OT-My Little Artistic Life
IceScribe
Posts: 694
Since Jan this year, I made a point of not going to Daz or other sites. We have a mandate to update to modern fire regs which is highly important as we live near a forested area. This is long drawn out and expensive. We have a work crew that has done well for us, but so much more to go until the Dec deadline. And, of course, other problems popped up. As a result, I've had little time to sit and compose renders. I didn't want to see any DAZ stuff, because our budget is tight. But I missed my DAZ. I missed browsing through the products, and browsing through the forums. I still have a tight budget, but gave myself permission to grab a few things recently. I am tired by the end of the day. I have assets I would like to use, but just too worn out. I can't get out of the physical work, because we can't really afford a crew to do it all, and it must be done, it is decreed. No ifs ands or buts. I have a little artistic training. I like to explore what a character and prop suggest to me. I have no great tale to tell. I just like following the trail. It's not been easy. I'm not greatly appreciated in the 3d world as an associate of anybody, I'm just me, I ust keep exploring what I can do. I enjoy the great tutorials on Youtube, even if I fall asleep and have to run them again. I'm also in an elder cohort, not up on the latest. But, I am retired, have nothing to prove to anyone. Yet still lonely since my family and friends do not understand what it is to do 3d art. "Can you sell that?". No. I'm still learning. Never will learn all that DAZ studio can do. I usually am trying out some new thing I learned. My storytelling is not so succesful. Yet, I persist. My days as a black and white parallax camera photographer taught me a lot. Used to develop my own film and exposures. It's stinky and messy. DAZ is so much easier. When I did photos, I shot for a local RockNRoll band, a portfolio for a starting model, product photos, arty stuff. No allegiance to any style. Just me trying this and that. And that's how I do in DAZ. So, I've bought some new characters, a few props. See if I have enough memory to download and still be able to render. Always a challenge, but I have to say, I like what I do. And I've missed it. I'm back. A couple of my "fans" have passed away. I am grateful for their kind comments and encouragement. I found on DAZ, it was quite difficult to show my work, as the Gallery went down, and so on. I am going to try this year, to show what I can do, and learn more. My birthday is coming up, on the Solstice, and I'm glad to have another orbit, so I have waxed philosophical here.
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Comments
@Icescribe nice to see you back ,can I suggest you get to the "Art Studio"forum and show what you are doing? I really get "family and friends don't understand what I'm doing " yup yup so I tell them I'm playing ......
I'm not into realistic more toony not fancy,yup yup ,sometimes I use my DAZ models as models for my other stuff like needle felting or polymer clay sculpting ........but enough about me , welcome back
@carrie58 thank you for your suggestion about the Art Studio forum. Very cheered by your welcome. I have created a thread there called IceScribe's Efforts in Art. I looked up some of your work. Your felted dog is amazing!
Hello!
Good morning or whatever time of day it is!
Before I go any further I have some legal stuff to get out of the way (according to the Geneva Convention or one of those important human rights documents humans are always signing and then ignoring)...
1st Disclaimer:
You seemed a little disappointed and tired and I usually interpret that as an opportunity to make a friendly post that might be entertaining…
But I’m really bad at making conversation and that usually results in me making a really long post that everyone regrets… Since my writing style is a little unorthodox, or as some might say “insane sounding” it doesn’t always come out sounding, looking or being spelled the way I meant it.
Which leads to my next disclaimer…
2nd Disclaimer:
Normally when I write back to folks on the forums or pretty much anywhere, I tend to infuse my writing with lighthearted dumb jokes or satirical commentary, but as I was reading your post I came to the random conclusion that you might not be located in North America and before I respond any further I wanted to add a disclaimer that sometimes my writing might come across as confusing or flippant to someone not familiar with American.
You see, I don't actually speak English, (which is confusing enough thanks to the works of the Nefarious Order Of Grammar and English, or NOOGE, a radical splinter cell of the Illuminati)… you see, I speak American... which according to several software programs I own, is some sort of separate language not connected to English…
Which explains a lot I suppose, including probably why every English teacher, including one who was actually from the London located in England (not that “New” one in Connecticut), all absolutely hated me and everything I ever wrote.
