Dana's Animated Mind

Whoever coined that phrase knew what they were talking about. You take a guy like myself, give him bronchitis, and what does he do? Does he sleep in bed? Does he eat chicken noodle soup? Does he sleep?

Hell no, He is sitting in front of his computer creating. On the bright side, the doctor gave me one hell of a dosage on antibiotics. In a way, I am greatful since I hate these damn infections, but man, the amount of yogurt I have to eat to offset things.

Yesterday, I finally got a license for Vegas 8 Pro and DVD Architect 4.5, and I began to play around. Now one of my pet peeves about DVD making software is they give you a pre-defined theme, or they give you little boxes that will be your video. That's it, that's all. That's all fine and dandy, but when it comes to having it look like the big boys it tends to scream "Home Computer".

Now this is the one time I will apologize if anybody misunderstands that. I am under the fond impression that a good deal can be done by todays home systems that is far more interesting then a big multimillion dollar budget. I think a lot of that has to do with that typical home users have to figure out how to solve an issue that normally take prosumer cameras, high-end audio, and sound stages that will create a world unreal. Some of it is quite innovative, and the effort can be seen.

But have you ever experienced MyDvd-ish type menu option, and go "I wish I had ..." I have made those statements now and then before I got DVD Architect. Now, another disclaimer, I only really started playing with it yesterday and I had the license (with upgrade) since 2005 I think I initally got it. You probably going "Holy hell...", but I would rather have the option should I need it then worry later and really need it.

The one thing that really draws me to it is the fact I can use a PSD file to import a menu. I have to remember to name layers in a particular fashion, but I like that option. What's happening that it is now playing on my strength to create pictures, rather then my weakness to understand deep bellies of DVDs. I did the above image in Carrara and Paint Shop Pro.

The possibilities are endless.

The day is ours.

Halloween can be a touchy subject to talk about depending on who you ask. For me, the older I get the more I get in with the spiritual sense of this day. Now, before you think I will thump the words “Burning Times”, you are barking up the wrong tree. For the first part of Heresy, I had to do research, and the balance of material I found really makes those harpers sound a little weak. Persecution is persecution.

So what do I believe? My considerable harsh criticism towards various christian points of view may sway you away from the fact I may be chrisitan, and that is good cause I am not. While I was baptized, I do not practice, endorse, or believe in the teachings lead by the Church. For starters, it is very hypocritical that they exclaim god loves all, then point our ills of the world on homosexuals. I could have sworn All was absolute with no exceptions. This is what my mastery of the English language has taught me.

Am I a Muslim? No. I have on issues with the Islamic religion with the exception for extremist. What the extremes do is dilute what the true core teachings are and corrupts them so people can be in power. Bold statemets? Perhaps, but take a look at the evidence that has been presented.

So what am I?

Am I a Wiccan or Witch? No. My insights and free will comes from not rituals, but rather just living my life as a free man. I respect Wiccans, but I am not amongst them.

To be honest, I have tried to find where I belong, and I think I found it. I am..me. I am one of those Agnostic fellows who don't follow religion, but a path none the less.

So how the heck do I celebrate Halloween/Samhein? Well, I just enjoy the day, and if visions or spirits visit them, I would offer them a greeting. So maybe that will explain Heresy a little better knowing the author/creator/whatever I am about my beliefs and feelings. Some of those images are a representation of my insights, demons, beliefs, feelings, and more.

Now I got to go back to creating. I am not done by a long shot...I will continue to tell the story til I cannot utter another word.

This is a subject that can be taken in many directions, so let take one. Anybody close enough to me knows that I am not shy to display a naked woman, and I am definitely not one who would be consider a prude. I watch and read occasional pornographic material, and do enjoy them.

Which brings us to what is considered Poser Porn. Well...for a long time, I always classified as one of those pictures where folks purchase poser, slap together a male and female figure without any alterations, put them in compromising positions. Geez, that almost sounds like efed posers without the compromising positions part. Sorry about that reference, but if you think about it.

However, obviously, Poser Porn has taken many other meanings over the years as people actually started getting good at this, and producing stuff that could be considered "Porn" in some avenues simply because she is tastefully naked with genitals showing somewhat.

My definition is quite simple:

Porn: When you see explicit description of bodily functions in a sexual manner. And yes, go to Renderotica, and you will see it in full glory there. Do I argue? Oh hell no, I have been a member for quite some time, and I never complain.

Erotica: A lot of folks get labeled under Porn when they should be here. The reason being is that a lot of it is actually a tasteful portrait of the human form. When I did the CG image in this (which I modified so no nipples are showing), the intent was to portray a very sensual part of CG rather rather than pornographic I could always have her lay on her back, and show a guy drilling her..but I got a particular style I adhere to a majority of the time.:)

So what is Poser Porn? Porn made with Poser. What is cheap trash? Ones who doesn't use the slightest bit of effort to give it class. I can forgive beginners because CG Art is a lot to chew, and they show tremendous effort trying to make it through the morning with it. However, I don't like the art created by those who continue to show the same style over and over and over. Same as all in art, show some growth. Show me some art...

