larryb123456

One of my favorite songs, "Party Out of Bounds", by one of my favorite groups, The B-52's. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2eRkB3FeJEThe video shows a very energetic live performance, and the lyrics are shown at the bottom of the screen. I am making this Post because the video might be relevant to those of you planning Christmas Eve parties. (It will probably be more apropos for New Year's Eve parties.) BTW, both of the group's female members are wearing the B-52 hairstyle, from which the group's name derives. (The name does not directly reference the name of the old U.S. Air Force bomber.)

In case you all are interested, my philosophy on creating/observing Art can be summed up as: The creator of an image sees it differently than any observer, because the creator is intimately involved with each step in the creation, and he/she can not separate the observance of the art from its making. Well, by no means am I a philosopher, so I had better stop here before I embarrass myself. (lol) I sincerely hope that everyone has a holly jolly Christmas! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up1t5siifEw

On thinking about it, I kind of feel that by using the same color scheme in 001_Sa_Ug_V01_sig, http://postimage.org/image/huhlj6lwn/ [ or in 001_Sa_Ug_V02_sig, http://postimage.org/image/8mqp104b9/ ] with 001_V01_av, http://postimage.org/image/n9u1ijk15/ the avatar and signature would compete with each other for attention when Posted on the *same* MSFN page. I think there would be just too much orange and yellow on the page. So, I made avatar version 001_V02_av, http://postimage.org/image/s036hv5qf/ with more or less a teal-fade background. The red balls stand out much better since green tints and red are complimentary colors. The avatar and signature still belong together since the same letter style was used in each. I think the 001_V02 version avatar works much better with the signature.

Blondie, "Heart of Glass" at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGU_4-5RaxU&ob=av2ea video I have to watch and listen to a few times every couple of days to keep my "sanity". (lol)

Warmest Greetings, bphlpt: Thanks for keeping track of my endeavors! Please keep the "Old Man" warm this winter. I want him to keep coding and not coughing!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next few Posts of mine will consider signatures and avatars I made for a totally fictitious MSFN member, whose hypothetical member name is "SammyUglarring". I made up this name based on the following "considerations": "Sammy" is a very common name in the U.S. (I don't know if it is common in other countries.); I loved the "sound" of "Ug" (it sounds like Caveman lingo); "larr" is very familiar to me, being the first 4 letters of my first name, "Larry"; and, "ing" just finishes off the name in a pleasing way. To further round out the set-up, I proposed that "Sammy" was a *total* Windows ME "diehard", so most of the sample avatars reflect this fact, in that they have the tagline "ME for Me !" I thought this was a good phrase to use since it sounds like Caveman lingo ("Ug"), and Cookie Monster lingo also ("Me want Cookies !"). I thought that the fact that ME and Me were spelled the same was a good idea on my part. What I hope the readers will keep in mind is that I can make custom avatars and signatures based on these same color schemes and letter styles. I can also use different color combinations and different letter styles to create colorful, dynamic, and compatible signature/avatar sets. (My examples show such compatible sets.) Of course, the tagline "ME for Me !" does not have to be used. Other taglines "abound". For example, some computer related taglines are: Bugs come in through open Windows. Feel lucky?.. Upgrade your software! I program, therefore I exist. One bit short of a byte. etc., etc., etc., ... "infinity"! What I think that would form the basis of a good signature/avatar set would be the member's initials in the avatar with a chosen tagline below. For members whose native tongue is not English, the tagline could in the language of your home country. (That way, we would be "somewhat" getting around the limitation that all Posts on MSFN must be made in English.) For non-U.S. members, we could perhaps use a color scheme based on the colors of your country's flag (if that would be appropriate in your culture). Also, for U.S. members, the tagline could be in Latin, French, etc. Well, that's about it! My main objective in making these examples was to use them as "idea generators" for MSFN members, so that they could come up with their *own ideas* as to what they wanted in their own signature/avatar set(s). Basically, in the following Posts, I explore the "power" of fonts and colors. Many Thanks. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I mentioned above, the next few Posts of mine will consider a little "project" based on 2 "sample signatures". (This kind of provides a starting point in the development. I make some very simple modifications to these 2 signatures as I continue with the development.) The file names and links for these 2 signatures are: 001_Sa_Ug_V01_sig, http://postimage.org/image/huhlj6lwn/ and 001_Sa_Ug_V02_sig, http://postimage.org/image/8mqp104b9/ Replacing the S with a dollar sign was a *very obvious* modification of the original signature. For example, in the music business, "Rap" stars who have "S"(s) in their names do it all the time. The first thing I did was to make an avatar that would be "compatible" with these 2 "sample" signatures. By "compatible", I mean that all these elements would be the same: the font; the background-color scheme of orange/yellow/white; the font in red outlined in dark blue. The file name and link for this "compatible" avatar are 001_V01_av, http://postimage.org/image/n9u1ijk15/ This sets the "foundation" for the Posts that will follow in this "project". EDIT: In 001_Sa_Ug_V02_sig, http://postimage.org/image/8mqp104b9/ the green dollar sign was based on the font's dollar sign with a 1 pixel green outline (i.e., stroke). It looks O.K. to me, but perhaps(?) a "little bold" compared to the red-with-dark-blue-outline letters (these red letters were from the font and have a 2 pixel dark-blue stroke). So, I wondered what the result would be if the font's green dollar sign were outlined with a 2 pixel yellow stroke. (I chose yellow because that would help the green show up uniformly-well on the background.) The result is shown in 001_Sa_Ug_V03_sig, http://postimage.org/image/mqpwzd0et/ where the dollar sign might(?) "not be bold enough" compared to the red-with-dark-blue-outline letters. But, I guess it is really the individual observer's tastes that decide which is the better of V02 or V03. Personally, I like V02 better, since the dollar sign makes a "more dramatic statement". After all, that statement is kind of the focal point of the picture.

