Oh The Merry Merry Month of (Kiki)may

[red_satin_doll]

Happy Birthday to my friend kikimay! Thank you for feeding my Fuffy cravings (most especially with chapter 5 of Eros; for educating me about Italian culture, religion and cuisine; being so supportive, funny, constant, kind and open-hearted. Here's a little late S4 Buffy hairporn just for you. I'd wrap it up in ribbons like a rose and deliver it straight to your door if I could. Luckily the internet is more reliable than American Airlines. (I can't speak for Air Italia.)

           

BTW Kiki, ave you seen sweet_lyri's Buffy S4 icons for Round 1 of btvsats20in20 ? Or her choice of S4 as her favorite season? You will like.
Or these female-centric buffyverse wallpapers or...all of her art is astonishing and gorgeous, first-rate artistically, emotionally and technically. You will find much to love.

Comments

[kikimay]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

The banner is adorable! All that prettiness, the hair porn and I love the shade of pink that you chose. Thank you, really.

I maybe saw something hers but I don't remember. Thanks for the links.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I hoped you'd like it! I made one in another color tone but this one is better and prettier I think. What do you think?
http://s133.photobucket.com/user/RedSatinDoll/media/BUFFY/Season%204/Primeval/008f7aa0-e94b-4a00-b7cc-0f5109cd9f1d_zps8dcaf18f.png.html?sort=6&o=0

Lyri's work is amazing - I only discovered her through the 20in20 comm. Check out everyone one of those wallpapers. I want to do art like that when I grow up!

Happy Birthday and birth month sweetie!

[kikimay]

They are both really pretty! I also like the turquoise you chose for the other version. Honestly I couldn't choose. I like them both.

Also, I saw the S4 icons of Lyri (I already saw them but I didn't remember) and they are so beautiful. I just love S4 Buffy. She's so cute.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked the other one too! Feel free to have or use both or either. (I love turquoise too; I think this one is slightly better, but I'm sort of addicted to the San Carmen effect in Photobucket. *points to Buffy icon* It makes everything better. When in doubt, use San Carmen.)

[kikimay]

I'm not an expert so I don't know ... what is the San Carmen effect? What it does?

I really can't choose between the two banners. I will save them both.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

San Carmen is Photobucket's current version of a "vintage photograph" effect - it lightens and softens the image, gives it a warm and pleasant sepia-peach tone that can easily be adjusted to become pink or lavender, and adds the hazy whitish edge with rounded corners that you see in your banners. also:



This version I sharpened the image and adjusted the tone:





I used it also for snogged birthday present:
http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/41849.html

Also velvetwhip's card:
http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/29963.html

i don't think there's an exact equivalent to reproduce the look in ipiccy without many separate steps. Maybe in Photoshop?

[kikimay]

Thanks for the explanation. I really don't know much about Photoshop and its mysteries (or whatever program you're using to make the art)

Aww. I love The Weight of the World Buffy. So effing pretty. I like too much pretty things, your banners included. XD

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

It's just photobucket, sweetie, not photoshop - not nearly as sophisticated by miles and miles. Photobucket is basically an online photo archive, a storage site for photos with a VERY simple editing platform. I like the combination of storage and editing though; when I do artwork my mind tends to be very free-flowing in terms of ideas, and I like being able to find all my saved caps very quickly and play with them.

ipiccy has a little bit of storage but not much. So, more sophisticated software than photobucket, but not the same functionality in terms of storage and moving around quickly from photo to photo.

PS is a software program that's very sophisticated but you have to pay a lot of money for it; then store the photos elsewehere. comlodge does some very very nice step by step tutorials on her journal. I don't have PS but I still learn something from them.

So effing pretty. I like too much pretty things,

We have very similar tastes when it comes to beauty, don't we?

[kikimay]

I downloaded GIMP at some point but I'm not using it. I heard that it's good for making icons and it does have a lot of stuff in it.

We have very similar tastes when it comes to beauty, don't we?

I also like the WOTW banner without the San Carmen effect. I like both version. In the first one the color is so warm and it's perfect because Buffy seems so soft and elegant in that scene. I can't choose stuff. >O<

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

People have recommended it to me. I go to the website, see a page full of writing, stare at it, and go back to photoshop. I guess I'm lazy. *lol* If you try it let me know what you think of it.

I also like the WOTW banner without the San Carmen effect.

They both have it - see the whitish lines around the edges and rounded corners on both. I just changed the colors and sharpened the one. that corner/edge effect, the brightness and warmth and the subtle white haze is what I love about it.It makes (Caucasian) skin tones nice without being too orange-y, and it's nicer than plain sepia.

If I redid the second banner today (the pinker one) I'd definitely use the blending tool to try to eliminate some of the visible pixilation lines. I envy people who can get super-sharp hi-def imagery, but I think I'd have to master gimp or photoshop to do it. So I kind of make my inability a virtue. (so I tell myself)

But I'll combine it with other effects just to get that edging, or the lightness of it.

can't choose stuff

Neither can I! The times I do one-and-done of an icon or artwork is kind of rare.

[kikimay]

They are both beautiful version. Maybe if I have to choose I'll pick the first one because it feels so warm. <3 But I love these banners and I love the screencap you chose. That moment is so full of emotion.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad you like them sweetie (you know me - buffy's angst is my crack!) I do like the warm tone of the first banner but I like that the second one is more in focus. Maybe I'll try to rework it a little? (I should also start to sign my stuff!) If you want to use any of my banners let me know I'll sign it or adjust it as you like (yes, I take requests!)

I'm just happy that I'm doing something that's pleasing to other folks. I'm the worst judge of my own stuff.

I actually made a lot of other versions of the Becoming/After Life image - I might post some of the other versions as well. There's some paler ones I rather like, I think you might too?

[kikimay]

Thanks! And it also would be great to see more banners. I trust your taste on that.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Encouragement is dangerous you know! Because I do have artwork I've been wanting to show off...

I have other versions of the Becoming/Afterlife artwork I posted, with different effects than the vivid rainbow one. Do you think there would be interest if I posted some of those, or would that just be boring/obnoxious?

[kikimay]

You know, I'm interested. Let's see them.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

OK!

[snogged.livejournal.com]

sweet_lyri does awesome work. She's also just a neat gal in general. We give each other holiday cards every year. :)

Also, great birthday banner for kikimay! It's very cute.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you! I think it came out nicely. Now I want to do a better one *lol*

And Lyri's work is just stunning; nice to hear that she's a good person as well. I've enjoyed reading her meme responses and such.

[lynnylou.livejournal.com]

That is a very cute banner!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[chic-c.livejournal.com]

Beautiful pressie, love the colouring! <3

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Thank you sweetie!

And oh my gosh, it was your birthday a few days ago wasn't it? Happy birthmonth! I shall have to come up with something nice for you this week.