Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Yes, I know, this blog is being dreadfully neglected -- to the point where I wonder if it can be salvaged, or if it would be easier to launch another. But no, I haven't given up art, even though I'm writing more and more ... and it's fair to say, the kind of art I'm doing lately is rather different. 

If you'd like to see almost everything I produce, you can see it right here, where I post to the Renderosity Group on Facebook. And if you're curious about what I'm writing, and where it's being published (yes, I'm being published), check out my writing blog, which is loaded with art as well as free reads, and reprints of things that appeared in print some time ago, plus announcements on those (admittedly fairly rare, still) occasions when a story is being published. 

On this troubled New Year's Eve, let me take a moment to wish everyone a safe New Year, and I'll add a personal wish. May 2022 be a garden, tranquil, restful, peaceful, filled with the scent of flowers, the hum of bees, birdsong, and a cat on the lap or a dog at feet, or both. To family and friends everywhere -- be happy, be safe. And as the saying goes, "See you next year."

A grab bag of September goodies

Another grab bag of recent goodies. Sooo many images, and so little time to post them here. If you're interested in seeing most of what I do, I'm on the Renderosity group on Facebook; most of my images land there. I don't work in Studio every day, but several times a week, when I get the chance, I go fifteen rounds with Iray. The truth is, it isn't working properly yet, and one could grow old and die, waiting for DAZ Tech Support to answer. I've been waiting three weeks so far, just for an email reply. Something about being patient?

The images accumulate to the point where it's actually quite difficult for me to figure out what I've posted here, and what I haven't! I'm trawling through folders, wondering what I forgot. And yet I'm getting about half as much done as I would if Iray were working properly. It's ironic. We built a system so powerful, it should render anything -- one doesn't believe how fast it is ... and yet with the render engine misbehaving, it's as if the computer is doing less and less faster and faster!

With Iray refusing to shake hands with the rebuilt PC, I'm starting to wonder if I should investigate Blender as a render option. DAZ has a "bridge," via which you can export items to Blender, and then o course the other program has a built in, proprietorial render engine called Cycles. I've had a look around the work Cycles produces, and it's ... impressive. But questions remain. How much work is involved in redoing all the surface textures? Because Cycles won't recognize Iray shaders! And I know for a fact, the learning curve is a steep line pointed straight up. Which is why I'm still wrestling with Iray...

There's more ... a lot more ... but that's enough for now! I'll upload again, when I get the time to blog. And in the meantime, if you're interested, this link will take you to my specific page on the Renderosity group on Facebook, and you'll see most of what I do right there. As they say, "Thanks for looking!"

So much art, so many pictures, so little time for posting anything these days! This has been a time of computer issues, software issues, frustration, exasperation ... what can you say? You do what you can, and "solider on," as always. Alas, something has to go on the back burner, and these days, what I usually have to let go is blogging, which seems a bridge too far in this day and age of Facebook. Someone said to me the other day, "Nobody blogs anymore." I don't think that's true; but 99% of everything now seems to be Instagram and Facebook...

So we'll play catch-up a little here, and post a motley assortment of images from the last month or so. There's no theme, no "thyme or reason" to this; and they certainly aren't included here in order of rendering! Just images, for the pleasure of images. I'm actually thinking of slithering sideways into Instagram. I've joined three or four art groups on FB; it's interesting to show you work where people can comment on it, like it -- or utterly ignore it. I've been wondering for a long time if people are much more about instant ratification -- "shut up and show me the pictures." Blogs aren't well set up for that; they're about ... blogging. Writing and reading. But Facebook and Instagram are ideal platforms for "shut up and show me the pictures."  Hmmm.

I'll stop here, and post again in a few days, play catch-up some more, with another assortment of images. I'll try not to let the grass grow ...! But honestly, this last month has been such a catalog of dismay as first the new computer went haywire, and then the software! I opened a customer support ticket at DAZ, but to date nothing has come of it -- and they're overdue now. Till next time then ...

Sword masters, mages and -- cats!

Lucky I took a look at the DAZ House Cat this morning ... it's on sale right now, and so are several of the packs of poses. So I treated myself to a few items (inexpensive; the lot added together came to $27) and here's the result --

This is delicious! I'd have to call this picture "Irreverence." This is the Mage's study, with all his massive magic books. He's studying dragon-lore (if you could see the open book in CU, you'd see the pictures), and does his cat care? Not a jot! "Let's just roll in the sun on thid big leather book, and maybe I'll sharpen my claws on it!" It's actually a lovely figure:

Ooooh, the possibilities are endless! I'm going to enjoy this. I've just about caught up with images posted here. There's just a few more, the first of which is a set called The Guildhall, with special lighting set up -- Iray loves it.

So I'll have a pleasant afternoon, playing with my new kitty cat! So I'll sign out here, and --!

A new CPU -- and we're back in business here!

 

It's been an eventful anxious and expensive couple of weeks since the last time I posted. My computer entered a "infinite boot loop," which is exactly what it sounds like. It's been in the workshop twice, and four hundred dollars later, its home with a new CPU and ... fixed. The new CPU makes it astonishingly fast, so I'm far from unhappy; the four hundred bucks is another matter!

Now I'm trying to catch up with myself, and not let all those images slip out of my memory -- I had about twenty ideas while the computer was in the shop; now, of course, I can't remember most of them! Well, they'll come back to me eventually -- I hope. So --

-- I'll just start over, and enjoy being able to do this again. Not being able to for a couple of weeks made me realize how much I enjoy this, and how much I actually need art as a creative outlet. Fantasy is very much on my mind at the moment, probably because of the book I'm reading, so --

-- here's a number of V4 and G8F characters and scenes, and tomorrow I have a raft of G8M scenes, and a couple of M4 characters to catch up with. For now, though --

-- numerous experiments are going on here ... water, dForce, shaders, sun-sky lighting ... all kinds of good stuff that goes to "make" images, though props and characters are the last things being experimented with. I'll post in a day or two, with a raft of new stuff. And yes, I

m loving the new CPU!