I’m actually pretty sure Ms Coglin tried to run me over with her Volkswagen in the school parking lot once (possibly twice, but that could have been my math teacher who had a similar car)…
I’m not going to pretend I didn’t deserve it in the grand scheme of all I’d done up to that point, but I was only 12 and you really shouldn’t run over 12 year olds no matter how much like me they might be… especially not in a parking lot shared with a church… also I feel it’s kind of rude to run someone over with a ‘72 Volkswagen Beetle… or any 70s Fiat… Definitely not with a Yugo…
It’s just insulting.
So essentially if you continue to read beyond this point, you assume all risks, complications, debilitating insanity and possible explosive bowel distress that may be incurred by reading anything written by me... Technically you should consult a physician or at least a priest (according to the Vatican) as well before continuing, but that's entirely up to you... but I assure you that's not really necessary...
Probably...
But anyway…
I only say all that (the other stuff not the running me over part, because that's really more of a moral choice) because recently elsewhere (not at DAZ), I was being my usual charming self (I'm in no manner, way or form "charming"), and someone whom I guess might have been using Google Translate, thought I was being sarcastic and mean, (which I wasn't)...(I'm not mean)... (I am however sarcastic, but mostly in person and only to obnoxious people)... (I am occasionally mean and sarcastic, but never sarcastic and mean... it's usually in that order as you have to be mean first for that kind of sarcasm to be absorbed... but again, almost exclusively in person and only to annoying obnoxious people)... (and occasionally to obnoxious cats too)... (and never on a Thursday)...
But anyway...
Because of that, I'm trying to avoid saying anything that might be misinterpreted by anyone who's software doesn't think they speak American or who's avatar or username I don't immediately recognize...
Well, not without an extremely long explanation and disclaimer...
I’m just a crazy person making conversation.
So basically it’s like when you get on a bus or train and you accidentally make eye contact with a random person and feel obligated to make a small talk statement like “crazy weather we are having, huh?” thinking that person will just smile and nod and then go back to staring out the window or rereading the hemorrhoid ointment cream advertisement they were looking at before you made eye contact, but instead that person starts up an insane conversation that makes you want to somehow crawl out of your skin in hopes that your empty skin will serve as a distraction so you can escape while they continue to talk to your hastily shed pile of skin lying on the floor.
It usually doesn’t work as I alway notice the way the skin generally slumps in a pile and doesn’t have eyelashes.
Though one lady really faked me out with an inflatable decoy… which makes me wonder why she was so well prepared…
But anyway…
I’m also responding because you seemed a little bored too (and you mentioned you missed browsing the forums)… and reading my responses is usually good for curing boredom… not because I’m interesting or I write well or anything like that, mostly because it’s like a psychedelic roller coaster ride on acid…
Which I’ve be told is fairly distracting.
This is a lot cheaper and you don’t have to build a roller coaster… though, you could just ride down a steep hill in a shopping cart/trolley/thingie if you don’t have the materials to build a roller coaster.
Reading my posts is usually very good at curing missing browsing the forums… or missing human contact… even liking other humans…
By the time I’m finished you will probably actually want to get back out in the forest and be looking to run amok with a chainsaw.
But anyway… (I seem to say that a lot, don’t I ? )
Anyway...
That part where you said you are “not greatly appreciated in the 3d world as an associate of anybody” stuck with me…
I get that… for two reasons…
One, nobody wants to associate with me… I used to think it was because I don’t shower as frequently as polite society dictates, but now I’m pretty sure it’s the long response posts and the fact I don’t often wear pants in public… not that I’m naked, I always make sure I’m at least wearing a gorilla costume… but, there’s that.
