*browses 227 submissions*

You have a lot of submissions! Let me mention a couple.
Firstly I love your photography blog and the Summer Bloom one. PMC is a creative community, it's about more than just Minecraft content, and I love photography and seeing other member's photo's as well. So thanks for sharing those!

As for your skins, what I really like are the cute little details you add to plenty of them. Small bees, the little lemon, pizza, skull, fishbowl...
You manage to make them very fun and readable and that's a great skill to have!

But to pick and highlight one:


☀️ by CactiFern

What I love to see is when skin creators step out of their comfort zone, try something new and especially when that works out well! You did some great light source shading here. But not only that, it's an entry in a community contest, which (duhh) I love, and you did a wonderful job at interpreting the contest's theme into something nice! 😁

So many things! I love your content. So allow me to mention a few things.


First up your How To Create Feature Images, because I love a well-written tutorial, especially if they help other members create better content.

Also the way you present your builds is just so clean. 🤩




Also a favorite is Vignette #9 simply because of this:

“A few sentences about what the clock looked like are great, but don't go into an entire paragraph that describes its gentle and rhythmic ticks.” — Deep Below Blog Contest, PMC

& then you went and wrote an entire flipping story about just the clock, just because you could, and it was a great read too! 😂



But my absolute favorite thing you've done on Planet Minecraft is Simulacrum.
The most amazing writing event on the site in my opinion! It was well-organized, fun to be part of and the end result was beyond expectations. It ended up to be a cohesive and fun-to-read story with suspense. Absolutely wonderful to see that community effort unfold.
So thanks for that!

Oh and I would like to take this opportunity to mention that your bee with no stripes is very nice, and it was interesting to learn they actually exist, but also it makes me uncomfortable because it indeed, as the comments say, looks like a naked bee somehow. 😂


Bbb by Chiaroscuro

Thanks for asking! I can think of dozens of answers so let me pick a few:

Using the BBCode Source editor (the little <> button in your text editor) to completely customize any text on Planet Minecraft.
A very useful thing to know how to do in addition to the "what you see is what you get" editor.
To add links, customize tables, resize images... Here's a BBCode guide if you want to read more about it.

On the topic of BBCode, PMC has a super-easy way to display any submission in any post with an image, link and mention of the creator simply by grabbing an embed from said submission. Here's how-to.

^ That is also the place where you find the "feature on profile" button to feature a submission in a widget on your profile!

Probably the most-stolen skin (suit) ever is The Skin of Kacboy by halucid. It's nice to know how to trace back a stolen skin, to be able to provide proof and report the thief. The description in this collection has a how-to. :)

If you're new to image editing, try to learn how to use Paint.net: a free-to-use editor which allows you to do basic image editing.
It's more versatile than MS paint but less complicated than Photoshop. It'll come in handy for various activities on Planet Minecraft.
Like making banners and feature images for your submissions, making trophies for your contests or making color corrections on skins and textures. Go to getpaint.net to download! 😁

Ah, I missed the part where you asked "and do you feel there's still so much left to learn?"

About the technicalities of Planet Minecraft, not so much. I don't feel there are (m)any features that I haven't discovered, or don't know how to use. Community-wise though, I think there is still a lot left to learn from other member's creativity and insights. Also content-wise, I am definitely not well-informed on mods, data-packs and probably other subjects too. In that sense, there's plenty left to be discovered!

Gee I thought you were here a lot longer than that XD

Based on your screenshots I'm mostly drawn to this one:


Spruce Valley Kingdom by BigBuilds

But also upon closer look (took a moment to skim through the descriptions of your builds) it seems the best content-wise too because it has two ways of being played, nice!

If I may be so bold to give some advice: it might be worth looking for someone to join the team who is great with presentation of submissions. Some screenshots with shaders, or renders, and even catchier descriptions with fun fonts and layouts. Looks like you have great builders and technically skilled members on the team. These maps seem incredible content-wise! 😁 So promote them!

Would be a shame if PMC-visitors would skip past them because the feature image might not pop as much as others. 🤔

Yes! But first I want to say that you have already made great improvements over the past year, so keep it up!


Some tips for you based on your recent submissions would be:

Try to work on balancing your color palettes: you sometimes do that really well, other times I see some odd jumps that you might want to smooth out. Examples would be the big jump from your darkest shade on Jim's blue shirt that stands out a bit too much from the rest of the blue palette. Or your Blueo skin in which the blue palette overall looks out of balance. However on Spade, for example, you have balanced out all your colors quite nicely. No tone seems much too dark, bright, (de)saturated or otherwise out of place.

