icons and whatnot

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:55:26 GMT

Just a quick status update. I haven't posted here in ages, so i'm not sure how many people are still watching. But! I'll be posting at biconic now, a joint community with calixa and oxymoronassoc. So if you're interested in any future updates, friend us over there. :)

Pushing Daisies Pilot

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 05:24:52 GMT

Heh, been awhile. I watched the pilot for Pushing Daisies earlier and fell in love. So of course, I had to make some icons!

Obviously, there are spoilers. :)

1. 2. 3. 4.
5. 6. 7. 8.
9. 10. 11. 12.
13. 14. 15. 16.

Comment & Credit

Filled Requests

Wed, 31 May 2006 23:40:02 GMT

Wow. These are...really late. Sorry about that.

If you don't see your icon, either the image wasn't there, or I couldn't work with the quality.

1. 2. 3. 4.
5. 6. 7. 8.
9. 10. 11. 12.
13. 14. 15. 16.
17. 18. 19. 20.
21. 22. 23. 24.
25. 26. 27. 28.

All icons are shareable.

Request Time

Thu, 04 May 2006 21:10:10 GMT

Wow...I haven't posted icons in a month. I just really haven't had the time to be online much lately, so I haven't been able to look for pictures.

SO. Requests are open. First 30 Only. I don't think i'll have time to do anymore than that. I'll try to get these done and posted by Sunday night.

>1 request per person.
>Link me to a high quality image/screencap.
>Icons will be textless unless you provide specific text. However, I won't put usernames on icons.
>Any fandom, doesn't matter to me. Although I would like to make some GoF icons, so requests for those would be nice.
>Once finished, they'll all go in one post, and yes, they will be shareable.
>Icons Only. Please do not make header requests.

Harry Potter - Trio - The Castles We Built

Mon, 17 Apr 2006 03:34:58 GMT

I figured it was about time I actually got the artwork for this mix done, since i've had everything else done for oh...months. Anyway, this mix is basically a 7th year, horcrux hunt type-thing. It's semi shippy, but not over the top, I don't think.

Song List:

1.) Snow Patrol - Whatever's Left
It's the same thing again / But it could become a problem if / We don't deal with it now / Can you read my mind so easily / As the madness sets in

2.) Jars of Clay - Goodbye, Goodnight
Say a prayer for recognition / kiss the ones you love / Gather up the ammunition / sigh for all the lost

3.) Rilo Kiley - The Absence of God
I've watched him while sleeping and seen him crying with closed eyes / And you're not happy but you're funny and I'm tripping over my joy

4.) Ben Lee - Apple Candy
Cos I know you made a promise / and told him he's your lover / make me feel the same

5.) Imogen Heap - Closing In
Takes me back / I remember / Such a magical place / It was all you...

6.) Vienna Teng - Between
we are the same but our lives move along / and the third one between replaces what once was love

7.) Regina Spektor - Us
They made a statue of us / Our noses have begun to rust / We're living in a den of thieves / Rummaging for answers in the pages

8.) Matt Costa - Wash Away
The castles we built were so tall / They only left us further to fall / And still I see them far away / But maybe we'll come back someday

Download full zip (38mb) here. Right Click, Save As please.

Edit: Added a wallpaper since you all seem to like the art so much. :)

1024 | 800

Hogwarts PJs

Fri, 24 Mar 2006 00:52:29 GMT

I'll get back to icons and the like soon, I swear. But for now, have some adult male and female matching Hogwarts Houses pyjama skins.

Download Female PJs and Mesh

Download Male PJ Bottoms

I went ahead and zipped them all together to make things easier. If you don't want a particular house, just delete the corresponding package file before placing in your downloads folder. You must install the included mesh file for the female pyjamas to show in game.

Credit to parsimonious.org for the female mesh.

Rules: Do not edit, recolor, or redistribute these files, or share on the Exchange.

