Unless you're one of those few who know me from my former life writing cheesy LoK fanfics over on Fanfiction.Net, you probably don't know I have any interest in writing.  The truth is, I never thought I'd get my artwork published before my writing.  Weird old world, innit?  

To all the Poser users out there:  I'd be interested to know how many actually use Poser for rendering.  I've just posted my thoughts on my blog here.  I'd love to hear your opinions.




Thanks to everyone who entered, and for all the top-quality entries we received. All entries can be seen in this folder.

First Prize



Winning Entry:

Gallery Features:

     


Second Prize



Winning Entry:

Gallery Features:

   


Third Prize



Winning Entry:

Gallery Features:

   



LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

Thanks to everyone who entered, and for all the top-quality entries we received. All entries can be seen in this folder.

First Prize



Winning Entry:

Gallery Features:

     


Second Prize



Winning Entry:

Gallery Features:

   


Third Prize



Winning Entry:

Gallery Features:

   



LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

Update!! Thanks to everyone who entered, and for all the top-quality entries we received. You guys have some SCARY ideas!

All entries can be seen in this folder.

First Prize



This one took the cake - the evil, blood-soaked cake with severed toes instead of candles!  

conjured a world of nightmares that played to that wonderfully ingrained fear of leaving your feet unprotected in bed.  I've got to say, even in my worst nightmares, I never saw anything QUITE as horrific as a bunch of razor-toothed evil clowns hell-bent on crunching my toesies!  Fantastic work, and congrats on your prizes!

Prizes

From - announcing of the winners in the group journal - PLUS more prizes below!

2000 DA Points
Commission from =SeedyDeedee (max 2 characters, simple background)
3 month journal feature in =SeedyDeedee's journal
From #3D-i-VISION - Inclusion of the image in the group's 'Featured' folder
From #3D-i-VISION - Feature of the artists in the group journal
Commission by (1 character + backround/scene)
Critique & feature of the image by

Second Prize

Second prize goes to for his chilling depiction of TEETH FALLING OUT!  ARGH!  

Prizes
1400 DA points
Commission from =SeedyDeedee (1 character, simple background)
1 month journal feature  in =SeedyDeedee's journal
From #3D-i-VISION - Inclusion of the image in the group's 'Featured' folder
Critique & feature of the image by

Third Prize


Third prize goes to for his uber-scary monster in the cellar picture.  The point of view totally rocks in this one, and adds to the feeling of helplessness the protagonist must be feeling.

Prizes
600 DA Points
1 month journal feature in =SeedyDeedee's journal
From #3D-i-VISION - Inclusion of the image in the group's 'Featured' folder

We had a fantastic bunch of entries for the competition, and we had a heck of a time picking the winners - everyone made some amazing art.  You can see all the entries here: Worst Nightmare Competition Entries

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone for entering!



LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

Update!! 18-03-13: Contest ends today!

Update!! 04-03-13:Competition deadline extended by 2 weeks to 18th March 2013.  There's still time to submit an entry!

You can see the entries so far here.

Update!! 25-01-13: TONS of new prizes courtesy of #3D-i-VISION

Update!! 20-01-13: POINT PRIZES DOUBLED!

=====================

What's your worst nightmare?

An evil clown hiding under your bed?  A zombie horde at your door? A tarantula scuttling up your chest in the night?

We want to see it! Let your imagination run wild and show us what scares you most!

Sponsored by , this competition is open to images made with any *3D software*

Rules
Entries must show a nightmare scenario.
Artwork must be made with 3D software.  Postwork is allowed, but the main body of the work must be made using 3D software
Please give credit where credit is due
Please only submit art made especially for the competition
Max 2 entries per person
Deadline is Midnight GMT on 28th February 2013

Entries
To enter, upload your image into your gallery here on Deviantart
Send me a note entitled 'Worst Nightmare Contest Entry, with a link to your deviation

All entries will then be added to this folder.

Judging
Judging will be based on:
Your imagination in creating your nightmare artwork
Bonus points for humour or interesting twists and takes on the theme

It will be open to all levels of artists, from beginners to experts, so skill level will not be a factor.

