jubilant2. 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.
I'm thinking of doing a voicepost soon, what should I include in it? (Specific words and phrases and answers to questions are all accepted)
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 itThis 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"
blueymcphlueyaggravated - ANTM: 5x09 Bre angry photoshoot
blueymcphluey amused -
angry - Flight of the Conchords: 1x12 Bret dances when he's angry
blueymcphlueyannoyed - ANTM: 5x09 Nic angry photoshoot
blueymcphluey anxious -
apathetic - Janice Dickinson looking plasticly emotionless
blueymcphlueyartistic - My Name Is Earl: 2x08 Earl all play-doughey
blueymcphlueyawake - BSG: 2x18 Six wakes up in pool
blueymcphlueybitchy - ANTM: 8x07 Dionne vs. Renee
blueymcphlueyblah - Futurama: 2x08 Hermes + brainslug
blueymcphlueyblank - Doctor Who: 2x07 Rose with no face
blueymcphlueybored - Buffy: season 7 Buffy with the pencils on her head
blueymcphlueybouncy - Flubber
blueymcphlueybusy -
calm - Boston Legal: Alan/Denny in spa
blueymcphlueycheerful - Gilmore Girls: 3x22 Sookie 'yay, we're unemployed'
blueymcphlueychipper - Buffy: 5x18 Buffybot
blueymcphlueycold - Firefly: 1x14 River watching Wash/Zoe
blueymcphlueycomplacent - Amelie
blueymcphlueyconfused - Firefly: 1x11 River with the ball of food
blueymcphlueycontemplative - Supernatural: 1x04 Sam
blueymcphlueycontent - Doctor Who: 2x01 Rose+10 on grass in newnewnewnewnewnewnewneenewnenwenwnenwen york
blueymcphlueycranky - Doctor Who: Rose sleepy
blueymcphlueycrappy - Farscape: Aeryn after John's death
mouthfullofdustcrazy - Futurama: 3x13 Roberto
blueymcphlueycreative - Heroes: Peter glazed over because he's about to paint
blueymcphlueycrushed - T:TSCC: 2x01 Cameron between cars
blueymcphlueycurious - Firefly: River investigating gun/stick
mouthfullofdustcynical - VM: Veronica being... well, Veronica
mouthfullofdustdepressed - Grey's Anatomy: 3x01 Izzie on floor
secret0windowdetermined - Buffy: 7x22 Buffy rising from being stabbed by the first
blueymcphlueydevious - Supernatural: 1x03 Dean with pen in mouth
blueymcphlueydirty - Firefly: 1x10 Saffron in rubbish
blueymcphlueydisappointed -
discontent -
distressed - Firefly: 1x14 Kaylee
blueymcphlueyditsy - Alias": Sydney impersonating a cheerleadery person
blueymcphlueydorky -
drained - X-Men 3: Mystique unmutates
blueymcphlueydrunk - Buffy: 6x05 Buffy can't handle liquor
blueymcphlueyecstatic -
embarassed - Coupling: 2x08 Jeff realising he strip-teased
letsey_xenergetic - American Dad: (I can't remember the ep, but I have an awesome cap) running Stan
blueymcphlueyenraged - Buffy: 7x19 Willow sees red
blueymcphluey enthralled - Buffy: 2x21 Dru hypnotising Kendra
blueymcphlueyenvious -
exanimate - Gilmore Girls: 4x07 Lorelai being a painting
blueymcphlueyexcited - SYTYCD: 3x20 Pasha at the beginning of the hiphop
blueymcphlueyexhausted - Doctor Who: 4x11 Donna with only 10 minutes left to save the world
blueymcphlueyflirty -
frustrated - Supernatural: Dean locked up when no one believes the demons are coming
mouthfullofdustfull - Supernatura: 2x15 Sam's impression of hungry Dean
blueymcphlueygeeky - Friends: 3x01 Leia
letsey_xgiddy -
giggly -
gloomy - DLM: George moping at the Waffle House
mouthfullofdustgood - Supernatural: Sam feeling better after resurrection
mouthfullofdustgrateful -
groggy -
grumpy -
guilty - Futurama: Zoidberg trying to commit seppiku after breaking a ship in a bottle and blaming Fry
