Pretty in Pink (TOP 5 Buffy pink icons)

[kikimay]

Hi, guys! I'm here too and this is a post about my TOP 5 Buffy icons.

But do you know how difficult it is to make a post about favorite icons and actually pick just 5 of them? I have SO MANY! So I tried to use a criterion to facilitate my task: all these icons are about the ladies in the Buffyverse - especially Buffy herself and Dawn - and the dominant color is pink. The great thing about this choice is that it allows me to eventually make more posts (Favorite icons in Black, in Red and so on) and share all my love for these awesome and mini works of genius.


(The order is not about best or less best, it's just to facilitate myself)


IMPORTANT! EDIT: I forgot about the rules - because I'm actually the worst - so I'm making some edits with other choices. All icons totally made in 2014.







1 Dawn in Pink by kwritten

One of the best Dawn icon by the strongest Dawn fan, I think. This icon is all about softness and beauty and, really, flesh. Dawn's skin is soft pink and this is the dominant color of the icon. All the shadows and shades are pink - stronger or softer - Dawn's supposed to be a mystical energy source but here we see the carnality of her.

2 The world is covered in beauty by hurts_my_soul

Gorgeus icon that mix the green and the black and the brown, but the dominant color is pink and the title says "The world is covered in beauty". We have Buffy and Dawn understanding beauty again. Experimenting beauty again. And pink is the perfect choice. As they say: "We see through pink lens when we are in love". Buffy is in love with life again.


3 Stay close to me by red_satin_doll

And talking about passion: pink is passion tempered by affection. Love. And this icon expresses love at its best I think. It's actually complicated because we don't see faces here, there are only two bodies pressed one against the other. They are girls' bodies, dressed in bright pink and white. We see some strawberry blonde curls and a hand holding an arm. "Stay close to me" says the title and Buffybot is pressed against Dawn like they really are sisters. There's black around the pretty pinkish image and black means death. In a way this tiny image is telling us the whole story, but what is important and amazing, I think, is the warmth of it.


4 Pink Buffy by nadya149

Season 4 Buffy, dressed in pink with curly hair. S4 is actually the happiest Buffy season, when she's allowed to play and smile and learn without too much pain. This icon is a work of art because is soft, beautiful and delicate. Buffy is calm and her beauty is like a Madonna's beauty. She's young and her hair is shining and the pink suggest peace, quiet happiness.


5 Buffy and Dawn hugging starry_night

Here we see three levels. The first one is all about Buffy and her severe and pained expression - she thinks she doesn't show her love for Dawn and she feels guilty about that - the light is intensenly pink almost reddish (pain, danger). The second one is Buffy and Dawn hugging: the light is a bright and stronger pink, like a flames that burns. The last one is violet with a soft pink of the side: Dawn is smiling. It's really a graceful and intelligent composition. The best thing? The central panel is larger - more important - than the others. Buffy and Dawn are together and that's the most important thing.

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

And these were all created in 2014, right? Do you have links to the posts they came from?

[kikimay]

Ooops, I forgot! I'm super-sure about 2, 3 and 4, but I'm not sure about 1 and 5. I check it and I'll change the two of them?


EDIT: Okay, I'm fixing this post. Sorry, I forgot about the rules. I'm the worst!

[kikimay]

I double checked and now all the icons are from 2014 for sure. I'm sorry about the mistake!

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

No problem, those are excellent choices.

[teragramm.livejournal.com]

Very nice choices

[kikimay]

Thanks! I actually had to change 3 icons because I wasn't sure about the date. I'm sorry for the mistake. I hope you like them too.

[chasingdemons.livejournal.com]

This is a great post. I like your analysis of each of the icons. They are all very deserving of recognition.

[kikimay]

Thanks. I'm sorry but since I've made a mistake I had to change 3 icons. Hope you like it anyway.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

Excellent choices!

I'm quite fond of red_satin_doll's body of work.

[kikimay]

I really like her work and my favorite icon is maybe the Dawn/Buffy/Pink icons *points* although she doesn't feel quite the same. XD

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

although she doesn't feel quite the same.

I honestly feel mine is the least accomplished icon of this set; I almost deleted it entirely, remember? - but the other four are just absolutely amazing to me. Of my "pink icons" this year I prefer The Chain and Becoming *points to icon*

(I think that I could do the Dawn/Buffybot one better now. But you love it the way it is, so I'm reluctant to go back to it and lose what you love about it.)

And I am stunned that you love it so much, hon, Thank you for including it with such amazing icons. I'm also stunned by your superb-as-always analysis; I hadn't thought about the meaning of the black band, for instance.

