moodtheme moodtheme moodtheme
1. I'm rewatching Grey's Anatomy and I'm actually quite impressed! It has that wonderful balance of drama and comedy that I find most shows lack. Buffy will always live on in my mind as the show that did it best, but Grey's is definitely holding its own.
2. My cats aren't really mentioned much in this journal, but they're actually a very big part of my life at my mums house. They pretty much hate each other so I usually have one following my every move around the house (seriously, every move) and the other nowhere to be seen at any given point in time.
This is Roxy, he has very dog-like mannerisms. He doesn't like to sit on laps. He does like to bite me (playfully) at 5:00 every day to remind me to feed him. I like to headbutt him :P
This is Sammi, and in general he's pretty much a scaredy cat, I don't think any guest in our house has ever seen him. He loves to sit on my lap, especially at inappropriate times like when I'm iconning or tying my shoelaces. He likes to headbutt me (or wipe his nose on me, I can never tell one from the other :P)
3. Poll
4. I've been doing a lot of analysing (to an absurd degree) of what I consider to be the greatest icons of all time and from that analysis I've compiled a list of tips that should be able to bam any icon up a knotch
when picking caps, don't be afraid to go for abstract or blurry ones
Why restrict yourself to clean, crisp, obvious ones? Why not use one of the back of someone's head or where they're out of focus or half of their face is cut off? Using different caps that you normally would could inspire something different in you or inspire you to approach the icon in a different way than usual.
browse through your favourite iconmakers beforehand
There is nothing more boring than an unfocused iconmaker. Know who your inspirations are. Know what you're aiming to achieve. Emerse yourself in the brilliance you aspire towards.
analyse your favourite and least favourite things about the original image and then figure out a way to emphasise/distract from them
for example if you love somebody's lips, crop to emphasise their lips. If they've gone one eye mid-blink crop it out. If they've got excitingly bright red shoes, make them even more excitingly bright and red.
pick a theskilltester challenge and follow it
This sounds like I'm pimping my community but I'm really not. I'm not sure if you've been paying attention to my graphics lately, but ALL of my best things have been made for that recently and it's no coincidence. And I'm not saying you have to follow it to a tee if you really don't want to (obviously nobody can force your hand) but remember I was going to post this and bend the rules, but then I pushed myself and followed them to a tee and ended up with this. (Also if you don't like the current challenges stick around because through my mass icon analysis I thought of about fifty more challenges to do :D)
go to an extreme (with saturation and contrast or something) and then selectively pull back from it (e.g. reds only or darks only)
For those of you who talk to me on MSN (and that should be all of you, come on, add me already, I get really bored :P) you'll know that I've been preaching on a lot lately about how colours need to be controlled to look good. There are a lot of 'factory default' colours that everybody can achieve, but a lot of the great iconmakers have their own signature colours. By going to an extreme you're giving your icon the oomph it needs and by pulling back from it you're getting the colours exactly the way you want them. I'm sure I sound crazy but I swear it's the best tip on this list.
don't be afraid to make peoples skin unnatural colours (e.g. green, blue)
use textures and stocks
they're what separates a great icon from a fantastic one. They provide a level of randomness and unpredictability that can't easily be man-made
don't use a texture without an adjustment layer after it
it will integrate the icon into the picture and not just feel like it was added as an afterthought.
