katekat1010

lostgirlslair and I have been in the process of developing an idea. An IDEA (we hope). For anyone interested in graphic art who is tired of icon_tutorial as the only place where you find "how to's" on livejournal. And so, I'd like to introduce you to:


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GraphicSluts is intended to be a resource and discussion arena for multi-fandom graphic artists - the processes, the techniques, the theories behind making art. Once a month we'll be hosting an open discussion about some trend we see in graphic art. At the end of every month we'll have a guest speaker who will offer their own unique perspective on the kind of art they do.

Membership is open, posting access is restricted as we start up (although we have great plans for mid year), and if you've ever been curious about making icons, making wallpapers, making anything ... and curious about how others do that magic they do so well, this comm is for you.

( that first line of every month meme - there is only one I really like - July ... well, and December )

( my favorite of my own graphics from 2008 )

For the holidays this year I put together a couple of graphics for many of my favorite people.  Some are fic graphics, some are layouts, etc.  If you haven't taken a look at the fic they were created for, please take a look!!  Read!  It's my way of saying happy holidays to some of my favorite people.

teaser:


( this way to the pretty )

There once was a fic.  A massive, intense, beautiful fic that starts out at the bottom of a pit in Sunnydale (sorta) and climbs to dizzying heights.  Written by two of my most favorite Buffy-verse authors.  Every line is love.  And since I first discovered it I've read it, and re-read it, and honestly if the computer screen or the links had the ability to wear away they would have with the number of times I've returned to take in a chapter or two, or go through the whole long ride one more time.  So you'll understand that I couldn't just make one graphic for this fic.  I couldn't even just make two.  Instead, like the fic itself that has 25 "squares", I've made a graphic for each chapter.  Each is a little visual ditty that hopefully will evoke a little something for each of you that have read it (or if you haven't, please, go read it).

So, I'd like to introduce to you to:



( don't forget to start at square one here )

( To me that's the best part of the show and the best part of the business. Occasionally you are blessed with the chance to do something that people are so taken with they hold it dear. )

( just a few pics )

Today was my posting day at at fall_for_sx... I did not do my usual spectacular spammmm. But I still think there are some pretty things in here... manips, banners and icons, oh my!

teasers:   

( icons oh yay )

( banners oh my )

( the pretty boy manips (worksafe though provocative, i hope) )

Remember those screencaps?  Liked any of them?  Well, here are my interpretations in icon form... hope you enjoy!


teasers:     

( variations in color and black&white )

( this way to the pretty )

Today for my day at fall_for_cordy I posted many many things :D

63 cordelia icons
9 cordy/xander icons
6 cordy/angel icons
5 cordelia headers/banners
3 cordelia color bars

teasers:   

( Thank you for making the right choice, and for showing me how much you all love me. Being this popular is not just my right, but my responsibility, and I want you to know I take it very seriously. )

64 Giles Icons
   

( Whoa, Giles has a TV. Everybody, Giles has a TV. He's shallow like us. )

teasers for the wallpapers:
 

( I had very definite plans about my future. I was going to be a fighter pilot. Or possibly a grocer. )

( august thru sept )

From my summer_of_giles posting day - the fic tributes, in their entirety (gushing included)...

Set I:
This is another open love letter.  I seem to be sending them out a lot lately, but that's because there's plenty of love in this fandom, and I couldn't leave Giles out of it.  For those of you who saw my spring_with_xan posts, you'll know what I'm talking about.

For those of you who didn't, I wanted to create graphics for my favorite Giles stories and for my favorite Giles authors.  It's going slowly, but this post today will hopefully reflect a little of the fangirl adoration I share for two radically different but equally amazing authors mireille719  and janedavitt.  Both of have a habit of writing the Giles I fell in love with, and yet both bring their own interpretations of his personality to the front so much so that I fall in love with him all over again after reading their fics.

Behind the cut you'll find links to wallpapers that include some of my favorite lines from each fic, so you can enjoy the memory of the fic even when you're not reading it!  And, of course, links to each fic in question so you can read them if you're so inclined!

( here are two tributes that hopefully show how grateful I am )

Set II:
There are some fics that stay with me, with sound or shape or form. Sometimes they're richly textured enough that they leave an indelible imprint on me.  Doesn't matter how long the fic.  Sometimes it just takes a couple of words. 

