red_satin_doll: (S1 Buffy Nightmares Sky Warrior)
Thank you to everyone who cast votes for my icons at Challenge 107 of [livejournal.com profile] whedon_elite, thank you [livejournal.com profile] fassy for being so courteous and helpful to this easily-confusable newbie, and congratulations to the winners of this round: [livejournal.com profile] sietepecados, [livejournal.com profile] everythingshiny, [livejournal.com profile] julie_izumi and [livejournal.com profile] marishna! So many marvelous choices here, it maked voting terrifically hard.

This comm represents a somewhat different aesthetic style than I'm accustomed to, so I'm also very grateful again my friends and especially [livejournal.com profile] rua1412  for their encouragement. I had no expectation of winning because I'm not up to the same skill level - and that's not intended as a put-down, just the fact that I haven't really fully mastered all the tools I have in ipiccy at my disposal never mind PS-E. I haven't logged in the hours yet, and mastery only comes with time and practice.  My entries this round:

thehavesticonbyredsatindoll_v2ipiccyequalize willownightmaresicon1.5_ipiccyadjust vwiconlavenderdec2014 1-3)

I didn't plan the way the layout of colors and only noticed after I'd made them how they went from very cool but somewhat hard blue to softer, slightly warmer lavender, with the Willow/Nightmares icon containing both colors; probably the result of working on the rainbow set for [livejournal.com profile] btvsats20in20.

Alts/extras:
thehavesticonbyredsatindoll_v1pbcrp willownightmaresicon1_pbcrop vampwillow blue icon 2 vampwillowblueicondec2014 vampwillowiconlavenderbokehx2lightleak_adjwarmertone 4-8)

vampwillowiconlavenderbokehx2lightleak vampwillowcrop2_1 VWicoinwarmdeepapricot1dec2014 gdknifeicon3_zps273d470d Buffy_5x22_The_Gift_323_dragoniconapocalypsenow3 9-13)
red_satin_doll: (Lesbian Vampire Seal of Approval)
As I have several alts/extras including posters I've decided to roll them out in stages rather than overwhelm everyone with a single post. You're welcome, by the way. This post is especially for my friends in Willow fandom.

All of the Willow icons below were "contenders" for my
Round 5 entries for [livejournal.com profile] btvsats20in20 "Rainbow" theme challenge.  See my final entries are here - and THANK YOU very much to everyone who stopped by for your lovely encouraging comments and feedback. And thank you to the moderator this round [livejournal.com profile] starry_night for being generally wonderful and all-around awesome as always.) This round convinced me that I do want to do more early seasons work with Willow and Buffy in future.






001
002
003
004
005
006
007
008
009
010
011
012























Table generated using angelamaria's Icon Table Generator.
Icons by [livejournal.com profile] red_satin_doll.




And now on to the gratuitous commentary track!




My personal favorites: 1-5 and 9-10, which covers all the WIllow-VampWillow meta-icons. I did a lot of work with layers this round, and I love the meta possibilities of the technique.  I have to laugh because back in Round 1 I didn't even know what a "layer" was, or what [livejournal.com profile] comlodge meant when she advise me to master "blending" technqiues; now I'm absolutely addicted.  I'm a little surprised by how many icons I did in orange here because it's not my favorite color IRL, but it has a warmth that yellows sometimes lack (especially when they're on the greenish side) which makes it less dramatic and friendlier than red with it's association of blood, passion and death.

Every one of those was "almost" an entry that I dropped at the last minute, especiallly #1; it was originally the segueway icon between green and blue on the rainbow, and I'm not sure now why I dropped it except that it repeated the image from Prophecy Girl in my entry icon #1, and there is a line along the edge that looked to me like a mistake in cropping rather than something done intentionally.

#2 I think is an awesome icon; it's unlike anything I've ever done before but I've admired in professional graphics on book covers and movie posters. But it's so muted I couldn't find a way to place it in the rainbow, and I admit I worried that the fact that the faces don't line up perfectly would be considered a flaw by voters. Which strikes me now as a really silly thing to worry about.

