Linwelly's Grove

Linwelly

Do you know that feeling of loss, once you fiished something, that you know was actually good, more than some work to test this or that (well some peoples tests are awesome in itself). It feels like a really good book finished, you can read it again, but it will never be the same and you don't know what to do with the time previously used for reading. No intent of starting the next book right now because the memories are still fresh, still things to think about.

Well that's why I try do do something completely else, like starting this thread with my art and my ramblings.

As it's one year now I downloaded DAZ for the first time and started fumbling through the darkness, I guess it's as good a starting point as any other to show what I got in the meantime and I would like to hear your thoughts and suggestions. As of now I have a spotlight on some corners of the program and with your help would like to add some more, maybe even a distant light to see parts I never thought existed ;)

For starters I'd like to humor you with my very first ever saved and published render, which was my avatar for the first month.

KA1

Oh wow Linwelly!! You started well, I shudder at some of my original renders from when I started back in March! I guess that's how we learn though and these forums (and in fact you yourself on occasion!) Have helped me hugely in my learning process, I look forward to following this thread.

Knittingmommy

I agree, you started very well.  My first render was that classic beach scene with the bikini and it was simply gruesome.  This is actually pretty good for a first render.

Teofa

I've always enjoyed your knack for visualizing an interesting theme and pursueing it.

Linwelly

Thank you both, well my first render was a green girl on that dragon tower that comes with the essentials, and there were other monstrosities I'd rather not make public.

Fact is the New user contest was the best thing to do for me and I learned a lot there, becaus e I had to concentrate myself on a certain topic, finish in a certain time and had tons of tips from others. Most of those tips I didn't figure out during contest time but I returned to those later and experimented with that. But I had some sleepless nights as well then, my brain trying to process all the new information.

I'm not goin to fill this with the renders I made for the new user contest but rather show some that never made it somewhere. This is for a RPG character I play, a girl called Vesna I made in March trying some of the things I learned in Januar and February

 

Teofa

I loved the contest render you did of the girl's alter/reflection reaching up from below the still pond waters.  Can't find it.  :)

 

isidorn

It probably goes for the most of us, that the only good thing with our very first renders is that we later can look back at them and see that we've actually made progress.

You have given me lots of help in the New User Contests over the past few months Linwelly, so I'm looking forward to seeing more of your renders.

Linwelly

Teofa said:

I loved the contest render you did of the girl's alter/reflection reaching up from below the still pond waters.  Can't find it.  :)

 

You mean this one? I actually still rather like this even though I see a lot of flaws now. Probably went lost with the forum switch in the original thread (should be the January contest).
 I'm still sorry you skipped out on the new users, but I see you have been busy round here. Something to look through and enjoy in the next days ;)

Kismet2012

I love the surfing pixie you did for the NU Posing Contest (cannot remember which month it was).

Teofa

Linwelly said:

Teofa said:

I loved the contest render you did of the girl's alter/reflection reaching up from below the still pond waters.  Can't find it.  :)

 

You mean this one? I actually still rather like this even though I see a lot of flaws now. Probably went lost with the forum switch in the original thread (should be the January contest).
 I'm still sorry you skipped out on the new users, but I see you have been busy round here. Something to look through and enjoy in the next days ;)

Yes, that one.  It's so lovely.  Give it a second pass someday.  I was very disappointed when this image didn't get votes.

 

Linwelly

Thanks a lo Teofa, I'm sure I will, but up to now there always tenthousand other ideas that hit my head and beat me up if I don't try them

And here is that sunshine surfer, she was from the March Contest together with my motorbike exposé

Novica

Fun examples Linwelly- and the gal reaching down is exquisite. Well done!

Okay, going to give a couple suggestions on the last one, this has to do with composition. (The gal surfing the leaf.) This is going to be nit-picky and it's things I might tweak.  What do you notice about the leaf and the edge of your render in the front? The leaf is resting on it. IMO it would be better if it went out of view.   Likewise, that back hand looks like it is about to rest on those magical puffs of whimsy, it's only personal preference but I would lower those away from her hand a bit. 

