5 top #TileArt tips from March’s top #TileArt artist

It’s the end of the month, which means it’s #TileArt tips time!

At the start of March, the big daddy of #TileArt, the TileArt guy Ricc Webb picked his ten favourite works of #TileArt you’d shared on the interwebz. Each and every one was a joy to behold, so to find the best of the best, we asked you to vote. And as ever, you answered the call in droves. In fact, hundreds of you shared your opinion. However, there can only be one winner and this month that pleasure goes to Indonesia’s Rizki Faisal, whose Spider Gwen secured a whopping 27% of the vote. Big congrats to Rizki for being our first ever #TileArt Artist of the Month! As a special thank you to everyone who voted, we asked him to share his top tips and he delivered in fine style. So, if you’re an aspiring tile artist, get your Lumia handy and read on.

1. Pick whatever fits for you

You see your start screen every day, so make sure you choose the right theme for it. Pick whatever suits you, such as your favorite game, comic, or musician as your start screen. Bing will stash all of the images that you need to create a rocking start screen, so start exploring!

2. Keep it simple

Personally I don’t like crowded start screens, so I only pick a few necessary and frequently used apps to go on my start screen. If you want to pin more complementary apps to your start screen, make sure you put that on the live folder. That will keep your start screen looking more tidy and classy. I use a 4″ Lumia 530, so I prefer the 2 row layout, which is perfect because everything doesn’t look so small.

3. Pick the right pic

Now, about the TileArt. A great start screen requires a simple and attractive center of attention. That’s where we could use a .png image, picking the right .png for the center. Put the right size on them, depending on your set up. Tile art guy typically uses more than one .png for his setup, but for me one is just fine.

4. Pick the right background

After you’re done with your “center of attention,” pick the right background for it. Here’s the only rule for picking a background: don’t let the background overwhelm the center. Pick a pattern or landscape and make sure it matches your center.

5. Pick the invisible

The last step is about “tile picking”. Personally, I like transparent tiles for my start screen although I still put some non-transparent tiles in my live folder. It makes the background look better.

Five fantastic tips from a man who’s clearly a master of his art. If you’ve taken these tips to heart and got busy creating your own masterpiece, be sure to share it on Twitter with the hashtag #TileArt or in the comments below. Who knows, you might just be in the line up for April’s top 10.