One of my favorites, "Paper Planes" -- official version, by M.I.A. at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewRjZoRtu0Y&ob=av2eThe lyrics/audio (in case you can't totally understand the words in the official version) is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPQSlpOj4lsI really like the "poetry" in the lyrics, especially in the way the phrases are always repeated 2 times in a row. Also, a super-dynamic performance of "Born Free", live on The David Letterman Show at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeTkxy-sid8Talk about sassy attitude !

I'm so very glad that you liked my first modification to your original avatar, e-t-c. This modification is shown in: http://postimage.org/image/lc3vagpo9/ Just so that readers will know what the original looked like, here is the link: http://postimage.org/image/4u0c659hd/ Basically, in the first modification of your transparent GIF avatar, I made the saucer edge and the lip of the cup perfect aliased ovals, and added a few "vapor molecules" over the center of the cup. I really like the happy little fellow swimming without a care in the cup of coffee. EDIT: e-t-c's avatar shown in Post # 135 is the 4th and final modification of the GIF. The complete discussion concerning the development of all the modifications -- (from the original version to the final version) -- is given in Posts #174 through # 179.

Divinyls, "I Touch Myself": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv-34w8kGPMI love the way the lead singer, a female, sings the chorus: "I don't want anybody else. When I think about you, I touch myself.", although I don't have a clue what she's referring to. (LOL!)

An audio/video ("Crazy Dance") based on pink-tutu-wearing Ace Ventura, Pet Detective jumping around at the sanitarium, seemingly totally oblivious to any discernible version of reality. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1MM4aNZMZY&feature=endscreen&NR=1

You are correct. (I just had to check it out -- "Pet Detective", 1994.) http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3600779008/tt0109040"Crazy Dance" video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1MM4aNZMZY&feature=endscreen&NR=1I've seen the movie 2 or 3 times, but somehow I didn't remember the "very fashionable" pink tutu. (?)(?)

A couple of months ago I noticed that the group Blondie was going to perform live on the Jay Leno Tonight Show. The group (in various reincarnations) has been performing since the mid 1970s. I wanted to watch the show primarily to see what the lead singer, Deborah Harry, who is now 66 years old, looked like after all those years. So many music icons disappointingly pack on 60-80 pounds as they age. But not Harry. She looked great (IMO) and gave an excellence performance of the group's latest release, "Mother", from their new album. Although I'm not listening to the song now, the chorus has more or less been playing in my head off and on since I saw the performance. The Leno performance is not available on YouTube, but this live version is very, very close: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooMoj5sFc1wThe official version of the song, which you'll like if you like vampires and zombies, is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXX8rUV4p9A

Maybe e-suicide, but the pink tutu will live on, firmly embedded in my brain. Fortunately(?) or unfortunately(?). I'll never tell. (lol)

I don't know if this info will help or not. When I used FF 2.0.0.20 and Win 98, I had EXACTLY the same problem as SAE140 ("The problem was that there is a banner advert spread on top of the 'User Name' box, obscuring it. So - no User Name entry, no log-on."). So, I gave up and used either my Opera or Netscape browser, without any problems. Since recently upgrading to XP Pro x86 and using FF 8.0.1, I have no problem logging in.

