I decided to enter a competition on lost_in_shadows, the details of which are in this post. I guess I decided to enter more for the challenge than for the prize itself. This is my first proper graphic since having Photoshop, which means I'm still very much learning the ropes. It resulted in a lot of yelling at the inanimate object that is my computer, things like, "Oh hai crop tool, WHY AREN'T YOU CROPPING!" Yep. Psycho.

I gave all the vampires red eyes simply because when I used to RP my character, Selene Delaros, on another site pre-LiS I gave her scarlet eyes, hence the icon I use on the LiS community. It's not because I stereotype vampires and think they all have red eyes, BECAUSE THE DON'T. Yep, Ricean Vampires luvvah here.

Ahem.

So, here's my first, and perhaps last, submission:

( I must confess, I'm in love with my own sins... )

location: Home mood: chipper music: Americas Suitehearts :: Fall Out Boy tags: banners, lost in shadows

I can't even remember how many moons ago it was that I decided I wanted to make a mood theme for the Carlton community I moderate, carltonbluesfc, but it has been an age between then and now. This by far is the most challenging task I have taken on yet. The icons themselves were fairly simple and systematic, but if you have never done a mood theme before then you can not possibly contemplate just how hard it is to find pictures for each and every mood. I used to think that LiveJournal didn't have enough moods when posting an entry and unable to find a mood that described mine. I will never think such a thing EVER again. It is because of this that I ask if you do use them to please credit me in your user info. It was quite the effort.

And yes, there is some bias towards certain players, but this was by no means on purpose. There is simply a vast abundance of photos of some select players.

Preview:

Download the complete set HERE.

How to use mood icons:

For paid or sponsored accounts, see the detailed account in the LJ FAQ here.

For a basic account, post the following code at the top of your entry (minus the asterisks, of course) and it will give you the appearance of a paid account:

[ <*b>mood<*/b> | <*img src="URL"> type mood here ]
[ <*b>music<*/b> | type current music here ]

( Full preview... )


[x] Credit in user info if taking.
[x] Comments always appreciated, not mandatory.
[x] Do not claim as your own/redistribute/edit.
[x] No hotlinking.

Credit: Resources

Pictures courtesy of:
Getty Images, Flickr, various Google Image Searches and punkette4vab at dont_be_so_base
Pictures for "envious" and "dirty" found by hazy_crazy
Picture for "jealous" found by calenturian

location: Home mood: accomplished music: Above :: Finger 11 tags: afl, carlton, icons, mood icons

A friend requested a few Grey's Anatomy Friends Only Banners. So I shall post them here in the event that someone else wants to use one, too.

[3] Grey's Anatomy Friends Only Banners.

( Meredith: They always look so sad when I kick them out. Seriously, why do guys not understand that when you pick them up in a bar and take them home for sex, that there are no picket fences or kids in your future? )


[x] Credit if taking.
[x] Comments always appreciated, not mandatory.
[x] Do not claim as your own/redistribute/edit.
[x] No hotlinking.

Credit: Resources
Pictures courtesy of:
Google Image Search

mood: excited music: Stupid MF :: Mindless Self Indulgence tags: banners, friends only banners, grey's anatomy

Much like the MCR icons of the previous post, I haven't made Carlton icons since I discovered the magic of layer modes. So I have a new one, of players past and present, with a coach thown in the mix. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Rather literally.

This batch was relatively quicker, as I tend not to do anything fancy with AFL icons. I largely avoid text and place a heavy emphasis on the colouring. I also tend to avoid masking brushes (actually, on most icons I avoid masking brushes because I generally don't like them), but as you can see, this time it was not the case. I hadn't intended to, but I liked the effect on Hampson's icon so much I decided to make a set of them. I also thought it would stand out like a sore thumb if only one icon had a masking brush.

[37] Carlton Football Club Icons.

Teasers:

( We are the old dark navy blues... )


[x] Credit in keywords if taking.
[x] Comments always appreciated, not mandatory.
[x] Do not claim as your own/redistribute/edit.
[x] No hotlinking.

