I must offer my SINCEREST apologies to anyone who so far has purchased a Cimerone product in order to prepare for entering my "Romance Long Ago" contest which starts June 21st. Poser forum moderator Shoshanna has just informed me about 10 min ago by IM that it IS in fact illegal in the state of Tennessee (where Renderosity is located) to run a contest which involves ANY kind of purchase. While my contest didn't demand a purchase (ie/ people who already owned a Cimerone product could use that and not purchase anything new), it was implied that anyone who did NOT yet own something from Cimerone's store would need to purchase one in order to participate. It is my understanding that Cimerone has had a great many sales over the past few days since the original announcement for this contest went out... SO, now that we cannot require the use of one of her products, I am going to increase the prize values for the contest... and for anyone who is offended that they spent on something of Cimerone's and didn't "need" to, please contact ME by IM, not Cimerone, and I will arrange to have Cimerone send you a link to her next product, free of charge. That being said, I have increased the prizes for 2nd and 3rd place, so more people have a chance to win a great prize. HERE ARE THE RULES: 1. Contest will begin on Monday, June 21, 2004 at 12:00 am Renderosity server time (they are on CENTRAL Time, CST), and end at 11:59 pm CST on Friday, July 30, 2004. This means you CANNOT post anything before the start date, or your entry will not be considered... 2. THEME: ROMANCE LONG AGO - You are to depict a romantic scene that could be found on the cover of a romance novel, and it must be set in a "long ago" time... which could be the Old South, Medieval Times, Victorian England, the Italian Renaissance, the Gothic Era ... ANYTHING that predates the 20th century (meaning 1900). 3. Image must be displayed in portrait format, ie/ an example being 8x10 inches, or 600x800 pixels. Anything in landscape format will not be considered. (use the sample image here as a guideline) 4. The image MUST have two Poser characters in it, one male and one female (Vicki/Mike, Steph/Mike, DOrk/Posette)-- NO nudity, with the exception of a possibly bare male chest, as mainstream romance novel covers are frequently depicted in this fashion. There also must be some kind of landscape background behind them, ie/ whether painted, rendered in Bryce, Vue, or what have you (these can also be from any background pkgs which can be purchased or found in free stuff). 5. You must have a title for this novel printed RIGHT ON your image, using whatever text format you like, and your name as the author's name also printed ON the image (see sample image here) -- but in order that I be able to find these in the gallery when I do a search, the gallery title to the image must be "Romance Long Ago" <--typed EXACTLY like this, minus the quotations obviously 6. ONE entry per person ONLY. NO collaborations allowed. Any software can be used, so long as the figures are Poser figures. Postwork is ALLOWED. 7. Comments and ratings MUST be DISABLED on any image submitted to this contest, or your image will not be considered. 9. Work must be YOUR OWN WORK -- ripoffs from other artists will automatically be disqualified. 10. Work must also be NEW and not previously seen in any gallery. (Sample image here is older [repainted hair], but is used as format/theme example ONLY) PRIZES: 1st: - $50 gift certificate to the Renderosity Marketplace purchased by me - choice of ANY 5 items from Cimerone's store - custom screensaver for your work (by ann0314) 2nd: - $25 gift certificate to the Renderosity Marketplace purchased by me - choice of ANY ONE character from Stormi's store (note: items from Stormi's collabs with other artists are ineligible) - custom screensaver for your work (by ann0314) 3rd: - $10 gift certificate to the Renderosity Marketplace (from anonymous donor<--I already have the $$) - custom screensaver for your work (by ann0314) (note: one prize may be added here) JUDGING Same as my last contest, plus the winner from my last contest: Crasher. Judges' decisions are FINAL. HAVE FUN! :O)!!!! SAMPLE IMAGE for the contest can be found in my gallery here: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=692348&Start=1&Artist=Ferguson&ByArtist=Yes

I will be sorting over all my recent customers and sending out links over the next day for my newest brush set. You all will get it prior to its mainstream release. I hope no one will be upset with Ferguson over this, she was just trying to do something fun. I will rectify this situation to the best of my ability and hope no one regrets there purchases. The prizes still seem great :) CheeriO! Gina

Jessie. :)

