Discussion Time!

[seraphina_snape]

It's Friday! Let's talk about icons! :D

Do you have a favourite "subject" to icon? Like a favourite character, or a favourite show? Are there people/characters/shows/movies/other things that you always come back to and make icons of? And how do you decide on a subject?

Comments

[fueschgast]

While I love getting comments, I wouldn't let the unusefulness to others or a prospective lack of comments take the fun out of iconning. There's a short US/Canadian show from 20 years ago that's pretty unknown in North America (but somewhat beloved in Germany, judging by the reruns) called Three for which I've made icons.

*sigh* You're reminding me again how much I miss the community of fandoms. Why did they all have to move elsewhere?

[alexia_drake]

I do make some icons on fandom that people don't seem to care much considering the low amount of comments I get, and I still make them. (for show such as Arrow, Shadowhunters, White Collar, Legion and I don't know how many people will be interested in my Timeless icons yet, I haven't posted any yet) It's just that for the Harry Potter Famdom, my interest was also fading while it was growing for other shows, so I stopped.

[magicrubbish]

I do at times make for smaller fandoms , or lesser popular characters or side roles of big fandoms , with zero care for comments because some times it's just tiresome to make icon of some thing going against your heart's wishes. Afterall , as already discussed , it's all part of finding yourself as a member of the fellow fan-fam.

[goodbyebird]

*sigh* You're reminding me again how much I miss the community of fandoms. Why did they all have to move elsewhere?

Yeah :/ Twitter and tumblr zips by and everything feels fleeting, and AO3 doesn't really work as a social platform. The community feeling has definitely taken a dent. I want my lively playground back!

And while I'd still make icons for my own enjoyment no matter what, if it weren't for the fact I like having my icon posts to look back through - icons very much serve as memory touchstones for me - I wouldn't be posting them, as the time and effort would feel like a waste to me. I get why the graphics people moved on. Tumblr provides likes and reblogs aplenty, so you don't feel like you're posting into the void for no reason.

[magicrubbish]

Completely agree . You summed it up so well that I couldn't think of what to add . I've two tumblr gif blogs - one for exclusive MCU content , another for posting random hollywood content , and the return is massive whereas it takes about 1/5 th of the time to make a good gif set than what it takes to make a proper icon set.

So yes some times it's awfully thankless. And I quite understand why people move on , but it's also true that making icons some how feel more creatively satisfactory for me and yes it's like keeping a fandom logbook over the years. . <3

[abyss_valkyrie]

Oh man,when I go back and see some of the older posts on LJ for inspiration,I miss them,the participation-the number of icons and so many people and the 'lively playground',YYYYES!
I was sucked in by tumblr for a bit but also,I feel like I have actual human interaction on icon communities more than on tumblr.

[goodbyebird]

Yeah, I think that's the case for all of fando, not just the icons. There does seem to have been an uptick in icon requests in this year's fandom_stocking? So hopefully the interest is going up somewhat on that side, meaning more people will be tempted to try their hands at it.

At least we have a handful of active icontests :)