The eternal trend: Match it bby!

[LazyKat]

I was going to make a pun about powdered gyokuro, but decided against it.
Getting on with it.

I'm not sure if it can be defined as a trend exactly, but it certainly has been the mainstay of avatar-making. I thought it worthy of making a topic, since so often it is the fundamentals of any subject which are the most polarizing. Here are a few questions you can answer (or not, if you wish) to kick things off! (Pick any of'em or just post your own thoughts on the subject).

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[b]How important is matching, to you?[/b]
[b]Should 'realistic' avatars be subject to matching?[/b]
[b]If you post on avatar rating boards, do you rate based on matching and/or overall theme?[/b]
[b]How careful are you about matching 'whites' and 'blacks'?[/b]
[b]Do you feel too much emphasis has been put on matching colours?[/b]
[b]Any pet-peeves about colour-matching?[/b]
[b]Other thoughts[/b]

For myself, I think matching adds coherence to an avatar. I'm not a stickler about having hair and eyes match. I do it pretty often, but I also like avatars where they don't. Even 'realistic' style avatars, however, can benefit by adding a few punches of matching. It just pulls the entire avatar together.
I'm semi-picky about matching blacks and whites. I like to see different shades of white and black treated as individual colours. Sometimes though it isn't as jarring if there's a white item that doesn't match, but the undertones match the main colour of the avatar.

[vaudeVILLE]

How important is matching, to you?
To me, matching is pretty important. I try to match (to the best of my ability) in every HA, as I, like your think that it brings everything together. Ties up loose ends xD

Should 'realistic' avatars be subject to matching?
Hmm, I've only ever really made one realistic avatar intentionally, and even though it wasn't completely matchy it still did have matching in it, it just wasn't as noticeable. I think they should have matching in them, even if it isn't the main componenet c;

If you post on avatar rating boards, do you rate based on matching and/or overall theme?
I usually vote on the overall look of an avatar, and that encompases both matching and the overall theme.

How careful are you about matching 'whites' and 'blacks'?
I don't usually have both in an avatar together, but I use black all the time, so I do pay quite alot of attention to matching it. Though sometimes, different shades of black can work well together.

Do you feel too much emphasis has been put on matching colours?
Not really. Some people may be fantastic at matching colours, but the HA might looking overly cluttered due to them trying to find the perfect colours. On the flip side, some people might be great at making realistic HA's and not match any colours at all, and it can turn out fantastic.

Any pet-peeves about colour-matching?
When people match a bazillion colours at once. And when they are all bright. Ugh.

Other thoughts
I usually tend to match my colours according to an age old formula I have
I usually match the face, them the chest, then the legs (colour)
Then I add bits of another colour (if there is one) into all thos sections and the rest is just black xD

lol theres my two cents xD

[Stockholm]

How important is matching, to you?
Pretty important. I think matching just pulls the whole HA together & makes it look neater and cleaner, you know?
Should 'realistic' avatars be subject to matching?
Maybe. Definitely less so than others. If you can pull it off you can pull if off. If you can't...
If you post on avatar rating boards, do you rate based on matching and/or overall theme?
Overall theme. Definitely. Matching just helps. I mean, is it well put together? Does each piece fit well and look good? Are they using more than one piece from a set? Those sort of things AND matching.
How careful are you about matching 'whites' and 'blacks'?
It depends. If there's a creamy white I won't use it with a darker white; it doesn't look good. But if I'm basing the HA colour scheme around, say, grayscale, then I could match a darker white with a soft white. And the same with black.
Do you feel too much emphasis has been put on matching colours?
Nah. If anyone's having a hissy fit over it, they need to get over themselves.
Any pet-peeves about colour-matching?
Not really, other than blatant disregard for it. No, I DON'T want to see your green, orange, and yellow HA. Thanks.
Other thoughts
Uhhh none really. (:

[Snowydragoness]