And two, because of my semi former occupation, I have a lot of diverse and almost totally unrelated skills across a wide variety of fields and I don’t actually “belong” in any of them… I kind of fit in, but I also don’t…
Again, it might have to do with the gorilla costume, but it’s mostly me...
I don’t throw myself entirely into anything… I have however myself gotten thrown out of lots places and I once threw myself off a roof almost into swimming pool because I was holding an unoccupied hornet’s nest that turned out to be full of very angry hornets that were probably sleeping at the moment… but the laugh was on them when I hit the edge of the pool, crushing them all to death while drowning the survivors… and my phone too.
I guess I experiment and try and learn a lot of different stuff and because of that I’m not really an "expert" in most things I get involved in...
Well, except getting thrown out of places… I’m really good at that… again, the gorilla costume probably plays into that somewhat.
But I get what you mean... it's rough sometimes because if you don’t have a “name” or a “following” or “pants”, people don’t often care what you have to say or how good you might be at something… they alway tend to focus on the person whom they are more familiar with or seems more popular or has pants on.
I really have to stop mentioning that.
But anyway… You also went on to say, “…I’m just me”…
That’s a good thing… I’m not sure how exactly you meant that, but I’m guessing you meant it like “it is what it is and I’m content to be me”… “to go at my own pace”…
And that’s a good philosophy… be yourself.
Being other people is hell… most people are annoying and trying to be someone else is lots of work… especially getting fake mustaches and beards to look convincing, or the fake boobs to not be two different heights, or not fall out and roll away... and if the person is bald you either have to commit to shaving your head or find a really good looking “bald wig”…
Then there is the impersonation thing to get right, mimicking their mannerisms, etc…
Eh… never mind… ignore that part.
I don’t do that... and it’s never been legally proven it was me...
Whatever was done...
Which I don’t know anything about...
Very I nteresting weather we’ve been having, huh?
But anyway...
Definitely be happy with who you are and do stuff at your own pace… don’t make learning a chore.
I never make learning a chore… I’m dumb as hell, but I’m relatively unstressed.
I’m probably not the best example… so ignore that too…
Following your own trail as you said, and not worrying about having to prove anything to anyone, continuing to explore and learn new things is a worthy endeavor.
It’s unfortunate that your friends and family don’t fully understand or appreciate 3D art or judge it by it’s commercial value…
If it brings you joy and peace then that’s priceless… well, technically not entirely priceless, because you paid for your 3D content, but it’s pretty close to priceless.
But don’t feel lonely, many of the folks here have gone through something like that, at some point…
Most of the jobs I’ve had in life were hard or incriminating to explain, especially my semi-former occupation as an industrial model making… I think more than half the people I know still think I make little plastic models, not serious prototypes and mock-ups of actual products and devices…
I’m often genuinely confused how people think a tiny plastic model is being used in medical or aerospace applications… like do they think there is a doctor inserting an HO scale locomotive in someone’s kidney, or an astronaut is wearing a 1/35th scale Panzer tank on his head…
People are stupid.
I used to try and explain it, but now I usually don’t even bother, if it doesn’t stick after the first time I’m just fine with whatever they think is going on…
So I get that feeling of loneliness… but that could also be because of the gorilla costume too…
On the other hand the forest animals around here seem okay with the gorilla costume, so at least I feel accepted there.
Granted a couple of possums and a bunch raccoons with a pronounced drinking problem aren’t a wide social circle, it’s still fine with me.
Anyway…
This is getting long and I should wrap this up soon...
Well, eventually...
Probably…
Soon…
Before I go, I'm intrigued as to where you are located (the part about having to update to a new fire code regulation)... a lot of people in various parts of this planet that I know are having to readjust their lifestyles and properties because of the threat of wildfires and forest fires.
A friend of mine in Northern California who lives amongst the redwoods has had at least two fires come depressingly close to his property and has had live with possibility that the sanctuary for the rest of the world that he's loved and cared for, for half a century is under constant threat.