Both #4 & 5 were very nearly my Red entry in the rainbow. If you've seen my Round 2 Category set entries you know how much I adore that image of VampWillow in #4. I really like the faded photo effect here; she looks entirely like a queen of the silent movies. But I have worked with the image before and this really isn't saying anything new, the blood spatter is nifty but looks to me like I slapped it on and called it a day. Looks neat though.

5 is a really weird icon IMO - I like it, a lot and I can't explain why (except my fallback mantra: pale skin, red lips ). It's interesting to look at; her hair and face look like they are reflecting something and very glossy. But it's also "off" somehow. I kept taking it in and out of rotation until I looked at it in the slideshow format in Photobucket and saw the pixilation and flaws in the image more clearly.

#6 made me realize why some of my friends in Willow fandom prefer the early seasons to the late one; and if I were a Willow fan, I would probably feel the same. All of these were tons of fun to make except #6. No offense to those who enjoy her but I honestly hate working with S6 DarkWillow imagery - absolutely hate hate hate loathe it. (But then I also didn't think that Lily going red-eyed with rage in HIMYM was at all funny. Oh, Tara.....)

If anyone else had made #7 I'd be completely agog and over the moon over it, and wonder how in the world they achieved that look.  I finally make one that looks like this and my reaction is - meh, whatever. It's pretty, it's smooth, it has a nice graphic quality that will make for an eye-catching icon, it just doesn't move me in any way or make me want to look closer.

I'm more interested in #9-12, which are variations of my #4 entry.  My actual entry uses an orange cloudscape from a photo my sweetie took recently as the texture that links the two Willows; although alt 12 might actually achieve that link with a more unified look and without the distraction of the texture. (But the one I chose for my entry just made me happy. Sue me.) My favorite alt here is #10 because I love the grunge quality in the back - it looks to me like VampWillow's image is part of the wall behind Willow, an old poster or mural that has faded over time; but I also like the warm orange color of #9.


BTW, while working on this round the on Monday I goofed and decided to move all my 20in20 entry folders in Photobucket - forgetting that would break all the links. NOT GOOD. So if you've been looking at my previous 20in20 posts and see a lot of blank spaces - that be the reason.

The usual disclaimers - snaggage is much encouraged, but taking without giving proper credit, or hosting on another archive or site without my permission especially when one is making money on the venture, will be met with stonings, canings, and confinement in a locked cell on a bread-and-water diet, in the company of a certain red-headed female vampire who will make short work of every single bone in your body before draining you dry. Which means you probably won't even get to the bread and water anyway. Savvy?
red_satin_doll: (Dawn & Buffy)


The only theme for Round 5 of [livejournal.com profile] btvsats20in20 is "Rainbow" and we were given a lot of latitude in terms of how were were allowed to interpret it.  As much as I love rich jewel-toned colors I went rather muted with these (in contrast to my Round 4 entries.) There was no real organizing principle beyond that.  I enjoyed working in a wide range of styles and trying my hand at new techniques, from simple crops to complicated blends.


1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20






*********************************

As I am running behind with this post (apologies to [livejournal.com profile] starry_night and the other artists who got their work in on time), alts and extras will be posted separately. (And I have many, trust.)

(FYI: The two Willow icons are my favorites of the Willow/Vamp Willow icons I made. I should have made these all Buffy for continuity but I loved #1 & 4 just too damn much not to include them here. I wish I had really planned this better from the get-go and included more Buffyverse women.)
red_satin_doll: (Smile)
1) But first, the usual mandatory and gratutious pimpage: [livejournal.com profile] dragonydreams has extended the deadline for [livejournal.com profile] btvs_hush Challenge #278, "Chosen" to Tuesday July 29th at 8pm EST. There are only two challenges this time, all based on caps from the episode. Many of the images are much used and well-loved, some more unusual, so the real challenge - and fun - will be to see how artists reinterpret them in a fresh way.