Again, I am SO sorry to anyone who will feel put out by having purchased only to enter the contest when maybe otherwise they wouldn't have. I hope this will be forgiven, it was a mistake, and it will not happen for the next contest. Note the "prize may be added here" for 3rd place IS the $10 gift certificate. In my haste to post the rules change, I forgot to take that part out, though I did add the prize*

Message edited on: 06/13/2004 20:07

Looking forward to seeing the entries to this one! :)

Sounds cool to me. I needed Cimerone's brushes anyway so I don't mind all this ;o)

LOL, I grabbed the brushes, too. They'll always come in handy. ;o)

Well, I just looked into my stuff, and I found out I already bought two of Cimerone's characters. So this change of rules really makes no difference to me. I'll join, just for the fun of it.

O_o regardless still, Cimerone's stuff is nice and i'll still participate :) hugs jessie

Cimerone I bought your hair brushes with intent to use for the contest, but I am so happy with them it doesn't matter to me about not having to buy anything after all :) Thanks Ferguson for the great contest idea!

Thank you guys SO much... I feel just terrible that I let this happen at all... but am humble and grateful for your generosity of spirit. :) Jessie.

On the plus side, there are better prizes now though, lol

Message edited on: 06/13/2004 21:37

Not your fault Jessie....please don't feel bad. You've brought a lot of pleasure with your past contest and I know you will with this one too. Nice to see this sort of spirit in our community. :)Irene

Hey sweetie don't loose heart :O) we all make mistakes and honestly those that bought Cimerone's brushes have been blessed...they are well worth it and for some of us it just gave us a nudge to try out painting hair...so good caqme out of it :O) You are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SWEET AND GENEROUS for doing anything at all...and I'm sure pepole will stop and realize that....you're the best :O) HUGS and thanks for all these wonderful contests...it is very generous and sweet of you.... :O) ann0314 :O)

Thank YOU guys!! :O) You're making this very easy on me. :O) And now don't quote me on this, because it's still being looked into, but if all goes well, once this contest "goes live" on June 21, there will be a place for it on Renderosity's front page. IF this happens, contest images will be submitted to the contest area, just as they are currently being done for the Spring Fever contest. It would be great exposure for everyone's artwork too, I think. You'll see on June 21, on the front page, if it materializes Again, thanks all. :))

Message edited on: 06/13/2004 22:46

Well all is clarify ;-) I would like to say, i buy something from Cimerone and is not just for the challenge !..Is for me too ;-D I don't regret anything! So we will make this beautiful challenge... with all the requirements! And no more problem of conscience for anybody! I find that Ferguson is extremly generous as regards the price. This is really nice She's keeps the same prices! Well is tiguidou my friend! :-D Wildflowers

Oh Ferguson, thank you so much for this! I really wanted to enter this one, but money is pretty short this particular month and I couldn't afford to really pony up anything, although I wasn't mad at all about it, just figured this was one contest I wouldn't enter. :) Anyways, thank you again for your generosity, and after looking over Cimerone's store I think I will put something of hers next on my list when I get hold of some more money. :D

We already owned Cimerone hair brushes one and two - and LOVE THEM! So regardless of change in contest rules, we'll be using them in our image. But it's great that more people can participate now. Thanks for dreaming up such a fun concept, Jessie. Looking forward to seeing all the romantic covers.BTW - your "Bye Bye Blackbird" is wonderful.:o) Carol

Can we base the art work we do on old popular song? I mean use that as a theme?

Thank you, everyone!! And beos53, I'd rather you didn't do that, only to be safe regarding copyright. After all we've gone through with this contest so far, I think it's best not to base your image on anything other than your original concept (sorry to be a wet blanket there, just trying to be safe) -- I know that my sample image here, "Bye Bye Blackbird", IS actually the title of a song, but the image at any rate is not eligible for the prize, so it's "ok" in this instance (I hope -- if not, I will do a new sample image title NO PROBLEM).... but because there is profit to be gained from the contest, it might be an infringement for any images to do this... so just to be safe... PHew... I don't know if I just made this more or less confusing. hehe

Message edited on: 06/14/2004 04:31

Titles aren't copyrightable, and neither are song concepts translated into artistic interpretations. I could do an image called "Desperado" and so long as I'm not reprinting the lyrics or music of that classic Eagles song, I'm not in violation. ;-) NOT that I'm trying to second guess anyone. I'm just one of those people who doesn't like to see copyright myths perpetuated, and the "titles are copyrighted" thing is one of those. :-) bonni

Ah well then GOOD!!!! beos53 there ya go. :O) I'm just a little on the paranoid side on the moment given my enormous faux pas with the start of this contest.

wow, what a shame, but at least those of us who havent purchased can now enter! seems a shame, and i never knew it was illegal, but i aint in the US so what do i know! anyway dont worry ferguson, we all understand the predicament, but we are all supportive of you no matter what, and those of you that do this wonderful contests too :D so keep yer chin up and smile!

