Well hello. Contrary to popular opinion, I am not dead, but my computer was. Now that I have a swanky new computer equipped with lots of photoshop goodies, I am back and ready for action.

I have a bunch of projects that I'm looking to finish up now that I've switched over harddrives, so be looking for those in the near future.

I am also taking requests at this time!


And just one more thing, I'll be joining bsg_lims for Round 4. Have a look and if you make icons, join up! They're still taking sign ups.

9 Sailor Moon icons all made for bssm_battle. It's a fun contest and has a very fast turn around to the next contest.

Comment and Credit.

Teasers:


( Can't fight the moonllight )

Okay, so this is probably my first and only sports related set of the year, but I'm from the Boston area and many of my friends love the Sox, so enjoy(hopefully) and stay tuned for more of the usual...more often!

Red Sox 2007 (36) Please comment and credit!

Also, I have the zip file of all of my bases available on request. The icons seen here are not bases! Please ask for them if you want them. :)

Teasers:



( love that dirty water )

It's been awhile but I'm back to business. Here's 55 icons from Runaways, a comic you all should read. Made for the The Phuck Attack Icon Challenge

Please comment and credit as usual.

Teasers:



( Never get better at growing up and learning to lie )

19 Dark Tower Comic icons

please comment and credit

Teasers:


Sort of an assortment of styles, some simple, some not. My favourite is #1.

( The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed... )

I didn't post this earlier because I had meant to make more, but I haven't, so here are the five I did for the_showcase. They are sort of strange. I was trying something new to get a sort of very "set" feeling. I think I succeeded, though I'm not sure if I actually like the style. The colors are strange.

Comment and credit please.

I've just been voted out of firefly_lims. Round 7 isn't too bad with only 5 out of the original 26 left after this round. :)

Any how, comment and credit as always please.

Teasers:


( Although this almost seems unecessary with 7 icons total )

8 Holiday Icons -- comment and credit

just 8 because I haven't had a lot of time but I wanted to do some cute quickies

teasers


( 8 in total )

It's that time again. Time for the_lj_reboot! I didn't participate last time around because I was busy trying to graduate from college and I kinda liked my old layout. Anyhow...

before and after

I think both layouts share something of the same style. A limited number of colors, clean lines, the same picture obviously, but I think they came out with a very different feel. The old layout had a lot of dark colors where the new layout has a lot of medium tones and an addition of a contrasting color.

The new layout was inspired by a lot of the vector art that I've been seeing along with clean layout lines. I think next time if I incorporate gradients and patterns I'll have what I really want.

The other thing that I was really trying for was simplicity. This a free journal using smooth sailing but I've eliminated all of the components because frankly, I don't use them. I am going to add a tags links to the menu I think and possibly a graphic at the footer(I didn't make anything I was happy with in time for the reveal) but other than that, it's the way I wanted.

The hardest thing about doing this was getting the three images to match up! As you can see, they don't quite make it. Either livejournal or photobucket messed with the images or the positioning of the images so that they never quite lined up the way they did when I did the graphic layout. I had to tweak them a little to make them at least seem like they matched up. Is it convincing? You tell me.

I look forward to the next reboot!

8 Kate Beckinsale icons from kate_stills and kateb_challenge.
Comment and credit please.
Do not hotlink.

Teasers:


( English Rose )

A set of Seven icons of flowers in hair done for the flowers theme at ps_anonymous.

Comment and credit please. :)
Teasers:


( pretties )

basictraining is an icon challenge community whose aim is to inspire icon makers to investigate seperately the two stages of icon construction: namely, making a base and then transforming that base into a finished icon. Each week, we will be inviting challengers to submit entries in two categories: an icon base made from photos, scans or screencaps that we will provide, and a finished icon built from one of last week's submitted bases.

basictraining is not geared towards any fandom in particular. Rather, for each challenge, a picture in each of the following categories will be posted: Fandom, Actor/Actress, Stock Image. Check the community for a list of fandoms and actors that will likely make an appearance, and suggest your favorites for inclusion!

We will be issuing up to six awards every challenge, so there are plenty of opportunities to win! Join the community today!