So below the cut you'll find my adoration for savoytruffle and lostgirlslair and glimmergirl expressed via images (paltry, but hey, it works), and a couple of fics that, if you haven't read them, you really really need to check them out.

( this way to the three tributes that hopefully get close to the fics they're based on )

here's a Cordelia as Snow White, Tara as Little Red Riding Hood, Anya as the Princess (and the pea), and others.  6 manips of the Btvs women in entirely different worlds.

teasers:     

( Come away, O human child: To the waters and the wild with a fairy, hand in hand, For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.  )

Also, a HUGE congratulations goes out to the wonderful authors and artists who were recognized today at the indigo_crypt awards! Particularly mary5958 for best lj layout & best general fan art, and sueworld2003  for best general fan art! 

( I'm delighted to have been recognized myself for a couple of things )

So I had this crazy "idea" for my spring_with_xan day - I thought I'd make wallpapers (and virtual book covers) of my favorite Xander stories.  Of course, I have a list of a dozen stories I intended to include and I only managed to make six, but hey, I think I'm doing well.  So these wallpapers all come with links to the fic they're inspired by.  

( The quotes in these wallpapers are theirs, but the love is totally sharable )

now, for icon teasers:
    

( I'm not gonna waste the perfect comeback on you now. But don't think I don't have it. Oh yes, it's time will come! )

( picspam - my fav xan moments 3.13 through 3.16 )

For my first day at spring_with_xan  I did 113 icons, and collected some of the great Xander Harris moments of Season 3 into 8 picspam sets.  These icons are both variations on textures using promo pics, and images cut from Season 3. 

to give you a taste:
   

( Icons anyone -- Forgiveness is my middle name. Well actually, it's Lavelle, and I'd appreciate it if you guard that secret with your life. )

( Now, onto the picspam -- So the dummy tells us that he's a demon hunter, and we're like, 'Fine. La la la la.' He takes off, and now there's a brain. Does anybody else feel like they've been Keyser Soze'd? )

teasers:
   

( icons - riley, buffy, cordy, faith )


( headers: riley, buffy, faith )

* riley headers & icons created for the Riley & Kate round at the_jossverse

Did you realize that it is now March and you can use the fancy-pants Giles!March!calendar as your background?  No?  Well you can!  (kidding, unless, you, like me, want to ... )

But I do have two new calendar months for those who want to download early.

( June & July, right this way )

( in the day-to-day life )

( fandom-filled goodness )

teasers:  .


( note - large size manips - click all for full size )

So, I've joined this lovely graphics comm called whedon_art ... and the second challenge was titled "fire".  And I'm a dork.   So I have here for you a wall in two variations.  It actually comes from a picture of a fire dancer (you  know, those magnificent souls who play with burning flame on a rope?  and then stand so someone can take etherial and beautiful pictures of them?)

And you get... ( burn, baby, burn )

And for those of you who like voting, they're actually voting on Challenge 1 (Things that Go Bump In The Night) - open to all.  There are some fairly fantastic and scary (in the best of ways) pieces there... by the ever talented khaoschilde and mary5958 among others!

thank you to the *darlingest* darlings who nommed me at the forbiddenawards !!!  I'm nommed in both best layout for spring_with_xan (which I'm so pleased about as I could cuddle that layout if it was possible) and also for the darker_xander banners!!  (which also turned out much better than i thought they would - yay)!



if you are at all inclined to nominate for awards, please go check them out and nom!   it looks like they could definitely use some nomes in non spangel or spander slash, best finished story (het or slash), best threesome, and best layout and icon categories!  I know for a fact, from my delightful little poll, that most of you think awards are a great way to recognize people for their work so... ;)

1 Buffy, 1 Faith, both worksafe....

( girls rock )

Ok, it's now the tooting my own horn portion of the evening, I guess. cordelianne  and reremouse are the new mods over at spring_with_xan, and they let me do a new layout for them!!  And I'm loving it!  So if you're not already a participant, or at least watching the comm, spring is coming up soon, and you should consider signing up!  (or at least take a look at the new layout)!