2) And now to the banners for Round 2 of [livejournal.com profile] btvsats20in20, away!:


[livejournal.com profile] teragramm and [livejournal.com profile] iconsoleander were the only winners to request banners, although I'm including the "spec banner" I made for [livejournal.com profile] starry_night's Hairporn winner. I also made banners for my own winning entries for fun but also to continue to improve and practice techniques. (And not just because I am a shameless awards banner hussy.*ahem*)

Many congratulations again to the winning artists - spending time working with these icons, noticing the wealth of details that had escaped me previously, was a singular pleasure. If you notice anything amiss, please let me know.


final signed for icons oleander round2 plus one   Looking up for teragramm final signed

signed final iconsoleanderTheBody    Hairporn Rd 2 banner final version signed

Guess Who banner final signed version


teragramm AC choice set banner signed

VW cat set banner_final signed


This was my first time making awards banners so many thanks to the wonderous [livejournal.com profile] bangel_4e for trusting me with the assignment. (And if [livejournal.com profile] rua1412, [livejournal.com profile] federica74, [livejournal.com profile] starry_night or [livejournal.com profile] sweet_lyri would still like banners made, please place your request here.)







red_satin_doll: (Vamp Willow)
THANK YOU for everyone who voted my Vamp Willow icons 1st PLACE in "Themes: Guess Who?" (Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella) and 3rd Place Set for "Category: Same Picture" in Round Two of [livejournal.com profile] btvsats20in20!  This is my very FIRST first-place award in anything fandom-related, and my first awards in a 20in20 comm! And for Vamp Willow, not Buffy, icons? The world is a strange and, occasionally, wonderous place.

I never thought that "Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella" would win anything. I made it literally the night before I finally submitted my entiries - two days behind schedule - exhausted and up too late, cursing the html tables and in a weird zone where it suddenly hit me as funny and I didn't care if no one else "got" my humor.  What was the worst that could happen? No one would like it, big deal. This is VERY unexpected. And as an artist I'm super-proud of the Category Set I produced this round (and the alt versions of them). At the risk of sounding arrogant, I think I did good, solid work here and I'll still be proud of these icons down the road. And I've already earned my Willow Posse Seal of Approval, so it makes this award so much sweeter. I'm really grateful for everyone's votes and more importantly the feedback, advice, tutoring, support and friendship y'all have given me along the way.

Congratulations to all the other winners: [livejournal.com profile] starry_night, [livejournal.com profile] iconsoleander, [livejournal.com profile] rua1412, [livejournal.com profile] federica74, [livejournal.com profile] teragramm and [livejournal.com profile] sweet_lyri! So many wonderous icons to chose from, such sweet, sweet pain being forced to chose. For this round your banner-maker is...YOURS TRULY! Another "first" to add to my list.

20in20's are a bit different to  icontests with fewer entrants overall ([livejournal.com profile] slayerstillness , [livejournal.com profile] otherworldlyric, [livejournal.com profile] btvs_hush etc) in that there are so many winning entries that the winners have to request a banner if they want one made. Personally, half the fun of winning an icontest award is the banner, so if you're one of those folks I've already named above and you think the way I do, go over to the Winners Post and place your order. [livejournal.com profile] teragramm and [livejournal.com profile] iconsoleander have already done so. Here's a sample "spec" banner, using [livejournal.com profile] starry_night's lush and lovely "Hairporn" winner, to give you an idea of what to expect:
Hairporn Rd 2 banner final version signed
You like? You want? You know what to do. And then you can sign up for Round 3; [livejournal.com profile] starry_night has posted the rules and themes.
The rules of this contest do not provide for a Banner Maker's Choice, but I will post my traditional and customary Meta in Praise of the Overlooked Worthies once the banners are finished. As I am wont to do. (*cough* [livejournal.com profile] oh_cheezit and how I secretly hope she does an Anya set this time around because her recent OMWF icons were superb & why [livejournal.com profile] debris4spike's "First" entry with Buffy and Cordy brings me to tears when I look at those two little girls and think about what could have been and what's to come and it makes me want to get all meta on your asses and I know [livejournal.com profile] teragramm isn't lacking in awards love but in my heart of hearts her Sorrow icon KILLED. Just sayin'. Why aren't there more icons of that scene from Helpless? ("You stuck a needle in me?") *cough*) .