26 House icons plus 20 alternates - for abc_icons
Textless icons are not bases
Comment and Credit

Teasers:

( ABC House and Alternates )

35 icons - please comment and credit


-Disney(8) :(The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Cinderalla, Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, Princess Diaries, Alice in Wonderland)
-Veronica Mars(2)
-Actors(5) :(Brad Pitt, Elijah Wood, Gael Garcia, Cillian Murphy, Jake Gyllenhal)
-Harry Potter(4)
-Keira Knightley(4)
-Actresses(2) :(Michelle Trachtenberg, Drew Barrymore)
-Final Fantasy(2)
-Misc(8) :(29. willow from buffy 30.fight club 34.House 35.QaF)


Teasers:


( why did I join LIMS again? )

I don't normally do multi-fandom posts, but I've done so many different icons for LIMS contests that it seems ridiculous to try and post them any other way.

Twenty-three V for Vendetta icons
comment and credit please

Teasers:




( Remember, Remember, the fifth of November. )

Also, a plug, keep your eye out. halfdreams and I are beginning an icon contest a little different from what you've seen out there. basictraining It hasn't begun yet, but it will soon.

Comment and Credit

Teasers:


( You Live on a Spaceship Dear )

Comment and Credit

Teasers:


( Episode 1: Labia Majora )

With a lot of these icons I experimented with new styles and techniques for my icons. Most are a lot less textured, concentrating more on the natural color of the icon. 1-6 and 10-12 all use this tutorial for coloring but everything else I sorta just figured out. Hope you like them. :) I'm going to making small sets of the other 6 eps from this season.

So like many others, I participated in the_lj_reboot run by the wonderful grrliz. As it is february first, it's time to reveal our layouts! So check it out! Please tell me what you like about my new layout and what you dislike. It's been a fun project and I'm glad I did it. In some ways I was a little disappointed with myself. I used to make websites quite a bit, but since adding a rectangular header to a layout became the thing to do, I lost practice at composing a layout. I'm not used to having so much control anymore. I would like to try it again.

Green&Grey Layout

Concept: I really didn't start off with much of a concept for how I was going to go about it. I had a picture - the one of the woman in the layout, that I knew I wanted to use for this journal, but not much else. So I played with it until I had the graphic(it was just the three straight lines on one color of grey at the time).

Colors
I like green. A lot. But I always feel like it's hard to use without being too dim or too bold. Originally, I ran more of those three green colors through the layout. But in the end, the dominant grey looked so much more professional and clean looking.

Entries
I decided instead of hiding the sort of tiered look of flexible squares, that i was going to use it instead. Many of the boxes I extended or changed the orientation on. I think it looks good. :)

Sidebar
I'd have to say that the sidebar is something I was never very happy with. I wanted it in the layout, but I also wanted to be able to add more to it. Unfortunately, the things I wanted to do, were things that you needed to edit the html on, not the css.

Overall I'm happy with it. I don't know how long it will stay my layout, but I like it for now. I think there may still be a little tweaking in the future, but it's mostly done.


Please look at the other entries of the reboot!

16 Underworld Evolution Icons
www.kbeckinsale.net for stills

Please comment and credit.
Textless icons are not bases.

Teaser:


( the world is a vampire )

So I'm having an issue with these LIMS. The issue may appear to be that I'm getting voted out, but that's not it. I can take criticism about my icons. Heavy criticism. It's the content and consistency of that criticism that I'm getting very annoyed at.

First of all, I'm doing better in smaller challenges with very talented people. Does that seem right to you? I'm doing terribly in contests where many of the icons are really bad(as in the quality of the picture, sharp, blurry, illegible text, unable to see what the subject is etc.). I'm not talking about the nitty gritty of icon making, I'm talking about the real easy stuff that should kill and icon before it's off the ground. The trend I'm seeing in these larger contests, is that it's the icons that stand out -- that are different(as mine often are) that get picked on first. Not the ones that are just poor quality. If an icon fits current trends, it gets looked at after an icon that doesn't. That sucks especially when these challenges are not supposed to be biased toward style. Guess what kids. They are. And that bites. There is more than one way to make a good icon. This leads me to believe that especially in the bigger challenges, people are not looking at all of the icons one by one. In the smaller challenges you have to. So the eye is drawn, not to something bad in a large contest, but something unfamiliar.

Someone tell me, if you're looking closely to vote on good icons...how do you not vote out an icon that spells the word "wishes" wrong?

Secondly, I don't think many of the people commenting know what they are talking about. When I can get contradictory statements about the same icon (it's too sharp/blurry, dim/bright/burned, no contrast/too high contrast etc.) that tells me that people aren't really even looking. Also, when I get statements saying "the gradient doesn't work with the icon" and I haven't used a gradient, or "it's too sharp/blurry" when it hasn't been sharpened or blurred and sort of just looks normal, or when they comment that a texture I've used doesn't work(and I haven't used any texturing/brushing). That's not okay. Not only does that say that the people voting are not taking their time to look and are doing the number one nono (voting for the icon you don't like/wouldn't use) but they don't know what they are talking about in the world of photoshop and iconing in general.

