[Dave Brasgalla]

Okay. In the Rev.2 thread, some people thought I was only joking about having another sneak preview ready to go, but it was true. I pondered over the weekend, and decided to risk upsetting delicate sensibilities!

I've actually been intending to do these icons for quite some time. I was collecting reference material and making sketches last November and December, but there was no way to do this set and still manage to finish Kong on time. Then, it seemed clear that it was "now or never" with the Matrix set release. In the end, I'm glad I waited, because I learned a lot of new techniques doing Kong and Rebooted, and they are helping make this set look better.

This won't be a really extensive set like Matrix Rebooted was (and I'm not doing characters), but I think it will be fun anyways. I'm about halfway done, and I am going to throw in bonus icons, including Tolkien-inspired icons that only appeared as QuickPix.

Everything is being done from scratch, including my revised "One Ring" from WOA 4, seen above. If you look closely, you may be able to make out the reflection of Orodruin in the Ring, and a tiny Minas Tirith reflected in Boromir's shield...

I can't wait to get my hands on the ROTK DVD!

[Turias]

I'm having a hard time seeing the reflections. Wanna link to a larger image?

[JudieKaren]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dave Brasgalla:
[B]



Okay. In the Rev.2 thread, some people thought I was only joking about having another sneak preview ready to go, but it was true. I pondered over the weekend, and decided to risk upsetting delicate sensibilities!

See! I just KNEW Dave wasn't kidding! He's an *upright guy*! And it looks like it was worth waiting all weekend for. Now I can sleep.

[Caesar2099]

Good lord!
Dave Brasgalla, you are the swiz of icons, you just keep making one great set after another, and each set is top quality! Thanks dave, you've given me another reason to live!

[valdur]

frodo lives!!!!!

[k.mo]

Sweeeet! I was just thinking the other day that someone should make a LOTR system replacement . And Dave's the man for the job

[TheIceMan]

WHOAH! Very nice Dave.

[Holigen]

Cool! Cant wait Dave

[phillryu]

Damn, I take that back. (Previous thread comment.)

[fireside]

ps: whats Kong?

[servo]

Originally posted by Dave Brasgalla:
This won't be a really extensive set like Matrix Rebooted was (and I'm not doing characters), but I think it will be fun anyways. I'm about halfway done, and I am going to throw in bonus icons, including Tolkien-inspired icons that only appeared as QuickPix.

First, let me just say, Oh My F***ing God! I have been waiting for someone to do a good set on LOTR! This is going to be a difficult one to wait for.

Second, you say it won't be as extensive as Matrix Rebooted. Does that mean it will not be a CandyBar iContainer? Will it a bunch of random LOTR icons or will we get folders and such?

[Dave Brasgalla]

Okay, I suppose I need to head things off now - this icon set is not going to be a system replacement icon set. I rarely do replacement sets, because with the amount of time it takes me to do just one World Of Aqua -style icon, system sets take forever for me to complete. I also find them tedious, as I have to make a bunch of icons I am not interested in (and never seem to see on my system). I prefer to make sets like World Of Aqua 4, where I am free to handle whatever subjects interest me. In addition, I feel that there are plenty of talented people doing Apple hardware icons these days, so I'd rather concentrate on more esoteric subjects and not allow Apple's schedule to drive my release schedule.

These icons will showcase what the name implies - an example of armour and weaponry for each major faction involved in the War of the Ring. Like a lot of people, I was very interested in the various and beautiful weapons made for the film (and how they made them). I've contemplated an icon set of swords for a year or two, but swords themselves don't make good icons, being long and thin and hard to click on. Therefore, I've made combinations with shields, etc., like the one shown above. Since the point is to help celebrate the release of ROTK on DVD (yay!), they lean heavily on the production values set by the Jackson films, but not necessarily rigidly (meaning I'll take license if needed to make them work as icons).

Enumerate the different groups, and you'll get a rough idea of how many icons there will be. If you're an old-school Tolkien fan like me, you should be able to tote that one up from memory.

[Ozzpot]

These will be awesome with the "Middle Earth" themes that Joe950 was working on! Especially the "Shire" one.

Anyone know what is going on with those by the way? I believe Joe was working with GuiStain to get them finished, but that was months ago, the GuiStain site isn't up yet, and I have heard nothing about them since on the forums. Anybody?

[dmcnickle]

This is going to be an awesome set.
I wonder what is happening to the other set about the shire.

Can't wait for these

[kovacs]

Another great set

[G0Ducks]

What ever you do with this idea will be great. Most to all of the other LOTR icons simply blow goats.

I think that even if you don't do a system set, it would be nice to have at least a generic folder icon.

push on!

R

[Keifer]

***hug***

[Dave Brasgalla]

Originally posted by G0Ducks:
What ever you do with this idea will be great.

I think that even if you don't do a system set, it would be nice to have at least a generic folder icon.

Thanks! I almost always do something like that, and I have a nice folder "replacement" already sketched out. I also have a nice icon of the Red Book of Westmarch going, and I may even do the Book of Mazarbul (time permitting). Either one would do nicely for both folder and volumes icons. I like making book icons.

One thing I am definitely going to do is release one or two advance "beta" icons, just so people don't climb the walls waiting...

...and naturally there are desktops brewing...

[Dave Brasgalla]

Here's a small preview of a digitally-painted desktop I am working on, in the same style as the "Skull Island" picture for the Kong set. The preview is small, because it's still in progress and not ready for download yet, but it's enough to get a sense of where it's going. This is a view looking across the Plain of Gorgoroth in Mordor, towards Orodruin & Barad-D�r. Can you find Frodo and Sam?



Kind of a "Christmas" desktop, eh?

[G0Ducks]

uh.... wow!

I found them!

R

[Keifer]

*** mega hug ***

(I can't find them. I spent like 10 minutes looking, you weren't pulling my leg were you?)

[dgarte]

WoW, can�t wait, I have been waiting them for years

[Weezer]

Originally posted by Keifer:
*** mega hug ***

(I can't find them. I spent like 10 minutes looking, you weren't pulling my leg were you?)

They are just to the left of that big rock on the bottom middle

[wibs]

maybe it's just the glare from the sun, but all i can see is a faint horizon and the magma. everything else is way too dark to even begin to find little hobbits =-\.

edit: it was the glare. viewing it at night, and zoomed in using Preview, helps a lot .

[Zyote]

Dave,

Amazing work yet again!

One thing i've come to realise with working on some of my own movie inspired icons, is sourcing good reference material. I notice you have some very detailed objects in your matrix icon sets. and here you're talking about various books and stuff aswell.

how authentic do you stay to the movies / books ? how much of your icon artwork is "made up"


?

[Dave Brasgalla]

Originally posted by Zyote:
Dave, amazing work yet again!

One thing i've come to realise with working on some of my own movie inspired icons, is sourcing good reference material. I notice you have some very detailed objects in your matrix icon sets. and here you're talking about various books and stuff aswell.

how authentic do you stay to the movies / books ? how much of your icon artwork is "made up" ?

Thanks! Yes, reference is really important. I think most artists consider a good reference library to be essential. I collect stacks and stacks of reference from everywhere and for everything, both digital and otherwise.

With the Matrix set, I was lucky that the official site had posted the "Zion Archives", which had fantastic reference for just about everything, if I was willing to dig for it. I tried pretty hard to make things really accurate in relation to the film.

I have a lot more leeway on LOTR, because Tolkien himself is pretty exhaustive in detailing things, and the stuff we see in the films are the movie crew's well-studied interpretations of his material. Obviously, when they have done so much work and tried so hard to be "authentic" and accurate, it makes sense to draw off that - especially when a lot of fans of the films (who may want the icons) have never read the books.

Basically, I take liberties when I feel it helps the icon. With the Matrix stuff, it was also a question of splitting the difference between the Matrix films' production values and the Aqua HI guidelines. In some cases I had to think hard to make them both fit! Picking the right Aqua angle for the metaphor, etc., can slow me down.