Sims 2 Skins - Adult Female

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 21:01:21 GMT

Ok, since a few of you expressed interest, I went ahead and uploaded a couple of my skins. I'll be doing more soon, and will do some skins for guys and other ages as well. If you have an outfit you're dying to see as a skin, link me to some hi-res front and back pictures and i'll see what I can do. :)

Click the preview image to download the zip. All of these require mesh files, which are included in the zip. You must place both files in your downloads folder for the outfit to show up in game.

One thing to note. On the Birds and Beads outfit, the necklace does not line up perfectly in the back, and I didn't notice it until I had already imported the skin. It's not overly noticeable, and if your sim has long hair you won't see it at all.

I'll also upload some more HP stuff for your sims at some point, but i'm still trying to find meshes that look more like wizarding robes.

As for rules, the only thing I ask is you don't redistribute or recolor these, or upload them to the Exchange.

Edit: Forgot to add, meshes from the first 7 skins from simchic.com. Mesh for the robe from modthesims2.com.

Quick Question

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 18:13:39 GMT

Do any of you play The Sims 2? And if so, are you interested in downloading custom skins?

I've been doing a bit of skinning lately just for something different to do, and I wouldn't mind sharing them if any of you would like to use them.

Requests Part 2

Sat, 04 Mar 2006 01:39:37 GMT

Finally finished. Although, I have a feeling I probably forgot a few, as I tend to go through the requests in a very haphazard way instead of doing them in order. So, if I missed you, feel free to beat me over the head and i'll add them into my next post.

01. 02. 03. 04. 05.
06. 07. 08. 09. 10.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
26. 27. 28. 29.

Filled Requests, Part 1

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 20:28:34 GMT

I've finished around half of the requests, so I figured I would go ahead and post the ones i've done. The rest will be coming later this week.

01. 02. 03. 04.
05. 06. 07. 08.
09. 10. 11. 12.
13. 14. 15. 16.
17. 18. 19. 20.
21. 22. 23. 24.
25. 26. 27. 28.
29. 30. 31. 32.
33. 34. 35. 36.
37.

Please do not hotlink.

Request Time

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 19:00:07 GMT

I'm coming up blank on icon ideas again, so I figure it's time for requests. :)

>1-3 requests per person.
>Link me to a high quality image/screencap/gallery, otherwise you'll get whatever I find.
>Icons will be textless unless you provide specific text. However, I won't put usernames on icons.
>Any fandom, doesn't matter to me.
>Once finished, they'll all go in one post, and yes, they will be shareable.
>Icons Only. Please do not make header requests.

REQUESTS CLOSED

6 Shippy HP

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:17:18 GMT

Happy Valentine's Day. Have some ridiculously schmoopy R/Hr and H/G icons.

01. 02. 03.
04. 05. 06.

Harry Potter batch

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 23:28:34 GMT

PoA and GoF, plus a few promos.

01. 02. 03. 04. 05.
06. 07. 08. 09. 10.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
21. 22. 23. 24. 25.

If some of these look familiar, it's because they're from a few of my old layouts. Yeah, not much with the creativity this week.

Background Patterns

Sun, 05 Feb 2006 18:31:33 GMT

New icons at some point, but for now have some background patterns. :)

Credit nice, but not necessary, as these really don't take me that long to make.

Some of these are a bit too much to use as backgrounds on sites, but would work well in icons. You can change the colors if you want, just play with the hue/saturation levels.

If you guys like these, I can make more. Just tell me what you want to see, and i'll give it a shot. :)

Harry Potter Wartime Mix

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 00:36:15 GMT

I've finally finished my wartime gen mix, which i've been working on on and off for the past like...6 months. Big thank you to euterpeslullaby for the helping me hunt down appropriate songs!

