Activity #14 - Ask the Maker

[tinny]

It's June, and that means it's time for Ask The Maker again!

Ask The Maker is where you can ask your favorite makers about how they do that thing. You can ask for tutorials, guides/"How to", or ask any other questions related to their work. Check out the Maker thread (below) for makers who have signed up and are ready to answer your questions.

You can also ask questions to the community at large, and hope that someone is able to answer them. Do this in the Questions thread (below).

By now we've known each other for over a year, and know a little about everyone's abilities and style. I for one am looking forward to interesting questions and discussions!

Feel free to promote this activity! (You can use the header above.)

The more participants the merrier! I will promote it at an official promo comm.

Here are the rules:

1) Maker-Driven


Rules for makers who want to sign up

Sign up by commenting to the Maker thread.

Please don't sign up if you know that you can't or do not plan to fulfill the requests you get within a month.

If you are an icon maker and you're willing to write tutorials, guides or answer questions (Q&A's), please sign up here with your name and where you post your work. Please state what you're willing to do/answer and if people can hotlink your work or not. Use this posting template:

<b>Username + where you post your work:</b> <b>What can we request from you (tutorials, Q&A, guides etc.)</b> --->(If you know of anything that you're not able to answer/do, please mention it)<--- <b>Can we hotlink your icons?:</b>

There is no fixed time limit in which the signed up makers have to write these tutorials or answer questions, but it would be nice if everyone managed to post their answers within the next month. I will make the master list post around mid-July (i.e. in six weeks). Even if you take longer than that, please try and answer your questions. Please let people know if you find out you cannot fulfill the requests. Try not to leave people hanging.

All tutorials/Q&A etc. need to be posted in your community/journal and be posted publicly. In-depth explanations on tutorials is not a must, but highly encouraged.

When you finish your requests, post a link to them as a reply to the original request comment here. That way, me and the person requesting will be able to see them and I can add them to the master list.



2) Question-Driven - I have a question and anyone can answer



If you have a question about techniques, a specific look, etc, but you can't ask any maker directly (e.g. because they didn't sign up), you may ask your question in the Questions thread.

Be aware that there is no guarantee that you'll get your question answered. You will increase your chances by asking specific questions about specific techniques and by giving icon examples, from different makers if possible. Please don't ask about single specific icons, nobody should feel pressured into participating.

Please don't hotlink icons from other makers without asking them. Reupload the icons (e.g. to imgur.com or upl.co) instead.



What's What


Question categories and examples

Guides - a guide is a general explanation post. The maker will make a post explaining how to achieve a particular effect, use a technique, use a tool, etc.

#1 - Text and typography in gimp by cool_spectrum
#2 - A flat pastel coloring guide from last year by tinny

Tutorial - a tutorial is a step-by-step description of how to make a particular icon. Only the maker of an icon can make a tutorial of how they made that icon. If you ask for a tutorial, you must provide said icon with your question. This kind of question only makes sense in the Maker thread.

Last year's tutorial by fueschgast
Example tutorial #2 by word_never_said

Q&A - everything that doesn't quite fit the first two categories. Ask away, hope for the best. :)


Maker thread

Questions thread

Comments

Maker Thread

[tinny]

Makers who are willing to write guides and tutorials and answer questions:

Sign Up Here

Re: Maker Thread

[tinny]

Username + where you post your work:

tinny https://tinny.dreamwidth.org/tag/art-icons

What can we request from you:

Ask away, all types of questions are fine.

Can we hotlink your icons?:

Yes.

Re: Maker Thread

[alwaysbeenasmiler]

All your icons are so amazing, so I'm just gonna ask a simple one.

Pick one of your favorite icons, and sort of describe your train of thought in how you put it together, from centering to icon textures used--

Maybe that wasn't so simple. I'm so sorry, I'm just fascinated with inspiration and how one gets it/

Re: Maker Thread

[tinny]

Thank you! <3

I feel like I'm always doing pretty much the same compositions and style. *g*

But I'm happy to write up something! I will pick one of the rumble icons, because I put a lot of thought into those.

Re: Maker Thread

[tinny]

I thought about this for a while now, and since you're more interested in inspiration (and how to transport it into composition) than in the making of a particular icon, I think I'm going to make a composition guide. Is that okay with you?

Something like this, which I adore:
https://bittergraced.livejournal.com/19559.html by theotherayn

Would that be okay?

Re: Maker Thread

[alwaysbeenasmiler]

That would be perfect! Thank you so much!

Re: Maker Thread

[tinny]

Okay, the composition guide is done!

Let me know if that was not what you were looking for!

https://tinny.dreamwidth.org/508943.html

Re: Maker Thread

[alwaysbeenasmiler]

This is seriously everything I've wanted-- so much good stuff here! Thank you so much for making it! *flails happily*

Re: Maker Thread

[alexia_drake]

I may be late, but I'm posting anyway, in case someone has a question for me.

Username + where you post your work:
alexia_drake and my icons are at my journal.

What can we request from you (tutorials, Q&A, guides etc.)
Tutorials and Q&A. I do not always save my coloring process when I make icons, but I should be able to do something close if you request one about specific icons.

Can we hotlink your icons?: Sure.

Re: Maker Thread

[fueschgast]

Username + where you post your work:
fuesch icon tag

What can we request from you (tutorials, Q&A, guides etc.)?
Anything.

Can we hotlink your icons?
Sure.

Re: Maker Thread

[tinny]

Wee, I'm happy you signed up! I still use the fuzzy hair technique you described in last year's tutorial!

If you have any particular technique in mind that you want to talk about this year, I'd be thrilled!

If not, this is the icon I meant with the colorful painted look (so sorry for confusing them!). I'd love to hear your process on it:

Re: Maker Thread

[alwaysbeenasmiler]

Oh that's a lovely icon-- the colouring is amazing!

Re: Maker Thread

[fueschgast]

Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't done anything to make it look painted - that was all the hair- & lighting departments. But if you want, I can write about the icon anyway.

Re: Maker Thread

[tinny]

Oh well. It looks amazing, anyway!

If you think it would be boring to talk about this icon, I'd be happy if you want to talk about any other icon or technique, too.

Re: Maker Thread

[fueschgast]

Thanks.

I don't know, I've looked through my icons and nothing feels interesting enough. :o/

Re: Maker Thread

[delacourtings]

Username + where you post your work: delacourtings + here

What can we request from you (tutorials, Q&A, guides etc.) anything!

Can we hotlink your icons?: sure

Re: Maker Thread

[sheliak]

Username + where you post your work:

sheliak
icon tag
icons listed by fandom

What can we request from you (tutorials, Q&A, guides etc.)

Anything is okay! I've never done a tutorial or a guide before, but if someone wants one I'll do my best.

I work in GIMP, so my answers will be geared to that program, though—I can't answer questions specific to Photoshop or other programs.

Can we hotlink your icons?:

Yes, that's fine.