I am a fantasy artist. I love the genre. I've learned two most important things from my favorite artist, Frank Frazetta. One, the importance of lighting and, two, to have each image tell a story. I appreciate the ooohs and aaahs I may receive in the comments but even more I appreciate it when someone says, "ooh, I like this because...". On one of my images, Getting Down to Business, I received quite a few comments that told me why they liked the image and I found myself saying, yes, exactly, that's what I was trying to convey. On another image, Lestat, Louis and Claudia, I asked for comments to help me improve the image. After working on it for quite some time I knew improvements were needed but I couldn't see where they were anymore. I did get the helpful comments I needed to make the improvements and was glad I had asked. I've been fortunate not to have any trolling type comments on my work, even the fairies and elves I enjoy doing. And I do pin-ups from time to time because I find them relaxing when I am stuck on something else I may be working on. I've only done one nude for a contest elsewhere but I have to admit that with fantasy images most of my women are scantily clad. That's why they're fantasy. And I do use men in some images although they're usually dressed to the hilt or armored. I may just have to try a scantily clad gent some time. Heheh. And I remember back when I first started in Poser that a lot of postwork was a no-no. The idea then was to do it all in Poser. Somehow that has stuck with me. Yes, every now and then I do a little hair painting but that's usually done to enhance what I already have. And I do the usual touchups to bends and bad shadows but for the most part everything is done in Poser to the best it can be. I find myself losing interest when I see an image where hair is the focal point. It's great for those who do it well but what's the image about? And, yes, it is a shame so many good artists go unnoticed and all I can say to that is just keep doing what you love to do. Be the best you can be and enjoy it. I do my art for me and if it gets noticed, that's great. If not, I'm already on to working on the next image. Good thread, everyone!

FlyByNight