I seriously choosing an avatar

  • Thread starter honestrosewater
  • Start date
In summary: I don't like how it looks scaled down to 64x64 pixels. No one seems to like my first choice (I don't really like it much anymore), but I can't find a replacement. Here are my options so far: I like the clouds. They are my only other photo I have now that would work.Doorknob - my current oneClouds - my only other photo I have now that would workOther ideas:I love hands, especially drawings/sketches, especially by Leonardo da Vinci.I could crop something interesting from a painting (in the public domain). Renaissance, Dutch Masters (Gerard
  • #1
honestrosewater
Gold Member
2,142
6
I really like texture and detail in an image, but those are mostly lost when scaled down to 64x64 pixels. No one seems to like my first choice (I don't really like it much anymore), but I can't find a replacement. Here are my options so far:

http://xs41.xs.to/pics/05323/doorknob3.jpg [Broken]
doorknob - my current one

http://xs41.xs.to/pics/05323/cloud2.jpg [Broken]
clouds - my only other photo I have now that would work

http://xs41.xs.to/pics/05323/doug.GIF [Broken]
This is a picture of Frederick Douglass that I have from another project. I love this picture of him - I think he really looks like he, how to say, fought the good fight. I don't know how well it would work, and I can't seem to find a good square frame of it either, though maybe I could take a new one from http://utopia.utexas.edu/project/portraits/f.douglas.jpg [Broken].

Other ideas:
I love hands, especially drawings/sketches, especially by Leonardo. (ex. I love http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/image.asp?id=13010 [Broken], but it wouldn't work.)
I could crop something interesting from a painting (in the public domain). Renaissance, Dutch Masters (Gerard Dou too), Impressionists are my favorites.
I could always go with a rose.
Maybe something from Shakespeare?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Just have some thing that is you. and reflects the nice person you are.
 
  • #3
Well, given your username, I just always envisioned a rose of some sort for you. Perhaps one with a just opening bloom (not a tightly closed bud and not a fully opened bloom yet either) with lots of dew drops on it. Maybe a black and white image would emphasize the textural/depth qualities you prefer more than a color image.

Edit:
I just found this image which would be really cool for you (it looked good as a thumbnail image too, so should work as an avatar, though it only looked black and white in the thumbnail). It's a fractal image that looks like a rose.

http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/fractals/collect/1995/ROSE.GIF

And then there's this more unusual image (it's large) that you might be able to crop out just a portion of it if you like it.

http://www.buffaloworks.us/images/Rose%20E%20Flame.jpg [Broken]

I like the fractal image best, but both of these are something more unique than just a rose.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #4
http://www.datasync.com/~jecorley/Oil_Paintings/Rose_water.jpg [Broken]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #5
wolram said:
Just have some thing that is you. and reflects the nice person you are.
Well, what can I say to that? :smile:
 
  • #6
I googled "nice person" and she came up:

http://www.maztravel.com/chris/images/chrissy.jpg
 
  • #7
honestrosewater said:
Well, what can I say to that? :smile:

I'm working on it :biggrin:
 
  • #8
Put your childhood photo in your avatar.
 
  • #9
I kind of liked the door knob. Hmmmm... Very thought provoking.

If that's out, then I vote for the second rose Moonbear posted.
 
  • #10
loseyourname said:
I googled "nice person" and she came up:
That's so close to how I've always imagined her.
 
  • #11
HRW, what does you username mean? People are thinking "rose", but, of course, that's not the same thing as rosewater. Honest Rosewater. I'm not sure what that's meant to suggest.

As far as the Fredick Douglas, I think it's odd and off when people use members of the opposite sex as their avatars. I think an avatar should be "you" somehow, not who you admire.

The doorknob was a good photo with good composition but I'm not sure it suggested anything in particular to me about anything.

The Da Vinci hands are really nice. You couldn't crop and just use one of them?
 
  • #12
zoobyshoe said:
As far as the Fredick Douglas, I think it's odd and off when people use members of the opposite sex as their avatars. I think an avatar should be "you" somehow, not who you admire.

I'll never forget the PMs from guys telling me how hot I was when I had Scarlett Johannson as my avatar.
 
  • #13
loseyourname said:
I'll never forget the PMs from guys telling me how hot I was when I had Scarlett Johannson as my avatar.
Yeah, never mind that lofty rationalization I posted above: I was once outraged when I checked the profile of a person sporting a Katie Holmes avatar who turned out to be quite male.
 