Beware of blending! On your Reach skin the white socks blend with the skin tone. And on your Archaeologist skin, the shirt blends with the jacket. The way to avoid blending is by tactful placement of shadows and highlights when two similar colors are next to each other on a design. And it looks like you know how to do that perfectly fine! Because on your Frigid King you managed to make all the parts very readable and separated, even though the entire skin was made with the same palette.

Play around with HUE and saturation on skin tones. I notice quite a bunch of pale faces in your gallery, and sometimes ones that seem a bit too yellow or orange. While others seem nice, warm, saturated and very balanced. Try adding a bit more red! I think your best skin tones are on Lemilas and Dusk.

Try to avoid pillow-shading and gradients. On your Lemilas, for example, I notice that the torso is quite pillow-y. But I see you already know your way around breaking up pillows and gradients, for example by the placement on your Archaeologist skin. So just stay aware of that. 😁

Don't be afraid to tackle larger area's with maybe a bit less detail from time to time. To stay at the Lemilas skin, a lot is happening on the cape that you might be able to simplify to get an even better result. Which, granted, is tricky on large surfaces and I too struggle with that every time. Another such example is your Dryad: one big plain green dress, but simplifying would probably flatter the design. Now, there are a lot of interrupted vertical lines. So try and express the texture you are going for, but less convoluted. Big tip for this is to look at examples from other skin creators!


Whoop, that's quite a list! But don't let that discourage you. You definitely are on the right track with a lot of the above. If there's any new words in my tips above, make sure to refer to my skin making dictionary which should explain all of them!


To end on a positive note, my favorite skin by you is this one:


Spaceport Security Robot by Lemilas
Great design, wonderful colors, well-balanced. 👌
Awesome work!

Oh my, English is not my first language and I had to Google two of those words and I still am not sure what you are asking. 😅
Err: are you asking if anything happened in any given year, that I really liked, and why?

What are your thoughts on planetminecraft as a site and how it's constructed?

When I first joined PMC, there was still a lot of figuring out. Growing pains, for sure. Not rarely the site would crash, for various reasons. The layout was different (static profile pages, no widgets), the forums were very basic, wall-posts weren't a thing...
From there, the site has come a long way. Huge improvements in all area's, and awesome new features added.
Today I think the site is constructed incredibly well, but also maintained incredibly well. Run into a bug? Make a ticket! And Cyprezz and Paril will be quick to squash it. 😁 That's the technical side.

But also I genuinely think Planet Minecraft is the best game-community and even social media site you'll ever come across. Just because everyone is just here to create, have fun and be friendly. Overall, super wholesome and encouraging. Including the owners and staff who do their best to facilitate and listen to members.


What changes do you think could occur to make the site better, based on experience??

There are several features that I would love to see added.
One being alternate skins: listing different versions of the same skin as downloadables under one main skin. Another would be group accounts for teams and sub-communities. Oh, and a pop-up, bubble, indicator to tell if someone is subscribed to you on their profile. Similar to how you can see that on DeviantArt, by the subscribe-button. There's probably more that don't immediately come to mind.

All of these are already tickets that have been accepted (if I remember correctly). So they're probably being worked on, but some systems just take a loooong time to implement, especially with plenty of other bug-squashing and community-managing to be done by staff already. So I'm waiting patiently and we'll see what the next new feature will be! 😁


Also I would love for feedback and your thoughts about my content :D

Can do!

The first thing that I noticed & like a lot are your mob-player skins. They seem very true to Vanilla Minecraft, which is a style that I can very much appreciate in skins, beside all the super-duper-technically-skilled-shaded-whatnot skins that you find on PMC's trending.

I must admit, I know much too little about data-packs to say anything useful about that.

As for your builds: you build wonderful things! Ships and castles in a nice distinct style. A tip would be to use your daylight screenshots as your feature image for any of your builds. The nighttime or dusk ones are quite dark, and don't grab the attention of the viewer quite as much.

One last fun thing to note is that I think your Captain Morgain looks like she could just be from the same boat as my Stranded Jim: same color scheme, vibe and theme! 😁

You presented them really nicely in your gallery!
My favorite is the space themed one, with the coding themed one as runner-up 😁

Ahh that's a lot, long answer incoming!


