What I've been up to lately: Fiction Poster & Icons for Spuffy_Luvr's Ipseity

[red_satin_doll]

Poster and icon to go with.
   

Click poster for direct link tospuffy_luvr's fic Ipseity on EF, or here for the story on A03.  She was kind enough to thank me on her own journal (dig the cool new layout). Also check out the other banner for the story made by pfeifferpack, which is a gorgeous, gorgeous thing.

More icons and thinky-thoughts after the cut:

I made the icon first by downsizing the image of Buffy that I'd cropped, ligntened, etc and layered two icon-sized textures by lookslikerain from their aptly named "When the Wheels Fall Off" icon texture set over it.

    1 - 3

Then I went back to the 310sq crop of the screencap image in Layer Mode and expanded or "upsized" just the second "ladder" filter to fit over it.  You almost always want to go the opposite direction in sizing, but it worked here with some sharpening and bloom/softening filters to balance the other out. I think in Photoshop you'd use a single "unsharp" mask to achieve the same effect?

More alts of the icon:

      4 - 6

It would be easy to overstuff the image and I originally wanted to add the images of other characters on the right hand side, a la one of Jo Chen's wonderful cover illustrations for the S8 comics. But I don't have the skill (or the patience, frankly) to made the faces of other characters work at the size I needed.  So I subsituted the text, which is the central mystery of the story to most of the other characters around Buffy; and also is a nod to S4's "Who Are You" which, like Ipseity, deals with questions of identity and how the people around Buffy Summers shape their identities in response to her; and how they perceive her according to their needs and in response to the masks she wears.

Sometimes I want a banner to tell a story but with this poster I wanted to imply or impart a flavor of the author's story without giving away the goods. Frankly the story is so complex and twisty I don't think I really could give away anything. Her story has me wondering at every turn what's going to happen next (and so far? I haven't been able to predict a thing.) She twists, deconstructs, and/or slyly smashes any number of tropes which are not exclusive to Spuffy fic; but if you're looking for the same-old, same-old Spuffy schmoop/porn/fluff, don't go here. If you're looking for an actual story, by all means hop on over immediately.

I'm borrowing starry_night's succinct rules regarding my own arwork:

~ DO NOT RE-POST TO OTHER SITES (INCL. FANPOP) OR LJ COMMUNITIES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!

~ Take what you like for personal use but please credit if used :)

~ No hotlinking!

~ Comments are appreciated :)

Comments

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

I like the sideways words on #5. It's disorienting, which is what I'm thinking you were going for.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Tha's exactly what I was going for, thank you!

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

You have NAILED it here! Each one of these is beautifully evocative in its own right and your poster and icon are extremely effective ads for the story! Brava!


Gabrielle

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Wow! Thank you Gabrielle, I'm so glad you approve!

This is a bit simpler than I usually work, as you know *lol* Lessons learned hopefully.

(FYI - I wanted to do the poster art for Answering Prayers in the same post but that was too much for my little brain, so that will get its own post.)

[kikimay]

I really like number 3 and, generally, I associate NA with cold colors because they used them for the mental hospital sequences and it fits so much. More posters too!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Yes, that coldness is exactly what I was going for! I have a slightly warmer version of #3 but it doesn't feel right so I didn't post it here.

And yes, I have more posters, etc - I just need to show them off. Thank you for your feedback sweetie!

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I love the textures on all of your icons. So cool!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Thank you, m'lady!

There are lots of textures out there but colorfilter and lookalikerain are my two favorite texture artists - between them I could spend years exploring the possibilities.

[feliciacraft.livejournal.com]

Very creative! Favs are 4 and 5; 4 for the Old Masters classical painting look, and 5 for the paleness of it, as if drained of life.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

4 for the Old Masters classical painting look, and 5 for the paleness of it, as if drained of life.

YES YES YESSS exactly, Felicia!

[feliciacraft.livejournal.com]

Heh. I'm glad. Also, it means you did a fantastic job!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

[endeni]

What a cool banner! *_*

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Thank you!