  • #14
If I were a young lady I think that having my name associated with a doorknob wouldn't necessarily be the best idea.
 
  • #15
I explained my name in the etymology thread, wherever it is. I was going to change my name - in real life - to Honest Waking Rosewater. The Honest and Waking you can figure out, Rosewater has a longer story. Anywho, Rose seems to be sticking as a nickname, and I like some of the symbolism in literature, but I think roses more commonly represent something pretty to look at, and that just doesn't sum me up.
I think I most want a picture evoking curiosity. I tried several Leo paintings and drawings, but I either couldn't get a decent frame or his special touch was totally lost after sizing down.
Here are two images of a Dou that I've always liked. I would use the girl reading at the table by candlelight. I think I like the darker version.
http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/image.asp?id=1462 [Broken]
http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/image.asp?id=13831 [Broken]
Or
http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/image.asp?id=1465 [Broken]
I would use the hand over the candle.
I like several of Rembrandt's self-portraits, but I guess the male thing doesn't really work. Maybe a part of these:
http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/image.asp?id=12802 [Broken]
http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/image.asp?id=3847 [Broken]
I love her expression and such, but I'm not sure how having part of a portrait would work. And none of the parts I want are square. Whatever, I'll play around with it for a while.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #16
Everyone's going to become a premium member but me... :cry:
 
  • #17
honestrosewater said:
I love her expression and such, but I'm not sure how having part of a portrait would work. And none of the parts I want are square.
This last Vermeer is the best.

As for none of the parts being "square," you're supposed to take the images to photoshop and crop them as you will.
 
  • #18
This would be hilarious if you could make it into an avatar somehow.


"Presidential inspection"

presidential-inspection.jpg
 
  • #19
What?

I couldn't resist
 

Attachments

  • PresidentialInspection.jpg
    PresidentialInspection.jpg
    5.6 KB · Views: 441
  • #20
I always thought of a small bottle of rose water that was somehow honest. :wink:
 
  • #21
Here are some avatar-sized versions. I prefer Girl with a Pearl Earring just because it shows up best in an avatar. The other ones are nice, but too dark for an avatar I think. But you can decide.
 

Attachments

  • Girl_with_a_Pearl_Earring.jpg
    Girl_with_a_Pearl_Earring.jpg
    1.5 KB · Views: 506
  • Dou_Gerard_The_Night_School.jpg
    Dou_Gerard_The_Night_School.jpg
    810 bytes · Views: 606
  • Old_Woman_with_a_Candle_WGA.jpg
    Old_Woman_with_a_Candle_WGA.jpg
    857 bytes · Views: 560
  • #22
Girl with a pearl earring is very nice.
 
  • #23
If you're looking for a portrait artist whose paintings work well as small avatars, you really can't beat Chuck Close:

http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/images/chuck_close.jpg [Broken]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #24
With regards to changing your name, did you know that your current name is Hebrew for "ewe?" Such a pretty name, too. Mine is Hebrew and usually transliterated to "man formed from the ground." My middle name is Hebrew for "God is my judge."

So I suppose I could call myself "man formed from the ground and judged by God." What a name.
 
  • #25
Moonbear said:
Here are some avatar-sized versions.
Excellent job, MB.

Yes, the one on the far left is the best, and seems to fit the username very well.
 
  • #26
loseyourname said:
If you're looking for a portrait artist whose paintings work well as small avatars, you really can't beat Chuck Close:
I love Chuck Close.

It's funny you should discover they work well as "small avatars", though. The originals are like, 3x larger than life.
 
  • #27
Wow, thanks Moonbear.
I lost the serial number to Photoshop and haven't bothered to get a new number, so I can't reinstall it. I'm stuck with the image editor that came with the scanner for now.

zooby,
Okay, say you want the Mona Lisa's smile as you avatar. If your avatar must be square, you either lose the corners of the smile (the best part, IMO) or end up with a huge chunk of nose and/or chin invading the picture and throwing it out of whack. That's what I mean by the parts I want not being square or not being able to get a good frame. :smile:
 
  • #28
honestrosewater said:
Wow, thanks Moonbear.
I lost the serial number to Photoshop and haven't bothered to get a new number, so I can't reinstall it. I'm stuck with the image editor that came with the scanner for now.
If you like one of them (even if just temporary until you get Photoshop up and running), I don't know if you can just save it to your computer from the post, but if not, I can either email you the image or upload it to image shack and provide the URL. If you want it emailed, send me a PM.