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No previews this time, but if you like Giles at all, please check out the Giles manip.... it makes me very very happy for some *strange* reason.  The Buffy is a manip created for prompt 049 at still_grrr .  And I just have to say... painted manips are HARD! 

oh, i'm also reposting the Buffy and Giles thingy I put up yesterday so I can link to this post from graphics comms

( I'm doing homework...every once in a while )

Why yes, I have had time to make some recommendations!  So check out the following if you're looking for yummy fandom fun.  I didn't get to do as many lists as I thought I was going to this year, but I love what I picked!

three banners (Giles/Buffy & Giles/Faith), and January - May of a 2008 Giles Calendar

teasers (and icons):
    

( banners and calendar )

i have this file.  it's called 'other manip' but really what's in it is some very cool photographs i consider using for manip bases.  And some images from foto_decadent that i couldn't resist grabbing.  the problem with lovely photos from avant-garde fashion photography?  it's incredibly hard to find face to match.  often when i use these in manips i feel bad not featuring the original picture because they're so beautiful.

so.  here they are.  expirements in cropping. and some color.  and images i couldn't resist.

OH, and some Eureka icons I made ages ago and forgot to post.

   

( 54 provocative but worksafe icons )

( 7 Eureka icons )

( 19 nsfw icons )

For the holidays I put together some graphics for some truly wonderful people.  Many of these are actually fic graphics, and so I don't feel too guilty reposting them here - especially if you all haven't taken a look at the fic they were created for!  So this is, in a way, a recs post with some sparklies attached.  And my way of saying thank you to some of my favorite people (well, thank you and happy holidays). It was also much faster than baking cookies for them all. :D

( Some of you may have seen some of these, but I know you haven't seen all of these, so check 'em out! )

and if you've been wondering when the heck i'm going to actually do a *real* graphics post with sharable art, it's forthcoming!  soon!

so, turns out I have about two weeks left of class.  I'm shaking in my boots!  I did NOT realize how fast the end of the semester was rushing at me until today, when I sat down with my professor and we sketched out a general idea of what we'd be doing for each of the remaining classes we have to teach.  Oh dear gods. 

What am I doing tonight?  Taking a breather.  It's been an extremely long week, and I'm caught up with everything I wanted to do today, and I will find some way to pull all the stops out this weekend for sure. 

And since I was goofing around, there was this fantastic mini-blog flog over at lkh_lashouts by drho, who kindly allowed me to make icons of their rant...

so, if you are amused by LKH's blogs, feel free to use!

.

.

(though if you do, please credit the rant to drho and the icon to me? thanks!

I've had a strange yen to use Angel promo pics lately.  There are a couple btvs in there too, not to worry.

Gunn, Angel, Cordy, Wes, Xander, Buffy, and a tiny bit of Fred & Willow. 

teasers: 
. .

( and if a header works for you - i'm happy to customize! )

. . 3

Cordy (not worksafe), Buffy, and Wes

( this way for larger versions )

It feels like it's been forever since I've posted graphic-type things.  I keep getting dissatisified with my icons, and then liking banners but really only being motivated to create them *for* people (which is actually really fun, but I'm feeling lazy about gathering those together at the moment into one post).

Anyway, here's the other stuff I've done lately.

Teasers:
.

( inside find 16 icons and 10 banners )

I was in a mood... a maniping mood.  So, here's what you get...

3 samples:
. .  

2x Buffy
1x Giles
1x Cordelia
1x Tara/Spike

( here )

I just realized that when I did my SOG post to my own journal, I forgot to include the layouts I made *is a dork*.

So here they are.

Preview: 

( Layout instructions for I'll Be Your Watcher )

Preview: 

( Layout instructions for Air Kisses )


Preview:  .

( Layout instructions for Memory of a Kiss )

a couple of days ago I posted that I'd make some banners if people wanted them.  And WHOAH the response!  HEEEE!  You guys rock cuz you let me make graphics for your work.

So here are the results.  Now, the reason why you should check below?  Because it is my total pleasure to create fic banners for such fantastic fics!  I get to give virtual prezzies to some of my favorite peoples - this is what the fandom fun is about.  So if you haven't read the works yet, go, forth, read!  I guarante you'll have a great time!

( this way to the pretties )

Hey guys, I'm feeling a little graph-y at the moment - anybody need/want story/fic banners? 

Number of requests:  5 banners (received)

Estimated time of completion:  3 days

Samples:  My banner archive is here.  My icons/wallpaper archive is here.

( more info here )

My roundup of my summer_of_giles postings ... it's all over... *SOB* ... but the love goes on...

teaser/preview:
/

+ please let me know what you think
+ please don't modify (talk with me, I'm happy to modify for you!)
+ please don't link directly
+ icon/graphics website HERE, resources HERE.