I know that I have a lot to work on in terms of icons, which is part of the reason why I entered these challenges, but I would like some real honesty. Many of the things that have been said about my icons in the challenges have been very legit. However, and equal amount have not at all. I'm tired of getting contradictory comments about my icons and seeing icons that are poorly done(this doesn't usually happen, but it has occasionally) get voted as favourites by the voters and the mods. It's sort of crazy.

I'm probably going to regret all of this, but it's here anyhow.

eta: I guess my biggest problem is that the little things that should be the most basic rules for disqualification get overlooked the most. Clarity. Spelling. Ability to know what the subject of the icon is without squinting or knowing what the cap was to begin with. It just bothers me.

Another round of lims and another 3 I've been voted out of. :( I'm really sort of annoyed/sad/bothered by two of them and sort of by the third. But more about that shortly.

Entry 10 VOTED OUT
hp_lims Challenge 4: Trio : 21 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 22
hp_lims Challenge 3: Harry and Hedwig : 6 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 20 VOTED OUT
challenge_lims Challenge 2: Group Shot : 10 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 22
challenge_lims Challenge 1: Black and White : 1 vote
Other Entries Results

Entry 3 VOTED OUT
actor_lims Challenge 4: Elijah Wood : 12 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 2
actress_lims Challenge 3: Keira : 3 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 9
disney_lims Challenge 1: Beauty and the Beast : -1 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 3
firefly_lims Challenge 3: Out of Gas : 4 votes
Other Entries Results


( Comments and My Thoughts )

Challenges I'm still in:
firefly_lims
actress_lims
disney_lims
coffee_lims (silly I know XD )

So results of the next couple of lims things are in. I've done really well for myself on most. I have however been voted of the island so to speak on fandom_lims. Sad, but not terribly regretable. There are many many good iconists on there and it's a subject (Veronica Mars) that I know little about.

Entry 11
fandom_lims Challenge 2: Veronic Mars : 40 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 5
firefly_lims Challenge 2: Jayne : 1 -1 = 0 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 10
actor_lims Challenge 2: Jake Gyllenhaal : 4 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 11
actor_lims Challenge 3: Cillian Murphy : 1 -1 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 5
actress_lims Challenge 2: Keira : 0 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 83
hp_lims Challenge 1: The Trio : 4 votes
Other Entries Results

Entry 5
hp_lims Challenge : 7 votes
Other Entries Results


( Comments and my thoughts )


After I have a few more of these, I'm going to make a larger post with all the icons so that I can pimp them out to communities. I really want people to use them if they like them. So yeah. <3 <3

So I've managed to stay in all of the Lims challenges! Yay! Two were close, two were far off :)

Here are the icons, the challenges they match, and the scores. Comments below the cut.

Entry 11
firefly_lims - Challenge 1: International Serentity Poster -1 votes
Other Entries The Outcome

Entry 42
fandom_lims - Challenge 1: Veronica Mars 7
Other Entries The Outcome

Entry 11
actor_lims - Challenge 1: Brad Pitt 4 -1
Other Entries The Outcome

Entry 7
actress_lims Challenge 1: Keira Knightley - PotC -1
Other Entries The Outcome

(minus signs mean that I recieved a members choice vote if there is only one number with a minus sign it means that I recieved no negative votes :) )

( Comments and my thoughts concerning them )

What do You think?

So where have I been and why have there been no icons?

Primarily, I've been trying not to fail my first semester senior year.

Otherwise, I've been very very busy. But I have quite a few things in the works!


On the agenda:
-Finishing the Kate Beckinsale 100 that I'm about half finished with
-abc_icons of Firefly episode War Stories
-Signed up for an icon secret santa by grrliz at iconsesa (those icons will be up sometime in january most likely)
-I've also signed up to enter various LIMS (Last Icon Maker Standing), most of which start this week:
firefly_lims
fandom_lims (doing Veronica Mars this time around)
actor_lims (different actor every round)
actress_lims (different actress every round)
ultimate_lims (on about a month hiatus
-I'm also participating in the_lj_reboot, also started by grrliz. If you are at all interested in lj layouts(paid or free) take a look.

That's what's on my list but I will no doubt add icon sets here and there once I'm done with finals. :)

Comment & Credit. Do not change or modify. Textless icons are not bases.
Table of completed icons can be found here

Teasers:



( Set 3 )