5. I started working on a moodtheme a long time ago when I was motm at iconplay and I'm still working on it to this day, but I just want it to be housed here in case drankmywar decides to delete the community for some reason :P
Feel free to contribute :D
accomplished - Heroes: 1x01 Hiro "yatta" blueymcphluey
aggravated - ANTM: 5x09 Bre angry photoshoot blueymcphluey
amused -
angry - Flight of the Conchords: 1x12 Bret dances when he's angry blueymcphluey
annoyed - ANTM: 5x09 Nic angry photoshoot blueymcphluey
anxious -
apathetic - Janice Dickinson looking plasticly emotionless blueymcphluey
artistic - My Name Is Earl: 2x08 Earl all play-doughey blueymcphluey
awake - BSG: 2x18 Six wakes up in pool blueymcphluey
bitchy - ANTM: 8x07 Dionne vs. Renee blueymcphluey
blah - Futurama: 2x08 Hermes + brainslug blueymcphluey
blank - Doctor Who: 2x07 Rose with no face blueymcphluey
bored - Buffy: season 7 Buffy with the pencils on her head blueymcphluey
bouncy - Flubber blueymcphluey
busy -
calm - Boston Legal: Alan/Denny in spa blueymcphluey
cheerful - Gilmore Girls: 3x22 Sookie 'yay, we're unemployed' blueymcphluey
chipper - Buffy: 5x18 Buffybot blueymcphluey
cold - Firefly: 1x14 River watching Wash/Zoe blueymcphluey
complacent - Amelie blueymcphluey
confused - Firefly: 1x11 River with the ball of food blueymcphluey
contemplative - Supernatural: 1x04 Sam blueymcphluey
content - Doctor Who: 2x01 Rose+10 on grass in newnewnewnewnewnewnewneenewnenwenwnenwen york blueymcphluey
cranky - Doctor Who: Rose sleepy blueymcphluey
crappy - Farscape: Aeryn after John's death mouthfullofdust
crazy - Futurama: 3x13 Roberto blueymcphluey
creative - Heroes: Peter glazed over because he's about to paint blueymcphluey
crushed - T:TSCC: 2x01 Cameron between cars blueymcphluey
curious - Firefly: River investigating gun/stick mouthfullofdust
cynical - VM: Veronica being... well, Veronica mouthfullofdust
depressed - Grey's Anatomy: 3x01 Izzie on floor secret0window
determined - Buffy: 7x22 Buffy rising from being stabbed by the first blueymcphluey
devious - Supernatural: 1x03 Dean with pen in mouth blueymcphluey
dirty - Firefly: 1x10 Saffron in rubbish blueymcphluey
disappointed -
discontent -
distressed - Firefly: 1x14 Kaylee blueymcphluey
ditsy - Alias": Sydney impersonating a cheerleadery person blueymcphluey
dorky -
drained - X-Men 3: Mystique unmutates blueymcphluey
drunk - Buffy: 6x05 Buffy can't handle liquor blueymcphluey
ecstatic -
embarassed - Coupling: 2x08 Jeff realising he strip-teased letsey-x
energetic - American Dad: (I can't remember the ep, but I have an awesome cap) running Stan blueymcphluey
enraged - Buffy: 7x19 Willow sees red blueymcphluey
enthralled - Buffy: 2x21 Dru hypnotising Kendra blueymcphluey
envious -
exanimate - Gilmore Girls: 4x07 Lorelai being a painting blueymcphluey
excited - SYTYCD: 3x20 Pasha at the beginning of the hiphop blueymcphluey
exhausted - Doctor Who: 4x11 Donna with only 10 minutes left to save the world blueymcphluey
flirty -
frustrated - Supernatural: Dean locked up when no one believes the demons are coming mouthfullofdust
full - Supernatura: 2x15 Sam's impression of hungry Dean blueymcphluey
geeky - Friends: 3x01 Leia letsey-x
giddy -
giggly -
gloomy - DLM: George moping at the Waffle House mouthfullofdust
good - Supernatural: Sam feeling better after resurrection mouthfullofdust
grateful -
groggy -
grumpy -
guilty - Futurama: Zoidberg trying to commit seppiku after breaking a ship in a bottle and blaming Fry mouthfullofdust
happy - Doctor Who: 10, I don't have a particular scene/cap in mind, but you know that crazy grin of his blueymcphluey
high - ANTM: 11x03 Marjorie photoshoot blueymcphluey
hopeful -
horny - HIMYM: 3x15 Lily+carpet blueymcphluey
hot - Doctor Who: 4x02 Donna in volcano blueymcphluey
hungry - Studio 60: 1x?? Amanda is proposed to with a stuffed gullet blueymcphluey
hyper - Futurama: 4x16 100 cups of coffee blueymcphluey
impressed - The Mask: his jaw literally dropping to the floor blueymcphluey
indescribable - The Office: 3x01 Jim's weird look at the camera blueymcphluey
indifferent - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Cameron mouthfullofdust
infuriated - Doctor Horrible: "it's a brand new day" blueymcphluey
intimidated -
irate - Wonderfalls: Jaye smashes the Wax Lions mouthfullofdust
irritated -
jealous -
jubilant -
lazy -
lethargic -
listless -
lonely - Futurama: 3x22 Bender floating in space letsey-x
loved - Doctor Who: 4x06 fish people petting Martha blueymcphluey
melancholy -
mellow -
