Icon Tutorial – Harsh Contrasty Icons (Jared Rushton)

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I’m using Paint Shop Pro 7, but this is fairly simple and will probably translate well.

Well, first I started with the above base (I love Jared Rushton).

Naturally it looks all dark and ugly because I’ve reduced it in size from a screen cap to 100×100. I sharpened three times (this is a contrasty icon, there will be no softening or blurring in this tutorial).

Then I duplicated the layer and set it to Screen at 100% opacity.

Next up, I did a “Copy Merged” (Edit > Copy Merged) and pasted it on top. Feel free to merge what you have, I just always try to keep separate layers because sometimes I come back to an icon after a few months and wonder how I got that nice effect.

Desaturate your new layer. Adjust > Hue/Saturation/Lightness with these settings:
Edit: Master
Hue: 0
Saturation: -100
Lightness: 0
(or click this link to see what you’re supposed to be looking at).

Now, set that layer to Hard Light at 100% opacity. Ooooh, contrasty.

Merge everything now. (Or do a merge visible and paste the new layer on top, if you have the same kind of “How did I do that?” mentality as me. The above picture is now your base layer.

Next up, paste this texture on top (it’s by disappearicons and it’s one of my favourites, I use it again and again and again. I fear change. Set it to Multiply at 100% opacity.

And this is what you get. Way too dark.

Duplicate your base layer and paste it on top. Set it to Soft Light at 100% opacity.

Merge everything again, and duplicate what you have twice.

Desaturate the first one and set it to Screen at 100% opacity.

Set the second one to Screen at 45% opacity (this one is not desaturated).

Finally, I added a one pixel border on all sides, colour #432623 set to Hard Light at 67% opacity.

You’re done!

Just a side note, I know I’m the only person in the world who knows who Jared Rushton is, but even so, this icon is not up for grabs, so please don’t take it.