Right now, I'm listening to The B-52's "Roam": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJzuqZEbFHQ as well as The B-52's and Bjork remix of the same song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLaXMtNnVsI The group has been rocking since the late 1970s, racking up quite a collection of great (IMO) songs. BTW, the group's name, B-52, here does not refer directly to the old U.S. Air Force bomber, but it refers to the name of the "beehive" hairdo often worn by the 2 female lead singers.

I will refrain from updating my posted images, however, until you are sure you've found everything that can possibly be corrected. I am *completely finished* with the corrections to the avatar, and I will base my .psd file on # Final-24. Any little "imperfections" in the image that remain will give the Old Man "character". Also, I'm convinced that if I try to improve the avatar any more, I'll make it worse, not better. Even Leonardo da Vinci had the good sense not to "correct" the imperfect, asymmetrical smile in the Mona Lisa. Thank you very much for your hard work and persistence. You are so very welcome.

Being the "perfectionistic" artist that I am, I didn't like 2 rather minor features of the "finalized" # Final-22: # 1) where the top of the scalp meets the hair (above his right ear), there is not enough definition (i.e., darkness) to the hair, so it kind of looks like the hair and scalp "merge" together. # 2) the back of the left side of his head looks too flat. I corrected these two "minor flaws" in # Final-24 and # Final-25. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL VERSIONS OF "OLD MAN" TRANSPARENT GIF AVATAR (IN VARIOUS FORMATS) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-24: the final transparent GIF avatar, 80x80px, GIF (This image may be directly compared to # Final-22.) http://postimage.org/image/2qbiwxqlg/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-25: MSFN Photo (avatar on a black background), 100x100px, PNG (This image may be directly compared to # Final-23.) http://www.freeimagehosting.net/0c626 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing." Harriet Braiker and "When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target." George Fisher and, finally, the best, to-the-point, quotation "Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it." Salvador Dali, the great visual and conceptual artist ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You are an artist. Did you mean to say, "You are a temperamental artist."? LOL! Here are your transparent GIF avatar (80x80px) and MSFN Photo PNG (100x100px). I hope the avatar gives you many years of enjoyment, especially in recalling the major role you had in its creation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL VERSIONS OF "OLD MAN" TRANSPARENT GIF AVATAR (IN VARIOUS FORMATS) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-22: the final transparent GIF avatar, 80x80px, GIF http://postimage.org/image/2bisu17qc/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-23: MSFN Photo (avatar on a black background), 100x100px, PNG http://www.freeimagehosting.net/46e01 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I like to repeat an image in another medium (as an example, Old Man in avatar vs. Old Man in signature) to observe the play between the two: the image and the medium. In a sense, one does the same thing two ways and can observe differences and samenesses -- the stress the image takes in different media." Jasper Johns The italicized parenthetical was added by me. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@ bphlpt When we both were fiddling with the Old Man's head in trying to smooth out the "stairsteps" (aliased edge), his head grew and grew until it turned into "balloon head", as shown in your avatar -- which you can clearly see by comparing the avatar head to the signature head. From my viewpoint, I was so focused on the avatar, that I basically forgot about the signature. But, when I saw them both on the MSFN page yesterday, the discrepancy hit me like gangbusters. No big deal. I corrected the avatar head to match the signature head so peace has now been restored in the "Old Man's Kingdom". The corrected images are shown in # Final-20 and 21, and these may be directly compared to # Final-13 and 14, respectively, -- to see how much "balloon head" has been deflated. I also made a few very slight improvements in texturing the hair. I don't think the shape of the head can be improved any more. We certainly don't want to start fiddling and give birth to "balloon head redux". Give me the go-ahead and I'll whip # Final-20/21 into transparent GIF and Photo PNG formats -- so that you will have the *perfect* avatar. P.S. added in Edit: I left out the little tuft of hair sticking up from the top of the Old Man's head in the signature. When I had it looking perfect on a white background, it was ultra-bright on a black background. When I had it perfect on the black background, it was distractingly-dark on the white background. I was unable to find a happy medium. In addition, the hair *shape* was also very distracting in the (aliased) avatar -- so, I'm glad I left it out. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL VERSIONS OF "OLD MAN" TRANSPARENT GIF AVATAR (IN JPEG FORMAT) In the 2 images below, the Old Man's head was *corrected* to be the same as in the signature. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-20: image on a white background (compare with # Final-13), JPEG http://postimage.org/image/2amyqlpic/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-21: image on a black background (compare with # Final-14), JPEG http://postimage.org/image/2an5cr3hg/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They’re beautiful. Everybody’s plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic." AndyWarhol ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm so glad you are very pleased with the results. I like them, too, and I'm glad we found the "universal solution" that pleased us both. Your Photo looks great, too. I really like the way the black background accentuates the aqua outline around the mushroom cap. The *real reason* I'm responding here: As you know, an image looks different in different environments (as we've seen with your avatar on a white vs. black background). On seeing your new avatar posted in the "environment" of the MSFN page, it is absolutely *crystal clear* "to me" that the luminosity 120 outline (around the bphlpt letters) was the correct choice. (It needs to be that dark so that your name "pops out" compared to the word "Member" below it.) Optical illusions abound in Art -- (especially in "Op Art", of course -- lol) -- and these are one of the reasons I enjoy Art. But please note that optical illusions are a highly individualistic, subjective phenomenon. (I know with *absolute certainty* that you know this fact, Tripredacus, and I don't mean to be didactic here.) The optical illusion you are seeing might not be seen by others, and others might see optical illusions in the sphere that you don't. Thanks for your input. I always enjoy it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The best reason to paint is that there is no reason to paint..." Keith Haring ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I guess "LOL" is, indeed, the correct reaction. I do get carried away at times. Sorry. Since we have been collecting "whammys", had you realized that "LOL" spelled backwards is "LOL"? Another *double "symmetry-type" whammy* there, for sure! But, I think I am "whammied out" on this project. Now comes the fun part -- (not!) -- of piecing together the final avatar psd file to give you. Like I said, it should take 2-3 days to make it -- (in doing a good, detailed job). And I should have both (signature and avatar) psd files posted in a week or two, once I get my psd to rar conversion problem solved. Your transparent GIF is given in # Final-17. It looked good in Photoshop, and to double check it, I e-mailed it to myself on an aqua background. That was an interesting effect, since the aqua outline around the mushroom cap -- all the way from the sphere down to the stem -- merged (i.e., disappeared) into the aqua background. Of course, the aqua outline *on* the sphere remained. But, even in this "kind of extreme" situation, the overall cap image looked *good*. Try it, to see for yourself, if you want. I'm glad I chose aqua as the background, because 2 light colored pixels near the cap border and just to the right of the stem stuck out like sore thumbs when the aqua outline "disappeared". They were much too light (and, really, kind of out of place). I corrected this situation by darkening these 2 pixels and I added another darker pixel near the border to give a *perfect pixel distribution* in that area. I'm sure you'll agree that these small changes were improvements. In summary, the only differences between your transparent GIF, # Final-17, and # Final-13/14 are these 3 pixels. So, thoroughly check out your transparent GIF to make sure it meets *all* your requirements. If it doesn't, let me know, and I'll try to adjust appropriately. As you probably know, you can use an image for your MSFN Photo (shown under "My Profile"). I noticed that you currently don't have a Photo. Your new transparent GIF avatar would make a good Photo (the Photo doesn't have to be a picture of yourself), and it would "unify" your image throughout MSFN. The maximum Photo size is 150x150px, but it doesn't have to be that big. You won't be able to successfully enlarge your new avatar, because the bphlpt would become blurry. I think the 80x80px size is fine as it is. I like LoneCrusader's avatar/Photo because it is a striking image on a black background, and my favorite image of your avatar is the image on a black 100x100px background (which we have seen many times). So -- just in case you ever want to use this image for anything -- I made versions as a PNG (# Final-18) and as a JPEG (# Final-19). The PNG and JPEG were made totally independently of each other, and, as I've mentioned before, the direct comparison between these 2 versions shows that the PNG is of good quality. I feel that the creation of your new avatar has been a definite *collaboration* between us, and without *each* of our inputs (and dencorso's suggestion about changing the shape of the Old Man's beard), the final result would not have been *nearly* as good. I hope you feel the same way. I think that we at least reached the 95% level of perfection -- a hard level to attain in any project. Of course, in this process of artistic creation between two "perfectionistic hardheads" (is that the right term? lol) there were -- as would be expected -- periods of "gentle friction" (again, is that the right term? lol). But, all in all, the experience was rather rewarding. I hope you feel the same way. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL VERSIONS OF "OLD MAN" TRANSPARENT GIF AVATAR (IN VARIOUS FORMATS) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-17: the final transparent GIF, 80x80px, GIF http://postimage.org/image/1bmfy1n44/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-18: possible MSFN Photo (avatar on a black background), 100x100px, PNG http://www.freeimagehosting.net/35353 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-19: possible MSFN Photo (avatar on a black background), 100x100px, JPEG http://www.freeimagehosting.net/bb61a --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I think everyone should be a machine. I think somebody should be able to do all my paintings for me." Andy Warhol ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You *absolutely* did not make it "easier". I wish you had gotten out your red marker as I had asked. Or been more *specific*, as in "Center it in the 80px horizontal". "Centered" relative to WHAT ?: The Old Man's head; the Old Man's head and beard; the Old Man's head, beard, and mushroom cap; the whole 80px in the horizontal direction ? Certainly, you can't mean the whole 80px, which would put the bphlpt *on the beard* and *very close* to the mushroom stem (and expose virtually all of the so-called "snaky" hair in the process). Who knows *exactly* what you mean ? I don't. For me, it is "nebulous", at best. In # Final-15 and 16, I centered the bphlpt *exactly* between the back of the Man's head and the tip of