mischevous - Buffy: Faith getting arrested mouthfullofdust
moody - Wonderfalls: Jaye trying to reason with the Wax Lion mouthfullofdust
morose - Lost: Desmond realizes Charlie died for nothing mouthfullofdust
naughty - Doctor Horrible: sitting in his lair blueymcphluey
nauseated - Ginger Snaps: Ginger ate a dog mouthfullofdust
nerdy - Angel: 3x18 Fred with her glasses blueymcphluey
nervous - Big Love: Sarah finds out she's being followed by Albie mouthfullofdust
nostalgic - Buffy: 'Him' Xander remembering the love spell from S2 nonbeliever93
numb - Buffy: 7x03 Dawn paralysed blueymcphluey
okay - Futurama: 2x02 the neutral people blueymcphluey
optimistic - Parks and Recreation: Lesley blueymcphluey
peaceful - VM: Lily at peace in afterlife mouthfullofdust
predatory - Serenity: River kills a whole bunch o reavers blueymcphluey
pensive - Lost: Kate doing her daily 'gazing into the sunset' thing xtine005
pessemistic -
pissed off -
pleased - NCIS: Abby mouthfullofdust
productive -
quixotic - BSG: 1x13 Gaius/6 blueymcphluey
recumbent -
refreshed - Supernatural: Sam rejuvenated mouthfullofdust
rejected - Buffy: Willow finds out Xander and Cordy are dating mouthfullofdust
rejuvenated - Doctor Who: 1x12 rejeneration letsey-x
relaxed -
relieved - BSG: When Kara flies into the maelstrom mouthfullofdust
restless - Buffy: 4x22 sleeping scoobies blueymcphluey
rushed - Smallville: Clark superspeeding letsey-x
sad - Willow when Oz leaves blueymcphluey
satisfied - Angel: 5x15 Illyra after she takes over Fred's body mouthfullofdust
scared - The Inside: 1x01 Rebecca on train blueymcphluey
shocked - Doctor Who: 4x10 10 as light streams across his face blueymcphluey
sick -
silly - Kung Fu Panda with the pins in his back blueymcphluey
sleepy - Kyle XY: in his tub/bed blueymcphluey
sore - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: 2x01 Cameron blueymcphluey
stressed - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Sarah mouthfullofdust
surprised - ANTM: 8x07 Natasha's photoshoot blueymcphluey
sympathetic - The Office: Dwight conforts Pam mouthfullofdust
thankful -
thirsty - Buffy: 4x02 milk blueymcphluey
thoughtful - Scrubs: JD daydreaming blueymcphluey
tired -
touched - Pushing Daisies: 1x01 Ned bringing someone back secret0window
uncomfortable - Futurama: "my only regret is that I have bonitis" blueymcphluey
weird - FotC: 1x10 Bret's drug drip mouthfullofdust
working - Dexter: at his day job mouthfullofdust
worried - Firefly: 1x10 Jayne re: Simon telling him he know what happened in Ariel drankmywar
2. My cats aren't really mentioned much in this journal, but they're actually a very big part of my life at my mums house. They pretty much hate each other so I usually have one following my every move around the house (seriously, every move) and the other nowhere to be seen at any given point in time.
This is Roxy, he has very dog-like mannerisms. He doesn't like to sit on laps. He does like to bite me (playfully) at 5:00 every day to remind me to feed him. I like to headbutt him :P
This is Sammi, and in general he's pretty much a scaredy cat, I don't think any guest in our house has ever seen him. He loves to sit on my lap, especially at inappropriate times like when I'm iconning or tying my shoelaces. He likes to headbutt me (or wipe his nose on me, I can never tell one from the other :P)
3. Poll
4. I've been doing a lot of analysing (to an absurd degree) of what I consider to be the greatest icons of all time and from that analysis I've compiled a list of tips that should be able to bam any icon up a knotch
when picking caps, don't be afraid to go for abstract or blurry ones
Why restrict yourself to clean, crisp, obvious ones? Why not use one of the back of someone's head or where they're out of focus or half of their face is cut off? Using different caps that you normally would could inspire something different in you or inspire you to approach the icon in a different way than usual.
browse through your favourite iconmakers beforehand
There is nothing more boring than an unfocused iconmaker. Know who your inspirations are. Know what you're aiming to achieve. Emerse yourself in the brilliance you aspire towards.
analyse your favourite and least favourite things about the original image and then figure out a way to emphasise/distract from them
for example if you love somebody's lips, crop to emphasise their lips. If they've gone one eye mid-blink crop it out. If they've got excitingly bright red shoes, make them even more excitingly bright and red.