Prizes

From - announcing of the winners in the group journal - PLUS more prizes below!

First Prize
2000 DA Points
Commission from =SeedyDeedee (max 2 characters, simple background)
3 month journal feature in =SeedyDeedee's journal
From #3D-i-VISION - Inclusion of the image in the group's 'Featured' folder
From #3D-i-VISION - Feature of the artists in the group journal
Commission by (1 character + backround/scene)
Critique & feature of the image by

Second Prize
1400 DA points
Commission from =SeedyDeedee (1 character, simple background)
1 month journal feature  in =SeedyDeedee's journal
From #3D-i-VISION - Inclusion of the image in the group's 'Featured' folder
Critique & feature of the image by

Third Prize
600 DA Points
1 month journal feature in =SeedyDeedee's journal
From #3D-i-VISION - Inclusion of the image in the group's 'Featured' folder

If anyone would like to donate any prizes to this competition, please note me.

Worst Nightmare Competition Entries




LinkedIn
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Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

*umasalazar - Alastriz
~KilljoyMcNasty - RP picture

Commission Information 2013
If you would like to commission some artwork, please read the information below before requesting anything.

Please remember that when you commission a piece, you are committing to paying money via Paypal for custom-made digital artwork. Please ensure that you have the funds and access to a Paypal account before you make a request.

IMPORTANT
If you are under 18 and/or do not have your own bank / Paypal account, please ensure you have the agreement & permission of the person whose account you will be using before commissioning work.

Your Commission Details
Please give as much detail as possible about what you want. Never assume that the image I get in my head from a description like 'I want a picture of a vampire' will be the same as what's in yours.

If you have very specific requirements for your image (e.g. character has multi-coloured techno-dreadlocks that are part hair, part lumnous feather, part self-aware cybernetic organism, or very detailed clothing or tatoos that need precise reproduction), the cost may be higher.  I will let you know if this applies once I have read your request.

I will do: anything with a fantasy, horror, sci-fi, gothic or otherwise otherworldly theme.
I will not do: chibi, yaoi, yuri, slash, anthro.

Terms of Business for Commission Pieces
1.You will provide the requirements for your commission piece
2.We will agree costs
3.I will provide (an) electronic proof(s) with watermarks
4.For commissions of $40 or over, 50% is payable in advance, and 50% on completion.
5. For commissions under $40, for new commissioners, 100% is payable in advance. For existing commissioners, 100% is payable on completion.
6.Once payment has been received, I will release the final version without watermarks in the agreed format.

Prices
DA 'Mates Rates': These prices are exclusive to DA members!

1 character with a simple background (e.g. a wall / fog / plain colour, with no other visible props / items): $15
$15

1 character with a complex background (e.g. outdoors with specific buildings and/or props in the background; indoors in a particular setting with appropriate props): $25
$25

2 characters with a plain background: (e.g. a wall / fog / plain colour, with no other visible props / items) $35
$35

2 characters with a complex background (e.g. outdoors with specific buildings and/or props in the background; indoors in a particular setting with appropriate props): $45
 $45

3 - 4 characters. Pricing varies depending on the complexity of the scene, and the variations of characters / clothing involved, but generally from $60.00 - $100.00.
  $60.00 - $100.00.

Many characters: Price on request.


Prints:
I am currently recommending either that I upload here and you purchase the print through DeviantArt, or that you arrange printing through a local copy-shop or online Photo Printing service.

Payment Methods
Paypal is my preferred method of payment.

Copyright Information:
Unless otherwise agreed, I retain all rights to the final image, including the rights to display it online. When you purchase a commission, you are not purchasing the right to produce any printed material based on that image.



LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

See all the latest info in the updated journal entry here!

=====================

What's your worst nightmare?

An evil clown hiding under your bed?  A zombie horde at your door? A tarantula scuttling up your chest in the night?

We want to see it! Let your imagination run wild and show us what scares you most!

