1. What got you interested in making icons?

Oh that's easy, my Savage did. He started making them and i wanted to be able to talk to Him about what He was doing ; it was so fascinating. So i started playing around, and i wanted to try and make some gifts for F/friends that had made me so many. He put up with my questions and stepped me through so many things . ~S~ Cuz He is rather cool like that. ~ winks ~

2. Tell us a little about who maiden is?

Hmmm maiden is Tiff ~ grins~, living in South Australia. i love scrap booking and quilting. I am quite involved in the lifestyle of BDSM in my r/t, where i run a submissive munch bimonthly. i am pretty much as you see me here, crazy lil koaly ~S

3. What paint program (s) do you use? Do you use any filters or tubes?
How about favorite fonts … do you have any?

Gosh, let's see i use PSP 7 & 10. i don't like PhotoShop and have not used anything else. i don't really use tubes much, but i do love filters, although i don't use too many, just a couple i love, one being Beautifier.

Fonts, well golly gosh, i am a scrapbooker so have over 3000 fonts. ~ LOL~ my favourites are too numerous to name but my ultimate one would have to be Black Chancery and Affair. Another fantastic one i love is Inked God. ~S ~ See i named 3!! LOL

4. If you are like the rest of us, do you search endlessly for pics to make into icons?
Do you search with a particular person in mind, or just surf around saving what you like?

i LOVE finding pics, just ask my Josh. I am always nagging Him for more sites. ~ winks~ i must admit i tend to look and then the image will either tell me whether it's for someone or not, but ones definitely stand out for certain people and i snag them. i have heaps of images stored all over the place.

5. Who or what has influenced your style?

Hmmm i don't really think anyone in particular has. i certainly have learned so much from Josh and because of that have been lucky to adapt certain things. He teaches me to fiddle around to my own style. Sinnin and Moonie are people whose work I admire a lot. Mys~T and syd, she is not around anymore, but her icons were and are always amazing. i must admit i learn a little bit from everyone in the graphics team here just watching and trying to figure out how they do things, laughs, sometimes with disastrous results! Other times it works *S .

6. Any helpful hints you might offer us?

Only that to let the image speak, not hide it under heaps of other things. i think an image can be overdone, more-so than underdone

7. Do you prefer making icons as gifts or are there times you will take an order?
  
I love making gifts. i don't have the confidence at times to do an order. i don't do animation or anything fancy. i work a lot with colour and the manipulation of light and contrasts. Other than that my work is basically very simplistic.

8. What type of icons do you enjoy making most?

IPurddddy ones! ~ grins ~ And ones that scream someone's name, and i make it and it works how i wanted it to. Ones for Josh that standout , and He really loves them. Holiday ones, like i did for Christmas last year, that was a lot of fun. ~S Oh and making black and white ones with a bit of colour. Love that too.

9. The least?

Images that are vulgarly over sexual and anime ones.

10. Your biggest pet peeve regarding icon making?

Stretchy images where the image is contorted out of whack and the person in it looks like Betty spaghetti! or rubber-man. ~ grins

11.  Anything else you would like to add?

Just that i feel SO honoured to be asked to do this and thank You for the chance. i hope one day to be able to make the range of icons that i see from the wonderful iconeers around me. ~S

i think when someone makes you an icon its a real gift because they have sat there and made it with you in mind. It takes time and they put that time aside to make something for you. That always has amazed me and so i enjoy returning that favour in some small way. ~S .