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• Specifically Software
  by Gracey

  Link listing of free software relating to graphics and imagery. These are either freeware, open source or donationware – not free trials….

  Link listing of free software relating to graphics and imagery. These are either freeware, open source or donationware – not free trials. Some are “light” or free versions of a full-version software. As with anything, PLEASE READ THE TERMS OF USE and Licensing for each thing you download. Just because it is free that doesn’t always mean you can use it for commercial outputs. I have not tried all of these personally, so I can’t give you recommendations on their functionality; the graphic/paint programs I have used (some I still use for certain things) may have notations of my opinion. Many of these are available for both Mac and PC, but you’ll have to go check at the link site yourself – make sure you check the system requirements before you install anything, and be sure you have an up-to-date antivirus. I have accessed all of these links and downloads with no warnings, but it pays to be safe. One last thing…if you use free software and find it useful, please donate to the creators (or upgrade to the paid version if they have one at reasonable cost). Donations are how we can encourage free software makers to continue making the software free. GRAPHICS & PHOTO Editing Artrage2 (free version & paid version is only $25 – freeware version is somewhat limited but good for basic art) Artweaver (decent simple painting program with variety of drawing styles and supports layers and transparency – good for creating patterns and texture) Cenon for mac or linux (haven’t used this since it won’t work on PC, but it looks interesting and I’d love to try it) Gimp (one of the most powerful open source image editors with an interface and functions similar to Photoshop) ImageMagick Inkscape Vector Graphics program (a bit of a learning curve with this; similar in function to Adobe Illustrator) Paint.net (drawing and paint program; supports layers) Pixarra’s Twisted Brush Free Edition Pixia Drawing & Painting) Photofiltre – this is free, the studio version is 29 euros (the studio version supports layers and transparency and has many functions similar to Photoshop) Project Dogwaffle Free Version Serif DrawPlus Skencil Vector Graphics Smooth Draw Nx PANORAMA MAKERS Open Source Panorama Tools Autostitch Canon Panorama Stitch PanoGuide FRACTAL PROGRAMS Apophysis Chaoscope Double Fractal Endlos Fractal Explorer Fractal Forge Fractal Studio Fractint Gnu Xaos Mandala Explorer Tierazon Specifically for Mac – fractals Spangfract / Spanky’s Fractals for Mac Listing IMAGE CATALOGUES/ORGANIZERS Lightbox / Picasa WEB-BASED IMAGE EDITORS (thanks to Jo Obrien for this link – there’s ten image editors here that are web-based) 10 Web Editors 3D SOFTWARE Amabilis 3D Canvas Anim8or Art of Illusion Blender Bryce 5.5 Daz3D Studio POV-Ray Serif 3D Plus SketchUp sPatch Terragen trueSpace from Caligari Wings 3d World Creator and Buttonmaker by Inet 3d Add-ons, Utilities and Models (listed on Verchi forums) General Use For Bryce and Blender For Daz3D, Poser and Others The above links are to 3 forum threads (stickies) elsewhere – the lists were compiled by me for that forum (which is now defunct, but still accessible), and includes plugins, add-ons and utilities, and links to sites where you can obtain things like free models for 3D and free textures. Please be sure to check the model downloads for licensing terms. If you are unsure about using a model in a sellable product, email the modeler – they are usually very good about responding. Mostly they don’t want you sell or give away the model/mesh, but will usually allow it’s use in a rendered image for sale. If the license doesn’t state that it is available for commercial use, please don’t use it without contacting the owner first. A simple email from them will act as a license for your renders. If they don’t allow it, please don’t do it. Other Useful Utilities PC Inspector Smart Recovery – recover image files from memory cards This is not a complete listing of all freeware available, but it is fairly representational of what’s available, from the simple to the more complex. If anyone has links that fit these categories, please feel free to add them in the comments section, or bmail them to me and I’ll add them into the body with a notation of who submitted them. There are also some drawing & paint programs in the free/open source category available specifically geared to children in age ranges from 4 or 5 to 10 or 12. Encourage the artist in your children from a young age. Tux Paint Drawing for Children Smooth Teddy One of the reason’s for this compiled list is that I find myself frequently pointing people to links for software of this nature. I just thought it would be easier to keep it one place.

• Thanks for the Buy
  by frogster

  I want to thank the person who bought my image The Raven Witch a…

  I want to thank the person who bought my image The Raven Witch as a card. Thank you and I hope you enjoy it. / Larry

• The Making of a 3D Picture
  by Rose Moxon

  Ok, lately I have felt that I need to explain about the process of making a 3D picture. Typically, 3D art is part of something bigger…

  Ok, lately I have felt that I need to explain about the process of making a 3D picture. Typically, 3D art is part of something bigger… the art is made in an animation programme (movie making software). The art you see in my portfolio is like a ‘still’. Not every artist builds their 3D picture with a view to animating, but I thought I would let you know of the software’s capabilities. Firstly, 3D software is not easy to learn. Its like a big stage on your computer, props, figures, lighting and cameras can be added, just like a movie set. Everything can move around where ever you want it to. The characters can talk if you have the right software. I am not going into the animation side of things, just the still picture. Many people can contribute to a 3D picture…. the modeller / the morpher / the texture artist / the lighting expert and naturally … the artist who brings the above to life… so its just like a photoshoot or a movie set. Lets start with the modeller… A modeller makes the mesh… the bones of the character or prop. A modeller makes a 3D object usings special software, not always the software the picture is created in. They make a mesh which looks a bit like a wireframe hollow object. It can take months to make a perfect mesh. Some people do this exclusively for a living. the morpher…. Morph experts create movement for the meshes. Morphs are injected into the mesh so the artist who purchases the mesh can bend, move stretch and alter the mesh any way they like for an individual look. Typically a modeller can also make some pretty decent morphs. the texture artist… Most 3d artists can texture themselves to some extent, but many use premade textures. Texture artists make a living from painting or putting together textures and selling them in a market place, just like the modellers and the morphers. Textures are usually made from photorealistic pictures, prepurchased from photographers at the various photo selling sites around the world or taken by the texture artist themselves. It may surprise you to know that most of the ‘skin’ you see on the 3D characters is actually photos of human skin, ‘sewn’ together in a paint programme and wrapped seamlessly around a mesh. Every modeller, texture artist, morpher and photographer will hold some sort of proof of ownership for their work, which they pass on to the purchasers. One can even purchase premade poses, lighting and sets for their pictures… these are used mainly by beginners until they find their way. Sometimes these artists team up and offer a complete package, sometimes they dont and its up to the artist to find something they like to complete their picture. It is rare to find a modeller, morpher, texture artist and picture artist in the one person. There are also animators, who take all the above work and make it walk and talk, a step on from the rest of it but that isnt what we are discussing here. A lot of 3d artists ‘postwork’ their pictures in a programme to enhance it… photoshop, paintshop pro etc. Just as a painter purchases paint or a canvas, so does a 3d artist purchase their tools. They start with a blank stage (canvas) and build it up. At some point all artists use other peoples tools… canvas, camera equipment, pc, paint programme, animation programme, real live people (we would call them characters or figures), lighting etc. Hopefully this will give insight into what makes a 3D picture.

• 3D Artist Interview - Lyndseyh
  by Damian

  From a childhood love of fairy tales to her present dark and stylish digital art, welcome to the world of Lyndsey Hayes (Lyndseyh), co-mo…

  From a childhood love of fairy tales to her present dark and stylish digital art, welcome to the world of Lyndsey Hayes (Lyndseyh), co-moderator of the RedBubble group ‘The Art of 3D’. Lyndsey works full-time as a computer programmer in the UK, but has always had a need to create artistically, ‘it’s an itch I have to scratch.’ She was inspired early by the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites, and is a huge fan of Salvador Dali and fantasy art. For her, one of her most enjoyable aspects of art is the unexpected results, and ‘how with minor changes, you can make an average image shine – I love those moments.’ While not having studied art formally, she has been through many ‘arty phases’. These have involved pencil and charcoal portraits of friends and family, as well as a few commissions, and fantasy art using traditional acrylic painting. Lyndsey first ventured into digital art through photo manipulation in Photoshop. ‘When I first got my camera, I bought a premier issue of a photographic magazine on the way back from London to read on the train, and it had a load of tutorials on photo manipulation in Photoshop 7.0. I promptly became obsessed with manipulating and creating art from photographs.’ From there, she evolved into 3D art, which she has been doing for about two years now, using ‘Poser, Photoshop and Painter mostly – I also use other 3D programs like Bryce, Vue and Carrara occasionally. Typically, I will create several scenes in Poser, which I then merge together to make one image for manipulation in Photoshop. I’m pretty heavy on the post work so I typically do all the lighting and most of the background stuff in Photoshop. I will then switch to Painter to work on the skin and hair.’ For Lyndsey, the appeal of 3D art is the photo-realistic effects that are possible, and the speed in which you can get great results. Her drawings and paintings would take a long time to complete, so when she started her own business, she had little time for art. She says that 3D art is ‘ideal for people who have time restrictions,’ and that, ‘typically I will spend about 6-8 hours on one image. The longest time I spent on one image is Necromancy which took me about 15 hours in all.’ The quickest image had taken her about 2 hours. Lyndsey’s love of fairy tales is evident in her fantasy-filled gallery, and she says she keeps coming back to mystical, magical sorceresses. She says she has ‘always been fascinated with people’s faces, which is why so many of my images are portraits. I think women are more interesting to draw and paint than men and fantasy art is so wonderful because by definition there are no boundaries to it – you can draw or paint whatever you like. My images are very organic and have a bit of a life of their own. They often don’t evolve as I expect them to. I try to keep an open mind and go with the flow so they end up how they end up.’ When asked about her favourite image, Lyndsey said, ‘It’s probably necromancy because I love the implication that something really powerful and unexpected is going to happen.’ / Necromancy Lyndsey’s 3D art has been very successful, getting ‘Image of the day’ on ImagineFX’s (a UK fantasy art magazine) website with ‘Only Ask if You Want To Know’, plus images published on the DVD with an issue of their magazine. / Only Ask if You Want To Know When DAZ3D re-launched their website last year, the image ‘Temptress’ was used on their home page for a number of months, as well as being published in ‘Exotique 3’ by Ballistic Publishing last year. / Temptress She currently has her gallery featured on Artzone, which has helped enormously to raise her profile. In closing, Lyndsey has offered this great advice for people interested in 3D art- / (1) Practice makes perfect – my very first Poser render (which is indescribably dreadful) is enough to inspire confidence in anyone interested in Digital Art :) / (2) Paint what you’re passionate about – it will give your images life and make them particularly interesting. / (3) Realistic expressions are what make a character (whatever the genre) relatable, so spend as much time as is necessary on them.

• Brick and Mortar Sales
  by BySilent

  Today one of the galleries that hangs my work informed me that 3 of my works sold. Castle Rock, Love’s Creek....

  Today one of the galleries that hangs my work informed me that 3 of my works sold. Castle Rock, Love’s Creek and Root Ball. Castle Rock and Root Ball I have not posted to redbubble because of contractual obligations with a licensing company. Love’s Creek seems to be a very popular piece the unlimited edition sells well in brick and mortar venues. The artist proof series sold out in the first month that the proofs were up for sale. So Love’s Creek is now mostly unlimited editions for sale but I am getting ready to put out another series on hand made paper of work that revolve around the word Love. I like galleries because I like to create, I am not a fan of the “mundane” thing called marketing. It is a necessary evil but an evil that I am not very big upon. The gallery owner is designed to not only market their “place” but they also go the extra mile to market the artists in their gallery. They do this because most pay the rent via the commissions on sales of the art. It is for me the perfect union I don’t mind the gallery taking their “cut” since they earn it and I did not have to do anything but create the art. Art shows you have to market by being at the show in a booth and if the weather is off, or the public attending are not the type of people that would purchase what you do … it can have drastic negative impact on your time, energy and bank account. Some artists thrive in art shows and I say more power to them. I am just happy that sales via galleries are happening and that more and more galleries are contacting me for my work. Makes for a very happy camper and artist.

• Successful Collaborations
  by Rose Moxon

  There are so many beautiful collaborations on Red Bubble.. there should be more of them. Anyway, I thought I would write a bit about h…

  There are so many beautiful collaborations on Red Bubble.. there should be more of them. Anyway, I thought I would write a bit about how i collaborate with some of the amazing photographers on this site and maybe share a few tips. I usually import the photo Im working on into one of my 3D programmes so i can match the lighting perfectly. I am not a photoshop expert so this works better for me. Some use photoshop as the base programme and add their own work from there with brilliant results… I just cant do it that way! So after I have imported the photo I want to work with, I start character development. Sometimes the photo I am using has already inspired a vision in my head, sometimes I just want to work with a brilliant photo so badly I start with nothing in my head at all. After creating the character, colouring and texturing it the way that best suits the photo, I start on the lighting. Lighting can make or break a picture. A 3d programme is like a stage… you have cameras, lighting and a huge area to work on. The character can spin round, walk or be made to talk but obviously the background does not move. I can place the lights anywhere I like on this stage… in front of the character, behind it, above it… just anywhere. I can also use different types of lights, point lights, distant lights… a whole range. I can put ‘filters’ over the lights to make effects and different colours…. the possibilities are endless. How the lights hit and reflect on the characters is something i do while adjusting the colours and textures on the character itself. So, once the texturing, colouring and lighting are good I will ‘render’ the picture…. this can take an hour or even days, depending on how complicated the lighting and texturing has been set up. Then the picture is saved and taken to a programme like photoshop or paint shop pro. I use paint shop pro more because I am more familiar with it. Usually at this stage the picture isnt bad, but it has issues like the character looking a bit ‘stuck on’. This happens whether the picture has been created in a 3D programme or created entirely in a photoshop type of programme. I generally sharpen the picture at this point, adjust the colouring a bit for a ‘cool’ effect then i cut out pieces from the original photo… rocks, grass water, whatever and tube these pieces up. I will arrange these new pieces of the picture (tubes) on the original picture, usually around the lower part of the character. At this stage I merge all the layers I have made. Ok so now I have a beautiful photo, a stuck on character, and some stuck on rocks and grass. Its now looking like amateur hour. So, I take the paint programmes’ paintbrush, set it to black and about 17 percent opacity with a ‘darken’ blend mode and I start painting around the edges of the stuck on rocks, grass and lower part of the character with a very fine brush. Then I use the ‘soften’ tool and paint over the edges of the black I have just painted on. I am sure there is an easier way of doing this, but its how I cope with the blending issue! I also paint in some extra shadowing at this stage…mostly around the character so it throws some natural shadows. When I place a character in a photo, I try and place it where there is natural shadowing so I dont have to paint too many shadows during the postwork phase. Ok so now the picture is looking more natural. I may use Flaming Pears “glare” or ‘flood’ at this stage, depending on the picture. Then I may add some premade mist, sparkles or seaspray, depending on the scene I have made and its done! Hope this is helpful!

• 3D Artist Interview - F.M. Gore-Kelly
  by Damian

  Aiko Serendipity Fleur Kelly (F.M. Gore-Kelly) got started with 3D art through a fortuitous meeting with a model – a 3D model! A sea…

  Aiko Serendipity Fleur Kelly (F.M. Gore-Kelly) got started with 3D art through a fortuitous meeting with a model – a 3D model! A search for the Japanese Kanji for ‘Aiko’ (Little Loved One) instead uncovered Aiko 3.0 at DAZ3D. Downloading the free DAZ/Studio and free content led to an addiction with the art form! A full-time student, Fleur is studying a Diploma of Graphic Design, and hoping to follow it on to University to do a Bachelor of Interactive Gaming Design. Starting out as a self taught artist has helped with her current studies, particularly in the 3D area. She says she is inspired by colours, “certain colour combinations really inspire me. I find when colours are used extremely well I’m drawn in to them. They make me think of distant places I would love to visit one day.” And she creates because she loves to. “Art is a way for people to express their emotions without having to say a single word.” “I want to create something different. Something Unusual, that when people see my art they don’t say ‘Oh man… I’ve seen something like that 100 times today already’. Making sure you are different from everyone else can be extremely difficult at times. I don’t want to get onto a band wagon.” Her focus on uniqueness, and passion for cultural diversity drive her art. “I think all Ethnic groups are amazing and beautiful. It makes me seriously cry when I think of how much racism there is in the world. It’s the differences in each other that should draw us together and love each other.” Her love of period themes also comes through in her artwork, and she says “I love the 1910’s and 20’s (I really want to get my butt into gear and do more stuff based on that period in time).” From the human form to imaginative fantasy, her portfolio is wide ranging. She is not afraid to tackle sensuality and nudity, saying that for her the human body is an extremely beautiful thing in all shapes and sizes. And while she has a love of fantasy art, for her it still needs to be based in reality; to look like it could be real. The freedom of 3D art provides the appeal for Fleur, “Freedom to just try new things. If they don’t work I can easily just start over again without thinking ‘Oh man! I just wasted 30 dollars worth of paint’” When not using the computer she creates with ink, pencils, charcoal, oil and acrylic paint, as well as photography and creative writing. On the computer, the range of software used includes POSER 7, DAZ/Studio, Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Illustrator, and 3DS MAX (rarely to make accessories and props). Her temperament at the time of creating influences how long it takes to create a completed work, “It could take 30 minutes or it could take me 5 weeks.” Her personal favourite images are ‘Black Pearls’ and ‘Wild’, both of which started as completely different ideas. She says ‘Black Pearls’ “started out as a project to do something for the my Star sign Aries. But half way through I thought to myself ‘Wait! She looks beautiful without the Ram horms’ So I took off the horns and I went from there.” / Black Pearls “And as for ‘Wild’ it was originally inspired by the Roxie from the musical ‘Chicago’ But as I was going along, something wasn’t right. It wasn’t fitting, meshing. Then I heard the song ‘A Wild, Wild Party’ and it totally hit me! And I went off in a different direction again. Check out The Wild Party “ / Wild Her parting advice for other 3D artists is “It’s not the equipment that you’ve got; it’s how you use it. I started with a free program and free content and I built up my collection from there. We all have to start somewhere. Practice really does help develop perfection. Aim to be different. And be colourful!”

• Second Time For Home Page
  by frogster

  I I’m very happy that the old Freaky Frogster has made the Home Page. Thanks to all who have commented on the little guy and thanks to Re…

  I I’m very happy that the old Freaky Frogster has made the Home Page. Thanks to all who have commented on the little guy and thanks to RedBubble for putting him in the front row.

• Frog Featured
  by frogster

  This has been a good week for me first I had a profile written about my art and now my frog pic “Mossy Bogg’ made the Featured list. Tha…

  This has been a good week for me first I had a profile written about my art and now my frog pic “Mossy Bogg’ made the Featured list. Thank you RedBubble and all who support me and my art. :-)

• 3D Project Blog (for those interested)
  by Mark German

  Feel free to ask questions… Currently working on a project for the Burswood Casino, Perth. I thought I’d blog this for those inter…

  Feel free to ask questions… Currently working on a project for the Burswood Casino, Perth. I thought I’d blog this for those interested in 3D work. The project is to outfit the casino atrium with an extensive LED lighting system – something like you see on LV casinos. Here, I will only show the process leading up to the actual finished building, and not the lighting aspect, which is not only extensive, but also confidential (and I am dropping the project for a while and focusing on another, higher-priority project for the same client). Firstly, here are two shots of the building – daytime, and nighttime. Interesting architecture (looks like a giant spaceship), and only really appreciated when one looks closely at the minute details, as I have had to do. / / / / / This is a top-view architectural blueprint, reversed to white-on-black for better contrast while working on it: / / / / Ok – I start out by using the architectural plan as a background in the top view of my 3D program – in this case – 3D Studio Max. This allows me to match angles and size, despite it all being built to scale. Because I need to manipulate all the panes individually, it is not enough to just build flat surfaces and ‘paint’ imagery on it. Each glass pane is built individually, complete with aluminum channel borders, and bolts. You wont see that detail in these images, but trust me – they are there. So, I start building the glass sections, composed of joined panes, like so: / / / / / / / / / / Getting the angles right was not as easy as it seems. There are 3 axises to manipulate, and it turned out a bit of a nightmare during the process. / / Fabricating the sections and positioning them takes a while. Despite having the correct dimensions for each panel, I could not align the triangular sections with the rectangular sections. And then – I discovered that they ‘cheated’ :) The glass panes making up the rectangular sections are actually longer – and not shown in the plans. / / / / / / Finally, I have the rough shape of the atrium: / / / / Next, I begin to build the surrounding structure – a simpler jog, using elementary geometry and boolean exercises: / / / / Oh, and I chucked in a sky background just to feel like I’m getting somewhere: / / / / I alternate between the main structures, like the pond, and little details like the aerials because I have a short attention span :) / / / / A few more details – building the surrounding walkway / / / / Changed the sky, because it got boring – only temporary. I begin playing with lighting and applying custom made (in Photoshop) materials: / / / / Lighting is 90% of a 3D render – it takes a long time to get it right – the mood, and the realism. I place palm trees around the pond (made earlier), and spend a while getting lighting right for a ‘dusk’ image. Also work on the pond reflections, and lighting behind glass panels: / / / / Finally, I use a decent sky that suits the image: / / / / Has come up pretty good, I think. / Depending on what the client says, I may or may not continue this, showing the LED lighting system in place and operating. Thanks for reading, and ask anything you like :)

• Sold
  by frogster

  I want to say a big thank you to who ever bought The Old Barn as a…

  I want to say a big thank you to who ever bought The Old Barn as a card. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it. Thank you again. / Larry

• Another Card Sale
  by frogster

  I want to thank micmac for buying Mossy Bogg...

  I want to thank micmac for buying Mossy Bogg / for her son who she says loved it when he saw it yesterday. Micmac I hope he enjoys it and let me know how it looks. Thank you so much again. / Larry

• Views
  by frogster

  I just hit over 10,000 views since the short time I’ve been here. I want to thank all of you that have supported, commented, and viewed…

  I just hit over 10,000 views since the short time I’ve been here. I want to thank all of you that have supported, commented, and viewed my work, my hats off to you all. / Larry

• Thank You Much
  by frogster

  I just want to thank the person who bought “The Raven Witch” as a card, I hope you enjoy it and that it turns out well as a card. I have…

  I just want to thank the person who bought “The Raven Witch” as a card, I hope you enjoy it and that it turns out well as a card. I have this image as an 8X!0 that I printed out on canvas and is hanging in my living room. / Larry

• I'am So Touched
  by frogster

  I want to say a big Thank You to who ever bought a framed print of my image Where Eagles Dare...

  I want to say a big Thank You to who ever bought a framed print of my image Where Eagles Dare I’am so touched that this person thought so much of my work to buy this as a framed print, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it. Thank you / Larry

• Featured
  by frogster

  I can’t believe it I just put up “For the Ladies”: http://www.redbubble.com/people/frogster/art/422140-3-for-the-ladies/ and it got feat…

  I can’t believe it I just put up “For the Ladies”: http://www.redbubble.com/people/frogster/art/422140-3-for-the-ladies/ and it got featured, thanks Redbubble and thank all of you who have checked it out, luv you all. / Larry

• A Big Thank You
  by frogster

  I want to give a big thank you to the nice person who bought my image “Dolphin Enchantment” for a card. I hope you enjoy it as much as I…

  I want to give a big thank you to the nice person who bought my image “Dolphin Enchantment” for a card. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it. / Larry

• First Sale
  by frogster

  I know that some people think its no big deal, and its not the coins we might make off our sale…but it does mean alot to some of us tha…

  I know that some people think its no big deal, and its not the coins we might make off our sale…but it does mean alot to some of us that another person would think well enough of what you are trying to produce that they would spend their money on your work….so I made my first sale “Night Screams” and my thanks goes out to Ruben. / Larry (aka Frogster)

• 20K views...
  by Lisa Weber

  260 total, 20,000 views, and 4 sales! Anyone have any suggests on what may be more appealing to the public eye so I can create imagery…

  260 total, 20,000 views, and 4 sales! Anyone have any suggests on what may be more appealing to the public eye so I can create imagery that sales?? / Anything I have created in the Past that really stood out for them, and I should focus more on in creating? I’m open to suggestions! Thanks / Lisa

• Copying or Inspiration?
  by jakiblue

  I often wonder where you can draw the line between copying and inspiration. I mean, yes, artists are inspired everyday, whether they …

  I often wonder where you can draw the line between copying and inspiration. I mean, yes, artists are inspired everyday, whether they are photographers or painters or model in clay or 3D digital or whatever. But what happens when you are inspired by a piece of art (and again, I use the word ‘art’ NOT solely to mean paintings but in all aspects) and create your own? It may not be the exact same picture, but say you used a particular style – is that ‘copying’ or is it ‘inspiration’? How far does inspiration go before it turns into copying? In the realm of digital 3d art, for example (for that is what i know) – there are quite a few artists I totally adore. And as much as I love their ‘style’, I’m too wary of trying to attempt it myself. Despite the fact I really like it, and would love to experiment with it. I don’t do it as I’m wary of being told I’m ‘copying’ – in my mind, it is more ‘inspiring’, but I feel that others may not see it that way. Sometimes I feel a bit stifled, and I get frustrated. I feel that being inspired by another person’s work, can be dicey and dangerous. There’s a digital artist whose work I really enjoy – uses a lot of sepia tones and brown washes in the postwork. As someone whose favourite colours happen to be earth tones, I would love to try it. But if I did, am I copying them, or being inspired by them? Black and white photography, with lots of high contrast, is something I particularly enjoy. But if I do it, is that copying? Or am I being inspired by a better known artist? And perhaps that’s the rub – if it’s an established, better known artist – whether we’re talking famous in the real world, or just famous on the net in a particular genre – then is it seen as copying if a lesser known person came along with art in the same or similar style? Isn’t that what we are supposed to be doing – learning every day and being inspired by fellow artists? So what does it come down to? Inspiration or copying?

• Where Eagles Dare sale
  by frogster

  I want to thank the nice person that thought well enough of my image to buy a card of it. It means alot to me that someone likes my work…

  I want to thank the nice person that thought well enough of my image to buy a card of it. It means alot to me that someone likes my work that much to buy an image of it. I reamber back to another art site where your art had to be approved before they would put in online in their site. Then I had a fellow artist came in and commented that my artwork stunk and no one would even want to look at it….... the only thing I can say to this person is go into my web-site www.thegraphicfrog.com into the “award” section and then tell me that. I think what i’m trying to say is that alot of us artist just want to thank each and everyone of you who comment and buy our work, and thank you fellow RBers that have made me feel that my art dosn’t stink.

• Free images
  by Jordan Duff

  Just a quick note to let everyone know, there is a site called ImageAfter which is a wonderful resource for free …

  Just a quick note to let everyone know, there is a site called ImageAfter which is a wonderful resource for free images and textures. The size of the images range from 1600×1200 to 2560×1920. Personally I like to use my own images where possible and have a huge library of images for that purpose, but sometimes you need something you can’t or don’t have time to photograph, that is when I head to ImageAfter. If you work in 3D this is a fantastic site as many of the images are straight texture images, brick walls, rock etc. You would need to make the image tile-able and generate your own bump maps etc, but it can be a great starting point. Even though all the images on the site are copyright-free, I highly recommend using your common sense! If someone has posted an image of say, a photo of mickey mouse or some brand name, you should probably think twice before using it. As they say in their disclaimer / The creators of imageafter and its contributors are not liable in any way for damages or litigation that may arise when using or downloading content contained on all pages related to imageafter. The users acknowledge that they assume all risk and/or responsibility when using and viewing this site. Please use your own legal discretion and resources concerning any liability issues. From the site / ImageAfter is a large online free photo collection. You can download and use any image or texture from our site and use it in your own work, either personal or commercial. Terms of use from the site / 1. LICENSE / TERMS OF USE / WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH IMAGEAFTER IMAGES AND TEXTURES? / you CAN modify our images and textures in any way you see fit / you CAN use our images and textures in your own work, whether it be for personal or commercial use / you CAN redistribute or sell our images and textures ALTERED OR UNALTERED as part of printed work (e.g. posters, cd-covers, postcards etc) / WHAT CAN’T YOU DO WITH IMAGEAFTER IMAGES AND TEXTURES? / you CANNOT REDISTRIBUTE our images and textures as part of an online resource site like our own, i.e. use them to directly compete with us. I hope someone finds this useful, I completely forgot about this site until recently when I needed an image for a piece I’m working on. / Happy hunting!

• How I did Bain's World
  by AlienVisitor

  Ok,I took Donalds image and really looked at it.In this one I will only use the Mountain. !http://images-1.redbubble.com/img/art/size…

  Ok,I took Donalds image and really looked at it.In this one I will only use the Mountain. I could see I needed an image with mountains running down both sides,distant mountains in the BG,on this one I decided no water. / I could do just ground but I am getting some interesting textures with deserts,so it was a desert/mountain world. / I also wanted something in a fairly neutral color. / So I went into my 3D software Artmatic Voyager and played around for a couple of hours. / This was the outcome…... Decided I wanted a space ship,to add some life,added the city later,it was done in Artmatic Pro.then taken into Voyager. / I have a very old program I use to build ships,it is no longer made or sold ,it was a Metacreations program,it just kind of disappeared. / Ok used it to build the patrol craft,then as a dxf ( Drawing Exchange Format) i took it into Bryce 3D and added tilt and color scheme,saved it as a psd file and saved it to the current PS folder Donald1( every time I do an image I use a new folder,I have thousands). / So…take everything into PS ,then it cut and paste,using the magnetic lasso to slice & dice. / Once I sliced things and saved them into a transparent BG file ,I make duplicate layers and leave the originals in the file. / I then work with 3d image and add each layer until I am happy with the product. / Then I add numerous color masks to get the effect I want, then just save as a jpg. / Write up the story,using the notes which I’ve developed while doing the image. Then I upload. EASY!!!!!!!!!!!! The one thing that needs doing a lot is SAVE SAVE SAVE.

• How to take 3D stereo photos
  by zacco

  ...

  The process is really very simple, and the basics can be explained in less than a minute, but to become good at taking and presenting 3D photos take a bit more time, and it’s something that really develops with practice. I hope you’ll take what you learn here and get out and get lots of practice taking 3D photos. The typical and easiest single-camera 3D photography technique is commonly called the “cha-cha” technique, for reasons which will soon become obvious. Here’s the technique in a nutshell: Taking the Photos / Always take photos in portrait orientation / Set the camera to full manual and choose the correct exposure and focus / Put your feet square on to the subject of your 3d photo / Put your weight onto your right foot, without lifting your left / Take the first photo / Put your weight onto your left foot without raising your right / Unless your subject is very close, you don’t need to turn your camera to keep it in the centre / Take the second photo / And you’re done! As simple as that. Simply by shifting your weight from one foot to the other, you move your viewpoint by several centimetres, sufficient to get a 3D effect. The “cha-cha” name refers to the side to side sway you do when taking the photo. Processing StereoPhoto Maker screenshotNow you’ve got two photos, but you need to make one. I use a fantastic piece of free software called StereoPhoto Maker. It’s not the prettiest software, but it does a fantastic job. It can be used in conjunction with a plugin called AutoPano, that can analise the two images and automatically correct for many of the problems that can come from shooting two separate images. This includes tilting and twisting, moving forward or back between shots, and the “keystone distortion” that occurs when you turn the camera to centre the subject for close 3D photos. Download and install StereoPhoto Maker. / Download and install AutoPano and link it to StereoPhoto Maker as a plugin. / Step by step Drag both photos onto the StereoPhoto Maker shortcut icon / Zoom out a bit with your mouse’s scroll wheel if you need to to make it easier to fuse the pair into 3D with the cross-eye technique / If the 3D effect seems reversed, click the swap button to swap the images correctly for a crossed eye view / Click on the auto align button to use autopano to correct for any distortions / Click on the Easy Adjustment button to fix the 3D images position relative to the 3D window (see below for more information) / I find adding a border helps, so if you like, in the menu go to View – Border Options / Check “Show Border” and adjust the border settings to your liking / Save the image by clicking in the menu File – Save Stereo Image / Enjoy your new 3d photo! http://neil.creek.name/blog/2008/03/21/how-to-take-3d-photos/ / go here for more info /