his nose, and made minor adjustments to the hair as shown. A major feature of # Final-15 and 16 is that now the little bit of hair that dangled down in # Final-11 and 12 just to the right of the "t" in bphlpt is gone. Note that this "dangle" was a strong element in the signature, so, if you want the avatar and signature to be a "unified set", as you have mentioned, the dangle needs to be there (IMO) -- as shown in # Final-13 and 14 (which are identical to # Final-11 and 12, except that the sphere has been moved up 1px). The sphere occupies this same position in # Final-15 and 16. Even though my "sliding" of the bphlpt might not have been *exactly* what you had in mind, it should be enough to convince you that # Final-13 and 14 are the *much better* images (IMHO). With bphlpt as shown there: the image is "opened up" more; we have the strong lower-left to upper right diagonal formed by bphlpt and the top of the sphere (and, as I had mentioned before, this diagonal is "balanced" by the opposing strong diagonal of the Man's beard -- giving an overall "X-type" pictorial composition); the triangle formed by bphlpt, the mushroom cap, and the top of the Man's head is *much more* equilateral (i.e., balanced) than in # Final-15 and 16; the way in which bphlpt "possesses" the lower left corner of the picture makes it stand out more, and it tends to provide an "anchor" for the entire image. I kept the luminosity of the letter outline equal to 120. Recall that this value had been *finalized*. Since you didn't use your red marker, as I had asked (or been more *precise* in your "centering" description -- especially since we had just discussed *precise communication*) -- and by so doing, making the situation much more "nebulous" (i.e., confusing) for me -- I respectfully decline to do any more versions of the "sliding" bphlpt. That's not a "NO!", but it is definitely a "no!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL VERSIONS OF "OLD MAN" TRANSPARENT GIF AVATAR (IN JPEG FORMAT) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Images are the same as in # Final-11 and 12, with the exception that the blue binary-number sphere has been moved up 1px. # Final-13: avatar on a white background, JPEG http://postimage.org/image/1166vxmxw/ # Final-14: avatar on a black background, JPEG http://postimage.org/image/1ffstk3o/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Images are the same as in # Final-11 and 12, with the exceptions that the blue binary-number sphere has been moved up 1px and bphlpt is now centered under the Old Man's face. # Final-15: avatar on a white background, JPEG http://postimage.org/image/1ghu6jgk/ # Final-16: avatar on a black background, JPEG http://postimage.org/image/1h013cw4/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Abstract painting is abstract. It confronts you. There was a reviewer a while back who wrote that my pictures didn't have any beginning or any end. He didn't mean it as a compliment, but it was." Jackson Pollock ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello, dencorso. Thanks for your input. If you look very closely at the image, you can see that *everything* above bphlpt and up to the Old Man's right ear (or where it should be anyway) is HAIR and nothing else. That is, the hair is *continuous* all the way from the right side of the Man's head, down behind bphlpt, and to where it sticks out just to the right side of bphlpt (and meets the beard). I like this look -- especially the way that the bphlpt letters are in front of this hair -- and the fact that there is no hair *below* bphlpt (which makes the bphlpt stand out even more). I strongly feel that this hair should be left as is and the position of the bphlpt should be left as is. I have never had the feeling that the Man's arm even *remotely* entered the picture. It was always all hair to me. Or, maybe I am misinterpreting your comments. I'll respond to bphlpt in the usual way. From Post # 117: I thought it just made sense to use the full space, the full 80x80. By opening up the middle of the image, it also lets you see more of the sphere so you can better see the neat spherical effect you accomplished. From my point of view, it seems that we want the BEST picture -- whether or not it fills up the whole 80x80. But, we should experiment with filling up the space more -- just to see if that helps the look. As I mentioned in my last Post, in # Figure-11 and 12, we have used up all the 80px in the horizontal direction. I didn't mention the fact that the image measures 78px vertically. I moved the sphere up 1px and *liked* that position. (It allowed some blue to show up below the two number 1s just to the right of the Old Man's nose.) In my next images, I'll show this position. I think it's a "winner", but your opinion is the one that matters. I then moved the sphere up 2px, and that was terrible. It made the sphere look SUPER-DUPER HUMONGOUS compared to everything else. That's a big no-go (IMO) ! Please finalize it, convert it, and I'll start using it. I can't wait! Are you sure? The more I look at your current avatar, the more I *love it*. (LOL !) From Post # 119: A possible way to address dencorso's comment would be to try sliding the bphlpt over, centering it at the base of the image, hiding that offending part of the hair. IMO, the position of the bphlpt is *perfect* in the way it "possesses" the lower left of the picture. The name really stands out as a "separate component" *there*, and this arrangement works great compositionally. But, of course, we can try what you want, but ........ honestly, I don't know what you mean by "the base of the image" and the "offending part of the hair". Can you please get out your red marker and make 2 vertical marks on # Final-12 -- one corresponding to the left edge of the "slid" bphlpt and the other to the right edge. Measure the length of the bphlpt so you can get the position of the 2 vertical marks as *accurate* as possible. This shouldn't take long. Thanks. Once I get this info, I can Post my next images. With the change of background for the letters, use whichever outline looks best, either 130 or 120. I will post images with both outlines and let you decide.