 The basic composition is really nice, with the gal being off centered and the lines drawing the eye upward (love the parallel arm with the leaf) and your lighting showcasing the main person and prop creates a nice glow. The vertical tree which is gray doesn't detract and gives nice height and perspective as to where your figure is located up in the air. Excellent DOF!  A very charming render overall, with a neat energetic pose and clever use of your leaf prop!

Linwelly

Thanks a lot for your comment Novica, its good to hear different opinions to keep up the learning, especially from one as experienced as you . At the time I made this I didn't grasp the bigger part of composition yet, and from todays view I can see your points are very valid. Thanks for the hints!

KA1

Water reflections are the bain of my renders!! I've made several attempts with some nice ideas I had, not yet pulled one off so loving your render there, beautiful image.

Linwelly

KA1 said:

Water reflections are the bain of my renders!! I've made several attempts with some nice ideas I had, not yet pulled one off so loving your render there, beautiful image.

but you know that it's not a real reflection? It was the game of is it true or not, there is actually a girl sitting under the surface and she's not even making the same move, just a similar one

KA1

Linwelly said:

KA1 said:

Water reflections are the bain of my renders!! I've made several attempts with some nice ideas I had, not yet pulled one off so loving your render there, beautiful image.

but you know that it's not a real reflection? It was the game of is it true or not, there is actually a girl sitting under the surface and she's not even making the same move, just a similar one

No way!!! I feel cheated!!!! 

Linwelly

Lol, gotcha!

Knittingmommy

Linwelly said:

KA1 said:

Water reflections are the bain of my renders!! I've made several attempts with some nice ideas I had, not yet pulled one off so loving your render there, beautiful image.

but you know that it's not a real reflection? It was the game of is it true or not, there is actually a girl sitting under the surface and she's not even making the same move, just a similar one

Until you said this, I hadn't looked that closely at the reflection.  I took a closer look now and can spot some differences.  That was an ingenious idea!

Linwelly

Ok lets put some words on reflections here, as it is indeed a tricky topic. Reflections be it mirrors or water or any other reflecting surface in DAZ follows the laws of physics as in the real world, so the thing we continuously will have problems with is the fact that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. As described in my masterly presentation below that means when you look straight into the mirror or put your camera into that position, what you see is what you get reflected (youself, everything between you and the mirror). As soon ans you move your camera to a side the things you see reflected in the mirror more outwart to the other direction.

 

So what to do about it, one way that has been dealt with in classic arts is to position the object you want to see "real" and mirrored" really close to each other, the other thing that you can do easily when you paint the mirror yourself.. you cheat. Have a look at this for some examples http://www.lunday.com/they-do-it-with-mirrors/

So what to do with daz mirrors, well the same, either you render from a different place first and then put up the reflection as an image map in the mirror surface or you move the objet you wnat to be seen to the place it will be seen. I have posted a snippet from my first entry to the "it's raining men contest and a top view with some idicators what is where. Withouth much thinking our brain will conclude that the woman is where he is turning to. once you start thinking about it its all wrong and he is starring into emptiness.

 

KA1

Mind blown.... There are no words!!

Knittingmommy

First let me say, I love your "masterful graphics".    Thank you for this.  Reflections are not something that I've attempted too much yet.  In my renders, if there are reflections, they are totally accidental and completely DAZ related, however it is that DAZ handles the physics.  I would love to broaden my skills in this reguard so thanks for the lesson.  I had no idea that was how things were done.  Imagine, cheating to get the desired result.  As KA1 says,  "Mind blown.." 

Teofa

Take hope!  I remember Kismet struggling with a single candle.  It's how we all learn :)

 

isidorn

Sneaky! And most educational.

Linwelly

Thanks to you, I'm glad I could be of help.  For some more interesting reading there are two articles in the DSCreative magazine:

http://issuu.com/philatdsc/docs/ds_creative_05
making mirrors by phil Thompson and
http://issuu.com/philatdsc/docs/ds_creative_14
raytrace for less by Charlie Mc Donald

Linwelly

Now this render was the first I actually tried my hand on postwork, I had this submitted to one of the contests on the pc but I don't remember which one. Another thing I tried here for the first time is ubersurface to give that dragon a velvety shine (he's still a baby so all soft )

Kismet2012

I forgot about this image...I love that little baby dragon.

