Vote NOW (or reasonably soon) at btvsats20in20 - and what did we learn this time?

[red_satin_doll]

bangel_4e has the voting posts up for ROUND 2 btvsats20in20 :  1) THEMES,   2) CATAGORY (same image), and 3) ARTIST'S CHOICE.  Make sure you scroll down all the way to the end of each post so you don't miss any poll (says the newbie to these things.)

Voting closes on July 17th. Believe it or not I've already voted, which may be a record for me. I guess I'm just in the right mood? It's not that there's this one standout and it's oh so easy. Nope. Once again, there's so much of pretty equal quality to my eyes, it's the old apples and oranges game, with very pretty fruit in the bowl.

BTW - notice the new Xander icon from round 1 by mercurialdragon, snagged with permission? I just added it today - the brand new paid subscription I was gifted with includes FORTY icons spaces.*hugs my benefactor tight" Of all the icons from round 1, it's the one that has stuck in my head ever since I saw it, the minature masterpiece that I HAD TO HAVE.

I don't know that I'll be able to pimp this round as consistently as the last one because I'll be away from home and thus the computer for over a week (and weekends are not good for me for 'puter time.)  So do me a favor dears and PIMP THE HECK outta this contest for me, and I will be there in spirit - until I get back anyway.

I feel rather sanguine about it at the moment because I accomplished what I wanted - make Vamp Willow icons that would honor the character, be a little different to what I've seen before; and most especially my beloved Willow Posse on my f'list, two of whom have already snagged icons for themselves.

THAT is the biggest vote and the biggest win in the world, as an icon artist. (Not that I'll refuse other prizes and squee with childish delight but that's the gravy.)

I also found a couple *ahem* more Vamp Willow alts from my set I'd forgotten to post yesterday .

Lesson #1 - it's a lot easier to work with an image or subject I am fascinated by / love / am familiar with. Struggling with VW icons? I'd pop off some Buffy icons or banners just for the fun of it. I think my best and favorite icons here, or the ones that were most fun for me to make, came at the begining and the very end of the process (I finished the last one yesterday.)  In the middle was nearly a month-long slog, or so it felt.

[ Images to be replaced Coming soon!  ]      (1-5)

Lesson #2 - I love this shot of VW something FIERCE.  In fact, loving it too much was one of my biggest problems. I know that image so well, the way I know so many images of Buffy, that it made working with the ones I wasn't familiar with seem that much harder.  And to be honest - my Catagory set is really, in my mind, my AC set. I adored the way some people made their AC sets very of a piece last time, (spikesredqueen's Cordelia set comes immediately to mind as one of my favorites in that regard); so I ended up trying to give the same attention to Catagory this time almost by mistake; so that when I finished those I realized, oh, I have to come up with five more? Rats.


[ Images to be replaced Coming soon!  ]       (6-10)

Lesson #3 - I ship Vamp Xander and Vamp Willow SO HARD.  Aren't they adorable? - in a sick, twisted, pseudo-incentuous "this is why Xander and Willow would be wrong wrong wronged-y wrong but still really HOT way?" Am I the only person in fandom who was disappointed they didn't bring Vamp Xander back for Dopplegangland? Because I'm not into the fellas as you know but DAMN...

Comments

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

Also the 4th icons seems an old picture. Alyson Hannigan looks portrayed like a lady of the Twenties!

That's exactly it! She has the 1920's beestung mouth - and it looks like a colorized black and white picture!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

That's exactly it! She has the 1920's beestung mouth

Ah, you've found me out - the girl who grew up studying art and costume and watching old movies on the local afternoon show, and Catwoman. Yes, that mouth, that pretty little mouth. (Why I didn't figure out I was a lesbian MUCH earlier is...the fault of the culture I grew up in and the total silence surrounding the subject.)

and it looks like a colorized black and white picture!

Actually it's the perfect reversal of that - a color photo that's been desaturated. It's a basic crop, lighten, add San Carmen effect filter in Photobucket, the same filter I used (abuse?) pretty damn frequently here:
http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/48989.html
http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/46021.html
http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/43049.html

It's probably a bit lazy of me sometimes but it works - and I don't see anyone else using it, so I figure it's one of my "signature effects".