This fellow is in his mid 70s and daily does chores and tasks that would make people in their 30s cry... Every other day he's up some 100 foot tall tree, clearing branches and undergrowth or tackling other forestry maintenance issues all by himself, either on his property or for many of his neighbors who pay him to watch over their land.
Sorry, I was serious sounding there for too long…
Anyway, I’m glad you are back and I’m sorry if this post drives you away from humanity and you decide to become a forest hermit because of anything I’ve written…
or because I’ve written…
I didn’t ask you where you are because I’m going to try and find you and start hanging out with you while you are doing your forest work… even though I’m pretty good with clearing trees and underbrush… I love using chainsaws and axes…
That sounded ominous…
Please ignore that…
What I meant was, I’m not going to bother more than the standard eye problem and mental distress that comes from reading my posts…
I’m too lazy to go all over the world to bother people anymore…
In fact, even if I found out you were living next door, the only thing I’d bother you about would be that damn yappy little dog you just got… could you please tell it to shut the hell up in the morning, or put it in a soundproof box until noon… something… it’s just Yappy-yap-yap-yap-yap-yap-yap...
Don’t these people watch horror movies… it’s alway the people with the yappy dog that the monster decides to visit first.
It's always "Yappy-yap-yap-yap-yap-yap-yap.. YIPE!... yeee...(squooshy sound, crunch, crunch, crunch, swallow, burp)"
If they knew how many inter dimensional rifts I’ve inadvertently opened up and the things that have crawled ou…
Ignore that…
Anyhoo…
I’m glad you are back, even though I’m not entirely sure if I know you...
Not because of anything in particular, it's just that I’ve got a really bad memory.
I really should stop now and you should probably go rest your eyes, or have a shot of whiskey or probably vodka… Vodka go better with my posts…
Lots of it too…
It’s been over 2,170 words and I swore I was going to keep this under 2,150…
Not to anyone in particular, but there was swearing… there usually is…
Anyway… have a good day and good luck with your art and forestry work!
Cheers and sorry for any lasting trauma or psychological damage this post may have induced.
Sincerely, Vic
@McGyver Hi Vic, thank you taking the time to reply to my own long post. I am not dissuaded by long posts, as I very often "do go on" myself. I'm American, in Southern California but not born in California, which some people think is odd, although most everyone I meet is from somewhere else. I think I must sound foreign to many people, as I was raised by East Coast parents who thought diction and comportment will get me anywhere in the world, and, whenever I asked them a question, they would advise me to go look it up in the Encylopedia Britannica Dad bought, because he tried being a door-to-door salesman, and only sold that one set, to himself. That made me real popular, as you may imagine. My family is from New Yawk City with a bit of British background, and lots of sad stories about The Great Depression, so I can understand and even appreciate sarcasm. Since you asked, there was a monster forest fire about 10yrs ago that we had to evacuate from. Truly hellish! We were ok after. But I think the insurance companies are reeling from claims from all those fires up in Northern Cal. So we have done the annual stuff to meet FD regs, but we were ambushed by an insurance guy who sent a document ordering certain things to be done. I and hubby are nicely senior and retired, but if we had the $$$ we would redo our shabby-chic bath, or kitchen or buy a monster tv or the baddest computer to do my graphics on. Instead, my sad story is that debris from a neighbors lot has dribbled down and piled up behind our garage a mighty fine bonfire kit, eucalyptus and pine with the added surprise of some long nasty cactus with tiny needles that inject themselves into skin...that fell underneath the other stuff! I've been clambering around with a bucket to get it out, as there is no easy way to get at the mess and my usual hired crew "had other obligations" and scampered away. It's got to be done, so I'm doing it. Because, there is more to be done after the excavation... a trench, water proofing stuff. Sigh. Even though I live in So Cal, I can't bear temps over 80F even to loll about, much less dig into spiky dusty, heavy stuff and cart it back and forth, plucking cactus needles from my hide. Hot weather is DAZ time for me usually. Anyway, I was trying to explain to a relative what DAZ is and why I like it, when I noticed they had nodded off, or re-read the hemorrhoid cream ad, as you said. All I got was, "whatever floats your boat". Your writing is very entertaining, and cheered me up no end. This is after just found my sole tomato plant of 25 seeds planted in Feb, was nipped to 1/4 it's size by a rogue squirrel, well they all are rogues. I have 1 leaf with a stem sprout left. I found the notification of your post when I plopped down, and that helped a lot. I will cry later over my poor tomato plant. It is a San Marzano whose ancesters grew on the pumice soil of Mt Etna. When I bought the first packet, the post office lost it. When I tried to reorder it was sold out. Then mysteriously a month later, the seed packet was delivered. I had 20 good sprouts when a cutworm or an earwig penetrated the insect netting and ate them to nubs last month. Maybe you're sorry you replied... but I'm glad you did. Bears re-reading.
