I have no problems with transparifying (definitely not a word) it. The only one I could find was just small and low quality. I was hoping for the original good one.
No, I have my sources. A bunch of these pictures I use are from a single game. It's not a very popular one (though it should be). That's the reason the art style is very close for most of my characters.
So far I've been lucky that a lot of them fit the descriptions for my characters to a "T".
Really lucky.
EDIT: I do drastically edit them though (just the t-shirt this time). The renders of the character I use for Clayr start out looking like a crosseyed idiot with a stupid headband. Now she's got kickass bangs and scowl.
I was going to make her older, but it would conflict with a story involving her that occurs when she is only 12. Kinda' hard to explain, just read Zoner Hearts when I finish it (or start it, for that matter...).
I think the surname is a dead givaway of her ethnicity.