mouthfullofdusthappy - Doctor Who: 10, I don't have a particular scene/cap in mind, but you know that crazy grin of his
blueymcphlueyhigh - ANTM: 11x03 Marjorie photoshoot
blueymcphlueyhopeful -
horny - HIMYM: 3x15 Lily+carpet
blueymcphlueyhot - Doctor Who: 4x02 Donna in volcano
blueymcphlueyhungry - Studio 60: 1x?? Amanda is proposed to with a stuffed gullet
blueymcphlueyhyper - Futurama: 4x16 100 cups of coffee
blueymcphlueyimpressed - The Mask: his jaw literally dropping to the floor
blueymcphlueyindescribable - The Office: 3x01 Jim's weird look at the camera
blueymcphlueyindifferent - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Cameron
mouthfullofdustinfuriated - Doctor Horrible: "it's a brand new day"
blueymcphlueyintimidated -
irate - Wonderfalls: Jaye smashes the Wax Lions
mouthfullofdustirritated -
jealous -
jubilant -
lazy -
lethargic -
listless -
lonely - Futurama: 3x22 Bender floating in space
letsey_xloved - Doctor Who: 4x06 fish people petting Martha
blueymcphlueymelancholy -
mellow -
mischevous - Buffy: Faith getting arrested
mouthfullofdustmoody - Wonderfalls: Jaye trying to reason with the Wax Lion
mouthfullofdustmorose - Lost: Desmond realizes Charlie died for nothing
mouthfullofdustnaughty - Doctor Horrible: sitting in his lair
blueymcphlueynauseated - Ginger Snaps: Ginger ate a dog
mouthfullofdustnerdy - Angel: 3x18 Fred with her glasses
blueymcphlueynervous - Big Love: Sarah finds out she's being followed by Albie
mouthfullofdustnostalgic - Buffy: 'Him' Xander remembering the love spell from S2
nonbeliever93numb - Buffy: 7x03 Dawn paralysed
blueymcphlueyokay - Futurama: 2x02 the neutral people
blueymcphlueyoptimistic - Parks and Recreation: Lesley
blueymcphlueypeaceful - VM: Lily at peace in afterlife
mouthfullofdustpredatory - Serenity: River kills a whole bunch o reavers
blueymcphlueypensive - Lost: Kate doing her daily 'gazing into the sunset' thing
ofraindropspessemistic -
pissed off -
pleased - NCIS: Abby
mouthfullofdustproductive -
quixotic - BSG: 1x13 Gaius/6
blueymcphlueyrecumbent -
refreshed - Supernatural: Sam rejuvenated
mouthfullofdustrejected - Buffy: Willow finds out Xander and Cordy are dating
mouthfullofdustrejuvenated - Doctor Who: 1x12 rejeneration
letsey_xrelaxed -
relieved - BSG: When Kara flies into the maelstrom
mouthfullofdustrestless - Buffy: 4x22 sleeping scoobies
blueymcphluey rushed - Smallville: Clark superspeeding
letsey_xsad - Willow when Oz leaves
blueymcphlueysatisfied - Angel: 5x15 Illyra after she takes over Fred's body
mouthfullofdustscared - The Inside: 1x01 Rebecca on train
blueymcphlueyshocked - Doctor Who: 4x10 10 as light streams across his face
blueymcphlueysick -
silly - Kung Fu Panda with the pins in his back
blueymcphlueysleepy - Kyle XY: in his tub/bed
blueymcphlueysore - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: 2x01 Cameron
blueymcphlueystressed - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Sarah
mouthfullofdustsurprised - ANTM: 8x07 Natasha's photoshoot
blueymcphlueysympathetic - The Office: Dwight conforts Pam
mouthfullofdustthankful -
thirsty - Buffy: 4x02 milk
blueymcphlueythoughtful - Scrubs: JD daydreaming
blueymcphlueytired -
touched - Pushing Daisies: 1x01 Ned bringing someone back
secret0windowuncomfortable - Futurama: "my only regret is that I have bonitis"
blueymcphlueyweird - FotC: 1x10 Bret's drug drip
mouthfullofdustworking - Dexter: at his day job
mouthfullofdustworried - Firefly: 1x10 Jayne re: Simon telling him he know what happened in Ariel
drankmywar 
