Chanteur-de-Vent

Hi all,

Here I am again. I'm sorry I've been absent for almost four months, life has been kinda rough and complicated.

For people who don't yet know: I'm doing a PhD in physics. And I'm currently in my last year. Which is the year you're supposed to finish everything, write your thesis and hope you graduate. And also the year you realize all you've done before is not enough to write, so "just one more experiment". Even as lazy as I am, I've started working on the weekends and going home very late. 

All of this hasn't been very keen on my art or my ability to keep up with DA. So I've kept quiet and didn't really login here, knowing I should answer all the messages and look at all the deviations, not just post art. Which is a lot. 

So: I'm back for now. But I might disappear again for indefinite periods of time due to work. Please don't hold it against me. I really need to finish my PhD. If I can post, I'll post. If all I can do for a month is be a zombie whispering "beeeeeddd.... ", then I won't. I might be gone and then be back for a week or two. I don't know.

In any case - thank you so much for your continuous support! For all the new watchers and all the old watchers. It really means a lot to me, that even when I'm gone, people keep faving and commenting on my art.

PS: I've got 2526 deviations and 7293 group deviations in my inbox right now. And DeviantArt has this feature, that you can only comment 100 times per hour. Sounds like a lot, but I keep hitting that limit. Of course, not every deviation requires a comment, but a lot of them do. So you can imagine the amount of hours it will take me. I'll get around to every single one of them, I promise. Just not in one go.

Hi all,

Our wonderful group Deranged-Dares has been on a semi-summer lock-down for a couple of months, but is now up again and running.

For those who don't know about it yet: it's a group for creative challenges. Every month we post 2 challenges, which you could do if your Muse has a writer-block or if you want to step out of your comfort zone. All art forms are accepted. You don't have to participate in all of the challenges, you can just cherry pick the ones you like. Or do all of them just to see if you can!

Anyway, we started out quite small by just inviting some friends about two years ago. But now we're back with new challenges we would like to expand. So if you love to feel challenged, we'll be glad to see you join. 

Go check it out!


      

From now on I'm open to commissions.

How does it work?

1. Read the rules, makes sure what you want is something I do.
2. Check the pricelist and pick the format you're interested in.
3. Check the availability. If all slots are full you can always join the waiting list, but it will take longer.
4. Note me the following:
      A) The format
      B) The general visual description of your character(s)
      C) Reference pictures (if available) - this could even be a celebrity picture they look like
      D) Character/personality description
      E) Additional wishes about the scene and background (if applicable)

5. Wait for a confirmation. Even if I can't take on this commission (if I'm busy, if it's out of my comfort zone, if it's beyond my skill level) I will get back at you.

6. If we agree on the terms, information has been exchanged and both confirmed the commission, you will pay half of the price by PayPal.

7. You will get at least two WIPs from me: one per character design (clothes, face morph, hair) and one for the final
scene. If you're unhappy, the WIP will be re-worked till you are.

8. Once all WIPs are given a green light, I'll render the final scene and send you the watermarked smaller version.

9. Once you pay the second half you receive the final work

Rules:

1.  Things I do: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Contemporary, Male/Female humans, Centaurs, Demons, Angels, Couples, Humanoid aliens, Gothic.

2.  Things I don't do: MLP, Furries, Antro, Anime, Fetish or Mature Content Filter needing art, non-existing animal species, Fanart characters.

3. If something you want isn't mentioned in either of above, just ask. I don't bite.

4. I reserve the right to decline any commission.

5. I prefer to work with a pre-defined deadline. If I deviate from this deadline due to me being late, you receive a discount or a refund (depending on the situation). If I deviate from that deadline because a lot of communication has to take place (slow response on WIPs or several iterations because WIPs weren't what you had in mind) the price remains the same.

6. In case the commission can't be completed due to being stuck in the WIP stage (I just can't get what you want right) a refund will take place.

7. In case you dissappear and I can't reach you, I won't refund.

8. In case you were completely happy with the WIPs, but are horribly unsatisfied with the final work, I keep half of the payment (submitted at the beginning), but you don't have to pay the other half. You don't get the final picture.

9. The picture you get is for personal use. This includes using the picture for personal avatars or character reference
sheets. If you want to use it commercially, please ask, it's negotiable for an extra payment.

10. Per default I'm allowed to post the picture on my DA and/or DAZ gallery. If you want me not to do that, please mention it during initial negotiations.

11. I work in 3D, with DAZ assets. All of the used assets are purchased and properly licensed. If you don't like my medium for any reason, don't request a commission.

12. If any of the above rules seem unfair or unclear to you, you can always ask about it during negotiations. Sometimes I'm willing to make exceptions.

Price list (per character):

1.Head and Shoulders, blurred/simple background - 30 EURO

Examples:

2. Half-body, from the waist up, blurred/simple background - 40 EURO

Examples:

3. Full-body, blurred/simple background - 50 EURO

Examples:
 

4.Full-body, complicated scene, detailed background - 80 EURO

Examples:

Additional effects: snow/rain/magic, 5 EURO each:

Examples:


Additional characters get 50% discount.

Price list examples:

1. Alice wants a scene with a simple/blurred background and two characters from the waist up.
half-body 40 euro
half-body 40 x 0.5 = 20 euro
-------------------------
Total: 60 euro

2. Bob wants a scene with one full-body character, simple background and rain.
full-body 50 euro
rain 5 euro
-------------------------
Total: 55 euro

3. Eve wants a group portrait of her 5 full-body characters, simple background, in the snow and two of them are using
magic.
full-body 50 euro
full-body 50 x 0.5 = 25 euro
full-body 50 x 0.5 = 25 euro
full-body 50 x 0.5 = 25 euro
full-body 50 x 0.5 = 25 euro
snow 5 euro
magic 5 euro
-------------------------
Total: 160 euro

4. Quantum wants a scene with 3 full-body characters and a complicated background
full-body complicated 80 euro
full-body complicated 80 x 0.5 = 40 euro
full-body complicated 80 x 0.5 = 40 euro
-----------------------------------
Total: 160 euro

Don't worry, if you're not math savvy or are unsure which category your scene falls under, I'll give you a clear calculation and price once I know what kind of scene you want.

Availability

3 slots are open:
Available
Available
Available

Note: If you're a PA at DAZ, Rendo, Hivewire etc. and would like to commission an artistic promo, send me a note. I have a special offer for those. 

After what took almost 1,5 years of modeling, learning, re-modeling, letting it rest, taking it on again, finalizing and beta-testing, I finally got my first product to DAZ. A lot of work went into this baby, so it makes me proud to present it to the world:
www.daz3d.com/futuristic-glass…

         

There are more promo's available at the DAZ page. A big thank you to the beta-testers and a special thank you to mustakettu85 for making the 3Delight materials for this product. 

Let me know if you make renders with it, I would like to collect them in this journal. Just drop a comment or a note.

And party!  

Feature of other people's renders done with the set:
 

Some people asked me to do a tutorial on composition, and I'm way overdue, so here it goes.

Part 1: What is composition?
Basically composition defines where your attention goes. Generally it's the shape that forms if you outline all the attention points in a piece. So technically, every image has a composition. But not every piece has an eye-pleasing composition and not every image achieves the goal of bringing the eye of the viewer to the right places.

Theoretical example: suppose you have a girl and a lot of birds in the image. They are somewhere in a room full of books. You want the viewer to look at the girl and then notice the birds. If you have a proper composition, that will happen. If not, the viewer will notice the books, the room, get distracted and pass over the girl. He won't get the clear message of the needed attention points right away. And those few seconds he's confused and not understanding where to look at - those are usually when you lose the viewer. Especially on the internet, when he's not even looking at a full version, but at a small thumbnail.

So, to sum up: composition is ordering your attention points in a proper way so that the viewer's attention goes to the right points in your image.

Part 2: What kind of compositions are eye-pleasing and natural?
There are several compositions that are eye-pleasing and will form by themselves when possible. Has something to do with how we humand perceive the images. My advice is to try all of them just to see how they work.

Here's a list with examples:
1.Central:
Most obvious one. Basically have one attention point in the centrum and be done with it.


2.Symmetric:
Distribute your elements in a symmetrical way over the canvas. Every point should have a similar point on the other side of the symmetry axis.


3.Assymetric:
Fill up only one half of the picture with attention points, but leave the other side blank or less occupied.


4.Horizontal:
Let all the attention points follow the horizontal lines across the canvas.


5.Vertical
Let all the attention points follow the vertical lines across the canvas.


6.One third:
Divide the canvas in 9 squares and only put attention points in the cross points. Preferably only in one of them.


7.Golden ratio:
Divide the canvas by two lines, so that the bigger part of the cut is 1.62 (= phi) times the smaller part of the cut. Put your attention point at the crossing.



8.Diagonal:
Put your attention points along a diagonal line across the canvas.Especially good when you want a dynamic result.


9.Triangular:
Put your attention points in a triangle. Can be combined with symmetrical composition, by using a pyramid composition.


10.Over-all:
Put your attention points everywhere, unformilly divided over the canvas.


11.Circular:
Put your attention points on a circle.


12.Spiral:
Put your attention points on a spiral.


Part 3: How to shape a piece into a certain kind of composition
So you've got your scene set up, but instead of getting a triangular composition you get a triangle and an extra point somewhere else. Or maybe two extra points. Or maybe it's the other way around, your attention point is being swamped and doesn't get noticed.How do you change that?

There are several ways:
1.Color:
When everything is the same color, the other color will become noticed. So to make something stand out - give it a different color. To make something blend in - give it the same color as the environment. Just make sure your colors are limited. If you start giving everything a different color you'll end up with rainbows and peacocks.
   

2.Light:
Light objects pull attention. Usually that translates in whiter and lighter things to go to the eye first. Use your light and shadows to enhance and de-hance your attention points.
 

3.Details:
A detailed texture will pull more attention than a plain colored one. You want a piece of metal to pull attention, give it a more detailed texture. You want it to blend in - give it a plain colored texture without details.
 

4.Focus:
What's in focus is always more attention seeking that what's out of focus. Use soft focus filters and Depth of Field to leave your attention points in the middle of the focus and the rest out of it.
Bonus remark: if you let the focus slowly creep over the floor your eyes will follow from the most blurred area to the least blurred area. Great way to setup a path that leads to the culmination of the image.
 

5.Lines:
Wherever your lines go, your eyes are trained to follow. That's how line perspective works. So if you want something to be the center of attention, let the roads lead to Rome. Point the lines towards the attention point.
 


Notes:
Please use full view for the pictures, thumbnails are sometimes too small to see the difference. All renders performed with random props and using no tools like grid (for 1/3 or Golden Ratio), so they might be slightly off.

Let me know if I forgot anything.