Cheers, Martha
Another thing that hampers my artistic efforts is memory, I'm not sure which it is RAM? Something with a lot of SSS?. I'm not a techie.I always say nobody is born knowing this stuff. And if I have a car that goes when I want and stops when I want, I don't need to know what those wires mean. Same with a computer. When I bought a gaming machine that I thought would do the trick and not fail mid-render, my go to guru is my hubby. He suggested and bought a 1 terabyte computer. After setting it up, and ready to go, I took a sip of invigorating coffee and it went down the wrong way, and some coughed up and splatted on the keyboard. Goodbye new 'puter. So he ordered another identical machine. But this time the memory was partitioned with a D something, which according to what I have read is a never-never land for anything useful. Bought 1 T can only use half. Meh. Got an external drive, sure, sure. I even found out about the download packets that duplicated every single thing I downloaded from DAZ from my library, doubling memory storage crisis, and of course, I deleted the wrong ones, and had to start over. There is much I don't know. I can learn fast, but my interest flags, and I just wanna pitchures to admire. Looking up PBR. A saga of Jargon. Reminds me of a 12 string guitarist I knew, who was very good, and had perfect pitch, Ping Ping! so tiresome, just want to sing off key the few words I remember, clapping my hands with a bunch of other folks who are doing the same...well that's that. My b-day is coming and I heard rumor that a new bigger faster computer might be, might be... I am laconic. I think the model I want will not have "that" chip...I am laconic about much stuff in life. When I was in high school, I won a summer camp to a prestigious art school. Oooh, so excited! But, my parents didn't want to pay for the supplies, didn't want to drive me. So they blew it off. It's ok now. I've got my DAZ now, to keep me warm. Right now, I can't find my external drive or its cord, as I put those in a new "good place" as I doing some furniture moving. So there are a few odds and ends on the hard drive now, which I am trying to use, just as sketchs, work on lighting, getting inspired.
Thank you very much ,I tend to be a dabbler ,little of this ,little of that ,master of ....nothing LOL , at the moment been working on kids gymnastic poses ,when I can focus ....
@carrie58 Dabbling is good, always find something. I'm enjoying the DAZ + sale. I get inspired by the sale items. I often buy poses on sale and modify them. Somewhere, I think I have a yoga set.
Randomly inserting myself in here, cause I had to say, McGyver, I just LOVED your mad post! There have been enough times when I'm browsing the forums and come across one of your um, unique and fun posts and they make me laugh. Thank you.
IceScribe, the DAZ+ sale and sale items are inspiring indeed, and I'm already getting dizzy from the shopping and the ideas bombarding my brain. But if your external drive stays at large for a while and you're looking for some other sources of inspiration (post sale perhaps), I feel like doing some of my fangirling and directing you to the freebies section to check out AOBB's face sculpts and perlk's outfits (perlk has more in other threads too). I got a lot of inspiration from their work. I don't know if those work with the idea of 'magic realism', but who knows, maybe they do...
@Sapphire Blue
thank you for pointing towards the free AOBB and perlk goodies. I will definitely look more closely. The sale is exhausting, because DAZ has opened some Vault items i haven't seen in a while.