Let your journals shine!!!

Hello every body/ Peace be upon you

We all have journals ..and most of us like to make journal entries for several reasons .and they usually take a large area of our profile page ..

So.. Why don't we use this area to express ourselves even more ?? Follow me to know how.

P.S. :This is for premium AND non-premium members .. You all will get awesome journals in the end.

First : Premium Members :


#1 : Journal Skins :

Being able to use journal skins is one of the most attractive features about having a subscription. Let's talk about it a little .


A) Search for a skin that expresses you:

A perfectly chosen skin will be a great expression of your mood . For example: if you were talking about holiday season, there are many Christmas skins to choose from.

Here are some groups that offers beautiful journal skins to suit everybody's taste

         

Or you can search da-related/deviantart skin for a skin that matches your needs .

FAQ #62: How do I use Journal skins?



                  
B) Make your own skin:

If you couldn't find a skin that suits you ,Then Make One !!!

What?? Don't know how to CSS ??

That's not an excuse.. Here's a perfect starting point .

www.icyworlds.net made every thing as easy as pie . You can select the colors ,font, background and header images….etc.

Just fill the spaces like you desire.. Create your journal skin CSS and copy it then paste it in your journal options.

FAQ #62: How do I use Journal skins?

Go ahead…Click the link and see for yourself. www.icyworlds.net/about/css




C) Customize the skin even further:

Whether you use a premade journal skin or you just made your own using the link above ,you can customize it even more by adding title bars, scroll boxes, footer ,…etc.

The CSS-specialized groups (like those shown above) usually have sections for CSS tutorials .

Here are some of my favorite CSS tutorials that I've found easy and applicable.



You can also find tons of useful tutorials by browsing Resources /tutorials/ web design

Just don't submit the customized journal skin as your own .Take permission from the original artist first.

#2 : Feature some art :

Hey… you are a premium member ..you can feature art…so why don't you use this attribute to make your journal even more attractive??

You no longer need to be a premium member to use this feature

You can feature your own work , or works from your favorites to show people your taste of art.

Or you can offer a feature for some contest winners.. That will be a nice gesture .

FAQ #66: What journal features do I have access to?

#3 : Express your emotions …Feature some emotes :

We all love dA legend ,but how many times you have felt that the emotes in the legend do not meet with your need to express your feelings??

You can search Emoticons gallery to find great pieces and simply type their thumb code to use them.

For example :Type :thumb162537016: to get this cute excited guy next to your phrase (I've won a contest ). _{Art by CookiemagiK}

It has been now an official emote ,so let's take another example :thumb304635976: to get this cute guy ._{Art by Web5teR}

This way you'll be helping those hard working emoticonists by promoting their art in your journal .

#4 : Use Stamps :

Express your self through stamps. Show people what you like, hate, support ,and what are your favorite things in life to let them know you better.



A) Choose a stamp that you like :

There are many dA groups specialized in collecting ,featuring and organizing stamps to make it easier for you to find what you like.

Here are some of them :

  

Or you can try browsing dA related/ Stamps to find what you like.




B) Make your own stamp :

Do you feel that you have a good idea for a stamp ??

You can now make your own stamps in a very simple way using Flash Stamp Maker by MenInASuitcase



Just make sure that you have the latest version of  flash player and enjoy.

After making and saving your stamp in your PC .. upload it to dA and use it ^^

Note: to use a stamp.. print its thumb code in your journal .

#5 : Use Dividers :

As a premium member ..You can feature images from outside dA in your journal as well .

FAQ #66: What journal features do I have access to?

There are a huge number of bars at userbarz.com to suit every body .

Choose the one you like and feature it in your journal as a divider .






Now .. the moment that most of you were waiting for …

Second : Non-Premium Members :

Yes guys . Not having a membership is not an excuse to make your journal entries boring and crowded . Stacks of lines that make the eyes of your readers get lost among words.

#1 : Enjoy the magic of dA bullets :

Using bullets , you can draw a small picture to put in the top or bottom of your journal entries.

It's not as hard as you may think .

With the help of  Bullet Shop Online by Davecheesefish you can literally DRAW using bullets.

Just press the link and choose Journal Entry . Then start drawing with bullets.

When you finish.. generate the bullet code ,copy it then paste it in your journal .

You might need minor editing after that but in general it is awesome.

An example of what you can get  

#2 : Express your emotions :

You don't have to stick to the emotes provided in dA legend . You can use other emotes that express your feeling using plz accounts.

Here's a tutorial made by Synfull that answers all the questions you might have regarding plz accounts :what are they ? how to use and how to create plz accounts.





There are many groups around dA dedicated for collecting ,featuring and organizing plz accounts … Here are some of them

      



You can also search for plz accounts in Help plz beta by :devfamine-star:

Just click the link and discover a treasure of plz accounts that are easy to search and browse . It's like a plz dictionary

:thumb156780330:

Note: If you had made a plz account , please add it to help-plz-beta data base so other deviants can find and use it .

#3 : Use Stamps :

Yup ! You've heard me right !!..I said STAMPs !!

Even though you don't have premium membership ..you still can express yourself through stamps.

You can now use stamps in your journal even if you are not a premium member ,but the following links can help you to use stamps in other places in your page .

But these are special kind of stamps known as Plz Stamps. Each stamp is made of 2 plz accounts that should be used next to each other to give a stamp.

Like this     :iconfreestampplz1::iconfreestampplz2:    


There are hundreds of plz stamp that can be found in  Help plz beta or in Groups like




  

#4 : Use Dividers :

Decorate your journal using dividers.. Place them among different subjects or on top and bottom of your journal to make your journal more enjoyable to read :



A) Premade Dividers :

Premade dividers are plz accounts made to be repeated many time to give you a nice divider .

Some of them are made of only one repeatable section like :

                

Others are made of  more than one repeatable sections …Here are some of my most favorites ^^ :





  










  



And so many other dividers can be found in help plz beta or plz-collecting groups featured above.



B) Make your own divider :

Here's a nice trick to make your own divider using dA legend and text codes .

Repeat the following :

:bulletyellow:_:bulletred:



Or :star:_:star:



Or: _:heart::heart:^:heart:::heart:_:heart:



Those tricks will give you endless choices to make nice dividers. Be creative and Have Fun !!

#5 : Use Text codes :

Don't stick to the default journal font …Play with codes to get nice effects.

FAQ #104: What HTML formatting can we use on DeviantArt? And what is the format for these codes?

<div align="center">Your Text Here

Your Text Here (put your text in the center )