KIT'S GUIDE ON HOW TO FIND ICONS FOR RP CHARACTERS
1) Do an LJ interest search (or google search through lj) for the character's canon. If there is an icon comm, begin there, if not go to the main comm (or a comm for graphics) and look for icons there.
2) Do another LJ interest search (or google search) to look for any Dressing Rooms for the character's canon. Use the comm's tags to search for anyone else who plays your character. Search through their icons (remembering that stealing exact copies of other's iconsets is BAD MANNERS) and if possible look to who is credited for the icons and search those users/comms for icons of your character.
3) Once you have expired this, or perhaps never found any to your liking, go to dear_mun and look through your canon's tag for another user who plays that character. Same idea as above.
4) If you still can't find enough, try a search on photobucket.com for "CHARACTERNAME icon" or "CHARACTERNAME icons".
6) If you're artistically gifted or you can beg bother nag blackmail shamelessly plead your case to a artisty friend, there's always the option of making your own icons. Either by finding/making scans of the manga/comic (onemanga.com is good for that) or downloading the anime/show to your computer and taking screenshots to crop and edit into icons. You can color, edit, and do whatever to these, just make sure to note where you got the original screenshots/manga pages and who created it (you or your friend).
7) If you're even more artistically gifted, you or a friend can always draw your own fanart of the character to make into an icon. Make sure to credit yourself or your friend for the art.
8) And if that fails, you can always search for fanart to icon yourself. When doing that, remember there's not only LJ to search through (fanart and graphic comms) but also deviantart.com and other art gallery websites. Make sure to credit the artist so that others can find the original.
9) And if ALL OF THIS UTTERLY FAILS, there's always PB (Played By) where you find an actor, actress, or model to stand in for your character. The best place I've found to search for a decent PB is Hollow-Art.com, where you can search by tags for the kind of person you're looking for.
2) Do another LJ interest search (or google search) to look for any Dressing Rooms for the character's canon. Use the comm's tags to search for anyone else who plays your character. Search through their icons (remembering that stealing exact copies of other's iconsets is BAD MANNERS) and if possible look to who is credited for the icons and search those users/comms for icons of your character.
3) Once you have expired this, or perhaps never found any to your liking, go to dear_mun and look through your canon's tag for another user who plays that character. Same idea as above.
4) If you still can't find enough, try a search on photobucket.com for "CHARACTERNAME icon" or "CHARACTERNAME icons".
6) If you're artistically gifted or you can beg bother nag blackmail shamelessly plead your case to a artisty friend, there's always the option of making your own icons. Either by finding/making scans of the manga/comic (onemanga.com is good for that) or downloading the anime/show to your computer and taking screenshots to crop and edit into icons. You can color, edit, and do whatever to these, just make sure to note where you got the original screenshots/manga pages and who created it (you or your friend).
7) If you're even more artistically gifted, you or a friend can always draw your own fanart of the character to make into an icon. Make sure to credit yourself or your friend for the art.
8) And if that fails, you can always search for fanart to icon yourself. When doing that, remember there's not only LJ to search through (fanart and graphic comms) but also deviantart.com and other art gallery websites. Make sure to credit the artist so that others can find the original.
9) And if ALL OF THIS UTTERLY FAILS, there's always PB (Played By) where you find an actor, actress, or model to stand in for your character. The best place I've found to search for a decent PB is Hollow-Art.com, where you can search by tags for the kind of person you're looking for.