darkermusings - it's all about the art

Major Catch Up

Mel — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:34:15 +0000

This image was created for the Global Render Challenge over at Poser Addicts on DA. This was so far out of my comfort zone, the only thing further out would have been scifi. I spent a lot of time on this one, I actually lost count of how many hours. I was more or less happy with the end result, and it did take first place. I snagged some very cool prizes too! So the work was worth it. A big thank you to the judges and the generosity of the folks who donated prizes!!

It’s been weeks and weeks since I have posted anything in this blog. I have done so much art since then, I suppose I should do a small catch up. Well, small in the sense that I could not actually post everything. There is so much to post, I do not really have the time to make a bunch of individual posts. I’m in the midst of multiple design projects for clients and for myself.
There are a number of new images in my personal gallery, and a lot of new images in my designer gallery. I think my favorite of the stuff in my personal gallery is “The Snake Charmer.” She turned out very well, though the lighting in that one was a killer. I would have to say that “In the Time of Legends” is my favorite in my designer gallery. It’s just one of those incredibly romantic pieces that I create now and again. So for those who follow, peruse at your leisure.

Winter is finally breaking here -thank the Gods for that- and early spring is always inspiring. Hopefully I will have some time for art in the coming weeks. I have some wonderful images in my head I would love to try working with. One of them is from a painting inspired by Sir Francis Dicksee. I do not want to make a replica of it, just one that was inspired by it. I already know what it will look like, I just have to work on it. “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” is the name of the painting. I have been in love with the painting for all of my adult life. It won’t be easy, but I’m looking forward to working on this. It will most likely take a few months or more.
Plus I would like to make “The Face of Spring” to continue with my faces of the seasons series. Fall and Winter are posted in my designer gallery. This one is far, far less work than the one mentioned above. No doubt it will show up in my gallery a lot sooner.

The Winds of War

Mel — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:06:12 +0000

I have not posted in quite a while, I had been far too busy to post anything. What little extra time I had, I have been making art. Just have not had time to post.
This piece was an exercise in painting and so forth, nothing particularly special about it, save I do love my warriors. I did truly enjoy creating it though.

Click on the thumbnail for a full view. You must have javascript enabled in order to open and view the whole image. The image is less than half the original size. To close the window, click on the close tab down in the bottom, right corner. This artwork cannot be used for personal or commercial purposes without a licensing fee. This image contains a visible watermark as well as an embedded digital ID and it is registered with Digimarc Corporation in my name. An embedded digital ID means my images are invisibly marked with my name and copyright information. Licensed version does not contain a visible watermark.

The high resolution, full size version of this image is available for personal and commercial use. It is posted in my commercial member gallery.

Commercial gallery

Mirror, Mirror

Mel — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:06:33 +0000

It’s an old story, with two very different movie variations. One is rather sweet, the other, well not so much. Regardless, it is one of the few fairytales I always loved. I could not resist making this, and might even make a second version.

The high resolution, full size version of this image is available for personal and commercial use. It is posted in my commercial member gallery.

Commercial gallery

The Long Winter’s Sleep

Mel — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:55:16 +0000

I was walking the dog one day, up here on the mountain, enjoying the crisp, cooler air and imaging how lovely the forest will soon be, all decked out in vibrant fall colors. My imagination took the leap of things going to sleep for the winter, and I thought what if dryads and so forth sleep during the winter? Granted, they are legends and myths, but even so, what if the do?
That is the inspiration for this image, one that I enjoyed creating. Autumn and winter are my favorite times of the year.

The high resolution, full size version of this image is available for personal and commercial use. It is posted in my commercial member gallery.

Commercial gallery

Defiance

Mel — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:44:15 +0000

I love working with Vue, I really do. The results that can be achieved are rather mind blowing at times. The only thing that I did not like all that much was the way Vue handles skin materials from inside Poser. When I upgraded my Vue application recently, I made the additional purchase of Skin Vue 7. Love it. Absolutely love it. It makes a huge difference and was worth the money. I made this image just to test the application, and as you can see below, it really did make a difference.

Click on the thumbnail in order to view the image in my personal gallery. The full size version cannot be seen without user registration. This image contains an embedded digital ID and it is registered with Digimarc Corporation in my name. An embedded digital ID means my images are invisibly marked with my name and copyright information. This image can be used on your personal web site or for your RPG character or cropped to use for an avatar, or any other personal use, online or off. No commercial use is allowed.

These are raw preview renders, no post work. This is the first time I played with the application.