tonight, i saw a very nice image in the gallery that imo, was truly erotic. then, i kept looking, and the question formed in my mind...what are all these folks, posting here, trying to portray to their viewers? do you want erotic?...so many fantasy type pics...so little eros. are you just having fun? well, i couldn't find many of the daz pets in gallery, tonight. do you want to show off your newest addition to the market? i didn't see much of that, but, did see plenty of folks showing off the marketplace stuff of others. and, that leads to...are you just coming home, doing a quick render and showing off your latest toys? hey, folks...this is supposed to be an ARTIST site. even if you are simply a hobbyist, you must want to portray something. you must want to show the rest of the world a small bit of what makes you tick....please don't say me, that all that makes you tick is what your plastic can buy. when you render...what are you trying to say? art makes a statement with color and form. please, a statement with words as to what moves you to create. pop...pop...Poppi!!!

I think there's all kinds of people here from the young who are just experiencing CG to the old pros who are artists no matter what tool is in their hand be it a brush, a pencil, or a mouse. And there's folks like me who prefer oil and graphite, but find it entertaining and relaxing to play with Poser. For now, its tremendous fun to screw around and show off the latest quickie. As for 'art', well, when I get to the point of knowing all the technical issues of CG, then I'll be able to work on stirring the soul of the viewer. Until then, I do appreciate the thoughtful comments and tips that this forum and the gallery has to offer.

Poppi, what image was it that you found to be erotic? I ask, because in the true and larger sense, that word can mean so much more than "overtly sexy." My guess is that you agree. Also, it would be interesting to know what prompted you to post this, especially in light of some of your recent comments in other threads. Let's not forget that not everyone is going to be as accomplished or as "artistic" as others. For some people, doing renders that you or I might consider to be mere exhibits of product might be a source of real pride and joy ... I don't think it's our place to knock that too much. While you say that this is supposed to be an artist site, there will never be full agreement on what that means (thank ye gods!) Furthermore, the "supposed to be" thing isn't official, it's just an opinion. Anyway, I agree that not all attempts at erotica are erotic. People are doing what they do because they can. I can think of nothing less inviting than a thumnail close-up of breasts or genitals, no matter how much I like human sexuality. :-) Those who achieve what I consider truly erotic pictures don't resort to those adolescent tactics ... they have more than mere nudity going on, sometimes no nudity at all. To answer your question, what moves me to create is different every time. Usually it's the spark of an idea which evolves and morphs and mutates during the creative process, yielding a surprise. I can't be more specific than that, except to say that I try to trust my impulses without intellectualizing them too much.

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=309461&Start=37&Sectionid=1&WhatsNew=Yes

this is the one...link...by CAD MAN.... it has all the normal elements...the half nekkid vicki...the dragon...sheesh, even a man!!!! which is not much seen in the poser gallery.

maybe, that is what the gallery is REALLY lacking...men...in the temples, being playful and, needy, and ever-so-wanting...with the ice bitches who have the HUGE temples and share with none....not to mention that the temples are so cold, clean, and impersonal. a thought.

eric...very nice...very, very nice. looks like a very good watercolor.

Ok, that just ruined my day. Sorry, poppi, but male gonads really don't do it for me. And I agree with xoconostle, showing off the private parts isn't really all that necessary unless it fits the scene. Oh, and my apology, I forgot to check the nudity box above.

eric...your work is awesome. but, i liked cadman's alot, too...because, both of you are out of the box. you are both different. his is more "erotic" art...yours is commentary....but, both of you guys go far beyond what we get served up in our gallery.

Sometimes I review the gallery to seek ideas of the way some of the available "toys" are used. Because this is a forum for artists (hobby or pro), it seems appropriate to have quickies or even unfinished works which show or demonstrate a technique (i.e. atmosphere) but are in and of themselves not particularly artistic.

I don't think that art necessarily portrays what makes an artist "tick" or even says much about themselves...just depends on the artist I think. Inspiration is a very personal thing and changes with the artists mood. Yes, the banner does say a "graphic artists community" but it doesn't say "professional" so we may see alot of the same, we may in fact see some hobbyists that want nothing more then to show off their new toys...and then we turn the page and see something really worthwhile. It's all subjective. The image you are talking about being erotic for instance, I looked and found nothing at all erotic about it. I found it overtly sexual bordering on soft porn, simply because the focus seemed to be male genitalia and not the story behind it. The story could have been much more erotic had they not been right in your face when the image first came up or even shown at all, the story didn't really make it necessary. But that's just my opinion... Erotica to me obviously is different then what you consider erotic. Again, it's all in the eyes of the viewer. Doesn't make it a bad image, or make your opinion any less valid...it's just not my cup of tea :) Then again, if you are not getting the answers you wanted out of this thread, maybe it's because we are being secretive and private as artists sometimes can be...and really don't want to tell you what we are wanting to convey to our audiences. Or maybe we just do what we like and want the audience to look at it and make up their own stories. Pendy

Hmmm, I could have done without the goodie bag as well and in fact without the guy at all. Nevertheless, CAD MAN did a wonderful job. There's a mysterious and yes, erotic thing between the girl and the dragon. I think expecting a story or a message or even a mood is perhaps too much at times. I think maybe people sometimes don't hnecessarily have any of those in mind when they start and may not have them when done. While it's always interesting to hear an artist's take on what something means, in the end, it's up to the viewer to make that decision for themselves.

