Mollytabby's Art Workshop

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Comments

  • NoswenNoswen Posts: 358

    Some really nice renders here.

    No Regrets is leaving me intrigued to say the least, wondering what she's thinking and what's happened.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    I've been playing around with the base Genesis 8 Female base figure. I don't know why, but I've never thought to use her until I saw what @Llynara did with her in the Altern8 thread. It's about half way down this page I'm sorry, I don't know how to link directly to a single post. 

    Altern8 was a day one purchase for me. I loved @DivaMakeup's preview images and I love her product. I'm still learning, but it's such a useful shader system and I really appreciate the update she provided because it's made it even easier to use.

    This is a quick render of G8F base female using 'Aiko 7 Maps' (the first one) rather than 'Karyssa No Maps'. Otherwise the rest of the recipe is the same as Lynara's (I think!). I couldn't find any makeup options in my Genesis 8 essentials folder, so I think there probably aren't any. I went for the natural look smiley for this test. I have various other G8F figures I can take makeup options from.

     

    Very elegant!  Love the suit, and the fabric on the suit. 

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160

    @IceDragonArt, the jacket is one from the skirt and jacket set by the very kind @Wilmap who has a wonderful range of outfits in her freebrie thread here. I wanted to try out these shaders I picked up in the fast grab. I'd had them wishlisted for a long time and I snapped this set and the knits set too. I'm developing an addiction for shader sets!

    All the items in this image are from the freebie threads smiley This image was an exercise in setting up a pose with freebies and then using my shaders. I used Sloshwerks UHT2 hair shaders, Altern8 and the suit shaders. Wilmap's outfits already have a range of useful shaders, this particular set comes with nine different colour options - which is pretty amazing. I love her range of outfits :-)

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160

    @Noswen, thank you so much. I'm really pushing myself to learn as much as I can. I have a story in my head around 'No Regrets' but I'm leaving it to viewer to interpret the image in their own way smiley I love images where a photographer has caught someone 'in a moment' and wanted to produce something similar with this.

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    I  think I have every single item that Wilmap has made.  She makes beautifully constructed clothing that isn't skimpwear lol.  Perfect for everyday wear. 

    I will admit to having a rather large shader collection.  I'm not really willing to say how large lol.

  • themidgetthemidget Posts: 287

    I  think I have every single item that Wilmap has made.  She makes beautifully constructed clothing that isn't skimpwear lol.  Perfect for everyday wear. 

    I will admit to having a rather large shader collection.  I'm not really willing to say how large lol.

    I'm a fan of Wilmap too - especially that suit.  I can imagine all kinds of uses for it.

  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,653

    I am a major fan of Wilmaps clothing, they have gotten me through many a render of the past couple of years I tell ya!

    What you have done to her dress suit is amazing I love the color you chose as well (being a major fan of pink)

    Keep up the great work Mollytabby !!

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160

    @themidget and @Saphirewild, I'm turning into a major fan too :-) I'm on a mission this week to see how much I can use freebies and I'm finding Wilmap's clothing to be really dependable. @Saphirewild, thank you for the kind words. I'm really enjoying pushing my limits and you might just find me entering the Freebie Contest one month soon smiley.

  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,653

    Ohhh I so hope so I think you would steal the show!!!laugh

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160

    Ohhh I so hope so I think you would steal the show!!!laugh

    Lol, I don't think so! smiley I'm taking a look and I'm really tempted to have a go though. I do have a soft spot for dragons.

  • SaphirewildSaphirewild Posts: 6,653

    I sooo hope you do have a go at it you will have great fun @Mollytabby !!!

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160

    I sooo hope you do have a go at it you will have great fun @Mollytabby !!!

    Okay, I'm in yes ... I do like having fun ;-)

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957

    @Mollytabby - Your posing and lighting especially are fantastic. I really like this one.

    No Regrets 2

     

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160

    Aww, thank you @wanderer. I started this one over so many times because I wasn't happy with the lighting that I almost missed the deadline for submitting it! 

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160
    edited May 2018

    @KnittingMommy and @Wanderer, as I promised, this is the process I used for creating the background for Edie-Megan figure image. When I went back to it, I realised I hadn't done postwork ... but prework smiley

     

    Two images were used to create the background:

    Winter Berries image https://unsplash.com/photos/DyI09qolyQ0

    Ancient Paper https://www.pexels.com/photo/abstract-ancient-antique-art-235985/

    Both are free for personal and commercial use.

    When I went back to look at my .duf file, I realised I’d done this one slightly differently to usual, in that I created an image and put it into the render as a background in Daz Studio rather than creating it in postwork. I then set the lighting, and  played with depth of field on the camera to merge the figure into the background. The other way I work when using non-rendered backgrounds is to render the figure/s or scene with dome off, save as a PNG (for a transparent background) and do a similar process to below in Photoshop but drop the rendered image onto the the top layer. 

    How I created the background image:

    I use PhotoShop, but any image programme with layers will work.

    Firstly I set up my figure in Daz Studio.  I set the ratio to 1:1, with dimensions of 1500x1500 pixels. 