*Please note that the excess bold font isn't my fault. Blame LJ.
red_satin_doll: (Vamp Willow)
1) Thank you very much to [livejournal.com profile] starry_night for awarding me a Mod's Choice Award in Round 27 "Hair Porn"! And thank you to everyone who cast votes for my icons! This award is particularly special for me because this Buffy & Dawn icon was the inspiration for the poster I made for [livejournal.com profile] clockwork_hart1's "Conclusive Etymology of a Summers" (my first fanfiction poster, and I hope not the last). Congratulations all the winners of that round for their lovely entries: [livejournal.com profile] rua1412, [livejournal.com profile] teragramm, [livejournal.com profile] tempertemper and [livejournal.com profile] iconsoleander!   And speaking of [livejournal.com profile] starry_night:

2) Strike up the band and toss the confetti: [livejournal.com profile] starry_night has joined comm owner [livejournal.com profile] bangel_4e as a moderator of [livejournal.com profile] btvsats20in20.  A round of applause, please - two of the niftiest people in fandom coming together to make an already terrific comm even better. (Anyone else interested in joining the team of fandom's newest icon challenge site? Contact [livejournal.com profile] bangel_4e.)  And speaking of [livejournal.com profile] btvsats20in20:

3) Your votes are needed for [livejournal.com profile] btvsats20in20 Round 2 TiEBREAKERS! [livejournal.com profile] bangel_4e has 4 tiebreakers posted. I've voted and encourage you to - and not JUST because one of the votes includes my own Vamp Category set. (Which should in no way be construed as me encouraging you to vote for my icons. I'm just encouraging you to vote for the best as you see fit, but by all means VOTE.)

This is actually a first for me so it's nifty whichever way it goes: the first time my work has been included in a tiebreaker vote, and the first time I've ever been able to hit the little "I'm nominated" button! Super-nifty, especially as it involves that set of icons, which I'm super-proud of whichever-which-way the vote goes. (Of the other three votes, the hardest for me to decide was the fourth one - a super-gorgeous Buffy set vs a super-gorgeous Willow set? Decisions, decisions....)  And speaking of [livejournal.com profile] otherworldlyric:

2) Ok, granted, we weren't talking about [livejournal.com profile] otherworldlyric but I didn't want to break my segueway pattern and anyhow I'm talking it now: More entries are needed by Friday for the already-extended Challenge 178. Apparently [livejournal.com profile] dragonydreams received only ONE entry thus far. (Guess who popped one off the night before she went hither and yon on her week-long sojourn in Vermont.) Come on darlings, you can do it. Can make the maximum three entries? Make one or two.  Surprise yourselves! Your Patron Saint of Icons has every faith in you.
red_satin_doll: (Buffy Happy Band Candy TGRM)
[livejournal.com profile] bangel_4e has the voting posts up for ROUND 2 [livejournal.com profile] 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 [livejournal.com profile] 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, ([livejournal.com profile] 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...
red_satin_doll: (Smile)
Teasers







10 Themes
HairPorn Guess Who Plus One Second Claim Hands
Sorrow First Scenery Looking Up Levels
5 Category |SAME PICTURE
Cat 1 Cat 2 Cat 3 Cat 4 Cat 5
5 Artist's Choice
AC 1 AC 2 AC 3 AC 4 AC 5







Alts & Extras: ETA: 11/25/14 galler links to extas currently broken; sorry



(1-4)
(5-8)
(9-12)
(13-14)

red_satin_doll: (Smile)
1) Pimping: [livejournal.com profile] btvsats20in20 Round 2 wonderful icon sets by [livejournal.com profile] federica74 , "Willow Rosenberg" and [livejournal.com profile] debris4spike's Season 1 icons. (She made a Joyce & Jenny icon! *flings confetti*) The deadline for all Round 2 entries is July 9th.(Not nervous, not nervous, nope, not me not nervous *gulp*)

2) Rocking the vote: Vote NOW in [livejournal.com profile] slayerstillness Challenge # 27 "Hair porn". Only 23 entries this round, still hard as heck to decide. Deadline is tomorrow, Tuesday the 8th, midinight in your time zone.   BTW, challenge #28 "Angel Investigations" is now up.