:) Yep now everyone can enter and the prizes are better so... :) hehe Although I am sincerely sorry for anyone who might be offended by having purchased something when they didn't "have" to.

Bookmarked :)

Quote - MUST have two Poser characters in it [end quote] Does this mean it can't have more than two? i.e., a heartbroken woman watching her true love with someone else; a dog running alongside them, etc. Just wondering. kmw

No that's fine, kmw, no problem. As long as there's the traditional man/woman depiction on it. We HAVE seen mainstream romance novel covers with a love triangle, so that's totally cool. :) OH, and I keep forgetting to mention this but a V3/V3 cover is OK so long as one of them is morphed as a male, so as to represent the mainstream romance novel cover. :))

lol ... stalking a bookshop and look at all the books with a woman/man images on it made the person in charge of the shop be suspicious of me. and i've yet to find woman/woman images or man/man images. but then, books like that are not approved, especially where i lived. for a person who owns less than 5 romance books - this is gonna be jolly fun.

Oh I go into bookstores to browse the romance and fantasy sections all the time, just to look at the cover art. And no, you're right, SpiceBunny. In mainstream romance fiction, it's man/woman, and that's what we're doing here. Why I said using V3 and V3 is OK is because V3 does have male morph options that can make her look like a man, except for one thing, which will be covered by the clothing anyhow, so... it's all good. :))

LOL! The only romance novel I've ever read was the one I proofed for a very good friend. At least we don't have to read the books, just eyeball the covers to guage the conventions. Carolly

LOL, that's right!!! And of course the titles, since you're required to put a title on the cover as well.

i've yet to find woman/woman images or man/man images They're out there, but they're not really mainstream. There is a market for gay/lesbian romance novels, though. ;-) I've been reading romance novels (mostly historicals, but I read contemporaries now and then) for a very long time, as in, more than 25 years now. I read the "bodice rippers" and the pirate ones and all the other trends that these things go through... The cover art has changed considerably for some publishers, though, which is good. They used to all have "nursing mother" covers (so-called because the woman always had huge breasts about to burst out of her bodice), and then, somewhere, some genius though, "Wait! These are read by a largely female audience, what if we put a SEXY GUY on the cover?!" and suddenly Fabio had a career... ;-) I am planning on entering this contest. I'm working on the characters now, in fact. ;-) bonni

YAY, Bonni, looking forward to it. And yup, I'm thinking mainly the Fabio TYPE covers for this contest. Some of that art is just gorgeous. ps/ My sister's name is Bonnie too... different spelling, but same name. :)

Ohh!! This is really good news for me (and many others I know) :D Thanks for letting me know about the change of rules! You know I don't have a credit card and wouldn't be able to purchase anything from the market place but now that it isn't required you can count on my participation! :D :D Have a nice week Jess and all of you!! Muah! Hugs 'n Kisses Alejandra

I think it did work out better for everyone concerned so that's great, and everyone has been really gracious, so... :) I'm looking forward to your artwork, Alejandra!! Gracias!

and suddenly Fabio had a career... ;-) elizabyte you just made me spit my coffee everywhere lol. That was hysterical lol. I truly appreciate everyones understanding in this. You are all very wonderful :) Now everyone HAVE FUN! lol (Hey I coulda said "Everyone wang chung tonight" lol) HUGS Gina a.k.a Cimerone

My sister's name is Bonnie too... different spelling, but same name. Bonnie was my grandmother's name. ;-) Oooh, Gina, sorry about that monitor! Hehehe. By the way, folks, Cimerone (Gina) makes fabu stuff, so check out her store even if you don't have to use a product for this contest. You won't be sorry! (And no, nobody's paying to say that, I really like her stuff :-) bonni

:O)

Awww thanks elizabyte! You are too sweet. Gina

How lovely of you to personally inform me of this. I hadn't even had a chance to look the first time you told me of the contest so I was un-aware of anything needing changed. That's what I get for multi-tasking all the time. Ever feel the need for two heads and 4 hands?