Credit: Resources

Pictures courtesy of:
dont_be_so_base
Google Image Search

music: Pride (In The Name Of Love) :: U2 tags: 100x100, afl, carlton, icons

Well well, hasn't it been a while? My icon making came to a halt during Uni, so when holidays hit I started on this batch. It took a fair while given that I made these in between having the life I've been allowed to have since being on holidays. I finally finished. It was rather odd trying to get back into the swing of things. Trying to remember old techniques, like making the rain. Or trying out new things I had never attempted due to my program's utter lack of tools, like the tear on Gerard's cheek, which took me a full hour to do. Insane. These are a tad Gee heavy, and nowhere near as much Frank as I would like. Beggers can't be choosers, however, and I had to work with the caps made available. Originally, I had a rule wherein I was only going to use Helena lyrics in the icons, but those of you who know it well enough will see that did not remain the case. I included both the animated and pre-animated icons for all the .gifs, partially so there is a choice and partially because the colouring of the icons is lost behind all that rain and I wanted it seen in all it's shinyness.

Enough of that. On to the icons!

[60] My Chemical Romance Helena Icons.

Teasers:

( Burning on, just like the match you strike to incinerate the lives of everyone you know... )


[x] Credit in keywords if taking.
[x] Comments always appreciated, not mandatory.
[x] Do not claim as your own/redistribute/edit.
[x] No hotlinking.

Credit: Resources

Pictures courtesy of:
dont_be_so_base

mood: accomplished music: Helena :: My Chemical Romance tags: 100x100, icons, my chemical romance, my chemical romance: helena

This one is solely for the amusement of myself and the other half of Twix. Don't ask. No, really, don't. Clearly, these are Chuck Norris jokes, which have been Twixified. I saw some MCR-ified Chuck Norris jokes and figured the only thing cooler than MCR is Twix, hence these:

Teasers:

( What if Twix was one of us? Just as faliable as the rest of us? )

[x] Credit in keywords if taking.
[x] Comments always appreciated, not mandatory.
[x] Do not claim as your own/redistribute/edit.
[x] No hotlinking.

location: Home mood: amused at own Twixness music: Hang 'Em High - My Chemical Romance tags: 100x100, friends only, icons, twix

Long time no icon post. Exams will do that to you. But now that fun is over and done with, I returned to a batch of Jared Leto icons I began many months ago. Wasn't so easy getting back into the swing of things and I found I've forgotten a fair share of techniques I used to know. That'll have to be amended.
By far my favourite thing about Jared icons is getting to work with those eyes of his. They're nothing short of brilliant and it's fun to make them even brighter and even bluer than they usually are. Enough of that. Here's the final products:

[o4] 30 Seconds To Mars
[38] Jared Leto
[42] Total

Teasers:

( Until you give, until you use. Until you've lost, until you lose. Until you see how could you believe? )


[x] Credit in keywords if taking.
[x] Comments always appreciated, not mandatory.
[x] Do not claim as your own/redistribute/edit.
[x] No hotlinking.

Credit: Resources

Pictures courtesy of:
dont_be_so_base

location: Home music: Savior - 30 Seconds To Mars tags: 100x100, 30 seconds to mars, icons, jared leto

I have a bad habit of losing inspiration half way through a batch. This I owe to the poor quality of the caps/bases. So, rather than continuing in this half-arsed fashion, I figured I'd post what I'd done so far. I do so very much love this clip and 30 Seconds To Mars. No doubt I will be making more at a later date.

[18] 30 Seconds To Mars 'The Kill (Bury Me)' Icons

Teasers:

( What if I wanted to break, laugh it all off in your face, what would you do? )

location: Home mood: apathetic music: The Kill (Bury Me) - 30 Seconds To Mars tags: 100x100, 30 seconds to mars, 30 seconds to mars: the kill (bury me), icons

Well it's been a while. I completely lost my inspiration, my motivation. Alas, my muse has returned and what better way to kick it off than a batch of Evanescence icons. As soon as I saw the Call Me When You're Sober video I knew I had to iconise it. Amy Lee is beautiful as Red Riding Hood, not to mention the yummy eye candy who plays the man-wolf. He looks exactly how I picture Louis from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. But enough rambles and more icons.

[23] Evanescence 'Call Me When You're Sober' Icons

Teasers:

( Couldn't take the blame, sick with shame, must be exhausting to lose your own game... )

mood: ecstatic music: Snow White Queen - Evanescence tags: evanescence, evanescence: call me when you're sober, icons

This is becoming less of an icon journal and more of an everything art related journal. Oh well. The following are drawings I did on my avatar on Gaia, as well as Jo's avatar. The last one, the chibi of both our avvies, is quite obviously incomplete. It's missing the plushies (which are giving me hell due to how I want them positioned) as well as the other touchups I have yet to do. I'll replace it with the finished version once I draw/scan it.