3) Thanking everyone who voted my Anne icon "Most Creative" in [livejournal.com profile] slayerstillness Challenge #26 "The Same But Different", and indeed thank you to everyone who voted for any of my Anne or Willow/Tara icons. I love seeing the unlocked voting threads; even if I don't win, seeing that at least one person voted for one of my icons is always a little morale-booster.


01) Yep, it's this cap from from "Anne".  I've used it before but I wanted to see if I could get better results in ipiccy than in Photobucket alone. And I was still upset at losing my job unexpectedly and something about playing with this image was balm to my soul. Glorious Buffy. Is it awful to admit that I went into this wanting to win Most Creative specifically? I think the whole "life sucks right now I need something to smile about" probably had a lot to do with it. I know there are folks who haven't won anything, ever. I should be ashamed - or should I?


4) Thanking [livejournal.com profile] comlodge and [livejournal.com profile] chasingdemons for their tips, advice and hand-holding. While [livejournal.com profile] comlodge works on the official banners for Slayerstillness challenge 26, which are such a treat to receive and make my icons look better than they actually are, I decided to put into practice some of the tips and advice she and [livejournal.com profile] chasingdemons generously offered me on techniques/tools such as blending and layers, which is a whole new country for me, to make my first "practice awards banners."  NOT the official deal, just playtime and practice:



ANne red button 2   Anne button peach 01-02)


I think #1 came out better than most of the Dark Willow icons I've put together for [livejournal.com profile] btvsats20in20 *pout* And it was the hardest of these four to make because I'm so new with layers and it seems simple but it's a lot of work planning each layer. Holy moly.  I have a LOT more understanding and respect for what goes into these awards buttons and for working with layers in general. Miles to go, miles to go....


Anne peach blue     Anne mirror text 03-04)
These two are a bit overly-fancy for real awards buttons; the idea IMO is to create something that the recipient will enjoy receiving, that makes the icon look great but doesn't overwhelm it and these are definitely "overwhelming". But so much fun - I couldn't resist going overboard with reflections and frames to play with the "mirror imagery" of the icon itself.



     Buffy_Anne_angles MORE artwork to come. Here be teasers.


Thanks of course to my beta-muse-god [livejournal.com profile] wickedbish for selecting my Anne icons to enter. Without him I'm nothing.  Congratulations to [livejournal.com profile] tempertemper, [livejournal.com profile] teragramm, [livejournal.com profile] rua1412, [livejournal.com profile] iconsoleander and [livejournal.com profile] kwritten for their winning entries. (Half the fun of that round was guessing who made what, and I guessed [livejournal.com profile] rua1412, [livejournal.com profile] teragramm, and [livejournal.com profile] kwritten's correctly based on my familiarity with their style and subject matter.) Such an amazing round, so many beautiful choices. I feel very fortunate to have won (earned?) Most Creative - to have won anything this round, with so many stunning choices.


My other four Anne entries (2-5) plus extras
02-08)


09-15)
16-20)

# 16 was actually my entry in [livejournal.com profile] otherworldlyric challenge 176. Didn't win, didn't deserve to, but I had fun making it.  I prefer the "vintage" coloring of 17 & 19.
***
I wish I had done better on the Willow/Tara (with a little Spuffy on the side) set. I nearly cried looking at that cap from Entropy. My icons are not as good as I wanted them to be and I'd wanted to do right by Willow & Tara because I've so rarely attempted W/T icons, In fact, I've rarely attempted lesbian "imagery" in words or pictures. Making this set I was reminded again that I grew up without a "vocabulary" for expressing love between two women and despite nearly two decades of real life lesbian life, it doesn't come naturally to me.