    In Photoshop I set up a new image with dimensions of 2000 x 2000. I also kept it to 300 dpi in case I wanted to use it again for something I might want to print. Keeping it to the same 1:1 ratio meant that it shouldn’t deform when inserted into Daz Studio.

    I then got the Ancient Paper image and opened it as a new file and dragged the image layer over to my background working file. In my file I dragged it around until I got the textures in a position I liked. This is base colour for the image and chose Ancient Paper because it toned in well with my figure. This is the bottom layer and I left the blend layer as ‘normal’.

    Next, I opened Winter Berries and again dragged the layer into my image and positioned it. I set it ‘overlay’ and kept it at 100%. 

    I duplicated the Winter Berries layer and switched off the first one to make it invisible. I do this to keep an intact version of the image in case I want my original image and placement again for something later on.

    Working with my duplicated Winter Berries I went to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 5 pixels. (Note: if using Photoshop and comfortable with using Smart Objects, set this up first so you get a Smart Filter and can go back an play with the radius of the pixel blur if you wish). 

    Next I created a new layer, selected white and picked my brush tool. I used Ron’s Bokeh … sorry I can’t remember which brushes. I did a few of the lights on this layer. The created another layer and added a few more. I often do several layers when I’m creating effects with brushes because it allows me to adjust the blend or opacity or to slide the layer around. Building up these effects layer by layer allows me to switch things on or off, rotate and do blur effects as well. With these two layers I left them at normal and 100% opacity because the brush effect itself has that blurred edge / faded effect. If you haven’t got any bokeh brushes then play around with dotting a few white splotches on a layer with a soft brush and then blurring them / adjusting the blend mode. 

    Once I was happy with the background image I created I saved it as the original file (in case I wanted to go back and do adjustments) and as a jpeg.

    Using it in Daz Studio

    I inserted my jpeg version of the image as a background. Window > Panes > Environment. Then continued to set up lighting and the camera.

     

    This is one of my least complex background images - but sometimes less is definitely more. Don’t be afraid to experiment. 

    I often create backgrounds from multiple images or paint them from scratch using multiple layers to get the colours and effect I’m looking for. You don’t have to use photographs from the web - some of my more successful backgrounds have started out life as images of textures or walls I took with my mobile phone. (Think of seaweed and pebbles on a beach or the wall of an old building. There are some fantastic colours and textures around us all the time).

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    1. inserting background.jpg
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    2. Viewport.jpg
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    3.-Rendered-image.jpg
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    Post edited by Mollytabby on
  • Worlds_EdgeWorlds_Edge Posts: 2,145

    Great tutorial. Thank you!

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160

    Great tutorial. Thank you!

    You're welcome. I've learned lots from this forum :-)

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160
    edited May 2018

    Flower Girl With Green Hair

    With this one, I was trying out V4 hair on Aiko 8. This is Action Bob Hair by OutofTouch.

     

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    Post edited by Mollytabby on
  • themidgetthemidget Posts: 287

    I love that hair - it's the right colours for an enchanting woodland scene perhaps.  I wouldn't be surprised if people have made fairies with it.

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160

    It would make lovely hair for a fairy, @themidget smiley I put an iray shader on the hair and then tweaked it to get it that particular colour. 

  • Worlds_EdgeWorlds_Edge Posts: 2,145

    Hair looks good on her. Agree it would be perfect for a fairy. 

  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191

    That was a very useful tutorial. I liked seeing how you put it all together. Thanks!

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Great tutorial!  I think half the fun is melding it all together.  Love the hair on Aiko as well.

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957

    @Mollytabby - WOW! I'm sorry I've not kept up on the forums like I was. That tutorial is really helpful. Thank you so much. I'm just sorry it took me so long to see it. It's been kind of a busy month--and yeah, I'm going all the way back to the last few weeks of last month. Anyway, thank you for the great information.

  • WandererWanderer Posts: 957

    Also, the lady with green hair is very pretty.

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160

    Ah @Wanderer, I'm having exactly the same problem. I've been so busy with my freebies competition entry that I haven't kept up as I should. Sorry for not responding! This thing is with this hobby is that I get sucked in and so focussed on what I'm creating. smiley It's great!

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160
    edited May 2018

    The Perfect Brew

    To make a good cup of tea … first warm the pot.

    This is my entry for the monthly competition over in the freebies forum. Mythical Dragon obviously isn't free but the rules allow for 5 paid for items. This is a tough competition. It's really hard not to automatically use those products that make life a lot easier when using Daz Studio. Also, I spent days searching for free items. I had a great time and made a long list which I then used to whittle down to the ones I actually used. It's amazing how generous people are in providing figures, props and clothes etc. for free. I've learned an awful lot working on this one.

     

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    Post edited by Mollytabby on
  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Oh, that is super cute!

  • MollytabbyMollytabby Posts: 1,160

    Thank you @IceDragonArt :-) I had a lot of fun with this one! My mug of tea often goes cold when I'm working with Daz Studio ;-)

     

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Thank you @IceDragonArt :-) I had a lot of fun with this one! My mug of tea often goes cold when I'm working with Daz Studio ;-)

     

    Right? I will look up and its 3am lol.  I'm like, wait, it was just 10 o clock what happened?

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