( The memory now is like the picture was then; when the paper's crumpled up it can't be perfect again... )

As far as rules go... shmeh, just don't claim as your own or edit I spose. *shrug*

mood: artistic music: Second Solution - The Living End tags: artwork, drawings, sketches

The End by Roadrunner United has to be one of my favourite songs. Come to think of it, my favourite song list is quite large, but ignoring that... It was the Roadrunner United project that introduced me to Matthew Heafy and later Trivium. I was amazed at the talent this 19 year old possessed, and thus I had to check out his band. So I went out and brought their Ascendancy album. I've never been so nervous listening to an album. I was a very big Matt Heafy fan by this stage, loved Trivium's album art as well as the stuff on their site; I was terrified that I may hear the album and not like it. I needn't have worried, because I fell in love. For 3 weeks straight I listened to nothing else.

So, I owed this song a lot, hence my iconising it. Many months after it was released, but better late then never, eh?

My only rule for these was that all text, even the tiny or jumbled text, was to be lyrics from The End

[25] Matthew Heafy
[o2] Roadrunner United

( Everyone will be washed away, drowning in the hell that we made... )

location: Home mood: accomplished music: Pieces Mended - The Used tags: 100x100, icons, matthew k heafy, roadrunner united, trivium

Here's the entries I submitted into the MiG News Graphics Contest. Some I'm happier with than others, quite obviously. Frankly, some of 'em suck. XD
The 5th banner gave me the greatest trouble of all. Problem being when I started I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted it to look like, I only knew I wanted to make it look like both MiG's were leaning against the same wall. I struggled for days with colouring etc, never finding anything I was happy with. In the end I just threw something together to be done with it. I'd spent too much effort on making it look like one the picture thing to throw it out, otherwise I would have tossed it. Oh well. Now I've completely talked it down and ruined it, here's the entries.

( I don't wanna be rude to you, better things to do than make enemies. But you just keep on pushing me, you don't wanna see the insanity... )

And while I'm posting MiG-stuff, I should post the entries I submitted for the MiG Central Graphics Contest #3. Quite obviously I was still in icon-mode whilst doing these, and some of techniques used just don't work on banners. The very last one won, which is just as well, because it was the only one out of all of them that I actually liked.

( You were a gift to me, you're still a part of me, you will always be home in me... )


[x] Credit in keywords if taking.
[x] Comments always appreciated, not mandatory.
[x] Do not claim as your own/redistribute/edit.
[x] No hotlinking.

Credit: Resources

Pictures courtesy of:
MiGCentral
Yahoo/Google Image Search

location: Home mood: accomplished music: West End Riot - The Living End tags: banners, graphics contests, mig, mig ayesa, rockstar inxs, wallpapers

I've taken up a claim at 100x_men, subject being Logan/Wolverine. No surprises there, huh? Well, I'm just about to post my first batch of 10. This should be updated every Tuesday with a new batch of 10, so watch this space. I'll put it under a cut to save friends pages. So, without further ado, feast your eyes on teh hunk that is Wolverine...

Teasers:

( Logan: It's me. Cyclops: Prove it. Logan: You're a dick. Cyclops: Okay. )

location: Home mood: artistic music: The Deceived - Trivium tags: 100x100, banners [prizes], hugh jackman, icon challenges, icons, logan, wolverine, x-men

Wow, it's been a long month or so making these. I started the night after the movies release, seems like forever ago. I did them half for me, half for Jo. I had fun perving at Hugh Jackman making the icons. Except for on my lazy days and nights like tonight when my program kept dying as I was trying to make the last one, and then having to upload the bastards, and then realising that somewhere in the process 7 icons hadn't been uploaded and trying to find which ones out of the 121 they were and gah. Right now I'm glad it's over. You can tell the icons where I just didn't care, cause they suck. I never want to see another X-men icon again.

A quick warning, there are spoilers, so if you haven't seen the movie now you can't bitch that I ruined it for you. Savvy?

Without further ado, here they are.

[1o] Angel
[o3] Beast
[o8] Bobby
[o5] Callisto
[o2] Charles
[o1] Colossus
[1o] Jean
[o1] Juggernaut
[o4] Kitty
[o1] Leech
[18] Logan
[o8] Magneto
[o6] Mystique
[o1] Other
[o5] Pyro
[o1] Quill
[o7] Rogue
[o9] Scott
[13] Storm
[o8] Multiple Characters
[121] Total


Teasers:

( Dr. Hank McCoy: My boy, I have been fighting for mutant rights since before you had claws. Logan: Did he just call me boy? )


[x] Credit in keywords if taking.
[x] Comments always appreciated, not mandatory.
[x] Do not claim as your own/redistribute/edit.
[x] No hotlinking.

