Really Bad Icons - The Return

[casett]

Since it is the new year and time to clean house I am coming clean. I realize every icon I make is not a work of art. In fact, maybe only 10% could be considered "good" plus another 10% are funny if not "good". (Insert your own measurements depending on how you feel today!) However, these icons are in the What was I thinking? category. Normally I stop myself before I finish something really revolting, but sometimes, I just lose all sense of perspective and actually embellish and finish little pieces of garbage. For your New Year viewing.

Warning - Your eyes may burn and your sensibilities may be offended.

Christmas Icon Disaster

I found a web utility that would turn any image into a reflecting sphere. So, I picked some images and gave it a go. Not only that, I finished them off with a sprig of evergreen that looks even more fake. You'd think I had more sense. Not to say I don't make tacky icons but that is on purpose (mostly ;)

Supposed to be Funny

Not - plus overexposed on the first two and bad text on the third one. The last one hits too close to home - how many times have I not gotten the comfy chair? Emotional scars.

I Love Him Too Much to Toss

Blurry, bad use of texture, bad color, overexposed. Oh - and fear of blank space. How could I do this to these lovely faces?

You don't know Jack

Look what I did to my poor Jack. And twice from my favorite episode, Abyss.

I didn't post these until now. Why did I save them? To humble myself and if you got this far, to amuse you!

If any of you make icons, I challenge you to post your own failures. Love to see them.


No promises - I will continue to make bad icons. Sorry!

Comments

[star-climber.livejournal.com]

lol,we all have our bad days^^
it's nothing that horrible or bad!

[casett.livejournal.com]

Glad you don't scare easily :D

[fififolle]

Aw! It's nice to know you can be amused by these. I don't even know how to do some of those effects!! I kinda like the globe effect! *giggle*
Most of my icons are technically failures so far, LOL, so you won't catch me posting them, but it's all good learning, right? *hopes*

[casett.livejournal.com]

Don't worry - it is always a learning experience! I experiment all the time and try tutorials for all different kinds of effects then incorporate what I need. But, sometimes the experiments go tragically wrong.

What are you using? If you want to look at some tutorials, I can probably help.

[fififolle]

I use GIMP, and I have found tutorials really helpful in the past. Only today I discovered Layer Modes (not that I have a clue how to use them). The thing is, I'm really a writer, and icons are more like a hobby, LOL! and I only go looking for new techniques when the mood catches me. Thank you for the kind offer though!! When I next feel the urge, I am going to learn about textures *g*

[casett.livejournal.com]

All that really matters is that you have fun with it! If it starts to become a chore, I just stop. I do this to relax and expect you do too.

[fififolle]

That's it! :)

[zats-clear.livejournal.com]

i love Earth's Last Hope!

you could use that caption with the pic from...nevermind, just go to my journal!

[casett.livejournal.com]

Yep - I like the caption, the icon is sucky. I like what you do, because you don't have to fit the legible words on a 100 x 100 pixel icon! I enjoy your posts.

[zats-clear.livejournal.com]

you inspired tonite's caption! and check out my icon...one of two I have that were originally captions (the other is in my fic journal...)

[casett.livejournal.com]

I am so glad that my horrible icons did some good!

[fic-zat.livejournal.com]

this one by natsuko, My Friend George from sazandra. all of you are far more talented then I!

[lil-jei.livejournal.com]

All my icons are mostly failures that I like to much to get rid of lol. The one w/my name is an example of my craftsmanship :)

[casett.livejournal.com]

But the whole point is having fun making them, so even if they don't turn out so well, not to worry! I even post my failures (but there are a lot more I have deleted). These are only the ones that I actually finished because I was delusional at the time.

Anyway, the important part is the doing and the trying. That is what this icon means even though it is a quote from Northern Exposure.