Sponsored by , this competition is open to images made with any *3D software*

Rules
Entries must show a nightmare scenario.
Artwork must be made with 3D software.  Postwork is allowed, but the main body of the work must be made using 3D software
Please give credit where credit is due
Please only submit art made especially for the competition
Max 2 entries per person
Deadline is Midnight GMT on 28th February 2013

Entries
To enter, upload your image into your gallery here on Deviantart
Send me a note entitled 'Worst Nightmare Contest Entry, with a link to your deviation

All entries will then be added to this folder.

Judging
Judging will be based on:
Your imagination in creating your nightmare artwork
Bonus points for humour or interesting twists and takes on the theme

It will be open to all levels of artists, from beginners to experts, so skill level will not be a factor.

Prizes

From - announcing of the winners in the group journal - PLUS more prizes below!

First Prize
2000 DA Points
Commission from =SeedyDeedee (max 2 characters, simple background)
3 month journal feature in =SeedyDeedee's journal
From #3D-i-VISION - Inclusion of the image in the group's 'Featured' folder
From #3D-i-VISION - Feature of the artists in the group journal
Commission by (1 character + backround/scene)
Critique & feature of the image by

Second Prize
1400 DA points
Commission from =SeedyDeedee (1 character, simple background)
1 month journal feature  in =SeedyDeedee's journal
From #3D-i-VISION - Inclusion of the image in the group's 'Featured' folder
Critique & feature of the image by

Third Prize
600 DA Points
1 month journal feature in =SeedyDeedee's journal
From #3D-i-VISION - Inclusion of the image in the group's 'Featured' folder

If anyone would like to donate any prizes to this competition, please note me.

Worst Nightmare Competition Entries




LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

Commission list is full for the time being.  Reopening once the current batch is done.

January 2013 batch:

for
Commission 2 for ~devianttwins14 - Done.  Awaiting payment
Commission 3 for =RipperBlackstaff - Done and sent.
Commission 4 for *RayNoir - Awaiting details

Commission Information 2013
If you want your very own commissioned picture of whatever you like (within reason!), please read the information below, especially the bits about what I will and won't do, payment and copyright issues before requesting any work, as they're important.

Pease remember that when you commission a piece, you are committing to paying money, probably via Paypal, for custom-made digital artwork. Please ensure that you have the funds and the means (i.e. access to a Paypal account) to pay for the work before you request it.  If you are under 18 and do not have your own bank / Paypal account, please ensure you have the agreement / permission of the person whose account you will be using before commissioning work.

Pricing
DA 'Mates Rates': These prices are exclusive to DA members!
Prices vary for different projects / file types, but as a rough guide for a commissioned piece of artwork:

Electronic only:
1 character with a simple background (e.g. a wall / fog / plain colour, with no other visible props / items): $15
$15

1 character with a complex background (e.g. outdoors with specific buildings and/or props in the background; indoors in a particular setting with appropriate props): $25
$25

2 characters with a plain background: (e.g. a wall / fog / plain colour, with no other visible props / items) $35
$35

2 characters with a complex background (e.g. outdoors with specific buildings and/or props in the background; indoors in a particular setting with appropriate props): $45
 $45

3 - 4 characters. Pricing varies depending on the complexity of the scene, and the variations of characters / clothing involved, but generally from $60.00 - $100.00.
  $60.00 - $100.00.

Many characters: Price on request.


Additional costs
If you have very specific requirements for your image (e.g. character has multi-coloured techno-dreadlocks that are part hair, part lumnous feather, part self-aware cybernetic organism, or very detailed clothing that needs precise reproduction), the cost may be higher.  I will let you know if this applies once I have read your request.

XE.com's Universal Currency Converter

Before you request a Commission
Please read all the commission info below carefully before requesting a commissioned piece. Thankies!

What sort of file types can be commissioned?
Character portraits, book covers, CD Covers, poster images, flyers, avatars, signature banners, DA icons, logos, promo banners, etc etc. Contact me for enquiries about pricing for any other file types / artwork.

I will do: anything with a fantasy, horror, sci-fi, gothic or otherwise otherworldly theme. This includes pics of vampires, angels, demons, men, women, men and women, nudes (tasteful, of course!), and anything else that fits the above bill.

