dallowayward.

Misanthropic Mood Theme

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:47:02 GMT

Yay, Black Books! One of my favorite shows ever. Hope you enjoy the mood theme as much as I enjoyed making it (although it was a bit difficult, as Bernard has approximately 2 expressions: angry and drunk).

[01] Black Books Mood Theme
16 . Black Books Icons (from the Mood Theme)

Teasers:

Preview here
Theme HERE
Instructions by crackified
Let me know if something doesn't work or there's any trouble.

Icons
01-04
05-08
09-12
13-16

Fanmix of Impending Doom

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:42:31 GMT

Free time, where has you been all mah life?
I seem to be drawn to the word "story" for my titles, but it's not my fault; the lyrics keep giving me phrases with that word. We'll see how it goes next time.

Same as before, a song for each episode in the second series. Corresponding episodes just in the liner notes, this time. The front and back covers don't go together at all, but whatever. I just sort of let each image guide me.

This one is a little weird - quite a bit more mellow than the first one. The whole series was just rife with HAPPY HAPPY, IMPENDING DOOM! and I guess I went a bit more with the happy portion. Anyway, enjoy the awesome tunes.

A Doctor Who Series Mix, V2: As The Story Goes

*Sample lyrics and explanations*

2x00 - The Christmas Invasion: Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
Try to tell me how to do it
Only because I'm new to it
Coolness is having courage, courage to do what's right
I'll try to remember always just to have a good time
Try to show me that you know me...
[A song about finding one's identity seems fitting for an episode in which the Doctor
spends his waking monologues doing just that. Rude and not ginger indeed.]

2x01 - New Earth: Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining
And I'm not going back into rags or in the hole
And our bruises are coming, but we will never fold
And I was your silver lining
As the story goes
I was your silver lining
But now I'm gold
[Cheesy, I know, but it's kind of ridiculous how giggly they are at the start of this ep, and this
is the most effervescent song I can think of at the moment.]

2x02 - Tooth And Claw: The Clash - I Fought the Law
Breakin rocks in the hot sun
I fought the law and the law won
I needed money cause I had none
I fought the law and the law won.
[They fight the law. The law wins. Yeah.]

2x03 - School Reunion: Beirut - Nantes
And I'll gamble away my fright
And I'll gamble away my time
And in a year, a year or so
This will slip into the sea
Well it's been a long time, long time now
Since I've seen you smile
[Aw, he missed his friend.]

2x04 - The Girl In The Fireplace: The Killers - Read My Mind (Like Rebel Diamonds Mix)
Slippin’ in my faith until I fall
You never returned that call
Woman, open the door, don't let it sting
I wanna breathe that fire again
She said I don't mind, if you don't mind
'Cause I don't shine if you don't shine
Put your back on me...
The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun
When you read my mind
[There is mind reading involved...]

2x05 - Rise Of The Cybermen: Ghostland Observatory - Robotique Majestique
Well this heartbeat ain't for free
You gotta work you damn machine
You keep on runnin, you keep on fighting
You keep on going you damn machine
[IDK, there are robots? Suck it. I've no love for these two episodes. And I was
in a jammin' mood when I chose this.]

2x06 - The Age Of Steel: The Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
I went out into the night, I went out to find some light
Kids are swingin from the power lines, nobody's home so nobody minds...
And the power's out in the heart of man,
Take it from your heart put it in your hand.
[Continuing with the industrial-sounding theme...]

2x07 - The Idiot's Lantern: The National - Fake Empire
Tiptoe through our shiny city with our diamond slippers on
Do our gay ballet on ice, bluebirds on our shoulders
We’re half-awake in a fake empire
Turn the light out say goodnight
No thinking for a little while
Lets not try to figure out everything it wants
It’s hard to keep track of you falling through the sky
We’re half-awake in a fake empire
[They're just in their own little world. Too bad they don't know about story arcs, or they'd
know that it's about to hit the fan.]

2x08 - The Impossible Planet: Tony Lucca - Devil Town
I was livin' in a devil town
Didn't know it was a devil town
Oh Lord, it really brings me down about the devil town
All my friends were vampires
Didn't know they were vampires
Turns out I was a vampire myself in the devil town
[Yeah, a bit literal. But it's an awesome song. (Though I seem to be looting the Friday Night
Lights soundtrack for this mix.)]