01. James Blunt - No Bravery
Tracer lighting up the sky / It's another families' turn to die / A child afraid to even cry out says / He has been here

02. Ray LaMontagne - How Come
Government man spin his politics till he got you pinned / Everybody trying to reach out to each other / But they don't know where to begin

03. U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
And the battle's just begun / There's many lost, but tell me who has won? / The trench is dug within our hearts / And mothers, children, brothers, sisters / Torn apart

04. Grant Lee Phillips - Mobilize
My enemy is part of me / The last one that I wish to meet / In battle face to face

05. The Decemberists - The Soldiering Life
I never felt so much life / Than tonight / Huddled in the trenches / Gazing on the battle field / Our rifles blaze away / We blaze away

06. Poets of the Fall - Maybe Tomorrow is a Better Day
I do not deal the cards and I play a lousy hand / I celebrate no victories and my promises are sand

07. Dashboard Confessional - Several Ways To Die Trying
They're burning the roads they built to lead us to the light / And blinding our hearts with their shining lies / while closing our caskets cold and tight / But I'm dying to live

08. Placebo - The Bitter End
Everytime we're intercepted / Feels more like suicide / Slow and sad, come in silence / Arise a bitter mine / (See you at the bitter end)

09. Charlotte Martin - Steel
Well I've seen hell and back / I've hidden in the dark / With no one there at all, all, all / I've scraped us back to life / I've laced up both my boots / So try and twist the knife, knife, knife

10. Sarah Slean - Pilgrim
My disaster has come and gone / It left me / By the roadside / With my shadow / And one more song

11. Stars - Celebration Guns
So tomorrow there will be another number / for the one who had a name / a desert wind and a perverse desire to win / history buried in shame

12. Belle and Sebastian - I Fought In A War
I fought in a war, and I didn't know where it would end / It stretched before me infinitely, I couldn't really think / Of the day beyond now, keep your head down pal / There's trouble plenty in this hour, this day / I can see hope I can see light

Download (61.7 MB) - Right Click, Save As

I also have a shippy wartime Trio Mix almost finished, so keep an eye out for that!

Icon Dump

Mon, 16 Jan 2006 21:14:44 GMT

I still have about 2.3 million pictures set aside to icon, but figured I should post these before I ended up with the icon post that ate LJ.

01. 02. 03. 04.05.
06. 07. 08.09. 10.
11. 12.13. 14.

15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.

27. 28. 29. 30. 31.
32. 33.

34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39.

40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45.

46.

01-14 BtVS
15-20 Firefly
21-26 Dead Like Me
27-33 Narnia
34-35 The Constant Gardener
36-00 Singin' In The Rain
37-38 Scarlett Johannson
39-00 James Blunt
40-45 Kitchen Stuff
46-00 Firefly, because I forgot it the first time and i'm too lazy to re-number

More proof that I am the laziest icon maker in the world.

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 18:54:56 GMT

I kind of want to make some Lost icons again, because even if the show generally bores me, it is a damn pretty show.

The problem is, I am still on dial-up from hell for another few weeks, and it takes me forever to look through caps. SO, my dear people, if you happen to have some lying around that you are just dying to see turned into 100x100 squares of joy, would you mind linking me to caps? This isn't really a request post because it's only for Lost, but if you link me to something, I will definitely try to icon it.

Bonus points and an internet cookie to people that link me to wide, daytime shots. Promo pics are nice as well. :)

Color Correction Tutorial and Freebies

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 19:53:11 GMT

New icons coming this weekend, but for now a tutorial. Several of you asked for different icons, but I honestly felt that this one would more useful in the long run, as the techniques are not completely image specific. And before anyone asks, I have no clue how this would translate to PSP. Sorry!

We'll be making this:

Please note that I made the original icon over a month ago, and since I rarely save psds, the icon is not 100% exact.

We'll be working with this cap, by _jems_. This tutorial should work just fine, however, with any other overly blue cap.

1. Crop to 200x200. This is personal preference, I find it easier to work on a larger canvas.

2. Image>Adjustments>Auto Contrast. Honestly, this is the first thing I do for every. single. image. I work with, mostly because i'm lazy, but also because it brings out highlights and lowlights already present in the image.

to
3. Duplicate Layer, Gaussian Blur 1, Screen, 50% Opacity. This step helps lighten the image, but also works in your favor when you sharpen later on. If your image really bright to begin with, try the layer on soft light instead.