How important is matching, to you?
Slightly important. It doesn't make or break the HA for me. And matching for me isn't always color. Sometimes it's more does this match the color palette or is this all desaturated colors, or is it all turquoises... Yeah. You get the point.
Should 'realistic' avatars be subject to matching? A little bit. If you are one of those people who walk around in totally non matching things, people will probably laugh at you. I have seen non matching done well sometimes for realistic avatars.
If you post on avatar rating boards, do you rate based on matching and/or overall theme?
Depends. If it's obviously all about the matching, then that. If's its obviously a theme like "nature" then no. If I have no clue then I default to does it match.
How careful are you about matching 'whites' and 'blacks'?
Yes. Some blacks are gray to me, so I pair them with other grays. I CANNOT mix my whites. Creams and white do NOT equal the same thing.
Do you feel too much emphasis has been put on matching colours?
Sometimes. I've seen some awesome avatars that were rated solely on "Doesn't match. 3/10." Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.
Any pet-peeves about colour-matching?
Cream with white. GAH. I hate it. All black with 500 hundred shades of black that doesn't look intentional. Red and pink; it's just ugly.
Other thoughts
Some people take this whole thing too seriously, me included, sometimes. It's truly about the fun of creating and seeing what works. Just have fun. =D

[Maja]

How important is matching, to you?
On my own avatars - a lot. When I make avatars my face is like reaaaaaally close to the screen so I don't overlook anything. For me it's a challenge, and I've ditched who-knows-how-many HAs because I couldn't get the matching right. They might have looked good either way, but I. just. cannot. let. it .go.
On other people's avatars - not as obsessively

Should 'realistic' avatars be subject to matching?
I think so, to a certain extent. I mean in real life we also try to have at least some matching going on. But of course you're not going to get cyan and green highlights because of the buttons on your shirt or whatever.

How careful are you about matching 'whites' and 'blacks'?
I try to be, haha! Especially if I'm working with the popstar skirt, white flirty miniskirt and the pirate wench shirt and skirt. They look white but they're not The same goes for the blueish black on the Wild One set and the Donna set

Do you feel too much emphasis has been put on matching colours?
I'm not sure. I don't know if this is more of a color balance thing, but there have been amazing avatars with many items left unmatched. Sometimes you can even ruin an avatar if you just have to stick a wearable on the HA that has no other purpose other than to just match another wearable.

Any pet-peeves about colour-matching?
The notion that any number of wearables that have the same color in their name must match. This happens a lot with green and purple since for some reason they come in as many shades as there are items

Other thoughts
I look at the avatar as a whole. I won't be going like "OH THIS IS SHIT BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY _____(color) ON YOUR FEET"

[Zeppelynne]

How important is matching, to you?
Extremely. I don't prefer my avatars to look like a Skittles commercial.


Should 'realistic' avatars be subject to matching?
It depends. Are you trying to make your avatar resemble an actual person? Then probably not.
Are you trying to dress you avatar in modern day, realistic fashion? Then yes.

If you post on avatar rating boards, do you rate based on matching and/or overall theme?
Usually.
Unless I come across a rare gem that can pull off something crazy.

How careful are you about matching 'whites' and 'blacks'?
Very picky. If it's an off white, I'm not going to add an item that's pure white. Same with black.

Do you feel too much emphasis has been put on matching colours?
Not at all.

Any pet-peeves about colour-matching?
Just that it can be hard to find clothes in the wardrobe generator that match the scheme I'm going for sometimes.

Other thoughts
No sir re bob.

[Mackenzi]

"How important is matching, to you?"
Usually pretty important, though I'm trying to not use it as a crutch anymore. It can't be the main focus of my avatars; no more "Look how I matched all these pinks against all this black clothing!"
"Should 'realistic' avatars be subject to matching?"
No, I've seen some "realistic" avs that don't really have any rhyme or reason with the coloring. Those are great avatars to look at.
"If you post on avatar rating boards, do you rate based on matching and/or overall theme?"
It's been a while but I would rate for both. 1) how successful the matching was and 2) if it all came together and didn't look stupid.
"How careful are you about matching 'whites' and 'blacks'?"
I'm super careful but it's usually not a problem finding the right tones. Most black and white items are true to their names. But I could never use one that doesn't match the rest of the colors without making that particular shade common throughout the avatar.
"Do you feel too much emphasis has been put on matching colours?"
In a way, since people just starting in on HA fashion get stuck on just matching colors and the rest of their avatars are a total miss. At least that's how I started out. But it's a fundamental part of making avatars, so master color matching is a good place to start.
"Any pet-peeves about colour-matching?"
Just when people use trite color schemes with trite items. For example, red and black, pink and black, and several bows on several layers to achieve it. It's the staple of a beginning avatar.
"Other thoughts"
Matching the colors of items with 1034109413515 colors is cool, as is matching the colors of a very small part of an item.