Pick your favorite submission from my gallery.

My favorite submission by you is probably your recent skin:


6 ~ InZanee (SF) Counter Attack by SouthDakotaGirl

Simply because you show a lot of improvement on this versus skins from just a few weeks ago! You've been experimenting with shading, coloring and shaping, and taken feedback to heart. It pays off! Also skins with a red, yellow and blue, spanning the entire color wheel, are just a great eye-catcher. Keep up the nice work. 😁


What do you think is the best shading?

I don't think there's a single "best" style or type of shading. The same design can look great in different styles, just look at all the different skin fight entries (feature in a recent weekly). Having this variety is great!

That said, I do think there are technical basics to shading, that just make any style better. Know how palettes work, balance colors, avoid blending, banding, pillow-shading and gradients, make readable designs: overall, know the tools to the trade. With those basics down, any style can look great!


Did you ever make a amoung us skin?

No! And I probably won't. There's plenty of those already. 😂 But I have made things that might fit the theme. Like this little astronaut buddy, he could pass as a crew member!


Any tips on Skinning and Art?

Broad question! But the most important tip: try to have fun with it! 😊 Don't push yourself. Creativity comes and goes, so does inspiration. Unless it's your profession, only create things when it's making you happy.


What are some ways I could improve?

You're on the right track! Experiment, experiment, experiment. Try new styles and techniques. Make your palettes differently each time. See what works and what doesn't. That's the most important part. Also I think a lot of the advice in my answer to Lemilas below, applies to your skins as well. So please have a read on that too!


Any tips on how to not be socially awkward?

Yes! An important, very practical one is to learn and just say "thank you" whenever you get a compliment. No excuses, no talking yourself down, no brushing it off. It can be difficult, but that compliment is for you, appreciate it! 😉 Applies on PMC and in real life.

Otherwise, I firmly believe that things are as awkward as you experience them to be. And that's a choice. Silences for example, can be very calm, relaxing, tranquil. They don't have to be awkward per say, it all depends on how you choose to interpret the situation. A matter of being mindful. Try not to overthink social situations. Which, of course, takes some practice. 😊


(1) Do you think PMC is changing for the better?

I think PMC as a website, technically, has changed for the better and is continuing to grow. Content-wise, I love to see how members today, especially younger ones, make the most incredible things! I'm often simply blown away. And I love to see how Minecraft and Planet Minecraft allow (young) people to develop their creativity that way. Something which is built on years of sharing content, watching how other creators do things, exchanging feedback, community-made tutorials and so forth. It just keeps growing!

Community-wise, there's a few things I miss/think changed for worse. Fan Skins replaced Skin Battles and reshade contests are a current hot thing, while I very much prefer themed contests or palette contests that used to be more popular on Planet Minecraft. Personally, I think Fan Skins and reshade contests just don't stimulate creativity quite as much. Still, a lot of people are having a lot of fun with them, and I respect and appreciate that. :)

(2) What is your opinion on wall-posts

Wall-posts are fun! But I do wish they were used in more creative ways by more members. I love to see art, event banners, tips, fun facts, mini-tutorials, features and content-related announcements. More of that, and less of memes and personal updates would be nice. 😊 But everyone should use them as they please!

(3) and "teen" skins?

Personally I don't enjoy the design of most teen skins as much. But I appreciate the skill that goes into the styles applied to some of them, and also the fun that so many members seem to have in making them, including the community interaction of fan skins and reshades.
I prefer seeing innovative designs, experiments, out-of-the-box concepts. Things I haven't seen before. You'll notice that in my favorites list.

Also fun fact, did you know that way back, "teen skin" referred to your typical teenage-emo-boy-in-creeper-hoodie-with-headphones kind of skin?


Have you ever been a PMC moderator?

Yes, actually! But only for a very short time. Probably late 2012 or early 2013, I became a forum moderator. Which was a weird assignment, because before then I had barely used the forums. I used blogs for community interaction instead. So I didn't do my duties & would have been much more useful as a site moderator. It ended pretty soon, after some disagreements, followed by me deleting all of my submissions and leaving the site, only to come back five years later. 😅


What are some fun facts about yourself?

🤔

One thing is I used to be super-goth as a teenager. Platform boots, black lipstick, fishnets and big colored hair included! 🦇
Not so much anymore, now I am just a boring regular adult.

