Since I'm in the UK things have changed and I now need to stop beating around the bush and get things done. I want to get on with comics but first I need to gt something important out of the way. Poser, and the Poserverse is in need of a realistic figure to reflect / represent all that is awesome about Poser, and give Poser artists a nice figure to work with in their art. I've been working on Project E for a few years now and now its time to complete that. Its been a difficult task, lots of lessons learned, lots of compromises to be made in this ever-changing field of CGI. Some companies seek to ruthlessly control the sector (they can go fuck themselves), others are a bit helpless (they need to drink more coffee). In the meanwhile artists in the middle are suffering because of this stupid corporate battle, including me, and I hope PE can make an end to this. This is about art, and commerce can go take a number. We will decide what's happening, if you wanna make cash of us, fine, but do it in your own fucking time.
I'm not the only one making Poser figures. A dude that I know by the name of Ali is making Bella, no idea how far he is, but she looks pretty decent. Then there is Mr. Sir. Prof. Ambientshade who is working on a male and a female character for Poser, called Orion and Venus (cool names btw). I also want to help them out because its also in my best interest. If PE isn't successful, then I could make morphs for those figures too. We need to move on, as professional artists, and not just doodle around with crappy half-baked figures.
So one thing is for certain, the Poserverse is not one to curl up and die. Sure its great when a superpower takes the reigns and makes everything easier for you, decides what you render with, what you buy, what uberfigure you use, and submit yourself to exclusive security from the one DAZzling empire of 3D... but humans generally don't do well under one Furore do they? Na, we're free spirits, we're artists, since the renaissance, we scribbled our debauchery on pieces of parchment if we had to, or etched it into stone or firewood. Art has no limits, no allegiance. We'll decide what to render, and with what, thank you.
So, I've gotten over myself and accepted that Poser has its issues, and despite them its still pretty superior to even some high-end apps. The only thing that is not superior is its figures, they look like cartoony dolls, and while there's a time and a place for cartoony dolls, come on guys, let's not kid ourselves... we want REALISM! Duh. Project E will hopefully help out there. I just cleaned up the base rig and she's ready for all the fun stuff... once the vendors have seen her. Vendors are your ticket to a clothed figure, textures, extra hair, so be kind to them and offer them baskets of fruit, wash their feet, and sacrifice a goat every full moon to them. They will make things happen for you.
Here are some pictures of Project E (mesh5) as she is now.
Yes yes, I've been talking about it for well over a year, ever since the power problems began in the country I was living in, that I would move to either Canada or the UK. Well I'm now in the UK! Some folks didn't believe I would really do it, not even my own family! So yeah, I get that a lot. I always take my time. I'd rather get things right, and perfect, than wrong and sloppy. Same as my comics and my 3D projects, I take my time and get it right, but I always complete it! I am a stubborn man :D
Oh btw the country I was living in? Malawi.
BUT even though I always take my time, I hope things will change now and I can finally start producing on a more regular basis. I had to wave my home in Africa goodbye because it was becoming impossible to develop myself there. Firstly there were some big problems with my family estate. Its a long and boring story. They say family always come first... there is a limit to that rule. There were other issues too, but yeah, boring personal stuff. But then there's also the country.
Since I returned there in 2010, the country has steadily been going downhill, mostly due to mismanagement, bad governance, apathy and rampant corruption. They were warned years in advance that they would be confronted with power and water problems because of the combined effects of population growth and climate change. But they did bugger-all, nothing, nada. Instead all the money went into Universities (that nobody will use), expensive football stadiums, and an expensive inland port that is now crumbing unused for the last six years because of really bad planning and management. All purely done to get re-elected. Its a sad affair, especially for the local population... whom I began to find rather apathetic at a certain point. When a government blatantly steals from you, and does nothing to stop it, wouldn't you get a huge mob together and storm their palaces with torches and pitchforks? Not here. They just re-elected the same party.
Can I blame them? fuck no of course not. These guys are as poor as shit. Man they are broke. They have nothing, but you won't immediately see that. They live in extreme poverty and misery, and still they're happy. The justaposition has formed me, and you could probably see it in my work too. I've buried so many of them and their family and friends in he time I lived here because of malaria, AIDS and fucking Cholera, that it might explain my lack of manners, disregard for etiquette, and sense of urgency and impatience towards bad management and people that hinder the fun time of others. Life is short, have fun, be stupid, be silly... be outrageous.
So as you can imagine it wasn't a very inspiring environment for me to work in. And then of course the results of this apathy and corruption: no power, sometimes for weeks during the day. I must have spent well over $5,000 on petrol for the generator last year and even more on batteries. Sometimes there wasn't even water. People were walking kilometers with buckets on their heads fetching from cholera-infested puddles because the local water kiosks were dry. We even saved up water in our bathtubs to share with the local village. Luckily the rains came early in 2016, but that brings a whole different problem: lightning. Badly maintained Transformers and electricity poles getting hit = no power for days because the one truck they can afford to send out has to fix twenty-seven poles by itself... while the managers drive around in the latest BMW. Its such a shame because it is really the most beautiful country in Africa.
So yeah, I was a porn artist in Malawi. Although Porno and Erotica is illegal there, I could probably have lived there without much of a problem because they're hardly capable of dealing with their own corruption (nor interested), let alone one dude making naughty pictures over the internet. But yeah, it would just need one guy with some problem to spill the beans on me and suddenly I will be an overnight sensation because I'm a white guy making porn in Africa. Headline fucking news, yunno? So I wasn't going to risk being made a sensation of either.
