So, you have joined a community that resolves around discussing speculative fiction and are looking for a neat picture to use as an avatar. This blog entry is more a seed for discussion and link exchange rather than a comprehensive how-to of finding avatar art online.
1) First Impression: - The first thing that you should decide on is what you want others to see every time that you post, because that picture can make for a huge difference to how others perceive you. Sure you'll be posting real text, but more likely than not the first thing that people see as they are lurking around the website is your picture. What is the first impression that you want to make?
2) Intellectual Rights: - The next thing to consider is copyright. A lot of art is copyrighted so unless you are willing to be caught using art illegally then you'll have to find some art that you have the legal rights to use as your picture. Some artists allow personal use and avatar use of their work, but you will have to do some reading to be sure that they , and if they don't then you will have to contact the artist for permission. There are numerous websites that offer libraries of royalty free photos and art but some of the files cost money to download or have the annoying watermark removed. There are a number of websites popping up of late that offer public domain or attribution-only image files.
3) Decisions, Decisions, Decisions: - Now that you've done some groundwork, you will have to decide on which image reflects your personality. This can be challenging, and you might find it useful to change your page theme to suit your avatar and vice versa.
Those steps are simple enough, but you're sure to be wanting some links. I don't have a lot to offer to begin with but I will add some notes about them to clarify what you'll likely expect from visiting said website. This list will be expanding as more people send links this way.
Burning Well: - Burning Well offers Public Domain photos for free download, and you can also upload your own. The database is easy to use, and the subsections are easy to navigate. You can expect pictures of landscapes, flora, fauna, objects. It is not the prettiest site but it does have a lot of nice pictures on offer.
Free Photo Bank: - This site houses a collection similar to that of Burning Well, but the pictures are released under a Creative Commons Attribution-only license. This collection seems to feature more animals, which means more cats and dogs. Don't forget to cite the user that uploaded the photo though, just to be on the safe side.
Wikimedia: - This is a search-able database of high quality photos and artwork offered under several different licenses - GFDL, Public Domain, & CC: Share-alike 3.0. You'll also find sound and video files on this website, perfect for adding to your profile or as media for posts. Wikimedia is useful for finding diagrams, nature and urban scenes. You'll likely find pictures of public figures as well.
Its a small list to begin with, but if you have some image editing software you'll be able to customize the look of your avatar to meet your needs. Make sure that the particular license allows you to do so though, as you don't want to be doing something you shouldn't.
Feel free to chime in with your own links, but be sure to write a description along with the hyperlink including usage rights.
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