The Cauldron

Good Lord!! I swear if I didn't know that you used Poser, and that this was not a real person, I would completely assume it was a photo!

Duchess, I am continuosly blown away by your work. Amazing. Just to look at how much you have improved on your already good work over the years that I have been here has been fantastic. I will say again that I really think you could do this for a living, and probably get rich in the process. I would buy your work in a heartbeat, and I am certain I am not alone.

 

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Avie pic by me.
Elwood: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.
Jake: Hit it. ~ The Blues Brothers (1980)

The hair is absolutely amazing. Actually, it looks just like mine when pulled back into a ponytail (highlights and full-colour wise).

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Av. used with permission from me, to me, by me, for me etc.

I may not have ended up where I intended to go, but I have ended up where I needed to be.

Thank guys, I cant take credit for the hairline part of the pony-tail; it's part of the texture, but I added in the tail itself and the stray hairs to make it look more realistic - lots of fun to do.

Val thanks - after this hideous week at work I wish it could be more than a hobby. Maybe one day.

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Wow, that girl is amazing.  I didn’t know Poser could output such realistic looking images of humans.  IMO it looks much more realistic than the girl in your current avatar.  And the second image looks much better than the first one (That was achieved just by messing with the hues?). 

I was just wondering...  Is there a more zoomed out shot of that girl?

My God, D, I think that is the most realistic one I have ever seen!  It's beautiful!!

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Avi is my family crest.

SIA; thanks. You're right - but the one on my avatar was never really meant to be realistic, she's a more toony character really. I generally don't aim to create realistic art, but every now and then I like to really challenge myself to see how well I can do it. I'm slowly getting to the standard I want. I'm afraid there isn't currently another version of her, but I will certainly be making one in the future and will post it here.

Thank you WB.

Niewen, AL - how are you finding DS? Did you find your way to the Daz forums yet for the tutorials etc there?

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I've looked at some of the tutorials, but not tons of them. I have to admit, I was disappointed to find that DAZ apparently doesn't have magnets like Poser does. I was really looking forward to using those. I've been getting some contributions from friends for DAZ content, since I don't have a whole lot of money to put into it. This is one I'm working on right now. It's a work in progress, though, and it will be updated as I get more materials and such.



Duchess, what exactly is Multiplane Cyclorama? Is it backdrops you can just stick in your scene? The times that you use Bryce (or was it just G that used Bryce?), do you do separate renders and stick your Poser on top of the Bryce? I have so many questions, and you're my only friend to answer them! My other friends don't know what I'm talking about, or they laugh at me or shake their heads in bewilderment. *shrug*

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Multiplane is just that - I always struggled a bit with using it in Poser, but it probably works heaps better in DS as it was made for it. I managed to get the lighting right for it once very well though here.

I didn't use Bryce, not sure G did either; we both preffered Vue. I have used the odd Vue background in my art, but not so much anymore because I like continuity in my lighting. My backgrounds are mostly created in photoshop these days.

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Vue! That's the one. Is my concept about how it works still correct, though? And as for not working well in Poser, well, I don't use Poser, I use DAZ.

I love her, D! It looks almost like a stained glass window.

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Lol - I know that Niewen; was just qualifying it within my experience; which if I am honest shows the product as a bit rubbish.

Glad you liked the picture - it's always been very special to me for many reasons.

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Personally I love Vue for the lighting quality.

But I think Duchess and I use it differently. Correct me if I'm wrong please Duchess. I think you create your backgrounds in Vue and then import them into Poser. Mostly that way anyway. I do it the other way around and create a pose in Poser and then import that into Vue. It does take a long time to render that way though.

And this is an oldie of mine.

You know I haven't even installed any of those on my new computer. Maybe I've kicked the addiction? Or maybe I just dont have the time anymore. LOL

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Ah, yes, I KNEW there was something else to get to!!!  Sorry, D, I remember (way back when) installing Daz on my computer, and then I think I ended up travelling so much in March that I never sat down with it.  But now it's April, and I should have some time!  Thanks for the reminder!