2x09 - The Satan Pit: Rufus Wainwright - Go or Go Ahead
Nowhere's now here smelling of junipers
Fell off the hay bales, I'm over the rainbows
But oh Medusa kiss me and crucify this unholy notion of the mythic powers of love
Look in her eyes, look in her eyes; forget about the ones that are crying...
Go or go ahead and surprise me
Go or go ahead and just try me
[Aaaaand then much less literal. The song itself is rather esoteric and trippy, which fits the
Doctor just fine.]

2x10 - Love And Monsters: Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
...They could not keep from keeping on
We'll cross that bridge after it's gone
After we have passed it, yeah
Ooowe, ride me high
Tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come now
Oh oh, are we gonna fly
Down in the easy chair?
[Again, happy, happy, unaware of impending DOOOOM.
Plus, Elton's just about a comprehensible as a Dylan song.]

2x11 - Fear Her: Essie Jain - You
First time I saw you was when I knew
That I would give up everything for you...
Even if there was no radio, I'd talk to you
It doesn't matter if the lights should blow
Cause I'd see you...
And if I see you again
I know I'll never have to wait around for you
It doesn't matter if the brakes don't work
Cause I'll stop you...
[Worst episode ever, but whatevs. That doesn't mean the mix needs a sucky song.
The song feels very Rose (and perhaps even the Doctor, in their
oblivious state at the beginning of the ep).]

2x12 - Army of Ghosts: Basia Bulat - I Was a Daughter
Oh what a story
This is how they'll all remember me
We were the lucky ones that would survive the flood
With potted flowers in our blood
Pretending that we don't know where we bleed
All the pretty fall
We fell asleep but we couldn't hear their little words
We swam in the rivers, sang with the birds
Gave away our hearts before we knew what they were
[We're totally gonna be giggly and tra-la-laing forever and ever and...oops.]

2x13 - Doomsday: Rose - I Fill Up The Time
I'm feelin' the days go by...
I can't stand having any free time
To recall your smile
Not to mention your eyes
I fill up the time
And I forget to miss you...
I've figured out every hour in every day
Except tonight
[Rose, post D-Day, pre Bad Wolf Bay. The lyrics are perhaps slightly more bitter
(and more explicitly about a romantic relationship) than this context merits,
but I just think it's a very beautiful, very quiet, very sad song.]

ZIP HERE

Plus, plain/bordered versions of the cover.

100% British Post

Tue, 27 May 2008 02:53:07 GMT

001-034 . Doctor Who
035-058 . Ashes to Ashes
059-071 . Life on Mars
072-096 . Spaced / Black Books
[2] Doctor Who Banners
[6] Spaced Banners

Teasers:

Doctor Who: (01-17 made for doctor_who_lims)
01-05
06-10
11-15
16-20
21-25
26-30
31-34

Ashes to Ashes: (35-42 for a2a_lims)
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-58

Life on Mars:
59-63
64-68
69-71

Spaced and Black Books:
72-76
77-81
82-86
87-91
92-96

*click for full size*

Doctor Who Banners

Spaced Banners

My First Fanmix

Fri, 09 May 2008 06:17:25 GMT

Yay, my very first fanmix. Please be gentle. Basically, each song aligns with an episode, so one mix is an entire season. I plan to do one for each season of the new series.

I tend to associate the tone of a song with an episode more than the actual lyrics, so some are looser fits than others.

Oh, and I'm not particularly shippy, but feel free to interpret these however you'd like. Let me know what you think!

A Doctor Who Series Mix, V1: Let's Become Stories

*Sample lyrics and explanations*

1x01 . Rose: Rufus Wainwright - Across the Universe
Images of broken light which dance before me
Like a million eyes that call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
Jai guru deva om, nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
[Rose's mindset prior to leaving with The Doctor - tired of her life and beginning to open her mind to the universe.]