[Rune]

How important is matching, to you?
I think matching is pretty important. It makes the HA flow more than when you don't match the colours. I won't freak out if the colours don't match though. Sometimes you can't find another item that matches the colour of the item you're already using. That doesn't really bother me. I also think that you use an item that matches another item, but not the overall HA. That makes your HA look bad.

Should 'realistic' avatars be subject to matching?
It isn't necessary. In real life, we don't always match our colours and patterns. I like to match a few items, so it still looks decent. Matching shouldn't be the first thing you'd think about when you're making a realistic HA.

If you post on avatar rating boards, do you rate based on matching and/or overall theme?
I'd definitely look at how the person matched the colours, but the theme of the HA is also very important. Is this person going for a realistic or fantasy HA? You have to ask yourself questions like that. So I actually base my opinion on both.

How careful are you about matching 'whites' and 'blacks'?
I don't really mind other shades of whites/blacks used in a HA, as long as they aren't too different. It also depends on the theme of the HA.

Do you feel too much emphasis has been put on matching colours?
Well, sometimes. There are a lot of good HA's out there, which have been shot down by others, because the colours didn't match.

Any pet-peeves about colour-matching?
Colour vomit. Also, not all items with (for example) 'red' in their names are the same shade of red. Think before you use it people!

Other thoughts
I should probably get some sleep now? :'D

[Rifle]

How important is matching, to you?
Matching is everything. It's the most important thing.

Should 'realistic' avatars be subject to matching?
I should think so. Not too obsessively, but a few small pieces that work together work wonders, matching or not.

If you post on avatar rating boards, do you rate based on matching and/or overall theme?
I rate mostly on both. I look for a theme, and if I can't find one, I then go to color.

How careful are you about matching 'whites' and 'blacks'?
Very careful. Whites and blacks are very different. Some whites have such a different shading and whatnot, so I have to find items that work with the same white-tone. Same for black. It depends on where you want to go with the avatar, really.

Do you feel too much emphasis has been put on matching colours?
Just a bit. Color matching is vital to myself, but I think a lot of the HA's our there that DON'T have a few colors matching are pretty creative and well-made.

Any pet-peeves about colour-matching?
When people have 50 different shades of a color. Two or three is fine, but not every shade you can get.

Other thoughts?
None, really.

[Isabella]

How important is matching, to you?
If I really, really like how something looks even though it doesn't match, I would probably use it. I care more for matching the style/personality I'm going for than the colors, though I do certainly try to match colors because it does create a more cohesive look.
Should 'realistic' avatars be subject to matching?
To the extent that we try to match colors in real life. Meaning it can look nice to have a couple pieces match, nothing over-the-top, and you want to avoid colors that actively clash.
If you post on avatar rating boards, do you rate based on matching and/or overall theme?
It's a factor, but I've adored many avatars that do not adhere strictly to color-matching, and have not adored many avatars that do color-match. That's not so hard to do; there should be more to the HA than just color-matching.
How careful are you about matching 'whites' and 'blacks'?
I try to, for sure. Jet black and medium gray do not go together and cream and white do not go together, though I'm sure I've been guilty of doing both on occasion when I wanted to use certain pieces.
Do you feel too much emphasis has been put on matching colours?
I think it's often the easy way out, because like I said, pure color-matching as the only pointto an avatar is too easy.
Any pet-peeves about colour-matching?
Like I said, when someone relies on it too heavily and the avatar has no point to it and doesn't have any discernible character.
Other thoughts
Yay surveys!