to
4. Layers>New Adjustment Layer>Curves. It seems that curves are the new "it" tool to use, and with good reason. It's one of the first tools I learned when I started using Photoshop, and it's honestly the most versatile thing you can use. LEARN THEM. I could go on all day about their various uses, and the proper way to use them, but again, I am lazy. Google Curves Tutorial, and watch your life change. Or you know, your images improve. Whatever. Now, I forgot to write down everything I did on this, but I do have screencaps, which work the same way pretty much.

to

5. New Layer. Flood fill with #A4F9D8. Set to Color Burn, 60% opacity. Color Burn is another thing I can't live without. I've noticed that the light turquoise color burn layer is all the rage, but try other colors as well. Lavenders, pinks, greens, yellows...don't be afraid to step out of the box on this one.

+ =

6. Layers>New Adjustment Layer>Color Balance. Easist way in the world to correct the little color details. Just play with it until you feel comfortable.

to

7. Layers> New Adjustment Layer>Hue/Saturation. Raise saturation to 15. The effect is subtle, but you don't want to go overboard on saturation.

to

8. Layers>New Adjustment Layer>Curves. What can I say, I love my curves. I thought the image needed a bit more red than the Color Balance provided, and a little more contrast.

to

9. New Layer. Drag the layer down on your layer palette to right above your color burn layer. Flood fill with #909D51. Set to soft light. I wasn't 100% happy with the color, so I added this in. This brings out the greens a bit better, and warms the blue tones.

+ =

10. New Layer. Image>Apply Image. Duplicate layer, sharpen once. Resize to 100x100. Lower opacity of sharpened layer if needed. Always, always do your sharpening on a duplicated layer. It will save you a million headaches in the long run.

to to

And that's pretty much it. I wasn't lying when I said all I do is basic image correction/color. What I did here WILL work on just about any cap/image you choose, with minor modifications.

Also, you probably noticed that I do everything on an adjustment layer. This will help you down the road if you want to go back and make minor adjustment to your settings, without having to completely scrap everything and start over.

Edit: Because I worked through this rather quickly, I forgot one step. You'll notice a slight pixelation below the gas tank and near the car trim. All you have to do to correct that is use a small soft round brush and your blur tool set to around 30%. Just be careful and make sure you don't blur any edges.

And now for the freebies, I zipped up the curves presets I use most often. Just please don't use these as is and call it a day. Look at the different channels to help you learn how curves work, and combine them with new curves layers/color layers/etc.

9 Curves Presets
Right Click, Save As

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

48 Multifandom

Tue, 10 Jan 2006 20:26:02 GMT

It's pretty sad that the first thing I did after I got my laptop back yesterday was to install photoshop and make icons while getting everything else installed. Anyway, this is the first of several posts...i'm splitting them up through the week so I don't make anyone's browser explode. Some of these are from before my laptop exploded, so there might be a few differences quality-wise, as my eyes are still re-adjusting to this monitor.

01. 02. 03. 04.
05. 06. 07. 08.
09. 10. 11. 12.
13. 14. 15. 16.
17.

18. 19. 20. 21.
22. 23. 24. 25.
26. 27. 28. 29.
30. 31.

32. 33.34. 35.

36. 37. 38. 39.
40. 41. 42. 43.
44. 45.

46. 47. 48.

01-17 BSG
18-23 Emma Watson
24-25 HP Trio on TRL
26-00 Amber Tamblyn
27-00 Jake Gyllenhaal
28-00 Eric Szmanda
29-00 Evangeline Lily
30-31 Joaquin Phoenix
32-35 Firefly
36-45 Garden State
46-48 Harry Potter

BSG, Farscape, & Filled Requests

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 06:52:10 GMT

Finished the requests early, so here you go.

01. 02. 03. 04.
05. 06. 07. 08.

09. 10. 11. 12.
13. 14. 15. 16.
17. 18.

19. 20. 21. 22. 23.
24. 25. 26. 27.
28. 29. 30. 31.
32. 33. 34. 35.
36. 37. 38. 39.
40. 41. 42.