pick a theskilltester challenge and follow it
This sounds like I'm pimping my community but I'm really not. I'm not sure if you've been paying attention to my graphics lately, but ALL of my best things have been made for that recently and it's no coincidence. And I'm not saying you have to follow it to a tee if you really don't want to (obviously nobody can force your hand) but remember I was going to post this and bend the rules, but then I pushed myself and followed them to a tee and ended up with this. (Also if you don't like the current challenges stick around because through my mass icon analysis I thought of about fifty more challenges to do :D)
go to an extreme (with saturation and contrast or something) and then selectively pull back from it (e.g. reds only or darks only)
For those of you who talk to me on MSN (and that should be all of you, come on, add me already, I get really bored :P) you'll know that I've been preaching on a lot lately about how colours need to be controlled to look good. There are a lot of 'factory default' colours that everybody can achieve, but a lot of the great iconmakers have their own signature colours. By going to an extreme you're giving your icon the oomph it needs and by pulling back from it you're getting the colours exactly the way you want them. I'm sure I sound crazy but I swear it's the best tip on this list.
don't be afraid to make peoples skin unnatural colours (e.g. green, blue)
use textures and stocks
they're what separates a great icon from a fantastic one. They provide a level of randomness and unpredictability that can't easily be man-made
don't use a texture without an adjustment layer after it
it will integrate the icon into the picture and not just feel like it was added as an afterthought.
5. I started working on a moodtheme a long time ago when I was motm at iconplay and I'm still working on it to this day, but I just want it to be housed here in case drankmywar decides to delete the community for some reason :P
Feel free to contribute :D
accomplished - Heroes: 1x01 Hiro "yatta" blueymcphluey
aggravated - ANTM: 5x09 Bre angry photoshoot blueymcphluey
amused -
angry - Flight of the Conchords: 1x12 Bret dances when he's angry blueymcphluey
annoyed - ANTM: 5x09 Nic angry photoshoot blueymcphluey
anxious -
apathetic - Janice Dickinson looking plasticly emotionless blueymcphluey
artistic - My Name Is Earl: 2x08 Earl all play-doughey blueymcphluey
awake - BSG: 2x18 Six wakes up in pool blueymcphluey
bitchy - ANTM: 8x07 Dionne vs. Renee blueymcphluey
blah - Futurama: 2x08 Hermes + brainslug blueymcphluey
blank - Doctor Who: 2x07 Rose with no face blueymcphluey
bored - Buffy: season 7 Buffy with the pencils on her head blueymcphluey
bouncy - Flubber blueymcphluey
busy -
calm - Boston Legal: Alan/Denny in spa blueymcphluey
cheerful - Gilmore Girls: 3x22 Sookie 'yay, we're unemployed' blueymcphluey
chipper - Buffy: 5x18 Buffybot blueymcphluey
cold - Firefly: 1x14 River watching Wash/Zoe blueymcphluey
complacent - Amelie blueymcphluey
confused - Firefly: 1x11 River with the ball of food blueymcphluey
contemplative - Supernatural: 1x04 Sam blueymcphluey
content - Doctor Who: 2x01 Rose+10 on grass in newnewnewnewnewnewnewneenewnenwenwnenwen york blueymcphluey
cranky - Doctor Who: Rose sleepy blueymcphluey
crappy - Farscape: Aeryn after John's death mouthfullofdust
crazy - Futurama: 3x13 Roberto blueymcphluey
creative - Heroes: Peter glazed over because he's about to paint blueymcphluey
crushed - T:TSCC: 2x01 Cameron between cars blueymcphluey
curious - Firefly: River investigating gun/stick mouthfullofdust
cynical - VM: Veronica being... well, Veronica mouthfullofdust
depressed - Grey's Anatomy: 3x01 Izzie on floor secret0window
determined - Buffy: 7x22 Buffy rising from being stabbed by the first blueymcphluey
devious - Supernatural: 1x03 Dean with pen in mouth blueymcphluey
dirty - Firefly: 1x10 Saffron in rubbish blueymcphluey
disappointed -
discontent -
distressed - Firefly: 1x14 Kaylee blueymcphluey
ditsy - Alias": Sydney impersonating a cheerleadery person blueymcphluey
dorky -
drained - X-Men 3: Mystique unmutates blueymcphluey
drunk - Buffy: 6x05 Buffy can't handle liquor blueymcphluey
ecstatic -
embarassed - Coupling: 2x08 Jeff realising he strip-teased letsey-x
energetic - American Dad: (I can't remember the ep, but I have an awesome cap) running Stan blueymcphluey