Sometimes when you are doing animations, the systems you got in place just want to give you a headache. Since I have been dealing with tension headaches, this is bad. I have some animation I need to render out done, but just getting this program (carrara) to behave is a little bit of a nightmare.

So in the meantime, I have been doing stills with this picture being my latest. This was actually an exercise in global lighting with area lights. The light is actually a cube well above this girl with a glow on, and using Indirect light to finish the job. I think it came out decent, and it definately something I would like to keep working on as I explore and learn more about this craft.

You are probably thinking that I have been doing this since 1999, and what the hell happen in those lapse of years. The truthful answer is growing. After reactivating a drive to get pictures off it, I manage to run into older artworks (such as the one in the blog just below this one), and noticed a lot of changes between the way I render now and the way I did then.

Over the years, I learn many things about lighting, timing, posing, natural looks, and other nice things that brings technical merit to artistic style. That is something some artwork miss. They get too caught up on the technical stuff, they forget the artistic part of it. I use the technical to enhance my artistic vision, and if I use those two words again in this blog, shoot me. Just shoot me.

That should be what it is all about in whole scheme of things. Vision. It what brings us out of bed and make the creations we do. It isn't about the money, although there are a few that charge a pretty penny for it. It is possible about the glory, but it is a little more modest. We want to show the world what we can do, or better we want to show the world what is in our minds.

So everytime I create a picture, I am telling something unique and exciting. Something scary and disturbing. Possible I could also want an escape from the everyday grind and prove there is more to me then being a technical support agent. Why else would I do the most difficult task of animating as a sole animator, and why else would I take on the task of creating hot women? It's because it is something I love, and have fun doing. That why.

Here is a picture I made having a hell of a time thinking of what I was thinking. It was for Heresy, but didn't put it in..for some reason, and it was made in bryce (I think..more then likely as I didn't start using Vue til 2004 I think...)

I can't blame drugs cause this was after I endured many rounds of prednisone, imuran, and asacol deritives. Mainly it was clouds, with the jaw being made of many reflective squares, two lights and a little...camera work. I couldn't tell you how I did it nearly four years later, but it goes to show you what my mind was capable of then and now.

It has been a rough week at work. Monday I show up to work to find out that we will be supporting Dell Business XPS and Outbound is gone as we are taking personal ownerships of our calls. Imagine how fun that is.

Between the 20 minute wait time for calls (for the agents, not the clients), and occasional bad system that drives us nuts, it's been one of those weeks I was screaming by the end, and my only salvation was art. I started this Yesterday morning and completed it this morning.

It is a LITTLE over-exposed, but it works in some regards. Yes, as you can imagine, her hair is red. If you ever notice, I have a thing for redheads, so this one made me smile. Some go for blondes, I go for redheads.:)

Sometimes as an artist, or a writer for that matter, have to paint a picture that won't help people escape from their realities, but make them realize another. This morning, I was listening to "Something to Believe In" by Poison, and the third verse really gets to me. The first and second as well, but it is the "Poor" and "Rich" comparison that makes me wonder.

How often do I get off the highways, and see a homeless sitting on the corner with a sign, or hear millions of Headline news go on about it. What have we really done to alleviate this? I will say not enough, and get off my soapbox. After all, I am not a real political man, and I am not going to say you should do something I haven't done myself. I am not that much of a hypocrite.

This image is two faced really, because it could be a few different scenarios for this girl. Is someone coming to save her from the cold streets, or is someone coming for less pure intentions? Are those tears of fear or are they..?

This is the ugliest topic I have touch in quite a long time, but it is something that needed to be shown.

I wouldn't flip out just yet >:) This one is dated July 20th, 2001। Now I have art SOMEWHERE (I think on a external hard drive I turned off) that dates earlier, but what this goes to show is that I do have beginning

For what it is worth, it was good for the time and the skillset I had. So I have been using Poser for nearly 8 years, and I have learned quite a lot in that time frame. I may be a little harsh on those folks in earlier blogs as some only been doing it since 2002/2003/2005 (it's hard to remember which started when).

However, one things still remains true. If Art was some mass production, then what would we be inspired by?

Let's take another medium for example. Photography.
Would we be drawn to some awkward abundance of poloroid of some random nudity, or would something that was well framed and composed catch our eye? Given the current online media craze, I am suppose there is a simple answer there, but magazines like Playboy and Penthouse still remain productive, and I doubt it is the articles.

Who knows..maybe a couple of years and a few kick in the butts will get inspiration back into E-Fed posers. Not holding my breath, but you never know.

I showed this to someone, and they said "You must love doing this, don't you."

My answer to them "If I didn't love doing this, why would I keep doing this?"

His answer was "It's good to see someone who does Poser for Fun and Art, rather then a chore.

