here is an example:

i use fre skin shaders, and make my own lights but still.

Learn camera angls and projection view...

Learn how to place things in a scene so they are telling the story better and make the image more interesting.

Just google for painting and placement of things..

Like the image you posted ..the skin and light does not matter if the angle is not interesting for the viewer..

Just like her feet ..why is it cut of ? things like that make a image become better ..

Chris

AKA BAR-CODE

maybe, maybe :P the legs are cut off cos of the render size only :P ii was good years ago, i guess i have lost all my inspirationb

ut any advice is good!

sweety ..if you lost all inspiration you cant get better ..you can only get better if you still buzz with fun about it.. 

Maybe make it a challenge for yourself ..  like make 10 images with figures that are "fashion models"..

And imitate glossy comercial images..  that way you got to push you know how to its limit and search for tricks and things to get a image just the way you want " like the one in the magazine...

And you dont have to use the latest figures and or clothings .. yu got to get the feel like the photo.s into the render ... then its a challenge .. 

Chris

thats an idea i could try :D  ds is still fun even tho my ideas dont look the best :P. im gonna go hunting for pics now :)

i knew it ... 

Also use the factor of thirds   that is divide you your seen in 1/3 sections and making your main subjects set on one of the 2 lines divideing up the full render.  Always have somthing that will guide the eye to the main point if inderest leading in then out.  In photography you try and get rid of shadows but in art it is the shadown that meke your work come alive.  Hopes this helps and yes! do try not to cut you subjects feet off, they will need them to walk when they are done poseing for the day...

thnks for the advice :) trying righ now, looking at fashion pics and will b looking at fantasy  pics too. i will b posting at my deviantart once im done :)

Also, lighting is very important in making an image 'pop'. The right lighting can take a flat image and give it the illusion of depth. Lights also go a long way in establishing emotion for an image. The right play of light and shadow can turn a blah image into a masterpiece.

'Digital Lighting and Rendering' by Jeremy Birn is a great book on lighting.

It looks like, good composition is what you need to study. Look at images from people, paintings, or advertising even, that you like and try to duplicate that. It's good practice for you.  Try to duplicate the composition, lighting and mood.

-AniMajik

thankyou for the advice :)

I think these folks have offered some really good advice. I would also put In that you do a lot of things really well. For instance your posing is good and includes things like the hair, wind and gravity effects. In your gallery I see you are really good with morphs. You are definately talented.  I think the difference in a so so picture and a great scene can be just a few little tweaks. I say keep making your scenes and experiment with more dramatic lighting and camera angles. Good luck and keep at it. :)

I'll add a bit to the great advice already given with one disclaimer - I'm not a great artist, or even a good artist, just someone who enjoys working with 3D. I'm still learning, and what I consider good another person might think is really bad. Personal preferences are very important to determining what an individual thinks is a great render or a not so great render.

From the image above, and looking through your gallery, like others have already said, lighting is one of the keys. But, materials and shaders are equally important, and typically will need to be adjusted to the lighting. There is a very close interdependence between the two. It is a rare occasion when I use any materials/shaders exactly as the came from the vendor.

For a quick example, in the image you posted above, the clothes definitely need some shader work to make them match how the lights are affecting the skin on your model. The dress looks flat in comparison to the model and the wings. I would begin by adjusting the specular settings to improve the interplay of highlight and shadows on the dress.

I would also reduce the brightness of the background image a bit. It is almost creating a silhouette effect making it hard too focus on and see the figure due to the brightness of the sky (but this may be the effect you wanted).

Take a quick look at my gallery (link in my sig line below) to decide for yourself how much weight to place on my comments. My comments reflect what I would do when preparing a scene to render to fit what I like to create. My style may not really be what you are after. It typically takes me 5-20 hours (often more) to compose a scene, I'm a test render alcoholic, continually adjusting materials or tweaking lighting, then test render, and repeat this process over and over until I get things to where I feel it's the best I can do with the image. As I gain more experience, the speed of this process improves, but I'm still learning.

Hope this helps.

not getting an image you like is technical thing, read more do tuts etc you will get better!

not getting an image others like is NOT your worry, I see lots of "art" thats worth millions on the market but I wouldn't pay a bent button for!!

if your having fun go for it, the more you do the better you get

I won't make any suggestions as to what you can do to actually make better renders... such as render settings and camera angles, but I can make a few suggestions on how to get back some of yer mojo...

Years ago I backed my 72' Pontiac over my muse... apparently according to the Muse's Guild, everyone is only entitled to one muse per lifetime... Meh, she wasn't that good anyway... that and she had a bad habit of getting drunk and sleeping under parked cars, so it was just a matter of time anyway... So museless (thats a real word), I decided to try and inspire myself despite the loss... Since alcohol gets expensive after a while and drugs are illegal (just say no), I decided to skip the Ernest Hemingway/Jack Kerouac route and figure out what I liked in other people's work... what got me excited...