01-08 Battlestar Galactica
09-18 Farscape
19-20 Charlotte Martin
21 Emma Watson
22 Gilmore Girls
23 Katie Leung
24-28 King Kong
29 Liv Tyler
30-31 No clue, heh
32 Chronicles of Narnia
33-34 One Tree Hill
35-36 Sophia Bush
37-40 Scarlett Johansson
41 Lost
42 Adrien Brody/Naomi Watts

I'm too lazy to list out which icons belong to who tonight. All requests are shareable anyway. :)

Requested and Other

Thu, 15 Dec 2005 20:11:35 GMT

I've finished half the requests, so I figured I would go ahead and get those posted. The other half will be finished this weekend.

Also, a few random BSG and Zooey Deschanel icons.

01. 02. 03. 04.
05. 06. 07. 08.
09.

10. 11. 12. 13.
14. 15. 16. 17.
18. 19. 20. 21.

22. 23. 24. 25.
26. 27. 28. 29.
30. 31. 32. 33.

Remember, requested icons ARE shareable.

01-09 Zooey Deschanel
10-21 Battlestar Galactica (request from kajungirl81 and euterpeslullaby)
22-23 Chris Cornell (request from coffeebits)
24-26 Gilmore Girls (request from kajungirl81 and colorsblend)
27-28 Harry/Ginny (request from velvethope)
29-30 Jake Gyllenhaal (request from scatterbrain)
31 Mike Dirnt (request from stumphed)
32 Rent (request from colorsblend)
33 Wentworth Miller (request from panther)

Jake Gyllenhaal Wallpaper

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 18:49:50 GMT

Made this the other day in a fit of boredom, but forgot to resize and upload.

1280x800 | 1024x768 | 800x600

Text is from Andrew Bird's Skin Is, My which is pretty much the hottest song ever.

Please don't upload/post anywhere and please do not use for LJ backgrounds/headers/etc.

And in case you missed it, i'm taking requests here.

Requests and other things

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 09:07:27 GMT

I'm going to open up requests for a little bit, otherwise the next icon post you get is going to be nothing but Zooey Deschanel. And while I would enjoy that, i'm not sure anyone else would.

Anyway, rules for requesting, I suppose.

>One or two requests per person
>Link me to a high quality image/screencap/gallery, otherwise you'll get whatever I find
>Any fandom, doesn't matter to me
>Once finished, they'll all go in one post, and yes, they will be shareable

NOW. A request from me to you. Please, for the love of god, don't change compression/file format/etc on my stuff. I save at highest quality jpeg for a reason. I've run across several of my icons saved as pngs lately, and quite frankly, the format sucks for icons. I've also seen some with really bad compression. There's really no need for that, as all of my icons are well within the 40k limit.

Sorry to sound bitchy, but it bugs me. :)

Also, i've seen several of you ask for tutorials from me. Erm...I could try to do one, but honestly? I don't do much special with my icons anymore. I do a lot of initial image correction and curves/color work, but they all depend specifically on the individual images. I don't use gradients/brushes. If you guys want to pick out a specific icon, I can try, but no guarantees.

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED

Mixed Batch

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 23:19:50 GMT

01. 02. 03. 04.
05. 06. 07. 08.
09. 10. 11. 12.

13. 14. 15. 16.

17. 18. 19. 20.

21. 22. 23. 24.
25. 26. 27.

28. 29. 30. 31.
32. 33. 34. 35.
36. 37.

38. 39. 40.

41. 42.

01-12 Serenity - Possible Spoilers
13-16 Jarhead
17-20 Brokeback Mountain
21-27 Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer
28-29 Rupert Grint
30-32 Emma Watson
33-35 Kate Winslet
36-37 Zooey Deschanel
38-40 HP GoF Promos
41-42 Andrew Bird

Same rules as always.

ALSO: pimp pimp pimp noninimicus newslang_icons

Affiliates Post

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 20:06:14 GMT

Ok, since LJ is still being stupid about emailing comments, I figure I should set up a post for this.

SO. If you want to affiliate, please leave a comment to this post with a link to your icon journal. I don't really have any rules about affiliating, just no brand new journals with only one or two posts please.