I will not do: chibi, yaoi, yuri, slash, anthro. I don't do things well if I have no interest in them.

Devil in the Detail
Please give as much detail as possible about what you want. Never assume that the image I get in my head from a description like 'I want a picture of a vampire' will be the same as what's in yours!  To avoid disappointment, tell me as much as you can about what you want the character(s) and their environment to look like. If you have a specific image in your mind of their face, their weapons, their clothing etc, then please tell me. If you have sketches of them, send them. If you have a picture of someone who looks like them, or of any of the items or the location you want in the picture, then send them along. It all helps!

A commission detail form can be downloaded here if you need prompting for the sort of details I mean.

Payment Methods
Paypal is my preferred method of payment.

Important
Pease remember that when you commission a piece, you are committing to paying money, probably via Paypal, for custom-made digital artwork. Please ensure that you have the funds and the means (i.e. access to a Paypal account) to pay for the work before you request it.  If you are under 18 and do not have your own bank / paypal account, please ensure you have the agreement / permission of the person whose account you will be using before commissioning work.

I do accept cheques and money orders, but be aware that there will be a delay in receiving your commission as the un-watermarked version will not be released until the funds have cleared.

Prints:
I am currently recommending either that I upload here and you purchase the print through DeviantArt, or that you arrange printing through a local copy-shop or online Photo Printing service.

You can also buy ready-made prints, mousemats, calendars, mugs, coasters, postcards and more direct from my Store

Terms of Business for Commission Pieces
1.You will provide the subject and specify your requirements for the general look and feel of the piece
2.We will agree the timescale
3.We will agree final production format, i.e. electronic (various formats available) or print
4.We will agree costs
5.For commissions of $40 or over, 50% is payable in advance, and 50% on completion.  For commissions under $40, 100% is payable on completion.
6.I will provide (an) electronic proof(s) with watermarks
7.Once payment has been received, I will release the final version without watermarks in the agreed format.

Copyright Information:
Unless otherwise agreed, I retain all rights to the final image, including the rights to display it online. When you purchase a commission, you are not purchasing the right to produce any printed material based on that image.



LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

My King Conan piccie just got Image of the Week on RDNA. Much squeeeeeeeage!



LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

Something really bizarre just happened. I had the Poser Pro Flash Library open, and I was dropping 4 items into my scene - while also opening Daz|Studio... so it appears my programmes got a bit confused, and I dropped the items from Poser's library into Daz!

Hmmm... having tried again a couple of times, it just *works*.

Goodbye to my issues with Daz's stupid library structure - I'll just use Poser's!!!!





LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

Bonne année!  !Feliz ano nuevo!  Blwyddyn newydd dda! Prost Neujahr! Buon anno! Boldog új évet!



LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

Probably not going to be online much over Christmas, so have a great one!



LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

158158 Kiriban claimed by - Pic of Dario



LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

Co-Founder of Mistress of Smut at

Yet more ramblings in my blog here on my experiments with exporting from Daz|Studio.  I got version 4.5 tonight as well - got a lovely fatal error message on closing...

Commissions / Trades / Requests
I'm not currently taking on any work, either paid or unpaid, until I get my arty feet back under me. I've done far too much of it in the last 3 years and I need a break!

Commissions Status: CLOSED.
Collaborations Status:CLOSED.
RequestsStatus:CLOSED.
Art Trades Status:CLOSED.

My interview with 3D Art Direct is available here.





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LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

If I want any hope of using Genesis (since I can't get that DSON importer for Poser to work, despite all my forum trawling), then I may have to bite the bullet...  My thoughts on Daz|Studio after using it for a while this week are in my blog here.

Commissions / Trades / Requests
I'm not currently taking on any work, either paid or unpaid, until I get my arty feet back under me. I've done far too much of it in the last 3 years and I need a break!

Commissions Status: CLOSED.
Collaborations Status:CLOSED.
RequestsStatus:CLOSED.
Art Trades Status:CLOSED.

My interview with 3D Art Direct is available here.