1x02 . The End Of The World: Yeasayer - Sunrise
Put the world up on your shoulders,
I'll stand and watch it get older/colder
You can take a million years out of my hands,
But I'm starting to lose my place,
In the circles that I trace,
And if I echo only then will my face...
Get in the sunrise
I want to get in the sunrise
[Again, Rose, still wanting to travel, but beginning to see some consequence.]

1x03 . The Unquiet Dead: Band of Horses - Is There a Ghost?
I could sleep
When I lived alone
Is there a ghost in my house?
[...I know. But it's a pretty song and I'm shallow.]

1x04 . Aliens of London: Bat For Lashes - What's a Girl to Do
And when he asked me: 'Do you still love me?'
I had to look away, I didn't want to tell him
That my heart grows colder with each day
When you love someone, but the thrill is gone
And your kisses at night are replaced with tears
And when your dreams are on a train to train wreck town
Then I ask you now, what's a girl to do?
[Eh, a bit more hyperbole is needed to completely make the translation, but poor Mickey.]

1x05 . World War Three: A-Sides - Diamonds
Let's become diamonds; let's become gold.
Let's learn to keep on goin'; and never grow old...
Let's become stories; let's become ghosts
Let's learn to hold on close to those we love most.
Let's never die, oh. Let's just shine, shine, shine;
All day, and all of the time
[Nine and Rose embarking on another adventure.]

1x06 . Dalek: Embrace - Ashes
I've waited, and given the chance again,
I'd do it all the same, but either way
I'm always outplayed, up on your down days
I left it the right way, to start again
Now watch me rise up and leave all the ashes you made out of me
When you said that we were wrong, life goes on...
[Oh, Doctor. He may have destroyed your entire race, but at least you aren't chained in a basement in Utah...wait...nm.]

1x07 . The Long Game: The Kooks - Tick of Time
What did i do in a past life, oh to deserve this
Yeah the way I make myself
He's far too innocent to be a part of such a cruel world
And it is, and it is and it is
[Nine and Rose really seem to be enjoying each other's company in this ep, and this song has that
mutual gratefulness to it (plus, the word "time" is in it, to make it extra dorky).]

1x08 . Father's Day: Beirut - A Sunday Smile
All I want is the best for our lives my dear,
And you know my wishes are sincere.
What's to say for the days I cannot bear...
We burnt to the ground, left a grave to admire.
And as we reach for the sky, reach the church of white...
A Sunday smile you wore it for a while.
A Sunday mile we paused and sang...
A Sunday smile and we felt true
[I think this song encompasses the bittersweetness of this episode wonderfully.]

1x09 . The Empty Child: Dixie Chicks - Top of the World
I wish it had been easier, instead of any longer
I wished I could have stood where you would have been proud
But that won't happen now, that won't happen now.
Theres a whole lot of singing that's never gonna be heard
Disappearing everyday without so much as a word somehow
Think I broke the wings off that little song bird
She's never gonna fly to the top of the world right now
Top of the world
[Nancy's song, no question. But I think it could apply to any of the more
downtrodden tertiary characters in the Whoverse.]

1x10 . The Doctor Dances: Rufus Wainwright - Beautiful Child
When I am older than these small goddamn hills...
And when there's nothing to gain, or bring me pain
Or pin the blame on you or myself
And when they finally fall
These wailing walls and burning crosses
Gods, twilight and all
Oh, how I'll feel, oh, how I'll feel
Oh, how I'll feel like a beautiful child
Such a beautiful child again
[I know, I know. It breaks the cardinal rule of mix making, but both songs totally
exemplified the feeling I got from these episodes.
So, yay, happy Doctor, finally!]

1x11 . Boom Town: DeVotchKa - Till the End of Time
Oh who put all those cares inside your head
You can’t live your life on your deathbed
And it’s been such a lovely day, let’s not let it end this way
And everybody knows where this is heading
Forgive me for forgetting
Our hearts irrevocably combined
Star-crossed souls slow dancing
Retreating and advancing across the sky until the end of time
[Aw, they're all so cute, unaware of the impending doom.]

1x12 . Bad Wolf: Arcade Fire - No Cars Go
We know a place where no planes go
We know a place where no ships go
(Hey!) No cars go
(Hey!) No cars go
Where we know...
Between the click of the light and the start of the dream...
[Um...there are no cars in space? Again, it's a pretty song. Just pretend it works.]