Attached Link: sorry, but i gotta market myself don't i?

It's interesting how different people see things. I didn't think the picture you referenced was erotic at all. As a matter of fact, it struck me as a sort of playful and somewhat comical parody of the erotic, I mean with the dragon's tongue hanging out and all ... But it's the variety of human experience and interpretation that makes life so interesting, isn't it? As for 'where' I try to take a viewer, it all depends on the image, the project, etc. If on one of the rare occasions I do something for a client, I am obviously trying to please them. Otherwise, I suppose it is, at first, where I am trying to take myself that takes priority. From there, it is often an exploration. When I am doing my own 'serious' work, i.e., what I want to do rather than for money, sometimes I know exactly where I'm trying to go before I begin, but just as often, the meaning is discovered along the way. I think this way of working can be revelatory. It can force one into a recognition of and, sometimes, into a confrontation with, oneself -- the underlying fears, desires, obsessions and conflicts of which we are often not fully conscious of -- at least when we begin. And when that happens, the artist, and ultimately the viewers as well, may discover some portion of themselves within the work, the latter because what is within the artist is, in some sense at least, within us all. But that's just me. And I apologize for taking the question so seriously.

is it what the teacher teaches? or what the student learns?

sorry Poppi I must be really jaded because I don't find anything erotic about that pic, I find it amusing & repulsing at the same time though. We can't all be turned on by looking at a guys happysack :)

actually, the guys "happy sack" would imho have been better off, well shadowed or something. i saw what lmackenzie saw...a very good interaction between the girl and the dragon. i guess said "happy sack" sort of upstaged that to most viewers.

It does rather spoil what is otherwise a really good picture, you like the expression "happy sack" ? :) I think it came from the tv series Red Dwarf.

"when you render...what are you trying to say? art makes a statement with color and form. please, a statement with words as to what moves you to create."

I agree with you. Too often people don't spend enough time on their images. I've only put up one that was a quickie and it's only there to make a statement, not be good. 'Course I like watching people get better and better as time goes by to and you see them spending more and more time on images.

lately, i've been really stuck for statements. happens to all of us, i guess.

Question: "when you render...what are you trying to say?" Answer: I suck at rendering. ;-)

Not sure if I consider the image more than mildly erotic, Poppi, but it amused me :) Don't understand all this obsession with the, er, happy sack, to me it was just there - a guy gets in that position and that's what you see, end of story. Maybe there's so much Barbie in the Poser gallery, everyone's expecting the men to be Ken and have no balls at all :D I'd like to say something about where my pics come from - I don't post so much here, mostly at Renderotica, so I guess you could say most of my pics come from said happy sack... There's more to it that that, but it's hard to express. A lot of my pics recently had to do with things that occurred to me whilst talking to or doing things with my ex, and I think a lot of my pics are personal in that way, they arise from feelings I have that appear in my head as pictures. Other renders come from things I see, like martial arts films, a conservatory, and yes, a new prop - I imagine it in a scene and what could be happening around it. So we get sex on the deco redux, sex on the morphing bed, and so on - I think what I'm saying here is, it's pretty much a mystery to me. I'm just grateful that the pics keep on coming into my head and that people seem to like to see them, hell, I'm an artist, Jim, not a psychoanalyst :D

Ah yes, the weekly "is it art" discussion- is a nude Vicky in a temple art? Why do we call this site "for artists" if the Poser Forum is full of the same thing? People have been asking for art with "messages" for a while now. Let's face it, the messages are: 1) I'm new, here's a basic nude (because I can't figure out clothing). 2) Here's a close-up of a face. See, I make facial expressions in Poser. 3) Here's a Poser model in a Photoshop-post-worked image. See, you can kinda tell that I started with Poser. 4) I can make images of the latest DAZ freebie just like everyone else! Just look at my house mouse/ gorilla/ Stephanie image. However, you are preaching to the choir- anyone who reads this message is probably the kind of person who will make "message" artwork anyway. So many images are made in 5 minutes by people who want attention and praise for their "great" image. And the community reinforces this "greatness" since people who make negative comments (even if they are constructive) are labeled "trolls".