enraged - Buffy: 7x19 Willow sees red blueymcphluey
enthralled - Buffy: 2x21 Dru hypnotising Kendra blueymcphluey
envious -
exanimate - Gilmore Girls: 4x07 Lorelai being a painting blueymcphluey
excited - SYTYCD: 3x20 Pasha at the beginning of the hiphop blueymcphluey
exhausted - Doctor Who: 4x11 Donna with only 10 minutes left to save the world blueymcphluey
flirty -
frustrated - Supernatural: Dean locked up when no one believes the demons are coming mouthfullofdust
full - Supernatura: 2x15 Sam's impression of hungry Dean blueymcphluey
geeky - Friends: 3x01 Leia letsey-x
giddy -
giggly -
gloomy - DLM: George moping at the Waffle House mouthfullofdust
good - Supernatural: Sam feeling better after resurrection mouthfullofdust
grateful -
groggy -
grumpy -
guilty - Futurama: Zoidberg trying to commit seppiku after breaking a ship in a bottle and blaming Fry mouthfullofdust
happy - Doctor Who: 10, I don't have a particular scene/cap in mind, but you know that crazy grin of his blueymcphluey
high - ANTM: 11x03 Marjorie photoshoot blueymcphluey
hopeful -
horny - HIMYM: 3x15 Lily+carpet blueymcphluey
hot - Doctor Who: 4x02 Donna in volcano blueymcphluey
hungry - Studio 60: 1x?? Amanda is proposed to with a stuffed gullet blueymcphluey
hyper - Futurama: 4x16 100 cups of coffee blueymcphluey
impressed - The Mask: his jaw literally dropping to the floor blueymcphluey
indescribable - The Office: 3x01 Jim's weird look at the camera blueymcphluey
indifferent - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Cameron mouthfullofdust
infuriated - Doctor Horrible: "it's a brand new day" blueymcphluey
intimidated -
irate - Wonderfalls: Jaye smashes the Wax Lions mouthfullofdust
irritated -
jealous -
jubilant -
lazy -
lethargic -
listless -
lonely - Futurama: 3x22 Bender floating in space letsey-x
loved - Doctor Who: 4x06 fish people petting Martha blueymcphluey
melancholy -
mellow -
mischevous - Buffy: Faith getting arrested mouthfullofdust
moody - Wonderfalls: Jaye trying to reason with the Wax Lion mouthfullofdust
morose - Lost: Desmond realizes Charlie died for nothing mouthfullofdust
naughty - Doctor Horrible: sitting in his lair blueymcphluey
nauseated - Ginger Snaps: Ginger ate a dog mouthfullofdust
nerdy - Angel: 3x18 Fred with her glasses blueymcphluey
nervous - Big Love: Sarah finds out she's being followed by Albie mouthfullofdust
nostalgic - Buffy: 'Him' Xander remembering the love spell from S2 nonbeliever93
numb - Buffy: 7x03 Dawn paralysed blueymcphluey
okay - Futurama: 2x02 the neutral people blueymcphluey
optimistic - Parks and Recreation: Lesley blueymcphluey
peaceful - VM: Lily at peace in afterlife mouthfullofdust
predatory - Serenity: River kills a whole bunch o reavers blueymcphluey
pensive - Lost: Kate doing her daily 'gazing into the sunset' thing xtine005
pessemistic -
pissed off -
pleased - NCIS: Abby mouthfullofdust
productive -
quixotic - BSG: 1x13 Gaius/6 blueymcphluey
recumbent -
refreshed - Supernatural: Sam rejuvenated mouthfullofdust
rejected - Buffy: Willow finds out Xander and Cordy are dating mouthfullofdust
rejuvenated - Doctor Who: 1x12 rejeneration letsey-x
relaxed -
relieved - BSG: When Kara flies into the maelstrom mouthfullofdust
restless - Buffy: 4x22 sleeping scoobies blueymcphluey
rushed - Smallville: Clark superspeeding letsey-x
sad - Willow when Oz leaves blueymcphluey
satisfied - Angel: 5x15 Illyra after she takes over Fred's body mouthfullofdust
scared - The Inside: 1x01 Rebecca on train blueymcphluey
shocked - Doctor Who: 4x10 10 as light streams across his face blueymcphluey
sick -
silly - Kung Fu Panda with the pins in his back blueymcphluey
sleepy - Kyle XY: in his tub/bed blueymcphluey
sore - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: 2x01 Cameron blueymcphluey
stressed - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Sarah mouthfullofdust
surprised - ANTM: 8x07 Natasha's photoshoot blueymcphluey
sympathetic - The Office: Dwight conforts Pam mouthfullofdust
thankful -
thirsty - Buffy: 4x02 milk blueymcphluey
thoughtful - Scrubs: JD daydreaming blueymcphluey
tired -
touched - Pushing Daisies: 1x01 Ned bringing someone back secret0window
uncomfortable - Futurama: "my only regret is that I have bonitis" blueymcphluey
weird - FotC: 1x10 Bret's drug drip mouthfullofdust
working - Dexter: at his day job mouthfullofdust
worried - Firefly: 1x10 Jayne re: Simon telling him he know what happened in Ariel drankmywar