Larry, I'm sorry, I had no intention of offending with "fresh eyes", just as you did not mean to offend with "visual defects". As a fellow perfectionist I greatly appreciate your constantly reviewing your work and striving to make it better. Forgiven and forgotten? Sure. Forgiven and forgotten. This is the first I've heard that you didn't like the 120 outline compared to the 130. When you said that it had "a tremendous effect *visually*", I thought you meant it as a good thing (tremendous is good, right?) and I agreed. I thank you very much for showing to me as I asked, but if you are not willing to implement it, then why did I think that it was as an option? Now if you had said "Here is a bad example for you to see and this is why it's bad and why I don't want to do it, I just wanted you to see so you'll understand why it's bad" then I could have understood your feelings better. Sorry for the missunderstanding. This example is an object lesson for me in communicating *clearly* -- which I certainly didn't do here. Yes, indeed, "tremendous" can be interpreted as "good". Instead of saying "tremendous", I should have said *very significant*. And, then, I should have said that (IMHO) luminosity=130 is better than luminosity=120, because its subtlety better matches the subtlety of the other pictorial elements. Also, I was under the false impression that you liked 130 better, too. Hard to believe how this scenario played out, isn't it? (lol) But, really, luminosity=120 is OK, too -- as any good trial attorney could convince the jury, as follows: The darker outline around the letters makes the name (letters plus outline) separate more from the Old Man's image, and it pushes the bphlpt letters more forward in space, since the letters seem a little brighter because they are on a darker background (i.e., background = outline in this case). Sphere - finalized. Man's head and hair - finalized. Noted. I, too, liked the slightly larger sphere. As for the hair, I'm glad you went back in and added the little piece sticking out at the very back of his head. To me, little features like that "make" the image. And I like to be graphically "cocky" like that, too. Man's beard - After looking at the finished product with shadowing, etc, I think I actually like the beard from Final-7/8 better. (The only difference is the left edge, right?) So you were right the first time. But I will gladly bow to your eye and experience. Finalize whichever version you think is the most appropriate. No red marker necessary, no need to ask my opinion, just do it. I also like the beard from # Final-7 and 8 much better. [but, one needs to *try* other versions -- such as we did in # Final-9 and 10 -- to see (by direct comparison) which is the better.] Yes, the *only difference* between the two versions is the left edge of the beard. No need to "bow" on this one, since we are both in agreement. Thus, in the images shown in this Post, the beard is as in # Final-7 and 8. So, that finalizes the beard. Mushroom cap outline - You are the master of subtlty. I had to look REALLY close to tell you had changed it, but you had indeed. Just to satisfy my curiousity, and since you offered, could we try another +5 or +10? Remember, it needs a bit more change for me to see it compared to you. This will be the last request, then I'll make the final decision, and like the beard, I might very well end up agreeing with you that this is the best. i just need to see it. Since it seems that this next time will be the charm, and the final decision point, can we please see the mushroom moved this time? I knew that you had in mind a pictorial-element composition as you sketched out in your Post # 106. So, I layed it out as well as I could -- as shown in # Figure-11 and # Figure-12 -- and was kind of amazed at how well everything fell into place, even after moving the mushroom over and down such a large amount. After moving the mushroom over, I moved the sphere over to the right 1px and up 1px to "balance" that. The image now takes up the entire 80px in the horizontal direction. To me, all the pictorial elements are now in perfect balance, position-wise. By far, these are my *favorite images*, out of all that we have seen. I like the way the bottom of the mushroom stem is centered (more or less) in the Old Man's beard. I also like this composition better than the tighter composition that we have been seeing in all the previous images (where I was avoiding the edge of the sphere due to the awkward outline around the transparent GIF). We have now opened up a lot of space between the Man's face and the mushroom cap. To me, this open space kind of "symbolizes" his "pondering" the mushroom. It looks, to me, like he is staring at the large orange "elliptical shape" on the cap. Also, we have -- roughly speaking -- an equilateral triangle formed by bphlpt, the mushroom cap, and the top of the Old Man's head. (So, I guess your elementary school art teacher was right about "groups of three".) This equilateral triangle is also *echoed* by the equilateral-triangle "shape" of the magic mushroom. A *double whammy* there -- for sure. Also, just as I had speculated, moving the mushroom further away from the Man's face makes it "appear" somewhat smaller. A nice touch, IMO. So, given this "winning composition", I addressed the matter of the outline around the mushroom cap. I lost track of *exactly* how much I brightened it, but it was a *lot*. The brighter outline shows up much better for the image on a black background, # Figure-12. The fact that a big part of the cap is now on the background itself (i.e., not *totally* on the sphere and beard, as before) helps in one's "reading" this element as a mushroom cap. If you want me to brighten -- any more -- the outline pixels just on the cap-sphere-border-intersection, just let me know. I'm so glad that I had made the cap aliased, since that puts it in the form necessary for making a transparent GIF. Once I get your final approval on a JPEG, I'll make the transparent GIF and Post it so you can *totally check it out* to make sure it has all the features you want -- (perfect transparency on different background colors, etc.). Oh before I forget, could you please post or give me a link for the final psd file you used for the sig? I want to tuck it away for safe keeping. Yes, I will *attach it* to a Post on MSFN along with the psd file I used for the avatar. "Piecing together" a psd file to give you for the avatar will take me a few days, because so many different files and layers were used. But, I don't think it will be too bad, and I'll try to include as much *detail* in this psd file as I can. I continue to marvel at the effectiveness of your subtle changes. Just call me "Captain Marvel". Or, has that name already been taken? I sure don't want to be sued for copyright infringement. (LOL !) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL VERSIONS OF "OLD MAN" TRANSPARENT GIF AVATAR (IN JPEG FORMAT) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-11: avatar on a white background, JPEG http://postimage.org/image/r50zr8x0/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-12: avatar on a black background, JPEG http://postimage.org/image/r55ydaec/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The final test of a painting an avatar, theirs, mine, any other, is: does the painter's avatar-creator's emotions come across?" Franz Kline The words with the strike-thru were in Kline's original quotation. I replaced them with the italicized words. Here, of course, I am referring to you, bphlpt, as the avatar creator. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I gave the designation that *I wanted used* on MSFN -- so, please, use *my designation*, not *your interpretation* of my designation. This image should have been called "# N-1" and *nothing else*. My "designation scheme" greatly simplifies things (can't you see that ? ? ?). Your *totally irrelevant* (and confusing to MSFN members) designation -- relating back to the name of my computer file -- was *completely uncalled for*. End of story. Me: # 1) The bphlpt letters with the lighter (i.e., luminosity=130) outline -- correct? You: No. You offerred me "improved" versions in Final-2 and Final-4 with a luminosity=120. As you stated, "This is a very small reduction number-wise, but it has a tremendous effect *visually*.", and I agreed. Isn't that a good thing? Or did "fresh eyes" make you rethink that? I like 120 better. I *never, never, never, never, etc.* said that the luminosity=120 outline was an "improved" version. It was only a *darker version* that I made to satisfy your request. When I said it had a tremendous effect *visually*, I meant it looked *much worse* (IMO) than the luminosity=130 outline. (I much prefer the "softer" look of luminosity=130, relative to the other pictorial elements.) Regarding your comment: "Or did "fresh eyes" make you rethink that?" This comment offends me *greatly*. I don't like to be made fun of. "Fresh eyes" is just my way of saying that I am always re-examining my images to try to improve them -- just in case you weren't *able* to "deduce" that fact. To repeat, I am *greatly offended* by your comment ! So, bphlpt letters with luminosity=120 outline is the way it shall be -- and this will *never* be changed. Me: I brightened *only the area on the Old Man's face just to the left of his nose*. You: Love it, love it, love it! Finalized. And so, this feature will be *permanently* incorporated into the Old Man's image. And now the mushroom cap outline is gone? I don't see it. I like the changes you've made as to the mushroom's overall brightness, making it appear less flat, etc, but let's put the outline back - like there is a light behind the mushroom. If it is there, and the other changes you've made no longer make it show up (to me), is there anything you can think of to make it more visible to me while still looking good to "regular" people? LOL If it needs to be added back, I'll leave it to you to decide if it would be better to replace the current edge of the cap, or add the outline in addition