Something that was fun with the Matrix icons (and that might help you with your Fight Club icons) was looking for less-than-literal metaphors - like using the red pill for "Get Info". That one might also work for Eject, if you look at it that way. Actually, the red pill represented a trace program, so it would work for "search" as well. You can have a lot of fun this way, although you may end up with an icon that only makes sense to someone who has seen the movie in question.

I thought a lot about different things I could put in the Matrix trash can. At one point, it was going to be the script for "Matrix 4".

[Zyote]

Originally posted by Dave Brasgalla:
Thanks! Yes, reference is really important. I think most artists consider a good reference library to be essential. I collect stacks and stacks of reference from everywhere and for everything, both digital and otherwise.

With the Matrix set, I was lucky that the official site had posted the "Zion Archives", which had fantastic reference for just about everything, if I was willing to dig for it. I tried pretty hard to make things really accurate in relation to the film.

I have a lot more leeway on LOTR, because Tolkien himself is pretty exhaustive in detailing things, and the stuff we see in the films are the movie crew's well-studied interpretations of his material. Obviously, when they have done so much work and tried so hard to be "authentic" and accurate, it makes sense to draw off that - especially when a lot of fans of the films (who may want the icons) have never read the books.

Basically, I take liberties when I feel it helps the icon. With the Matrix stuff, it was also a question of splitting the difference between the Matrix films' production values and the Aqua HI guidelines. In some cases I had to think hard to make them both fit! Picking the right Aqua angle for the metaphor, etc., can slow me down.

Something that was fun with the Matrix icons (and that might help you with your Fight Club icons) was looking for less-than-literal metaphors - like using the red pill for "Get Info". That one might also work for Eject, if you look at it that way. Actually, the red pill represented a trace program, so it would work for "search" as well. You can have a lot of fun this way, although you may end up with an icon that only makes sense to someone who has seen the movie in question.

I thought a lot about different things I could put in the Matrix trash can. At one point, it was going to be the script for "Matrix 4".

Dave,

Thanks so much for the lengthly reply.

and i apreciate you checking out my icons! :-) I've scoured the net for ages trying to find detailed pictures and images of items from the fight club movie. looked at the dvd lots, websites, press kit, search on ebay, for fight club memorabilia. etc.

In regards to aqua and stuff, it is a fine balance you have to strike, you have things like standard aqua perspectives, (looking downwards on a desk, on a shelf, etc) and also, colours, realism vrs "aqua glass/plastic" etc.

I hope to get the hang of it eventually :-)

I look forward to your lord of the rings icons!

[monkeybrain]

I know you don't want to a complete makeover, and that is entirely understandable. However, I think if you included a folder and document icon then people could use whatever icon tool to put badges on them etc - effectively making their own set out of yours. What ya think?

[Dave Brasgalla]

Originally posted by Zyote:
I've scoured the net for ages trying to find detailed pictures and images of items from the fight club movie. looked at the dvd lots, websites, press kit, search on ebay, for fight club memorabilia. etc.

In regards to aqua and stuff, it is a fine balance you have to strike, you have things like standard aqua perspectives, (looking downwards on a desk, on a shelf, etc) and also, colours, realism vrs "aqua glass/plastic" etc.

I would say a good general rule would be to definitely avoid Aqua "glassiness" unless it is appropriate to the material you are depicting. Just smearing the Aqua highlight across anything and everything has never made much sense to me. Even most Apple-made icons don't use it unless it is called for. I'm all about materials and surfaces these days. I have much more fun creating a believable scuffed leather, for instance, than in making Aqua glass.

For reference, if you have the DVD and and an Aqua-extreme capable Mac, I recommend a utility called "DVD Capture". I use it a lot when researching films, and I've never had trouble with it. Try watching the film with a note pad or sketch pad on your knee and turn the sound off... just look for interesting objects... make notes, quick sketch ideas...