 

dHandle

I remember when I did this image.  I wasn't even aware that there was a mirrored surface in the background until I rendered it the first time.  So after I looked at it, I started contemplating the possibilities.  I added the purse because it could be seen in the reflection better than from the front.  I added the heels under the bench just to see what they would look like reflected.  I added the photographer just for the heck of it...again to see what it would look like.

Then I started thinking:   Where is she going in such an all-fired hurry that she forgets her shoes?  Well...the prop is a bus stop, so of course...she's hurrying to the approaching bus!

Then I noticed there wasn't much else in the reflection.  No building across the street or anything.  And it was obviously a street because you could see the yellow line.  What else could I add...?

I know!  The Bus!  And since the clueless photographer (who is smitten by the pretty lady) is standing in the street, why not have him get hit (or almost hit) by the bus!?

Well, that's where my newbieness rose to the fore. and I didn't know how to pull it off. (plus I didn't have a bus, and I was too cheap to buy one...)

So I stopped here.

(btw, Linwelly, your art is great!  More please!)

Linwelly

dHandle said:

I remember when I did this image.  I wasn't even aware that there was a mirrored surface in the background until I rendered it the first time.  So after I looked at it, I started contemplating the possibilities.  I added the purse because it could be seen in the reflection better than from the front.  I added the heels under the bench just to see what they would look like reflected.  I added the photographer just for the heck of it...again to see what it would look like.

Then I started thinking:   Where is she going in such an all-fired hurry that she forgets her shoes?  Well...the prop is a bus stop, so of course...she's hurrying to the approaching bus!

Then I noticed there wasn't much else in the reflection.  No building across the street or anything.  And it was obviously a street because you could see the yellow line.  What else could I add...?

I know!  The Bus!  And since the clueless photographer (who is smitten by the pretty lady) is standing in the street, why not have him get hit (or almost hit) by the bus!?

Well, that's where my newbieness rose to the fore. and I didn't know how to pull it off. (plus I didn't have a bus, and I was too cheap to buy one...)

So I stopped here.

(btw, Linwelly, your art is great!  More please!)

It's a great idea dHandle and maybe sometime you can add you bus and complete the story. Have you tried looking for a freeby bus on sharecg? I never new the bus stop would be that much reflecting, but then up to now I only used the street and a busstop sign from the prop.

dHandle

Linwelly said:

dHandle said:

I remember when I did this image.  I wasn't even aware that there was a mirrored surface in the background until I rendered it the first time.  So after I looked at it, I started contemplating the possibilities.  I added the purse because it could be seen in the reflection better than from the front.  I added the heels under the bench just to see what they would look like reflected.  I added the photographer just for the heck of it...again to see what it would look like.

Then I started thinking:   Where is she going in such an all-fired hurry that she forgets her shoes?  Well...the prop is a bus stop, so of course...she's hurrying to the approaching bus!

Then I noticed there wasn't much else in the reflection.  No building across the street or anything.  And it was obviously a street because you could see the yellow line.  What else could I add...?

I know!  The Bus!  And since the clueless photographer (who is smitten by the pretty lady) is standing in the street, why not have him get hit (or almost hit) by the bus!?

Well, that's where my newbieness rose to the fore. and I didn't know how to pull it off. (plus I didn't have a bus, and I was too cheap to buy one...)

So I stopped here.

(btw, Linwelly, your art is great!  More please!)

It's a great idea dHandle and maybe sometime you can add you bus and complete the story. Have you tried looking for a freeby bus on sharecg? I never new the bus stop would be that much reflecting, but then up to now I only used the street and a busstop sign from the prop.

 

I went looking in the store and found a great looking bus for $1.99! It's got a rather cool retro look, but it should work for experimenting. I picked it up...now I have no excuse... I 'll see what I can come up with...

 

 

 

edit: typos

Linwelly

Then let's see what you come up with.

Why the heck I came up with a snow and winter image in last May I don't know. I guess it fitting much more now, and maybe it will call the snowfairy out.

This is Neige

KA1

Yet another great image!! Keep them coming Linwelly :)