to what is there, making the cap larger. Whatever you think is best. Yes, you are "pretty much" correct -- the outline is not *totally* gone, but I minimized it *greatly*. In the images shown in this Post, I went around the border of the mushroom cap increasing the luminosity of *each* blue-outline-border pixel (i.e., the pixels that were *already* there) by 5. Let me know how this looks to you, and I can *very easily* adjust it -- if need be -- in the next images. To me (for what its worth), the outline is more visible than before -- but not *overly visible* -- and I'm satisfied with it. it's fine with me to spread the elements out all the way to the edge of the 80x80 space to give you as much room as necessary so that there isn't any sense of crowding. Take the entire 80x80. We no longer have to take any kind of overall outline into effect, so go for it. Raising the sphere will show more of it, increasing it's volume, which might help the scale compared to the mushroom. I agree that we should use all the available room in the 80x80 to make the best picture. I, too, felt that the sphere would look a little better if it were larger -- especially when compared to the mushroom's size. The size of the sphere in the previous images was 57x57 px. I made another sphere -- a little larger -- at a *perfect* aliased 59x59 px (effectively, the size of the previous sphere plus a 1 px outline). That's the sphere shown in the images in this Post. The sphere's brightness wasn't changed. May we now add *this version* of the blue binary-number sphere to our list of *finalized* "elements" ? Area #4 is the only part of the edge of the beard that I think needs modifying. Many thanks. Your new system is *great* at communicating your ideas. Of course, you don't have to do the illustration *perfectly* -- because I can clearly see what you want. In the images presented in this Post, I tried to modify the beard accordingly. In the images in this Post, the beard is pretty much straight down on the left side (viewer's POV) to where it "fills in" to meet the bottom of the existing "curvature". This is "pretty much" the way it is in your image. (I measured it with the PS ruler.) Please go back with your red marker to indicate any changes you want me to make, and I'll be happy to make them. I finally gave up and just decided to point out the problem areas I had been trying to show you, thinking that you could fix them as readily as you had been fine tuning the brightness and curvature of the sphere and mushroom. I assumed that, as with most skills, that someone who is familiar with the tools and the tasks, (you), is able to do a task better and faster than someone who is not, (me). No, you don't have to spend hours trying to perfect the image -- in pointing out changes you want. The red-marker system works great. Just try to get it as good as you can relatively *quickly*. I will understand *better* what you want, and I can then try to modify accordingly -- and you can red-marker my modification (if needed). All this effort is required (IMO) because you have *very specific ideas* as to what you want -- and this is the way it should be (IMO) for something as personally significant as your avatar. (After all, it does *represent* you when you are not on site.) The red-marker system provides the *precise* communication to achieve *your standard* of perfection. I have infinite patience in continually responding to your red-marker modifications. I tried to make the Old Man's head more in tune with your red-marker input in the images shown in this Post. If you want any more modifications, just get out your red marker again. The only case I've ever asked for is Case # 2 -- (move the mushroom over to the right and down). Roughly as I pictured in post # 106. I've never considered, or mentioned, any other case. O.K. So, PLEASE, respond to all items that were mentioned in the post, giving me an example of what you think I meant, even if it's a quick rough draft, and *THEN* I will precisely explain any differences that still remain in our understanding of what I would like. The images I present in this Post are *not rough drafts*. The pictorial elements are as perfect as I can make them based on *all* your input *so far*. Of course, after viewing these images, *THEN* you should precisely explain any differences that still remain in our understanding of what you would like. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL VERSIONS OF "OLD MAN" TRANSPARENT GIF AVATAR (IN JPEG FORMAT) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-9: avatar on a white background, JPEG http://postimage.org/image/8i4iygck/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Final-10: avatar on a black background, JPEG http://postimage.org/image/dm0gl1es/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "A really good picture (or avatar) looks as if it's happened at once. It's an immediate image." Helen Frankenthaler "(or avatar)" in the above quotation was added by me. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------