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| Reepicheep, the Errol Flynn of the mouse world |
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| A 2023 repaint of the 2017 sketch of magnolias, to fix a number of resolution issues that couldn't be addressed with the old hardware |
I've been interested, as we run in toward Christmas, to try my hand at designing Christmas cards. Interesting! And along the way, a number of new digital painting techniques have come my way, and I wanted to try them out. The perfect image to go in and play around was Reepicheep ... my take on swashbuckling mouse from the land of Narnia. That was fun -- and the new techniques worked out well. It doesn't matter how long you've been painting, or how many paintings you've done, there's always sooo much more to learn!
The idea of using AI to create picture elements for compositing and painting, rather than shelling out pots of money for 3D props, is working out, and I have to credit Bing as being the AI to run with at this moment, if your pockets are not deep. Mine aren't, not anymore. My cash flew away and it's proving very difficult indeed to get it back. I can no longer afford the tons of new models and resources to support CG art, so ... here we are.
There's not much more to report ... but I will say this: my creative juices are starting to flow again, and I have a yen to get back to the story of Trouble, the rescue dragon who needs to go home, across the mountains, when he grows large enough to start making wrecking of the Consulting Mage's house. Enter the delectable Tomas, and Brianna, the mage's human descendants, and a gypsy wagon, the two magickal cats, Shadow and Ginger, and a quest into the west, and a passage through to an enchanted realm where the big dragons live ... all the elements are in place for a lovely story. All I need is the energy to get on and do it!
