graven images meme, courtesy rysmiel

[zwol]

Prompt: Reply to this post if you like, with whatever comes to mind by way of being interested, and I will pick six seven (plus or minus two) of your userpics; you then write a post in which you explain those userpics in as much detail as strikes your fancy, attaching some variant of these instructions. (Personal addendum: you may also request further explanation of any of the icons, but please be clear on whether or not you want to be tagged with the meme.)

I only have six, being one of these old-fashioned basic account people, so I have to make them cover a lot of territory:

“iconic”

I designed this with Mr. Picassohead (requires Flash), and have been using it for my default icon for about as long as I've had a LiveJournal. Originally this was a pseudonymous journal, so I wanted something that would give some idea of my personality but not actually look anything like me, and mrissa thinks I got it right, so yay. At this point it's as much a part of my online identity as anything; I also use it (on a different background) at Metaplace and it features in the concept sketch I have for the personal website I mean to put up real soon now.

“real face (outdoor)”

The journal not being pseudonymous anymore, it seems appropriate to put my real face on it somewhere, if only half-obscured by gigantic sunglasses and hat. But then, anyone who's met me will attest that I am never out-of-doors without gigantic sunglasses (they have to fit over my corrective glasses, see). This particular photo was taken at the Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site, if memory serves, near the end of an epic cross-country road trip in August 2006 with queenpam. The hat was bought at the Grand Canyon, and is usually only worn on hikes.

“commedia dell' arte”

Like it says on the tin; me wearing a commedia dell' arte mask (my hands are at my neck because I had to hold it up). This photo was also taken by queenpam, in a store in Ashland, Oregon (home of the world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival). I use it for artistic musings, such as this post.

“(mad) science”

Young Master Gilgamesh Wulfenbach is depicted here in his personal laboratory; this is artwork from the ongoing comic series Girl Genius, as userpic-ified by the Foglios for youngmastergil, and I hope they don't mind that I stole it. This is used to mark writing on more scientific themes, whether mad or otherwise.

“burn zombies burn”

This is my icon for when I am seething with fury, or at least simmering with irritation. There are many icons to that purpose, but this one is mine. It was made with the web-toy Hell of Sand (requires Java) and I posted instructions for its reproduction when I made it. The stick people are zombies, because the web-toy says so.

“remover of obstacles”

The elephant-headed god, Ganesha, as drawn by shweta_narayan, and iconified here in his aspect as the remover of obstacles; which I find myself doing from time to time.

Comments

[kaolinfire.livejournal.com]

Sure, why not? Definitely interesting. :)

[zwol.livejournal.com]

Wow, you have a lot.

I'd like to hear about: "depressed, raining" (what's that, a carousel?); "dreams, mystery"; "partition"; "dead, dull, zombie"; "game_detritus"; "amused, exuberance, the joker"; and "monkeydelic, monkeyfire". Also, what kind of post do you tend to use photo icons for, and what kind do you tend to use art icons for?