Credit: Resources

Pictures courtesy of:
The X-Verse.

location: Home mood: busy music: Declaration - Trivium tags: 100x100, icons, x-men, x-men:the last stand

The following are the icons I made for the icon challenges at mcr_stillness, some of which I entered. The final challenge was a fair while ago, but I was waiting for the banners before posting this, just so I could keep it all together.

It looks like it will be a while before my next post. I'm working on a batch of X-men icons. I started with 125 bases, so it shall be quite a while methinks.

[15] My Chemical Romance Icons

Teasers:

( Did you come to stare or wash away the blood? )



[x] Credit in keywords if taking.
[x] Comments always appreciated, not mandatory.
[x] Do not claim as your own/redistribute/edit.
[x] No hotlinking.

Credit: Resources

Pictures courtesy of:
All We Are Is Bullets
I'm Not Okay
Yahoo/Google Image Search
mcr_stillness

location: Home mood: calm music: Seen It All - Korn tags: 100x100, icon challenges, icons, my chemical romance

Last time I posted the MCR icons I promised the MiG girls I'd do another MiG batch. And so here they are. Reason two is that I have exams and I'm procrastinating.
The difference between the these and the last lot couldn't be bigger. Makes me feel like I've actually learnt something. I started to get lazy with this lot, though. It's getting late and I wanted to make it an even 20 and they got all... meh. So I'll stop rambling and post the damn icons.

[20] MiG Ayesa icons

Teasers:

( Tough I know you wont be coming home, still I wait for you... )


[x] Credit in keywords if taking.
[x] Comments always appreciated, not mandatory.
[x] Do not claim as your own/redistribute/edit.
[x] No hotlinking.

Credit: Resources

Pictures courtesy of:
MiGCentral
Yahoo/Google Image Search


[EDIT] Ha, I'm such a dork. Managed to screw the entire thing up. Should be fixed now, fingers crossed. Yeah, I definitely need sleep.

location: Home mood: bouncy music: Long Day - Matchbox 20 tags: 100x100, icons, mig

I've been working on a million and one different themed icons right about now, discovering new tricks as I go. These two are the only complete sets. I have a bunch of MCR ones made for mcr_stillness comps but I'll wait until the banners are done for those that I came a place and post them all together. So enough from me and here's to the iconage.

[16] Davey Havok icons
[24] Carlton Football Club icons

Teasers:

( I will paint you in silver, I will wrap you in cold... )

And some Carlton ones for afl_icons

Teasers:

( Mens Sana In Corpore Sano... )


[x] Credit in keywords if taking.
[x] Comments always appreciated, not mandatory.
[x] Do not claim as your own/redistribute/edit.
[x] No hotlinking.

Credit: Resources

Pictures courtesy of:
Yahoo/Google Image Search
Carltonfc.
Getty Images.

location: Home mood: accomplished music: Bleed Black - AFI tags: 100x100, afi, afl, carlton, davey havok, icons

My first set of icons using brushes etc. Most of my resources come from the amazing colorfilter, but I acquired some more along the way. The only rule I set myself whilst making these was that all the text had the be song lyrics from the Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge album. Some of these I don't mind, others I really don't like. It seemed when ever I tried a new approach it just went haywire. Alas, I'm posting them all.
Constructive criticism more than welcome, especially at this early stage. ^_^

[4] Band
[1o] Gerard Way
[3] Mikey Way
[2] Ray Toro
[2] Bob Bryar
[8] Frank Iero
[1] Gerard/Bert McCracken
[1] Film Clip
[31] Icons Total

Teasers:

( The angels just cut out her tongue, call her black Mariah )

mood: creative music: Freak On A Leash - Korn tags: my chemical romance

Crediting is a fairly simple process, but there was a time for all of us when we didn’t know how to do it. People often find themselves flamed when the reason of the lack of crediting was as simple as not knowing how. Hence, this post.

( Let the tutorial begin... )

N.B. I realise when using these for things other then LJ it is not always possible to credit. I’d appreciate it if you let me know you were pinching it for such a medium. No, I’m not one of these icon journals who will flame you for using my icons on Yahoo Messenger or similar.

mood: busy music: Bright Lights - Matchbox 20 tags: crediting, tutorials

This post is simply so I have a list of easily accessible tags. As each new tag is made this entry will be modified to include it. They will also be listed in alphabetical order to make desired tags easier to find. Savvy?

( Tags )

mood: busy music: Feel - Matchbox 20