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LinkedIn
If anyone out there is on linked in and wants to connect, here's my page: Deedee's LinkedIn Page

I found a really good tutorial today on lighting in Daz|Studio.  The results of my playings around today can be seen in my blog here.

There's a slight possibility I might do a Daz|Studio render or two at this rate.  Maybe...

Commissions / Trades / Requests
I'm not currently taking on any work, either paid or unpaid, until I get my arty feet back under me. I've done far too much of it in the last 3 years and I need a break!

Commissions Status: CLOSED.
Collaborations Status:CLOSED.
RequestsStatus:CLOSED.
Art Trades Status:CLOSED.

My interview with 3D Art Direct is available here.





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LinkedIn
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I'm sort of back, I think.  I've drafted my random fantasy novel and I'm letting it stew for a bit before going back to it and ripping all the crap out and making it make sense.  

In the meantime, I've been rummaging through old unfinished renders, junking stuff, and finishing off stuff I left half-done.  I really couldn't stand the thought of doing anything art-related, and particularly not anything computer-generated for a while there, but last weekend I had a bit of inspiration and duly sicked it all up.  We'll see how long it lasts!

Anyhew, in the meantime, I've been thinking about making some more tutorials, and I've had some suggestions from some helpful people.   I've made a list below, which doesn't include any requests for Daz|Studio-specific tutorials, as I know next to nothing about it and only use it under sufferance when I want to play with Reality (ROLL ON NEXT MONTH WITH REALITY FOR POSER!)

Here's the list (I did have hair on it too but I've sent that particular person over to 's awesome hair-painting tut) :

Lighting (dynamic / HDRI / general)
Fire
Dynamic cloth in Carrara
Composition
Render settings
Rendering
Program-based tutorials
MAT creation

I'm thinking I might start with post-processing, but it'll be more a collection of tips and suggestions than a tutorial.

Is there anything else that might be useful?

Commissions / Trades / Requests
I'm not currently taking on any work, either paid or unpaid, until I get my arty feet back under me.  I've done far too much of it in the last 3 years and I need a break!

Commissions Status: CLOSED.
Collaborations Status:CLOSED.
RequestsStatus:CLOSED.
Art Trades Status:CLOSED.

My interview with 3D Art Direct is available here.





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LinkedIn
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I did an interview with Paul Bussey this week from 3D Art Direct.  It's entitled How to create digital character art with impact.

In the interview we cover:-

How to create art with impact. Does less really mean more? eBook covers Vs physical book covers.
Trying to gain decent colour palettes in your scenes; using complementary colours.
"Too little emotion and your character looks like a shop window dummy, too much and they look crazed.". Using the Liquify tool in Photoshop to overcome this.
My first commissions and helping to sell stories and novels for authors with book cover artwork.  
Two of my favourite book cover commisions. What  the journey was like in creating these, and what I learned by the end of completing them

The Podcast is available here.





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Well, things seem to be going reasonably well on the scribbling front.  I'm a few scenes short of finishing the first draft of my novel, which is without a doubt the longest and most involved thing I've ever written. And no, I haven't done that all in the last week! XD

I certainly couldn't have come this far without the help of YWriter though.  It's free book management software that helps you organise chapters and scenes, characters, items and locations, and your book's timeline.  when I was using individual Word docs, by the time I got to about 50K words, I was losing track of characters and plotlines, so it's been SO useful in organising my thoughts, I don't know what I would have done without it (apart from shell out for Scrivener....)

Anyhew, just a few more scenes to write, then I can start on the big editing / adding logic / removing cheese type jobs.  EEP.   





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I appear to have come to a decision over the last few months.  Things may change - as far as I'm concerned, change is the only constant in life!  As it stands, I'm going to finish off the last few commissions I've got on my list, then go off and do something different for a bit.  I've had my art head on for the last seven years, but I'm definitely swinging back towards writing as of January this year.  I never thought in a million years I'd be a published artist before I was a published writer, so I'm going to give the writing a proper go.  

There we go.  That's my state of mind this fair Tuesday evening.  It may have changed by Saturday!

=================================

Outstanding Commissions
Sci-fi collaboration with work colleague (90% done)





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