( \\giles wallpapers\\ )


( \\giles only banners\\ )


( \\giles\spike+xander+jenny banners\\ )


( \\50 giles icons\\ )

Worksafe - fancy dresses are pretty.  Teasers:

. .

( Tara and Spike...this way )

Under the cuts you'll find 8 banners - Dawn, Illyria & Wes from my postings for the first two rounds at the_jossverse), and a Xander/Angel banner (and matching icons for 'em all).  Don't know why I've been into banners lately, but I have.  If anyone wants them customized, I'm happy to add text to any and all!

Behind the second cut you'll find two Buffy manipulations I did the other night.  They're not worksafe, but they were a mighty fun set of pictures to put together.

teasers: .

( banners, icons oh my )

sometimes, model and actress just come together, you know?

( two NOT SAFE FOR WORK buffy manips - yes, nudity )

Ok, so, first off, someone nommed me at the SOTHAs for the Xander/Riley banner I made for xanzpet 's fantastic set of X/R ficlets (if you haven't read them yet, they're AWESOME and NC17:  Second, Linger, Nadir) !  Thank you, you crazy darling!

And, also, this is kind of a semi-self-pimp.  I've been configuring lj layouts for people lately, and wanted to post a list of everything I've modded so far.  SO, here's the list (to be added to as I do more):

_xangel (a Xander/Angel shipper comm)
musicatwork (a Tragically Hip lyrics challenge comm)
beegee_icontest (a Buffy/Giles icon comm)
fall_for_spike (a seasonal Spike comm)


finally, dunno if you like/read Xangel (but if you do, you probably already know about the comm).  Just in case... PIMP!


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i hope everyone's having a fabulous weekend! i'll post on mine later...

Originally posted as part of the Giles + Illyra month challenge over at the_jossverse  (if you haven't heard of it before, check it out - they pick one character from ATS and one from BTVS and have a posting spree that centers around them)  ....  (and also note it's elizabuffy's fault you're seeing this now instead of during summer_of_giles  - which means I will be coming up with *other* things for my day there!)

teaser:


( so, this way for Giles the reader )

for gray_ghost (and anyone else who wants them)

/

( A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal. )

windandsummer requested Giles/Xander and Giles/Spike colorbars... and so I got all excited and made them!  And some icons, to boot.

/

( icons anyone? )

( colorbars anyone? )

( and in other arty stuff... )

Also, some fabulous person nominated the banner I made for soft_princess's Dreamland fic at the Bodice Ripper Awards.  Thank you kind and sweet person!!

teasers:
/ /

( You get fangs, I'll get horny... I mean.  )

Well, in a frenzy of manipping pleasure I have attempted to once again create more graphics from the responses I got on my "tell me what to create meme"... I give you some non worksafe pictures of Buffy with swords (and one that's Buffy, bound).

teasers: /

( the lady and the sword )

In honor of the weekend, I guess... two sets of Buffy/Giles stuff based around the episode "Helpless"  (one more loosely than the other)

.:.

( this way )

nemo_88 did something really lovely over at her journal, and I thought I'd try it.  This is the second of hopefully three posts - icons, manips, banners, where I'm going to post my very first graphics and describe why I shudder at them and what I could've done better, if I knew then what I know now (or something like that).

it seemed like people were ok with my icon post... so here goes the next...

( so, starting at the beginning: manips )

nemo_88 did something really lovely over at her journal, and I thought I'd try it.  This is the first of hopefully three posts - icons, manips, banners, where I'm going to post my very first graphics and describe why I shudder at them and what I could've done better, if I knew then what I know now (or something like that).

hopefully it'll be interesting for someone other than me, but even if it's not, it's kind of scary/interesting to know where i've been...

( so, starting at the beginning: icons )

Ok, I'm getting ahead of myself since Miss soft_princess hasn't even seen this yet, but ... i just finished 'em and I want to show...

* now she's seen it, and she likes em! WOO HOO!

( graphics for Sofy's Dreamland - NOT SHARABLE unless Miss S says so )

It's coming up on Valentine's Day, and since I haven't put much out by way of graphics, I thought I'd make some banners and sorta story art (for stories that haven't been written yet, so you writers out there, that's a hint, really it is!) AND icons, of course.  All Giles pairings - my favorite ones. 

So Happy Early VD!

teasers:
/ /

( this way to the pretty banners )


( this way to the pretty walls/story art )


( this way to the icons )