I'm tickled pink (pun intended) to see you and other folks posting art to this round of the top five. And posting icons is a wonderful idea because so much fanart takes the form of icons. It's lovely to have our work noticed and honored.

[kikimay]

I honestly feel mine is the least accomplished icon of this set; I almost deleted it entirely, remember? -

Yeah, you told me that. I'm glad you didn't delete it because it's one of my favorite now. But the Becoming icon is mostly orange! I find difficult to find more orange icons but the recent BtVS20in20 should help.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Your love for that icon is why I tend to save and post so many of my alts.

So if people complain I can shrug and say "blame Kiki" *LMAO* fortunately nobody's complained yet.

And you're right, the Becoming icon is mostly orange but for me it's the glow of that pink area - and the text texture - that really make it pop. OTOH, the versions of that one that are primarily pink are not as interesting to me. The two colors need one another.

I find difficult to find more orange icons but the recent BtVS20in20 should help.

As you and Megan both pointed out to me, orange has many meanings - vibrance, life, energy but also danger or dis-ease (it's the color we associate with fire); and when I've read surveys of artists and bead weavers orange is usually listed as a "least favorite color".

[kikimay]

Pity, I love orange *said the girl who painted her room in orange*

And I agree: the mix between the pink glow and the orange background is the key to success. But I used as criterion "pink as dominant color". Also I made another post on my LJ with some icons from the past. (Because I'm the worst and I forgot that this round was about 2014 icons)

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I saw your other post - VERY PRETTY. You have the eye of a curator.

*said the girl who painted her room in orange*

My mom painted my room a soft peach when I was a teenager - it was an exceptionally pretty color. Orange can indeed be lovely when we remember it has as much range as any other color, and don't limit ourselves to one tone.

(My hugs icon is the opposite of the becoming one - pink on the outside and soft orange in the center, focusing on Joyce and Buffy.)

[kikimay]

Yeah, you actually can have many shades of orange, I love the pinkish ones and the sunshine orange very much and yes, in the hug icon we have the opposite combo which is very lovely, IMO.

I saw your other post - VERY PRETTY. You have the eye of a curator.

Thanks! I wish! XD

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I wish!

I KNOW, m'dear.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I'm quite fond of RED_SATIN_DOLL's body of work.

*blushes*

Oh my gosh thank you so much! I'm just getting all fuzzy and teary-eyed here.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

*squish*

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

*giggles*

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

I love these! And thanks for the shout out to one of my favorite artists: red_satin_doll!


Gabrielle

[kikimay]

My pleasure. Actually I didn't check the year and I had to change 3 icons. Hope you like the new choices.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I love these! And thanks for the shout out to one of my favorite artists: RED_SATIN_DOLL!

Oh my gosh! And now I'm just flat-out crying - warm happy tears this time.

[yourlibrarian]

Love your discussion of the icons -- I like your choices, particularly #2 which has such interesting cropping.

As this post is rather long though, could you stick the post under a cut after item #1?

[kikimay]

I'm sorry because I didn't know if 3 icons are from 2014, so I'm fixing the post - and using the cut!

[double_dutchess]

Very nice icons all! Hmmm, I think I'm really going to have to expand my user pic limit, especially if there will be more of these icon recs...

[kikimay]

There are way too many beautiful icons in this fandom. I understand.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I think I'm really going to have to expand my user pic limit, especially if there will be more of these icon recs...

Oh gosh yes you will! 15 was just not enough; I personally like having 40-45. some people have a couple hundred but I've found that more than 40 - 50 gets a little overwhelming.

But that's just me personally.

There really are a lot of people doing incredible work - and quite a few artists I'm not at all familiar with. There are all sorts of cliques and niches and pockets of fandom and fan artists.

[rbfvid.livejournal.com]

These are beautiful choices!

[kikimay]

I'm glad you like them!

[shapinglight]

They're lovely.

[kikimay]

I'm glad you like them!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I just remembered some of my favorite "pink" icons this year - spikesredqueen's Cordelia Chase AC set, the colors of strawberries and cream and still one of my favorite AC sets from btvsats20in20 last year.
http://spikesredqueen.livejournal.com/182002.html

[kikimay]

Oh yeah! Those icons are absolutely stunning!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Aren't they? the 20in20 has produced some lovely icons but that's still to my mind one of the best, prettiest and most aesthetically cohesive sets.

[kwritten.livejournal.com]

oh babe!

thanks so much for the rec! and your analysis is so wonderful, you really made me rethink that icon. I love it so much.

all of these are just wonderful.

[kikimay]

Pink icons are love. I'm glad you like the list!