Art Fun: KAG Illustrations.

Hello.
I know there's a social forum that makes requested clan banners but I thought I'd start an open one for people to practice, experiment, and have fun with making KAG-related icons and drawings. So to begin, let's start with a basic shield icon for a clan/personal banner. (Attachment.)
You might recognize this from older clans like YB and MOLE. I took this from YB's stag banner, a .png file, so it's a sharper image.
To start:

1. Create an imgur account to upload images so you can share them with us.
2. Download paint.net for free. (That's www.getpaint.net)
3. Save the banner template.
4. Open it in paint.net. Look in the top menu for an icon that looks like a grid. Click on that to turn on a grid overlay that visually isolates each pixel. (You'll have to zoom in close enough for it to come into focus. Ctrl + mouse wheel.) Click the icon next to that turn on a ruler guide.
5. Use the pencil tool to color individual pixels. (Left toolbar, pencil icon.) You can also use the paint brush but even a 1-point brush doesn't do what the pencil does. The paint brush can be used to make simple patterns by changing the "fill" from "Solid Color" to something else, like a pixelated weave pattern.
6. Use the magic wand tool, with its "tolerance" set to 50%, and click on the white color of the shield. It will select all of the white pixels and you can use the paint bucket to fill them in with a different color.

In this case you'll be working pixel-by-pixel, so it's not for everybody. On the upside, if you have the time and patience, you can make something really great because everything is in detail. I'm not a pixel illustrator or anything but I was able to make the banner in my signature. You can take a more complicated image or a fuzzier one, overlay it on the banner, reduce its opacity, and distill it into a more pixelated form. Ideally, something with a very simple color palette. I'm sure there are better techniques and there's always time to learn real illustration skills. :) Plus, if you learn how to do this you can start making maps for all of us.

This is for the skilled and the novices to share their work and knowledge with each other. Please use links or attachments if you're going to show your work. Don't post comments filled with images. (Especially .gif. Don't spam .gif.)