[Zyote]

Originally posted by Dave Brasgalla:
I would say a good general rule would be to definitely avoid Aqua "glassiness" unless it is appropriate to the material you are depicting. Just smearing the Aqua highlight across anything and everything has never made much sense to me. Even most Apple-made icons don't use it unless it is called for. I'm all about materials and surfaces these days. I have much more fun creating a believable scuffed leather, for instance, than in making Aqua glass.

For reference, if you have the DVD and and an Aqua-extreme capable Mac, I recommend a utility called "DVD Capture". I use it a lot when researching films, and I've never had trouble with it. Try watching the film with a note pad or sketch pad on your knee and turn the sound off... just look for interesting objects... make notes, quick sketch ideas...

yes. i have to admit, the "glassy, little white specular highlighted icons" were very overdone. and yes, i believe you're right in saying that creating the artwork using appropriate textures, makes it so much more believable.

I had a lot of trouble on one of my first fight club icons, and that was creating bubbles for it. You have to one, make them look realistic in the 3d sense, but also to have transparency aswell! and reflection! Same goes for my most recent icon i'm working on, the bag of fat, it's a lightweight plastic bag, filled with liquid. so it has to sit on the table correctly, with proper displacement, and also show the users desktop colour through using the transparency! argh! :-)

I'll look into that DVD Capture program.. and yes, turning the sound off sounds like a good idea, cause i keep getting distracted, and end up just watching the film! ;-)

[Dave Brasgalla]

Hey, I am going to reply to the above in your Fight Club icon thread...

[Zyote]

so when do we get a few of these "advance" icons sent our way?

[Dave Brasgalla]

Originally posted by Zyote:
so when do we get a few of these "advance" icons sent our way?

You're absolutely right - here is no. 1 (this is one of the "bonus" icons):



Download LOTR Preview Icon #1

This is the document that Gandalf finds in Denethor's library that details the finding of the Ring by Isildur, after he cut it from the hand of Sauron. The text is too small to read, but it is the actual account as written in the book.

Enjoy!

[Stuphalina]

Dave, that is too cool!

[Nebagakid]

dude, dave, what do you use for the digital painting desktops?

[idle]

one thing i "think" i see is that the text is not "distorted" or wrinkled like the actual paper (papyrus) - is that right? i had the same problem a few days ago and couldn't find a simple method to do this other than awkwardly selecting parts of the rendered text and freehand transforming it.... or is there a app/plugin/effect/method that lets me do this in a naturalistic way?

regards, [ idle. ]

[Zyote]

Dave, you attention to detail is incredible. not just in the rendering of the icon, but of the idea behind the icon. and the story you give for it too! :-)

:-)

i look forward to more!!

keep em coming! :-)

[Holigen]

Wow, nice job. All this from a freeware iconset... Youre truly amazing Dave.

[Dave Brasgalla]

Originally posted by Nebagakid:
dude, dave, what do you use for the digital painting desktops?

Just Frodoshop and a Bluetooth mouse, believe it or not! Because of how insanely big resolutions are getting, I have to work bigger and bigger. The original of the desktop above is about 1700 pixels wide. It makes for big 'ol files that make my iBook cringe.

[Dave Brasgalla]

Originally posted by idle:
one thing i "think" i see is that the text is not "distorted" or wrinkled like the actual paper (papyrus) - is that right? i had the same problem a few days ago and couldn't find a simple method to do this other than awkwardly selecting parts of the rendered text and freehand transforming it.... or is there a app/plugin/effect/method that lets me do this in a naturalistic way?

regards, [ idle. ]

Well, the text was distorted just a little bit, but it ended up being too subtle to show up at 128. The reason it looks the way it does is that I pushed the highlights in the paper harder than the text, to make them show up better at smaller sizes - but the text itself doesn't have such a pronounced "height".

There's no real easy way I know of to do this. I've tried bending the vectors around in Freehand, using tools in Frodoshop like Liquid (to no avail), and even messing around with making actual 3D paper in Carrara. I always end up not liking the results, so I usually just go with the effect roughly as you see it here.

