Hello LJ world

[double_dutchess]

Always doing the unfashionable thing, I finally gave myself an LJ account as a Christmas present. A very cheap present it was too, because I don't expect to be posting enough to merit a paid account.

I know BtVS fandom on LJ is no longer thriving as it once was, but I still look forward to making new online friends, connecting to existing ones, and getting better access to all the Buffy (or actually, mostly Spike) related goodness that can be found on LJ. I like all of BtVS and AtS, but Spike is the main reason for me to be in the Buffy fandom.

Due to a severe lack of time outside the holidays I won't be posting much, apart from the occasional vid or image. I don't manage to make more than 2 or at most 3 vids a year, but I still have some old stuff that I intend to post occasionally to make up for my lack of productivity. Also, I will do my best to comment on other people's work, but I'm afraid I won't have time to write anything longer or more thoughtful than your basic variations on "I like it".

Anyway, LJ here I come!

Comments

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Welcome to this corner of fandom!

I'm three years new to it myself and folks have been incredibly welcoming and I've had a chance to really develop and grow as an artist here because of the encouragement my friends in the fandom have given me. (Plus, icontests are a great way to sharpen my skills. I've already left a comment on your fag_end submission btw.)

I hear that the fandom isn't as active as it was back in the day, or when the comics first came out - but there still plenty going on and new people coming every day.

[double_dutchess]

Thank you very much! I've only been on here for two days and everybody has already been very welcoming, it's great.

So you're an icon artist? I could actually use some of those for my brand new account. If you have any to share, or have suggestions where I could get some nice ones, that would be most wonderful!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

And this is why I say that this fandom isn't "dead" - because there are always new people coming into it; for a show that's been off the air over ten years, that's staying power. And you've gone about things the right way, jumping right in and participating. And hurrah for visual artists in fandom! There is a LOT of fiction here, so other forms of creativity (non-fiction, art, videos etc) are most welcome and encouraged.

I've been here for three years (my first btvs watch) and folks have been marvelous. There are three people in the entire world I can tell absolutely anything, share my darkest stuff without fear, and two of them are in this fandom, People have come together to mourn the deaths of two beloved members of fandom this year in a way that absolutely proves that fandom friendships and communities are "really real".


So you're an icon artist? I could actually use some of those for my brand new account. If you have any to share, or have suggestions where I could get some nice ones, that would be most wonderful!

Do I have suggestions? Where do i begin? I should say that some of the best icon artists I've come across were working 10 years ago and you have to kind of stumble on the older stuff by accident.

zoicite has a collection of btvs/ats icons they made prior to 2005 that are amoung the best icons I've seen:
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/zoiciteicons/library/Buffy?sort=3&page=1

If you're looking for artists currently active, the icontest comm challlenges are a great place to start.

slayerstillness you already know about (it was the first icontest comm I was aware of)

otherworldlyric is multifandom but buffyverse icons make up a large percentage of the entries

btvsats20in20

btvs_hush

whedon_elite is the only one I'm listing that I've never competed in because I just discovered it,

Any of the artists you see competing in these is incredibly talented, and they often have more icons listed on their journals than you'll see in those icontests. comlodge focuses her artstic endeavours on Spike; the recently departed pickamix did fantastic work; I also enjoy the work of tempertemper, teragramm, spikesredqueen;

Check out the profiles of other folks like velvetwhip who have gorgeous and interesting icon collections; you can find more names that way.

I really couldn't say where would be the best place to go for Spike icons except for Comlodge, I focus mostly on Buffy and Buffyverse ladies; I did do a Dru icon set inspired by kikimay's new story, "Dreams and Mirrors" http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/67149.html

I hope that helps? That should be a start and every fan artist I know is thrilled to accept "commissions" if you find someone whose style you like.

[double_dutchess]

Wow, thank you very much for all these helpful suggestions and links; they're very much appreciated! I'm going to have a look at the work of all those talented people and see if they'll permit me to use some of their icons.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome!

Did I give you a link to whedon_elite? I just posted three icons there (and am too lazy to see if I did include it) but there is some stunning work there.

Most of the time when folks snag something of mine they just do it, and that's cool as long as they credit - but I LOVE when people tell me they're snagging. Makes me all kinds of happy. So I usually ask first because I enjoy knowing, and want them to know.

About the only times when someone might not want you to is if it's a gift for someone and it will say that specifically ("Do not take" or "Not snag gable") in their user pics page or in their post.

[double_dutchess]

In fact you did mention whedon_elite, and now I will *definitely* go check it out!

What's the proper way of crediting, can I simply do it by mentioning the artist in the userpic comment?

And I completely agree about letting people know.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

What's the proper way of crediting, can I simply do it by mentioning the artist in the userpic comment?

Yes, exactly. Some people just put the name of the artist, some (like me) add "please credit" or do not snag etc. My page, for instance: http://www.livejournal.com/allpics.bml?user=red_satin_doll
velvetwhip has a great mix of artists on her profile page http://www.livejournal.com/allpics.bml?user=velvetwhip

It seems like a sort of a formality but some folks have seen their icons (and posters etc) end up on fanpop.com and other places without proper credit (Admittedly, it's where I found my first userpics before I "knew better".)

If you don't see any artists attributed on a profile page, as with oh_cheezit's, it usually means the icon was made by the person themselves but I always check first.

(And I just saw that you've been lurking since 2008? so if I'm telling you stuff you already know, please don't be afraid to tell me so. I don't want to be patronizing.)

[double_dutchess]

Thanks, this really helps! I see now that a lot more can be done with keywords and comments than I initially thought.

And you're not patronizing in any way! I have been lurking for ages, but that was strictly from a "consumer" perspective. It didn't teach me much about how things work from the perspective of an actual user, and I'm only now slowly starting to figure that out. I certainly never had to deal with LJ user pics before, so your advice on that front has been indispensable!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I see now that a lot more can be done with keywords and comments than I initially thought.

Oh and here's a neat trick I learned from the fabulous elisi: if I want to replace, say an older Vamp Willow icon for a newer one but I want the newer one to appear on all the posts and comments that the old one did, I jot down the keywords and comments exactly as they appear (capitalizations etc), delete the older one and immediately download the newer with the exact keywords/comments information.

If you don't do that, then whatever your current default icon is will fill those spots.

I'm only now slowly starting to figure that out.

I've been using for at least and there is so so much I have yet to learn. I have to keep reminding myself that the FAQ page exists for a reason. I can be incredibly lazy sometimes.

And you are very welcome. ! I've received so much help from kind folks here that it's my pleasure to pay it forward. (especially to someone who is so appreciative.)

[double_dutchess]

If you don't do that, then whatever your current default icon is will fill those spots.

Aha! In fact something like that has already happened to me -- an icon I had used in a comment reverted to default, and I had no clue what went wrong. But now I do, thanks to you!

I don't want to be lazy and ask people about stuff I could have found out via the FAQ, but a lot of information just doesn't seem to be in there (or I'm unable to find it). So advice of more experienced users like you is really valuable to me.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

OMG after three years I am finally just starting to think hey, I can look this up on the FAQ's instead of begging for answers - but friends often give me the info quicker. You have to know the exact right keywords or search terms with the FAQ's.

And it really is my pleasure to help.