1x13 . The Parting of the Ways: Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
It doesn't hurt me.
Do you want to feel how it feels?
Do you want to know, know that it doesn't hurt me?
Do you want to hear about the deal that I'm making?
You, It's you and me.
And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road, be running up that hill,
Be running up that building
[Rose, taking up the mantle of savior of humanity...or something.
Plus, the whole glowy bit felt rather 80's, anyway.]

ZIP HERE

LOL, +1 icon.

I meant to make more, but I got impatient to post the music.
I'll probably just add it in my next post.

Layouty Goodness

Thu, 08 May 2008 19:53:57 GMT

Nothing big to post today, just a new layout made in fits of procrastination. I do have some stuff in the works, but it's another two weeks before finals are over. Boo. So hopefully I'll be much more productive over the summer.

Random TV notes: I'm loving the crap out of Doctor Who this series.
The Doctor + Donna = Ridiculous amounts of awesome.
So I had to switch to my Who mood theme, but I'm totally making a Series 4 one when it's over.

Also, re: Battlestar Galactica - When the hell did Saul Tigh become my favorite character? Everyone just keeps getting progressively more insane. It's awesome.

Icon.palooza

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:06:42 GMT

What's this? I'm still alive? And making an actual post? Yeah, it's been a while. School is, as they say, kicking my ass. I'm in a momentary lull between several soul-crushing projects, so I'm taking the opportunity to post some of the stuff I've been making sporadically over the last few months. Lots of flotsam and jetsam from icontests and such.

P.S. My kitty owns your SOUL!! (#101-103)

001-024 . Friday Night Lights
025-044 . Lost
045-059 . Pushing Daisies
060-074 . Australia
075-094 . Misc (Atonement/Stock)
095-112 . Stock (My photos)
[3] Pushing Daisies Banners

Teasers:

Friday Night Lights:
01-05
06-10
11-15
16-20
21-24

Lost:
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44

Pushing Daisies:
45-49
50-54
55-59

Australia:
60-64
65-69
70-74

Misc (Atonement, Stock):
75-79
80-84
85-89
90-94

Stock (my photos):
95-98
99-102
103-106
107-110
111-112

Caps: A Star is Born (1954)

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 01:28:29 GMT

Starring Judy Garland and James Mason
Caps: 1500
Size: 768x432
Samples and Links beneath the cut.

*click for full size*

Zip 1, Zip 2

If you haven't heard the song "The Man That Got Away," please, do yourself a favor and download it now. It hasn't been called one of the greatest musical numbers in motion picture history for nothing.

Also, a crappy You Tube video of it: here, but you'll get the general idea of its awesomeness.

Tutorial: Amelie

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 07:09:34 GMT

I know. Not new icons. School just started and my schedule just imploded into negative free time. But I thought I'd use the little I do have to do an instructional post.

Warning! This is especially for images that are overall too much of a dull yellow. Made mostly to get a semi-realistic skin tone. It's gonna look really odd with normal caps...like an explosion of neon blue. Examples of caps in the cut.

Go from this:
to this:

Made with CS2. NO SELECTIVE COLORING. Presumably translatable. 7 steps.

Credit where credit is due. This tut is an outcome of much fiddling with this lovely tutorial.

Step 1: Start with an image.

Step 2: Duplicate and screen your layers.
I did 1 duplicate on Screen 100%, then another on Screen 22%.

Step 3: New Color Fill Layer - 4f150b - Exclusion 44%
(any dark brown should do, really)

Step 4: New Color Fill Layer - f09800 - Overlay 9%
(a deep golden yellow)

Step 5: Color Balance Layer:
Highlights: +10, +10, -8
Midtones: +10, 0, 0
Shadows: 0, 0, 0

Step 6: Brightness/Contrast Layer: -8, +11
(to be adjusted for each image)

Step 7: Color Balance Layer:
H: +9, +15, +100
M: +22, 0, +36
S: +19, +9, +32

There you have it! As always with tuts, adjust the levels and %'s for different results.

