Darkjedi

Wow. Very nice.

And we can direct-link art into our posts now?

Thanks all for the kind words and support. Even though the Marvel/DC pieces are where I want to head eventually, COH will always hold a place in my portfolio.

At long last, I'd like to present ALOUETTE. This one was difficult and I tried several different poses and settings, but I finally settled on the darker backdrop to make her gorgeous blue and purple really pop.

ALOUETTE - Poster

ALOUETTE - Detail shot

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...I suppose it depends on who you talk to, since I know people who charge more for traditional things, especially if they're using expensive pens or markers. I also know people who use free art tools like OpenCanvas.

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Yeah, I've noticed people tend to charge more for the original as well. I don't think that's a reflection of the materials cost as much as the fact you're buying a unique item... which certainly has it's merits. I've noticed that my ability to make prints as a digital artist has gone way up, while my options to sell originals has dropped off significantly.

As for OpenCanvas; that still doesn't cover hardware costs ...but point taken.

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By the way would you cater to a low end freebie sketch of my main? LOL sorry I couldn't resist.

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Who, me? You've drawn Light-speed a time or two, so send me some references and I'll put something together tomorrow (Friday).

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...That's how it has been, at least, around the circles I usually go in. I know around here there are more "professional" artists who can produce really high-quality stuff, and to ask them to do something for $30 would be almost silly. I wouldn't try to ask for a super-low price for a painting or anything...

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No worries at all, and I completely understand. I also support grass roots art communities and love forums such as this that give everyone a shake at getting their art seen, with equal footing and respect. I do the higher-end stuff because that's what interests and challeneges me, but I'm very aware that it's impossible for an artist to cater to everyone.

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...There are factors like medium, as some people do traditional artwork on paper while others I know do theirs entirely digitial, which reduces the production costs...

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This is an interesting comment because I've never spent so much on materials since I became a digital artist.

When I was doing stuff with pencils and oils, I could produce a piece for a dollar or two. Pads of paper were perhaps 5 bucks, and pencils cost a few bucks and last for 50 sketches. Tubes of paint are a few bucks and last several years. I've used the same brushes for a decade.

But my digital stuff... woah nelly! I have to maintain 2 high-end computers, buy upgrades for Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya ($$$), Vue Infinite, and other incidentals like a drawing tablet and CDs for archiving everything. Then there are monitors at several hundred each. The 3D models cost anywhere from $5 bucks up to $50 before I give up and just model things myself.

Digital art has it's advantages, but cheaper materials isn't one of them.

It's good to see collectors come forward as you are.

I'm an artist that focuses on higher-end stuff. I can't afford to work in the range you mention, but if you want to check out some of my pieces, I have links in my sigs.

My personal favorite is still POISON IVY .

That was a great game! I did a ton of skins as well - mostly of my own characters, although some DCs and Marvels had to work their way in.

I also remember finding a lot of skins out there on the internets.

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Then again I notice you do forums siggys

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I'm kind backing off from those, actually. It takes 5 - 8 hours to model a character and they weren't really worth the effort from my side. Me and my perfectionism!

Looks like you still need a Darkjedi...

They only say they're discontinuing phone support and web stuff - not development on future products.

I peed a little too. But I'm old that way.

I love 2D, and Jim Lee, Alex Ross, and all my other heroes constantly amaze me with their talent... but I know how it's all done.

What bloews me away is when I see a 3D piece and I can't figure out how someone did it. Or even parts of it. That's what I'm striving for - perfection and ability that people can't figure out how I got to the finished piece. That's the mark of a true magician =)

Cool idea!

Can I volunteer on the artist side?

But wait... didn't you misspell 'Reigndance'? ;P

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.. it was kinna like an Ewok telling a Wookie how to hold his plasma-bow the right way.

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HAHAHAHAHA! Classic!

Several people have mentioned the youthfulness of the face. I'd like to explain a little further;

I met a woman online named Becky. I don't know her well and I've never met her in person, but I've learned that Becky used to be overweight and geeky to the point of being teased. A lot. Over the last couple of years, she has dedicated herself to a healthy lifestyle and has really shaped up - she now regularly models as various superheroes at conventions, but her favorite is Emma Frost. I chose to feature her as the face model in this piece, in part, to celebrate her success in turning her life around.

If you google 'Becky "aktrez" Young', you'll see her in several of her costumes. so while the face isn't as old, or strong, or severe as Emma Frost might need to be, it mattered to me more to feature Becky as she looks now.

She loves the piece. That's what mattered most to me.

Fire can be rough. I actually don't mind it in this piece since the emphasis lies heavily on the linework. It's almost like the fire texture is part of the stylization.

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Isn't that the same person who said I spelled Reigndance wrong?

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Yes.

He has mis-interpreted many of the details of the piece (such as her placement on a dais in the middle of a giant sphere and the consoles being articulated to move up and down), but it's easier to just ignore him.

He has the right to dislike my art, and I have the right to skip over his posts as irrelevant.

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"...The background doesn't look all that bad. Doesn't look good as Emma, but it sets the scene well enough..."

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My logic on the setting is a version of Cerebro. And for character shots, I prefer to keep the backdrop simple.

Very cool. Especially the Totmoart one.

As you all know, I've been moving towards DC and Marvel characters in the hopes of eventually getting picked up to do covers or pin-ups for the 'big boys'. Most of my pieces have been DC-based, so I thought it was time to start on some Marvels. This is the first.

WHITE QUEEN (Linked through DA)

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"...I've come to the position that in most cases no background is better than a photo...

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No worries. We'll have to agree to disagree on that one. IMO, there is no worse background than a photo.

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"...One there's the feeling of it being my complete work..."

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I didn't realize the photo was also yours. It's a nice one and that factor adds some credibility.

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"...I felt it works better than what I was capable of as an alternative..."

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Oh, I hear ya on that one. Every time I render a 3D character, I agonize over the background and usually spend more time trying to get the right setting than I do on the character. If you aren't comfortable with it yet, stick with what you know... but I would encourage you to break free of photos and expand your 3D. You can do it!

Matching light to a photograph is really hard and almost never works. You could use fancy HDRI systems and make the background plate a light source, but Poser doesn't support that very well. As a general rule of thumb, the treatment of the figure should match the treatment of the background... in other words, make them both photos, both hand-drawn, or both 3D elements.

I think you're off to a good start. I'd recommend putting her against a digital backdrop though, for consistency. Having two different 'suspensions of disbelief' is working against you.