And OH WOW to your two photos of the girl with the freckles.  Just WOW!  VERY cool!

And G:  I LOVE the unicorn!  (Always been a big fan of horses, unicorns, and that sort of thing!)

Nah, on the rare time I did use a Vue background (only ones I can think off being Fin and Spring Air ) I had exported the Poser image as a .png and worked on the layers in photoshop; way better control that way. I haven't rendered over a background in Poser since I got Poser 6 a couple of years ago.

In my proper Vue pics I always created the scene in Poser and then exported to Vue - it's pretty standard. Although I have been struggling a bit with Vue 6 since I got it; it's a more delicate beast than Vue 5. Anyhow; you don't get the full advantage of Vue lighting if you don't import to the scene and I do like to create the odd pure Vue pic.

It's a shame you haven't been doing anything with Vue, G. You used to quite enjoy it and I always enjoyed your pics. I still like to keep at it or I'll get stale. V4 is really awesome too - no excuse for all those expressionless Poser pics now from people.

I got a note yesterday from some muppet at Deviants asking if I could give Poser and Vue to him and teach him how to use it. My reply was the rofl icon. Sheesh - some people; as if I have $500 spare and hours of time to nurse him through it. Reminded me of the WoW bank beggers.

Thanks AL - it's always fun to try something new and glad you liked the freckles.

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W00t! Two pics in the Daz Monthly Galleries this month. *Doing the hayyp dance* That's a first for me. One was Lunge the other was this one:

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Grats, Duchess! I can see why this one is included. I love the way you worked with lighting in this one. The shadow of her hand seems perfect. I love the tone of her skin and how you've added just the right aray of colors to her hair for it to be a natural color. Well done!!

And LOL at the guy asking for Poser. Did he want you to create some of "his" art for him too?

"Hey, D, could you come install WoW for me? Oh and could you get me lots of gold, Purple items, my Epic and Flying mounts and level me to 70, too? That's be great, thanks!"

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Avie pic by me.
Elwood: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.
Jake: Hit it. ~ The Blues Brothers (1980)

Thanks Val - and yeah that's about the extent of it. Plus, please could I pay for the monthly subscription too? Honestly, the cheek of it was so ridiculous it was funny.

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And now for something a bit more Gothic.

The Black Bride. Named for the Arathi Basin Horde Battlemaster.

Am a bit tired now - but will look again in the morning to see if I like it, it's just some fun really.

[Edit: added some grass and some more postwork...]

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The look in her eyes is creepy.  I think my favorite part is the background: the deep reds and the black branches (?).  It is so intricate that I had to turn my monitor to see the faint shadow images.  Hidden pictures in the picture.  Great job, D!

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"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."
~Edgar Allan Poe
"Darest thou now O Soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for feet Nor any path to follow."
~Walt Whitman
~Avatar made by Me, madhatter.

And look! She has a little (steel) surprise for her groom behind her back! Bet he'd think twice about leaveing her at the alter!

Very creepy, D! Good Work!

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Avie pic by me.
Elwood: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.
Jake: Hit it. ~ The Blues Brothers (1980)

I like the first girl better---especially that little mole above her lip.  I also like the “I’m so hot that I think I’m going to stare off in this direction and pretend no one is staring at me” pose that she is using.  And I don’t know if you chose the color of the dress, but that was a nice touch.

Duchess wrote:

I decided to go back to my doodle and give it a bit more attention, I really wanted to work more on the sky, make the girl less shiny and add a little more interest to the scene. Someone at Deviants said she looked like an otherworldly shepherdess and I like that idea. I may silhouette some distant dragons playing in the sky if I feel like it. 

Oh, and I just noticed the above Poser girl (from page 4) who is standing on the plateau against a pink sky holding a cane and wearing what seems to be a wind defying bra (because her hair is clearly blowing, but I cannot figure out why her bra is not.  There is no connecting mechanism in the front (I examined it really closely and extensively).

 

And IMO it is not possible to add more interest to that scene.  

 

And does Poser not allow you to make guys?  Not that I’m complaining---for the love of god, please do not stop making hot girls---please. *you can just ignore this entire post*