Another fun one is that I planted dinosaur stickers around my home. Sitting on the mirror, in the cupboard, above the light switch... A little hide-and-seek for visitors I guess. 😊

Last one (I think three qualifies as "some"): my younger sister also has a PMC account and might still spook around here from time to time: Bibisaur.


(1) What inspired you to start Top Notch?

I was saddened to see the rise of the Minecraft Marketplace, which caused a lot of great content creators from Planet Minecraft to make skins for money, rather than for fun and community reasons. So I wanted to bring together a team that would focus on fun and growing and learning together while creating free content for the Minecraft community. 😊

Also that's not to discredit Marketplace creators personally. We all need money, I get it. If anything, I'm not happy with how Microsoft chose to monetize community creations.

(2) Also who was the first member (other than you)?

Hmm good question. I very much remember inviting HatThing when we just started. Otherwise it feels like ArcaneKnight has been a pretty constant factor from very early on. But I honestly don't remember it very well. 😅

(3) Also is our mascot really a snail because the team is slow?

No, the snail came before we stalled. It was some kind of inside joke, and might have something to do with the time when I suggested a name-change to SnailWaffle for April fools. But I don't quite remember. Chabileo drew it.
Also it's not even our "official" mascot. The actual logo is the purple fedora hat 😂 the snail just was once set as our Discord icon as a joke, and never changed back.


Wow, that's a lot of answer. Thanks for asking, though! I had fun with these.
Will make a guestbook-post later! 😊

Aa I understand the struggle with hair shading! The top and back of the head of a skin are just relatively big surface areas and you have to get texture in there. They are my least favorite parts to work on with skins, and I always save them for last, finishing them is a daunting task.

So, here are some hair tips:

• Peek at other creator's hair shading to learn how they do it and adapt elements for your own shading.
  
• Don't use noise, it's forbidden! (by me, but I can't stop you if you do it anyway)
• Check out the "hair" section of this tutorial
• Maybe looking at this picture of hair separations on skins helps, albeit outdated

And if all the above is still tricky, some workarounds are:

• Fringes
  
• Ponytails
• Hats and hoods
• Bandanas
• Goggles
• (Pointy) ears
• Headphones
• Horns
• Bows 'n bops

The list goes on, shading hair is a lot easier when there's things on it to shade around.
And if all else fails: make your skin in such a simple style that there's barely any hair shading to do! 😂

Also to pick a favorite anyway, I am particularly fond of your John Deere vehicles. Not because they particularly stand out from your other work, but because there's a funny video about John Deere in the Netherlands, which has also become an inside joke whenever we see anything John Deere, that they always makes me think of.

Otherwise it'd be hard to pick an absolute favorite from you. With every single submission I am just amazed by the creative use of any block and item Minecraft has to offer to create them. And you screenshots & presentation are great too! So keep it up. 😁

Thanks!

The shading experiment: that skin is better than any of your previous submissions, in my opinion. And the reason I gave a diamond to it is because I love to see members experiment and improve. 😁 Keep doing that!

I'd like to point you in the direction of two tutorials. This one about shading humans and this one on colors by KnobleKnives.
There's many more good tutorials floating around PMC, but I think these two will be the most useful to you at this point. 😊


Tourist Turtle says hi!

Which of my submissions do you like most?

Your Exploring far from spawn blogs are fun! Nice to share how you go about exploring the world.
Maybe you could make them a bit longer and share a couple of screenshots in the description of each blogs, mentioning a few steps of the way. 😊

Data-packs aren't something I am well informed on, but your Display Items one caught my eye because it's a nice added feature, which doesn't put the game in dis-balance. Just a nice little visual addition that make item frames look bad. 😂


And also, when did you start playing minecraft and what was the first thing you did with it?

I first started playing in 2010 or 2011: the version right before creative mode first came to the game.

My boyfriend at the time introduced me to it and sat with me as I tried survival. He instructed me to get coal by day "or you will regret it later".
So I ignored his instructions, hopped around, saw flowers, sheep and the magical blocky terrain, until night came and I indeed did regret not getting coal, because I met a creeper in a dark cave. 💀

After that I let the game be for a while, until I re-tried it and started playing on various servers. 😊
Survival, creative, roleplay, specifically Romecraft Community, most of which I found on the Minecraft Forums, which was my first Minecraft community hangout before finding PMC.

Ahh are you reversing the roles? 😁

What is your proudest submission?