This tutorial is aimed at Gimp novices. It is my first tutorial, un-betaed, and I welcome feedback!

The font I'm using is Amadeus, but you can choose any font you like. (For Ubuntu font newbies = me 2 weeks ago: Installing fonts in Ubuntu.)

( Creating an icon in Gimp with transparent background and gradient-colored text )

I'm not a Gimp expert, but I'm happy to help if I can: ask if you get stuck or have questions :o)