That answer kind of disturbs me. Now, to put a disclaimer up, I do not do Poser (or more accurate, 3d/CG as I use more then Poser) as a profession. At this present time, I work for Dell, and that is what I do from 9-6 Mondays through Fridays. So that means I am a hobbyist. One time, someone told me that "My hobbyist means I am not a serious artist". If you have garner anything about my attitude, I am sure you figured my response to said bozo.

So let put it this way, if I didn't enjoy what I do at Dell (I don't read a script, and I troubleshoot off my head), would I still be putting up with it after a year and three months? No, I would of found another job. Same with Poser, if I didn't enjoy it, I would of stopped doing it. The only time I didn't enjoy Poser was when I was either stoned or ill enough I couldn't concentrate, but when I can I enjoy creating.

If you read my other blogs entries, you know my feelings on E-Fed posers, but I think I found out why. They don't treat it for fun, they think it as a mass produce chore to make virtual people. This is possibly the answer to why they sometimes look like refuse. They don't enjoy the experimenting, the playing, and basically making a sizzling picture. It is a chore for them.

I don't think I will stop enjoying CG. It allows me to express (feel free to think of what I am expressing), and despite the fact some of the characters are for other folks then myself...I take great delight making them. So maybe these E-Feds should find someone who enjoys making Artwork, and unload that program off their machines before they go senile. Those are my thoughts.

I know, Dana quit your bitching. This character was re-done from an original creation by someone else...he knows who he is, and quite frankly, names do not need to be named. But the other problem that was pointed out...A good deal of E-Fed don't want to shake it up. They want the characters to look exactly the same, and quite frankly, I don't see the fucking point.

I think of it like promotional material, how will one character catch the eye in the sea of others? If they all look the same, who is really going to give a shit? That is a good deal of the reason why I do not make them all look the same, but rather shake it up a little. Use a scenery that is suitable for the character. For example, this dude is suppose to be hellspawned or something, so I figured a little fire wouldn't hurt. If you ask the original creature, he would want two high very intense lighting so he looks like a "Tekken". Umm... ok...whatever you say.

I even had someone rely a message to me that someone wanted a picture that uses Mexi/Maxi/whatever lights. I never heard of these, so I asked. As soon as they started explaining, I told them...No. For starters, I don't use the lights the same way. I could use bulbs, spotlights, distant lights, whatever necessary. Defaults is not an option >:)

You might go "Why are you so passionate about this", and the answer is really simple. Poser, despite it being simple, is an artistic tool that can sometimes not be used to it's fully potential. I won't deny that at one time I produced that kind of work where I would go "Geez I sucked" . I can't name one person who hasn't done that. In fact, I think a majority unless they are lucky, do. Even people who are awesome at traditional media open it up, and play with it before producing a nice beauty. But the folks who really get the most prestige for their work took the time to learn, to experiment, and to grow. When I look at some, I don't see much growth at all. It's sad really.

Well, I think the one thing that was a given that eventually I would improve. Sheila was actually a character created by my friend Kat for her Fed, BACW, which has turned into quite a productive venture. When people think of Poser's for E-Wrestling, they think of crappy unartistic stuff anybody can do by picking up the box at a local store one day, and playing with it. Don't get me wrong, I was at that level to, but I played with it to get myself to a level I like to be at.

Initially, I didn't do it for quite a long time (Making efed posers that is), because people tend to be demanding. If the balls weren't big enough, heaven forbid you have scorned them. The problem with some of these e-fed handlers is they don't appreciate the time and effort it takes to do this stuff, and the fact I don't get paid to do so means they should respect that I am doing something for them at all.

I didn't do it until Kat asked me to do one of her characters, so I did. I actually did three variations over the last two years, but then someone look at my art and said I make very nice female images. So I made a few more, then the endless cycle goes on.

Part of the issue with other feds is they don't take nearly as much time. The only time they spend quite a bit is to work on the textures, but I have learn over the learns textures is a small amount. There is composition, there is lighting, there is emotion, there..oh boy I could list all the things I learned over the learns and possibly bore you.:)

In case anybody reading, no I frankly don't give an honest rat ass if I piss some E-Fed poser artists off. If they don't like my opinion of their artwork, then well, too bad. If you whine "All I got is Poser 4", I have seen some amazing things done by people with JUST poser 4 (in my case, 6/7, and Carrara 6). As far as critiquing their work, I think it is safe to say I can show you what I got to safely say I don't like your completely.

Plus there is Daz Studio, which employs 3Delight. This is a Raytrace program that will help you tremedously.

My honest opinion is they treat Poser artwork as reference tools, rather then my usage as artwork. Yesterday, I only produced two images, but partially because the character for the other was already created. I was just modifying and putting in a different scene. This lady in this blog took me..oh god...quite a few dedicated hours and a lot of test shots in Poser, and a few in Carrara.

I really don't know what the issue is with some of those Efed Poser artists as people keep telling me "You are SO much better then...." I think you folks should honestly step up to the task, otherwise people might start going "But...why can't my posers look like his???" That's a tough one to explain.