Maybe there is some simple way to do this or plug-in, and I just don't know about it... what I still don't know about Frodoshop could fill a book.

[Dave Brasgalla]

I might add that trying to make a believable, dimensional Mithril has been a real b1tch - er, challenge!

[Keifer]

You know, you would make a fortune selling a book on how to use 'frodoshop'. Anyways, good luck on the mithril, and, can we have the book from moria too? (or can beggers not be chosers? )

[cube3]

Dave, what font did you use for the "available on May 18th 2004" teaser? and can we pretend it's already the 18th, I won't tell I swear

[Dave Brasgalla]

Originally posted by cube3:
Dave, what font did you use for the "available on May 18th 2004" teaser? and can we pretend it's already the 18th, I won't tell I swear

That font is called "First Order", available from Iconian Fonts.

Sorry, but you'll have to be patient a little longer - I need the time to finish! However, the Rev.2 Folder release on Tuesday should hold you over...

[cube3]

Originally posted by Dave Brasgalla:
That font is called "First Order", available from Iconian Fonts.

Sorry, but you'll have to be patient a little longer - I need the time to finish! However, the Rev.2 Folder release on Tuesday should hold you over...

Thanks

hehehehe, I have a script that automatically starts my machine opens Safari and goes to Icon Factory every Tuesday...sadly then I gotta wait around for 8 hours :/

Off the subject but sort of on it, one day could you drop off a .psd of one of your icons? I don't think people truly appreciate the amount of work that goes into making this, personally I often find myself thinking "How did he do this?"

[Lew]

Originally posted by Dave Brasgalla:
You're absolutely right - here is no. 1 (this is one of the "bonus" icons):



Download LOTR Preview Icon #1

This is the document that Gandalf finds in Denethor's library that details the finding of the Ring by Isildur, after he cut it from the hand of Sauron. The text is too small to read, but it is the actual account as written in the book.

Enjoy!

Damn! That'd make a lovely TextEdit icon

[Zyote]

Originally posted by cube3:
Thanks

hehehehe, I have a script that automatically starts my machine opens Safari and goes to Icon Factory every Tuesday...sadly then I gotta wait around for 8 hours :/

Off the subject but sort of on it, one day could you drop off a .psd of one of your icons? I don't think people truly appreciate the amount of work that goes into making this, personally I often find myself thinking "How did he do this?"

hehe, i don't think dave does that.. I seem to believe i've asked before! :-)

[Keifer]

Yeah, I don't think that he would do that, as .png files can be fairly personal, if you want your style to stay your own. But, it would be cool to see how he did that. I would take me about a week to make one of those icons, and I'd have to use 2 programes, as opposed to his 1. Simply amazing!

[Dave Brasgalla]

Originally posted by Keifer:
Yeah, I don't think that he would do that, as .png files can be fairly personal, if you want your style to stay your own. But, it would be cool to see how he did that. I would take me about a week to make one of those icons, and I'd have to use 2 programes, as opposed to his 1. Simply amazing!

Heh! They do take me about a week - sometimes much, much longer. I worked on Kong for six months, and that's just 15 or so icons...

And I do use more than one program - sometimes up to four!

It's highly doubtful that I'll be posting any PSD files, because yes, I am pretty protective of my process - partly because I have so much time invested in it. And some of the final PSD files are so complicated that even I get lost. Sometimes I open a file I haven't looked at for a few motnhs, and I have no idea what I was up to...

You'll have to be satisfied with just the icons!

[Dave Brasgalla]

Originally posted by Mimizuku no Lew:
Damn! That'd make a lovely TextEdit icon

Exactly what it's meant to be! This is really an extension of the "alternate TextEdit series" I started in WOA 4. I'd planned to do a "parchment and quill pen" icon ever since then, but I delayed the idea when Hein Mevisson did his Dark Ages(?) set and had something similar there. Anyway, the ROTK set seems the right time to make the move on this one. I'm pleased about how it turned out!