The reinforcements have arrived. Lursa and Smaug are here to save these good people from your dark plans. Diane

nice smoke =) could I beg to know how you did it, as well as the flames?

Yeesh, now there's a scary thought - Klingon Dragon Riders! Love the picture Diane and I too would like to know the secret of how you got that smoke to look so good. Please... pretty please? Paul

(Uh, oh--they found us) LOL. Glad to see you here Diane. I wondered if you would let Radart just come in here and lollygag around without your crew setting him straight a bit? Diane B

Thanks guys. The smoke's not a big secret. Added a new layer in Photoshop 4, drew a selection of roughly the shape I wanted coming from one nostril, filled it with white and then rendered clouds. Duplicated the layer for the other nostril. Then djusted the opacity, smudged and erased with the eraser set to a soft airbrush until I got the effect I wanted. The flames are a combination of 3 flame props I made from, believe it or not, the ponytail! I used the grouping tool to select just the ponytail and mad a new prop. Then I warped the heck out of it with the wave deformer (differently for each flame. Made each one a different color and made them slightly transparent. Actually I should have gone back and made them a little more transparent, but this was a quicky to save you all from Radart! Diane

~I do not see him attached to this thread?~ ~Does this mean that your attack worked?~ ~Have you perhaps captured Radart and he is in the belly of your Dragon?~ ~Whatever have you done to him??~ ~Spirit~

So, thou hast followed me here too? Is there no safe haven for me to rest my weary loins?? Yee forever persue me wherever I go? I tire of this foolishness! Have at yee fair maiden!! Taste the bitterness of my sharp sword, and fry in the stench of my Dragon's breath, for I shall be forth to squash thee under my wrath of unleashed power!!!! Yee shall cower to the might of my burning strength!! Radart(be afraid, be very afraid)

Well, if you didn't play with them so often, yer loins wouldn't be so weary....

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

Ye cannot escape by hiding in another forum. These good people will soon discover your foolish plans and come to the side of good. Rest thy loins and be ready for the wrath of Smaug, or give up thy foolish plans and join the side of good and light. We are not afraid of thy minions. Diane

Diane, just looking at this image again. You know, one of the things I like the best about the image is the dragon stepping out of the frame-I love that detail. Diane B

Thanks, Diane. I was wondering if anyone noticed that. It was something I did at the last minute when I was deciding how to frame the image. Photoshop is so much fun sometimes! Diane