Some of the original screencaps, to get an idea of the type of yellow it works best on:

Also made with this tut:

Omar Little Approved This Post

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 04:45:04 GMT

Hola, it is me! This and the next post or so should be fairly random, as I'm in a bunch of different LIMS & icontests and need to burn off the entries, but of course that's nothing new for me. And in an effort to broaden my iconing canon (though I can hardly call it that), I present my first ever icons for The Wire, which is an amazing show and you should totally go watch it now (unless you have a low tolerance for excessive violence, language and bureaucracy).

001-015 . Amelie
016-045 . Pushing Daisies
046-063 . The Wire
064-103 . Disney

Teasers:

Amelie:
(01-05)
(06-10)
(11-15)

Pushing Daisies (Contest Entries, Episodes: 1-3):
(16-20)
(21-25)
(26-30)
(31-35)
(36-40)
(41-45)

The Wire:
(46-50)
(51-55)
(56-60)
(61-63)

Disney (Contest Entries, Misc)
(64-68)
(69-73)
(74-78)
(79-83)
(84-88)
(89-93)
(94-98)
(99-103)

Caps: Once

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:30:09 GMT

Caps: 1250

Size: 768x432

*click for full size*

Zip 1, Zip 2

My alternate banner, because I'm a dork who likes pretty pictures.

caps: his girl friday

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:40:51 GMT

Starring: Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell
Caps: 1850
Size: 616x464

*click for full size*

Zip 1, Zip 2

Mama, I'm a Mood Theme Now

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:28:19 GMT

I made this a little while ago, but hadn't gotten around to posting it. Not my best, not my worst, and the icons are super generic, but I can live with it. Hope you like it, though!

Again, both plain and bordered themes, with a preview of both.

[1] . Hairspray Mood Theme
20 . Hairspray Icons (from the mood theme)

Preview here
Theme WITH borders here
Plain theme here (NO borders)
Instructions by crackified
Let me know if something doesn't work or there's any trouble.

Bordered Theme Samples:

creative	recumbent	drained	enraged	sleepy

01-05

06-10

11-15

16-20

ETA: Request.

a nice day for a few icons

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:20:14 GMT

The last few UB episodes have had so much pretty in them and so many lovely moments between characters that I went into a bit of an iconing frenzy. Don't worry, my subject matter is slowly diversifying, but for the moment, this show beckons me to icon it. Plus, there are some Christmas-y ones I wanted to post before December.

90 . Ugly Betty (2x07-2x09)

Teasers:

2x07 A Nice Day for a Posh Wedding:
(01-05)
(06-10)
(11-15)
(16-20)
(21-25)
(26-30)

2x08 I See Me, I.C.U.
(31-35)
(36-40)
(41-45)
(46-50)

2x09 Giving Up the Ghost
(51-55)
(56-60)
(61-65)
(66-70)
(71-75)
(76-80)
(81-85)
(86-90)

TV Icon Dump

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:57:06 GMT

I've been a bit lax with the updating lately...getting a second part-time job while taking classes will do that to one's energy levels/time to do stuff. I just haven't been too creative lately. Anyway, here's a big, old fashioned icon dump, all for TV shows. Most of the misc ones are from various LIMS contests, some aren't. I'm also trying out a new layout system; I got bored of the old one. Let me know if there are any problems with it.

54 . Ugly Betty
26 . Misc TV

Teasers:

Ugly Betty (Misc, 2x04, 2x05, 2x06):
(01-05)
(06-10)
(11-15)
(16-20)
(21-25)
(26-30)
(31-35)
(36-40)
(41-45)
(46-50)
(51-54)

Misc. TV (Doctor Who, Firefly, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Friday Night Lights, Pushing Daisies):
(55-59)
(60-64)
(65-69)
(70-74)
(75-79)
(80)

Caps: Superstar

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:29:42 GMT

I can't help it. I adore this movie.

Caps: 1915
Size: 768x432

*click for full size*

Zip 1, Zip 2, Zip 3

In 3 zips for easier download on slow computers.

Caps: The Clock

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:40:56 GMT

Starring Judy Garland and Robert Walker
Caps: 700
Size: 680x512

Zip File
(28MB)

Side note: I liked making the little banner for these caps so much, I went back and did it for all the other ones. *geeks out*