As for not getting a square avatar, they don't have to be square, as long as the largest side is 64 pixels or less. Or you can fill in the rest of the square with a solid color.
 
  • #29
Here is a smaller version of the center of deaddreamer's homepage.
 

Attachments

  • honestrosewateravatar.jpg
    honestrosewateravatar.jpg
    713 bytes · Views: 453
  • #30
loseyourname said:
With regards to changing your name, did you know that your current name is Hebrew for "ewe?"
I always saw it as little lamb. I don't know where the little part comes from though. Both of my grandfathers were pastors, and my siblings and I all have Biblical names: Jason, Rachel, Rebecca, and Nicholas. I just noticed a nice coincidence too: Jacob had to wait and work 7 years (and one week) for Rachel - and work still another 7. At least, I think that's what happened; I haven't been to Sunday School in a long time.
Mine is Hebrew and usually transliterated to "man formed from the ground." My middle name is Hebrew for "God is my judge."

So I suppose I could call myself "man formed from the ground and judged by God." What a name.
Hm, is that Adam Daniel?

My middle name is Diane, BTW. I think it's from Diana, the Roman's Artemis. There are two great sites for finding character names:
http://www.behindthename.com/
http://www.kabalarians.com/cfm/surf-by.cfm?Baby=Yes
Eh, it looks like the second one is now requiring subscriptions for something, I don't know. They were my favorite.
 
Last edited:
  • #31
honestrosewater said:
Hm, is that Adam Daniel?
Yes.

. .
 
  • #32
Sorry, I'm moving very slowly - rough day.

Thanks, hitssquad. :smile:

Moonbear said:
If you like one of them (even if just temporary until you get Photoshop up and running), I don't know if you can just save it to your computer from the post, but if not, I can either email you the image or upload it to image shack and provide the URL. If you want it emailed, send me a PM.
That's very nice, I appreciate the gesture, really. I pretty much have to do it myself - long story short: I'm just quirky. :wink: It helps to see some finished ones though.
As for not getting a square avatar, they don't have to be square, as long as the largest side is 64 pixels or less. Or you can fill in the rest of the square with a solid color.
Yeah, I just hate to waste space. I'm not new to image editing, so I should be just fine on my own. It's the decision process that's the biggest problem for me. But it looks like Gw/PE is the winner. Woohoo!
 
  • #33
And before anyone else (loseyourname) beats me - yes, I saw the movie, I know Scarlett Johansson was LYN's avatar and played Griet, who posed for the painting.
 
  • #34
honestrosewater said:
zooby,
Okay, say you want the Mona Lisa's smile as you avatar. If your avatar must be square, you either lose the corners of the smile (the best part, IMO) or end up with a huge chunk of nose and/or chin invading the picture and throwing it out of whack. That's what I mean by the parts I want not being square or not being able to get a good frame. :smile:
Actually, no. If you want to focus on the Mona Lisa's smile and you're resricted to a square, you need only make the smile the size you want it to be in that square, and center it there. Let the nose and chin fall where they may, they aren't going to strike the viewer as "invasions" as you predict. People's eyes go to the center of focus, and the brain automatically understands things at the periphery are not important.

I don't know what feature of the Vermeer you want to focus on, but I thought the way Moonbear cropped it made an excellent avatar image.

You can practise cropping any image you can get up on your screen by throwing together an expandable square
Get, like, 4 business envelopes. Tape two of them together at the ends forming a right angle. Do the same with the other two. Then, holding one of these in each hand you can overlap the other ends to make a square window. This can be made smaller or expanded as you need, and you can hold it over any part of the painting on the monitor you want, to see how it would look cropped that way.
 
  • #35
Just pick the pokemon or DBZ character that you like best from the list of "proposed" avatars. They're cool. Just don't pick Mr. Popo, he's mine! :tongue:
 

Similar threads

  • General Discussion
Replies
13
Views
2K
Replies
48
Views
7K
  • General Discussion
Replies
4
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • STEM Career Guidance
Replies
8
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
4K
Replies
6
Views
2K
Replies
19
Views
5K
Replies
1
Views
3K
Back
Top