Hi everyone! I was spitting through my photo bucket and found alot of old icons, so I thought I'd do an icon progression thread. Just to see if I did improve...
Here's my progression in short, click the cut if you want to see more icons and my comments =)
 

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These are the earliest icons I can find, but believe me, I've made some that were far worse...Imagine that.

I found out the sharpening tool. I overdid the glitteringlipseyesthing-trend... Plus, had an obsession with the red dot. I still use it sometimes but only when it looks appropriate and on these icons it does not. Also, I liked to put obvious text on it. Gosh, I *cant* see that's Buffy, oh is it Dawn? And I didn't notice that Andrew's crying! /end sarcasm


Still obsessed with red dot, here obviously. But God, I was proud of these.
And you see some grunginess of the scans. Now only hq for me please..



Still obsessed with red dot, and glittereyes and lips *sigh* Comes with that, a black border and those 'trendy' x-brushes...
 

Obsession with curves...Some of these are good though, but the TEXT! Oh my God, what was I thinking with some of these? I still like the Anna/Dracula one though. Also, the other b/w one? No contrast =/ and poor quality...
   
   



Then, curves combined with scratchy textures? Poor Tyler, what have I done to you...=(
   

Amy, you're a bitch, so that doesn't matter. ^^ (No offense to Amy fans, I just didn't like how John got fired, sigh...) Did a creative cropping though!
    

Oh, that circle brush..had an obsession too.. Poor Billie.
I still hadn't learned to use HQ caps?
  

Then this horrible coloring combined with that brush again. IT'S NOT EVEN SELECTIVE COLORING =/ sorry OTH cast. Also, discovered the flower brush...
   
   

OK, and then I found this tutorial which I loved. I thought it worked with EVERY Armando Gallo portrait, since the Hayden ones turned out pretty well and I still like those: (bit too much sharpening though). Notice the obsession with SG04 and the line behind it, and that swirly font (nice one though, wonder what  it was called?)
   

But then, poor Emmy, Bryce, Sophia, Kate and Mena ;_;
   
 


Then...I downloaded PS...and got selective coloring...I'm sooo ashamed of these, but back then I was so proud I even cross posted these! Still bad text..
  
  
  
  

Then there was a period I can't find icons of, but I came to senses and stopped abusing selective coloring...

These are more recent, but still old..
   
Then I started being more creative...though I had this thing with the automatic photo enhancer...The icons I post from this point I still like, and these are online on my site.

    
  
  
     


These are very recent. A lil bit experimenting with different options of PS and keeping the selective coloring to a good level...
     
   
  
Liked soft coloring, and learned that if you don't know how or what to put as text, then don't.

My most recent icons:
        

Kind of weird though, when I look back, I like the Buffy ones much better than the OTH ones, (though they are a bit oversharpened) the Van Helsing ones are better than the Tyler and Amy ones, I've had my periods of good and bad I guess.