Name	Handdrawn Userpics
Type	International
Location	Internet
URL(s)	http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=handdrawn
Contact Person(s)	Gretchen Sveda
Description We all need something to identify with, and some of us like to think outside the box. Elfwood artists are getting together to donate their services, and help out those who would like a unique presence on the net. Whether it is for your Elfwood gallery, your Livejournal, or your forum, almost everyone has a userpic or avatar to represent themselves. It is the way those around you perceive and identify with you, and often people will spend a lot of time choosing just the right image for them. So often though, we see people who use the same tired image that many others have already used to death – the anime cartoon characters, popular movie stars, and underground comic heroes (or villains). The handdrawn project was originally started in order to combat the use of cropped copyrighted artwork as userpics, a practice followed by many Livejournal users, without credit to the appropriate artists. It is the first community service project to be implemented by the elfwood Livejournal community, and has been successful in producing a large number of original artworks since it’s creation on 25th October 2001. Elfwood artists volunteer their own time, and creativity to create unique and original userpics for any who need them, often with some amazing results. We don’t charge for the service, all we ask is that wherever you use our work, due credit is given to the artist who created it. We work with a variety of mediums, from traditional paintings and sketches, to computer generated art, to photographic manipulation, and animation. We currently have 20 active members, and that number is steadily increasing. Each member has their own bio, complete with their own terms and conditions and examples of their art work. By offering Elfwood talents, we hope to give people the enjoyment of fantasy and sci-fi artwork, but maintain the rights of artists and their work on the internet. You don’t need to join the community in order to utilise our services, you don’t even need a livejournal. All we ask is that you have a look around, select an artist you like, and comment on their bio letting them know what kind of userpic you would like. The artist you have selected will contact you to discuss your request, and often these will be created within a few days. If you are interested in joining the project as a contributing artist, all you need to do is comment in this post. Note: you will need to have your own livejournal account in order to participate in the project. Try us out, we dare you :) - Gretchen Sveda These are some examples of userpics our members have created, click on them for more information: