Renderosity: First off, tell us a little bit about yourselves.

marforno: I live in Montreal, Canada and I love to build small worlds, art, traveling, history and music. The joys of my life are my six grandchildren and spending time with my family.

Danie: Berlin, Germany is my hometown and I still live here with my husband and our two boys. I love to laugh, people with a good sense of humor, art, nature, music and good movies.

How long now have you both been involved in digital art, and when did you two first start collaborating?

marforno: I posted my first images at Renderosity in May 2001. They were mainly simple renders with lots of Photoshop. I moved into Bryce and I remember spending a great deal of time trying to get the hang of it. Then modeling came to me as a consequence of the lack of modeling tools in Bryce.

Danie: Digital art since 1997 and 3D since 2001. I began in Bryce and started creating scenes. Due to the fact that it was impossible to pose figures in Bryce, Poser 4 was the next step and I was hooked! I found my passion in creating artistic, fantasy-styled poses and characters for Victoria 2 & 3 at that time. We both met around October 2001 and in November released the first pack that we’ve been working on together, which was called “Danie’s Weapons ‘n Poses.”

What software is currently in your digital toolset and why?

marforno: I use many different programs, depending on what I am trying to achieve, but I do believe that the best results in architecture modeling can be accomplished with 3ds Max.

Danie: I use several programs, but most of the time: Daz Studio and Photoshop as well as Substance Painter.

What can you tell us about your working process? What do each of you bring to the table?

marforno: We spend a great deal of time on the telephone or Skype, kicking around ideas for new projects and packages. After we come up with a concept we both like, I begin modeling and Danie begins texturing. During the process, a more concrete direction begins to take shape, but it can sometimes be a challenge to agree on one vision. However, ultimately it all comes together and in the end we have a creation that we are both happy with.

Do you have any advice for aspiring Digital Content Developers?

Danie: Find a “niche” and be original. Think as a customer and what would you expect from a product of good quality. Pay attention to details, to the quality of your work and add your own unique style.

What projects are you working on now?

Danie: We are working on a new environment, scenes and poses right now and our list for future projects is pretty long. We decide rather spontanous which one will be next.