The first thing you have to do is actually dedicate some time to figuring out what stirs your soul... These days it's a lot easier than back when I had to hose muse parts out from my wheelwell... Spend a couple of hours on a boring, rainy or locust swam infested weekend searching the internet for images of cool art... or any images that make you "feel something"... (no porn, thats a different feeling)... What is it that you like about a particular image?  What is the main subject saying to you? What kind of camera angles do you seem to gravitate to the most? What kind of lighting do you find most moody? Before you should ever give a crap about what other people think, understand how you think... make images that you enjoy... get good at making yourself happy (I don't mean like that)... if you worry too much what other people find in your art, you are only repeating what they want to hear and not what you want to say... you cease to express yourself and will only find disappointment. And then werewolves will eat you... 

Actually I'm not sure about the werewolves, but you have to enjoy what you are doing or it doesn't matter how many muses you have, everything will seem flat (especially flat stuff)... Go out and look at a nice sunset or watch squirrels mating in the park... nature is sometimes the biggest source inspiration we can find and its mostly free (sometime the squirrels charge if watch too long). Look at the detail in the lighting, the way the shadows fall across the drunken hobo laying in the alley, the angle his bottle is at, the way the moonlight glints off the urine puddle... learn to see everything in a scene let those details tell the story. Most people live their lives aiming their eyes at stuff, but never actually seeing the world (which is why so many people keep falling into ditches and ravines), they miss all the details and never understand what it is they liked about that sunset at the beach or that elephant hitchhiking on the highway... half the key to giving life to any art is in the details and the stories they tell, the shore birds trying to catch the last meal before the sun sets, or that frilly yellow purse and paisley bonnet the elephant wore. Without those its just a beach, or a lost pachyderm. 

Study movies... look behind the sofa cushion till you find your remote, freeze frame the best parts of your favorite movies... look at the camera angles, the lighting, the body language of the main character... what make your heart race or gets you angry, giggle girlishly or pee in your pants in a given scene... play the scene a frame at a time, dissect it...  what is the strongest image?... what was that furry thing you felt that was next to the remote, you sure hope it was an old sock... it's probably that black one that has been missing for like a month now, but maybe you aught to sit down real hard on the cushion in case it's something nesting down there... The best part of watching it frame by frame is you don't hear the sound effects and music, you can focus on the visuals and also hear if there are gnawing sounds coming from under the cushion...

Sometimes though, music can help inspire you too... pick something that really gets you going, I happen to like soundtrack stuff by James Horner or other music without vocals... I close my eyes and make my own scene... I used to fall into ditches and off ravines a lot in the beginning, so now I mostly do that before I sleep, while laying down, instead of while biking or jogging... follow the music let it lead your mind to form a story and learn how to freeze those images in your mind... But above all learn to like what you make, even if you find your renders are starting to have lots of squirrels doing the humpy-bumpy, no matter as long as you enjoy it and the squirrels don't press charges you will eventually find a way to focus that energy into more mainstream imagery that your peers will enjoy... or you can make loads of money with a squirrel theme porn site, either way you'll probably be far happier doing what brings you joy than worrying if this of that is perfect or PETA approves.

Remember the key to inner peace is understanding first what drives you, accepting your weakness and building your strength only then can one finish their bottle of sake and slip into our deepest inner peace.

In retrospect I had the worst sensei... I'm pretty sure he was a horrible drunk and I'm also pretty sure him and that damn muse were doing it... Well, I'm sure this has only left you with more questions than answers and possible even a damaged sofa cushion, so good luck and I hope you at least learned not to ask questions in forums where I might respond.

That's how we all start!

Practice Practice Practice.

Look through my renders to get an idea.  My very first render was June 2011.  I've come a long way since then.

Start Simple.  The first thing I did was read the Poser portrait tutorial, it really helped my learn about lighting.

Since then, I use Reality almost exclusively for my renders, and I found Paolo's tutorials ($20?) for Reality extremely helpful.

I spend most of my time on the forums asking questions about how people do what they do.  If they do something I'm interested in, I try to learn it.

And yes... some times I turn out some crap, and kinda walk away from it.

thankyou all, for the input :)  much appreciated :D :D it does help to see hat other ppl think :)

Look through various art galleries and find art that you like...then try to duplicate it for yourself.

As you look at what you did and compare it to the original, you will start to see the little nuances that will help you to learn to do better.

This is suggested as a learning lesson, I am not suggestion for your personal art that you simply duplicate other peoples things. But if you use this technique as a learning tool, then when you do your own original art, you will remember what you have learned.