent your brushwork from bleeding into undesired locations.
- To shade with team color load the selection named Alpha 1, then activate quick mask mode (the buttons are under the colors in the tool pallet). If you copy and paste the piece of your skin you want to have team color on onto the quick mask, you can adjust it by setting the curves to create a U shape. This way the mid-tones will be solid team color, and the highlights and shadows will be transparent. Exit Quick Mask mode, then set the are with then modify the area with team color to have as much contrast as possible. this way only white and black will mix in with the team color, rather than various shades of gray.
Your rank
Apprentice | Journeyman | Expert | Artisan | Master | Grand Master
Tips
- Place surface details such as runes and gold trim on a separate layer to allow easy changes and modification to said details.
- Use the curves function to gain proper contrast, shading and highlights. It allows much greater control than brightness contrast sliders.
- It takes at least 10 tries to get a face to look right. If you want to do a custom face for a skin, make sure you have WC3 Viewer as it allows you to quickly see the changes you make.
- Use reference material.
- Blond and gold are not synonymous terms with yellow.
- The eyedropper tool is a quick and easy way to sample colors from your references.
- Using low-opacity brushes is a good way to do shading. Use lower opacity for more subtle details, like faces.
- http://www.wc3c.net/showthread.php?t=105365 - these help out a lot
- Look through the database of skins to see what is out there and how it was accomplished. Everyone has a different approach at doing things like chain-mail, try to emulate your favorite method.
- Brushes have different settings, like hue, color, saturation - try these out. Settings such as color can be incredibly helpful.

 

[TurtleRacingCar]

Name
TurtleRacingCar - TRC

Age
21

Program(s) you use
atm i use gimp

I make
Skins | Icons | Both

Special Technique(s)

- well at first i enlarge the image. i mostly paint in 512x512 or 768+768.
- i work with layers.
- i look at other skins or at pictures to have reference where to add shadings and highlights.
- i use different brush shapes to get better effects.
- i love the burn tool
- the colorpick tool is also nice. i often had problems that i got different colors in the skin, when i wanted the same one.
- i only paint with 100% opacity to make the mainareas.
- i use the the smudge only with a small size

Your rank
Beginner | Novice | Advance

Tips

- i think my most used tools are zoom and the wc3viewer. imo its very usefull to check even little changes.
- i always make a backup of my skin after big changes.
- we have great tutorials on this page. read them

here is my very first skin

this one should be a diablo 2 necro

here is my first uploaded skin

my forest lich. it got rejected due to CnP

new skins and icons