21)  This one is my favorite of that set - The Body + Entropy. Those kisses were broadcast over a decade ago but two years ago they still brought me to my knees. I wonder if it would have made a difference to me growing up if I'd seen kisses like these on tv in the '80's and had a context, an image for two women in love. Here's the rest of that set plus some extras, of course:


  22-29)


30-37)

#37 was potential entry to OWL that I decided against. The Tabula Rasa + Entropy icons 25, & 32-36, were better in theory than in practice.
I'm enjoying making larger works lately, in part because my skills are improving; in part because my eyesight has deteriorated to the point that I had to order bifocals last week and can barely see what I'm doing when I make icons lately. (And ye gods I hated typing that sentence, but 'tis true. Better ugly glasses than living in near-blindness.) But also because I like making things that are meant for someone else and for a very specific purpose.

Which won't stop me from making icons, or making bigger works for no other reason than I'm having too much fun. (And I swear I'll return to Willow and Tara another time. I'm determined to come up with something wonderful for them.)


Click on the image below for the full-sized version - and please tell me if that actually works or not.


Buffy_Anne_angles
red_satin_doll: (Lesbian Vampire Seal of Approval)
Last night my sweetie and I went to our favorite local spot for craft beers on draft (she had two beers, I had 2oz of one) with hot baked asagio pretzel, had dinner at a Thai restaurant, and cuddle on the sofa of a coffeehouse/winebar/music venue to enjoy some downtime and life local musicians. And I managed not to think or at least FEEL my woes very much, the $10-15 dollars I shouldn't have spent be damned. And even not feel pissed off. Now that the beer and music have worn off and I'm back to feeling the fear, rage, betrayal, etc of The Big Sucky Lemon (TM) - I'm also back to distracting myself online with fandom pretties:

*** Cast your votes here and now (or as soon as you can, pretty please) for three tiebreakers in Round 1 of [livejournal.com profile] btvsats20in20: 2 Cat icon placements, and one AC set placement. None of them are mine, so no worries about rulebreakin'. As of this moment (1:20pm est) the AC tiebreaker vote is locked in a three-way tie. Funny. But understandable, they're all so damn good. There's no sense of "this one is better than that, so I'm locked in the hopeless task of chosing the theoretical best among equals."

***[livejournal.com profile] bangel_4e posted the Round 2 themes, which means we (read: me) can all get an early start. If you haven't thrown your hat in the ring yet, there's still time - as with round 1, "sign ups will stay open during the whole round". Nifty.  (Also, check out [livejournal.com profile] bangel_4e's gorgeous Round 2 banner. Serious lust issues, I am having.)

The one time I'm in an icontest with hair porn as a theme and I'm NOT doing Buffy? Oh of course, ha. I chose Vamp Willow for my claim before the themes were announced - all that black leather and blood and pancake makeup, lipstick and sex and swings any which way oh so bad goodness......oh, wait, I know the perfect screencap. *wicked cackle*
It's ironic that my Lesbian Vampire Seal of Approval icon was one of my first, if not very first, icon I made in this fandom, and the one that I would never switch, replace or "improve", even though I could do a much better version now. She's mine, folks - although I'm more than willing to share.
Last round I admit was intimidated by: icon tables (which I still don't like very much, html is sort of overwhelming still for me), and blending. Had not a clue how to do it, so I cheated with a collage, not a true "blend."  But I think I'm starting to catch on - maybe?


Ok, not great, but it's the first time I've ever done this so points to me. It gets me one step closer to doing things I want to do, like fic banners. If there are any good tutorials on YouTube for ipiccy I haven't found them and their own site has a decided lack of, so it's me trying to figure things out and walk through the back door. The whole "layers" thing really weirds me out - "vector mask", what is this a chemistry test? A maneuver used by the Prussian army in the 19the century? I made a shot of The First from Sleeper into an icon and used it as a texture behind the TYG icon and - tah-dah! I got the job done.

This round, instead of blend, it's layers, which essentially is a collage. And I squee'd because "I know how to do that! I can do that!" Which is fun - my Willow-side coming out. I just wanna learn how to build my own serial killer stuff! And the more I learn, the more I want to learn; the more I can do, the more I want to be able to do.

I am the official Overexcited Child Who is Patiently Indulged by the Adults (read: everyone else) of Buffyverse Fandom. At your service. 

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