So, bye bye Africa.
Hello UK!! I traveled with 50Kgs of Computers, my cat, 20Kgs of harddrives as hand-luggage (shh), and underwear. I left all my clothes behind with unaccompanied and had to buy new clothes once I got to the UK haha. Many of my friends were all worried that they would confiscate my hard drives at customs but I wasn't worried at all because I've packed many times heavier in the past with my hand-luggage. I even traveled right after the London Bombings in 2005 with 30Kgs of hand luggage haha! also hard drives and laptops! Once in 2002 with cymbals and a jackson guitar. Piece of cake.
So yeah also my cat. Man those fucking animals need their body weight in paperwork to get shipped to the UK its incredible, and I had to start months in advance too!!! So much paperwork its crazy. Compared to me with just one flash of my passport and boom I'm in. Never mind Brexit. So yeah my cat obviously hated the journey. I did stop over in another country in Africa and I was called over the intercom to come remove him from his cage so they could scan the box. I asked them if they were mental. But yeah it needed to be done. So I removed him from his cage in the middle of the cargo area with like 30 dudes standing there watching me clutching onto my cat (who by the way was very happy to see me). But anyway, he arrived safely and thanks to all the preparations he didn't have to go into quarantine! I could take him straight away. My girlfriend awaited me, we hired a car and drove to Manchester. A week later and my cat is totally happy, it did take him a few days to come out of hiding though!
So now...
Well now I've been here for a few months and although things are going very well, man it taking me some time to set up again. Things are different here and all the crap from Malawi is catching up to me. I made some bad decisions back there and now I'm paying for it. TaB in DS was one of them. Man I spent well over two months trying to fix shit with TaB DS. Guys I don't use DS. I respect it, its great, but I don't use it. I have no authority there and the last damn thing I should do is release products for DS. Iray does things differently and transmapped conformed items have no place in the world of DAZ, that's clear. None-the-less TaB for DS didn't do too badly, many folks still seemed to figure out ways to put it to good use. But one thing is for sure, it wasn't designed for the prefab art market. TaB is an option, an addon, an erotica artist's plaything, was and always will be. And I need to stay well the fuck out of that world and not touch DAZ Studio anymore with a ten foot pole, I spent more time fixing shit with TaB for DAZ studio than making TaB for DAZ Studio. So no more of that shit. I'm just going to raise expectations and disappoint people... well some then. I will provide 'options' for my DS friends ;) more on that later...
I have been desperate to get back into comics but the only way I can guarantee that is by finally completing Project E (also most definitely for financial reasons). But I confess I am VERY reluctant. This content war thing is getting ridiculous. Stupid in fact. Poser's market share on the content side of things is at an all down low, but Poser itself is thankfully still going for it regardless. I kind of hope that Project E will kill off the whole content dependency thing, because I am beginning to develop a hate for the word 'content'. Its almost a currency, or some commodity on the Stock Exchange that has no artistic value whatsoever. In fact I've been making my own content again since I came to the UK.
Guys this is art, its about fascination, story-telling, inspiration, motivation, amusement, entertainment. Poser started the whole content war, but DAZ perverted it. They have taken all the fun out of it for me. Now its like some urgent fucking duty for me to make shit for this market. Guys, pick up a paint brush, a camera, a crayon, a fucking piece of charcoal if you have to, ok? and remind yourself that this is about captivating the people that look at your shit, either by humor, or awe, or fascination... or just stupid happy fun. Make your tool your own, and don't let DAZ decide how YOUR art looks like! Project E, when she comes out, will be your tool. Don't let her determine your art, let her help you with it.
Here's the deal
So, down to brass tacks. Comics are going, but slowly. Project E is taking priority, mostly so I can get that bitch out of the way. Poser needs it, I need it, and ya'lls asses need it. No idea if it will be any good but fuck it, we'll see. I've redone a load of her since I came to the UK: her hands, arms, back, face, vagina even. She's down to ONE abdomen (like V4) purely to get her to scale properly (don't worry the girl can bend VERY well). Rigging is redone, UV maps have been perfected, and I'm about to start with the morphs. Guys I want her out the door a.s.a.p. I wanna get on with my life, but I see the need for a proper figure in Poserland, and fast. So I'm prepared to keep at it. Please be patient.
My DS friends. Listen, like I said above, I don't use DS and I need to stay well the fuck away from it when it comes to official products for the thing. But I know there's a few of you out there that want PE happening in DS. Well, I have a plan for you, but please remember, its a Poser product first. If you're cool with that, then we can play.
So yeah that's basically it, oh and please check out my Deviant Art page which gets updated frequently with silly fun renders for ya'lls amusement!
Hugs n kisses!
Since I'm in the UK things have changed and I now need to stop beating around the bush and get things done. I want to get on with comics but first I need to gt something important out of the way. Poser, and the Poserverse is in need of a realistic figure to reflect / represent all that is awesome about Poser, and give Poser artists a nice figure to work with in their art. I've been working on Project E for a few years now and now its time to complete that. Its been a difficult task, lots of lessons learned, lots of compromises to be made in this ever-changing field of CGI. Some companies seek to ruthlessly control the sector (they can go fuck themselves), others are a bit helpless (they need to drink more coffee). In the meanwhile artists in the middle are suffering because of this stupid corporate battle, including me, and I hope PE can make an end to this. This is about art, and commerce can go take a number. We will decide what's happening, if you wanna make cash of us, fine, but do it in your own fucking time.