Yep, how about an entire clone of myself? So that one can do all the hard stuff and I can sleep. hehe And you're welcome. :))

Hmmm ... (going back and re-reading the rules) ... There wouldn't be a loophole in this where a dash of science fiction could peak through? Perhaps something like travelling through time? Picture H.G.Wells time machine in the back of the cover, or perhaps (dare I say it ...) the 'Enterprise' hovering low in the sky with a Kirk-like person (complete with uniform) wooing a local maiden fair? ... LOL!!! Sorry about the joke, (I'm a techie) but it just struck while reading through the thread here! (I've read a few of romance type books in my dark past, so do know what the theme really is;-) BTW: finding example covers to get the general idea from is just a google search away. Save the poor store clerk some stress:-) (Found one site with Fabio based covers already - http://www.fabioifc.com/BOOKCOVERS/FabioCovers.html)

Actually, as great an idea as that is, Folded, that would have to be a no... because the time period must predate 1900. Maybe the next contest will be a scifi one!! :)) Doesn't have to be FABIO... just the idea of those painted historical romance novel covers... :O)

lol ... i found some sites that have romance bookcovers on it. lol. come to think of it - i dont remember bookmarking it!

Avon books publishes the kinds of novels we're talking about here, or Dorchester press, or Harlequin Historicals... or writers like Kathleen Woodiwiss (some of her books), or Michele Hauf, ... HOpe that helps!!! OH, Samantha James, some of hers...Linda Needham... if you do a search on google or even at amazon.com, you should find plenty of examples. :)!! If you're still stuck, anyone, write again and we'll see what we can come up with.:D!

Would the size 500 x 600 be alright. I can't go 600 x 800 on my monitor and still have work area. Thanks, Beth

Here is a great site for ideas http://www.romancebookcovers.com/ Beth

disneyfabfive: work with a 450 x 600 work area (right proportions) and render to a new window as large as you want!

Thanks will do Beth

Not to step over any one else's advice but you can take svdl's advice a step further. Depending on the size of your screen, here's what you do: create a window with the dimensions as close as you can get (Window/Document Window Size). Poser can create an 600 x 800. [I don't think it can go beyond 999 or something.] Okay, you've got this giant window taking up all your space (again, depending on your monitor). But here's whatcha do. Open Document Window Size a second time, check off 'Constrain aspect ratio' and change, say, the width to a more desirable size for your monitor. The height will adjust accordingly. Even if you click and drag now, the window will retain the ratio. Here's the final step: when you're ready to render, if you indeed need the larger size, render to a New Window. Make sure under Render Options you 'Match Document Window' and the 'Constrain' option is selected. Now type in 600 for the width and boom!, you should get 800 for height. (That's of course if your original document has the correct ratio.) Just another helpful hint from the Book of Ken. take care and hope it helps kmw

The maximum working window size depends on the resolution you're working with. I can set a working window size of 1585 x 1190 (at a screen resolution of 1600 x 1200). Render to new window can render to sizes almost as big as you want (depends on your amount of RAM) but I've seen sizes of up to 4000 x 4000 pixels! So you can make the final render almost as big as you want. Caveat- watch the background pictures, they might get really blocky and ugly. It's usually better to add a background pic in postwork. Hope this is useful info, Steven.

Perhaps something like travelling through time? Actually, the "time travel" novel is a specific sub-genre of romance. There are plenty of them out there. Probably the best example would be Jude Devereaux's "A Knight in Shining Armour" (maybe it's Armor), a book which I would recommend to ANYone, not just romance fans. It's a wonderful and entertaining story with lot of comedy and romance. :) Generally, though, in the time travel genre you don't have too much focus put on the means of moving through time. It's some ancient magic spell or a prayer or stepping through a fairy ring or something of that sort. Sometimes they just get conked on the head and wake up in a different time... bonni (yes, I know a lot about romance novels ;-)