Avatar - just choose one and upload it?

[Hannah]

I've been thinking about adding an avatar for some time but I'm not sure if I can just scan a cover/ illustration and upload it? Are there restraints because of the copyright?

[Pet]

I find it hard to believe that any copyright holder would care if you used their image as an avatar.

[Fiona1986]

Just remember it can only be a 100x100 pixel image, it won't shrink a larger one to fit.

[Boatbuilder]

I've been thinking about adding an avatar for some time but I'm not sure if I can just scan a cover/ illustration and upload it? Are there restraints because of the copyright?

I think you'll find that's what many of the avatars on here are derived from, Hannah. As already mentioned, you just have to make sure you resize the image you use to a maximum of 100 x 100 pixels. If it's not square, just make sure the largest dimension is no more than 100.

[Hannah]

Thanks, I'll look for something

[Courtenay]

My avatar is taken from the Cave of Books — I just chose a cover I liked (in my case, Circus Days Again), put it through a picture hosting website to crop the part I wanted and resize it to 100 x 100, and uploaded it. All the book covers and internal illustrations in the Cave are on this website legally — I assume, as I know Tony is very diligent about these things!! — so I shouldn't think there are any worries about using one of them as an avatar. But I also very much doubt any authors or artists, or their estates, are going to come after someone who simply uses a small image from their artwork as an avatar on an internet forum. As long as you're not trying to pass it off as your own artwork or to make money out of it somehow...

[Hannah]

Now I have an avatar too .
I hope I didn't choose a picture that someone else is already using.

[Boatbuilder]

Which one is you, Hannah?

I can't say I have seen any other member with that one since I joined.

[Fiona1986]

No, I've not seen that one either. (Hollow Tree House?)

There's so much choice in Blyton illustrations that even if we all used one it'd be unlikely for anyone to have the same. It would be odd, though, as many of us don't change our avatars and are instantly recognisable just from those.

[Anita Bensoussane]

It's good to see that you've got an avatar, Hannah - and that you've got one too, Pet. Avatars brighten up the forums and remind me of stamps in a stamp album!

[John Pickup]

as many of us don't change our avatars and are instantly recognisable just from those.

That's true. I know straight away who it is when I see Anita's, Julie's, Pete's, Eddie's, Daisy's and Lucky Star's avatar as well as you own, Fiona, plus a few others.

[Hannah]

Fiona is right, my avatar is from Hollow Tree House.
I've not decided if I'm Angela or Susan . Probably rather Angela (but just because her face is fully visible).

I also recognize some users by their avatars.

[Courtenay]

I did once consider changing my avatar to this, after one of our perennial debates about the Little Nodding Man...



(Unfortunately, getting it down to 100 x 100 made it hard to read the title.)

[Fiona1986]

That would have been brilliant if it had worked, Courtenay. Though I take bad when people change their avatars, I don't recognise them any more

[Anita Bensoussane]

I also recognise quite a few forumites from their avatars. That Noddy one would have been fun if only the title could still have been read!