[Lucid:]

if only Lucid had real artistic talent instead of being an artist-in-training....
you know what helps me? sketching out the item you want on top of the avatar base. whether you can do it digitally with photoshop or sai or something, or even if you have to print out an avatar and draw it by hand and take a picture of it/scan it to get it back on the computer, it makes it easier for me to see what you want and makes the art-making easier for me if I don't have to make up the sketch myself.