Like some of the others, I took a look at the galleries of a couple of the artists mentioned. Here's my 0.02, FWIW.

One has zeroed in on a near-perfect method of doing eyes and now uses it in everything -- and that's okay. It might get a little relentless after a while because it so predominates every image, but it works within the context of each image. Beyond that, though, I didnt see a whole lot that would distinguish this particular artist from the pack.

And that, I think, is the thing: if you look at all of these guys, they've found some small thing that works for them really, really well, and they work it hard. It's not exactly a hallmark of individual style, just a trick that gives their various images a little more oomph than, say, the usual Hot Yo Mama 20 type of picture. And finding that little something that you can claim as your own is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Beyond that, as someone else pointed out, it's lots and lots of practice. There's a lot of work that's gone into these (and yeah, a lot of postwork as well), so dont kid yourself that it's something that can just be thrown in the mix like yet another part of the predictable assortment of Poser tricks.

But one thing these various galleries affirmed for me is that dogged old argument about whether or not these are "art". If anything, many of them confirmed that they're not. They're very well crafted -- in some cases extremely so -- but the result is just a very well-crafted image, one that's a spectacular piece of work. But art? Hmm... nah, dont think so, sorry. See, I look at these, and I'm so impressed by the technical skills on display that they dont really engage me emotionally. They're all very pretty to look at (and by that, I mean the resulting combination of skills on display, not the content), but I can just as easily walk away after a while, secure in the knowledge that once Ive seen one or two, I've basically seen the whole shot of what their creator has to offer. It's kinda like looking at the graphics done by an artist (whose name I cant remember, sorry) who did a lot of editorial illustrations for magazines like Playboy and then remanufactured his work into high end posters. They were nice to look at, in a very corporate-art kind of way, but he has only one trick up his sleeve. The stuff from the end of his career looked damn little different from the stuff at the end: stunning but predictable.

And sorry, but I dont consider that "art". Again, very good illustration coupled with solid craftsmanship, no doubt about it. But the work of someone who's discovered a couple of stylistic tricks, not someone with an engaging insight.

So I think the decision you have to make is: what are you trying to do with your Poser work? Are you trying to be engaging? Or just look good? I make no pretensions about my own work: it's facile... but it's supposed to be facile, and it doesnt take long to see why it's facile. But it does the job it's supposed to do, with no illusions of being "art". And I'm perfectly happy with that.

So again, it comes down to what you expect of your own work. Do you want your images to tell us a story? Then go as deep into that story as you can. Dont settle for a column-A-column-B mix and match of stuff just because they look good together or more or less kinda/sorta say what you want us to see. Truly think about what you're presenting: who is this character? Why is s/he in this particular setting? And how does s/he react to it -- not just facially, but in every gesture, in every placement of every element of the body. What's the mood you're building, and what does it take to get it to that particular mood? Is it lighting (something most people really ignore, to their detriment)? Is it atmospherics? Is it a change in texturing somewhere to give the image an element of surprise?

Finally, never declare an image done until you've set it aside for 48 hours and gone back to look at it afresh. You'd be surprsied what you discover that needs attention.

docandraider.com -- the collected cartoons of Doc and Raider