It's a Stretch

First off: the uncensored version of a commissioned picture I posted at Deviant Art featuring Midnight Avenger, Duster, and Whirlwind all performing (more or less) a sexy stretch. The sneauxflakes at D.A. get very upset when reminded that women have vaginas. Which is strange, I mean I assume they all came out of one.

Now another adults-only image, this one another additional image for my graphic novel Once Bitten featuring Duster and Dracula. Still available for purchase, check this blog entry for more details.

Yes, it's a very hot comic. You should check it out if you haven't yet!

(On a side-note, I checked the journal entry right before this one and saw I'd stated that I could pose not-safe-for-DA material at Tumblr. Well I think we all know that's no longer true! As I noted at DA, I removed my Tumblr account right after their anti-adult announcement. As my mom used to say, don't stay where you're not welcome. Oh well, I wasn't that active at Tumblr anyway. Someone said it was a good place to pick up more commissioners, but as far as I can tell I didn't get a single one interested. I suspect I only had followers there who already watch me at DA.) 

I also recently installed a new set of High Dynamic Range images (HDRis) called "Old Stone Pack". I usually use digital sets in my images and relegate HDRis to providing ambient light or a skydome, but sometimes when the images are of exceptionally high quality and work well with digital figures I use them to provide the complete environment. I'll probably do that with this set, which lends itself to fantasy settings.

Now for some costume tests, but with a difference, as I thought I'd cover a few technical details as well.

Most of you might know (though only fellow Daz Studio artists will care) that I still use Genesis 2 figures. (Daz has long since graduated from there to Genesis 3 and more recently G8.) That's not as challenging as it sounds. In fact I think a lot of Poser artists can relate; many of them use older versions of that application, which also means they're restricted from using new features and content, or so I gather—but many of them still produce exceptional work. At any rate, there's lots of clothing outfits available for Genesis 2, and you can make Genesis 3 clothing props fit G2 by making a pretty easy modification inside Daz Studio (details HERE).

However, Daz didn't really seem to get into the Iray render engine in a big way until right around the time Genesis 3 came out. As a result, very few Genesis 2 outfits have any Iray settings. Sometimes that's not a big deal, but sometimes it is. For example, check out the outfit below, called Blackout:

Form-wise it's pretty sexy, but in terms of colour and texture it's pretty blah. So I applied some Iray latex shaders to it. (Shaders, for those of you not familiar with them, change the surface of any digital object in Daz Studio to which they're applied. They don't just change colours; a shader can provide all sorts of other effects such as reflectivity, metallic flakes, sub-surface scattering (especially useful for realistic-looking skin), and even texture by adding "bumps" and "displacement" to make the surface look more three-dimensional.)

You can see what a difference the shaders make. They make the clothing prop more interesting not just by changing the colour, but by making it look more realistic and varied. The lighting highlights also help emphasize the underlying (sexy) shape of the figure.

Here's another example, another sexy outfit for Genesis 2 Females called "Uncaged". This is the default version. Look how the parts that are supposed to be metal look like plastic. Ugh!

So here's how it looks with some Iray leather and metal shaders applied:

A world of difference. However those "chains" aren't exactly realistic-looking. Unlike some other clothing props this one doesn't contain morphs to specifically correct that, unfortunately; it seems designed for one size of bosom only. Fortunately the chains are a separate surface, which means their opacity can be set to 0%, making them disappear.

However, not all Genesis 2 clothing needs this sort of an Iray update. Here's another outfit, called Super Dress and Leggings, which looks pretty good with the default shaders applied.

The reason for the "super" appellation for this dress is because it has not just a bunch of different shaders, it has all sorts of settings to modify its style. You change the neckline, remove the sleeves, shorten the skirt... you can even change it into a shirt/skirt combo if you want.





















Unfortunately the belt buckle for the skirt gets distorted, but no clothing prop is perfect.

Finally, here's two more older outfits that look fine without needing an Iray update. Here's Candy/Duster in a sexy little number called "Limitless", and an outfit descriptively named "Vinyl Jumpsuit" (which is actually for the first generation of Genesis) that could either be a 70s throwback or a retro-future costume.





















...and that's it for this blog update. Thanks for dropping by!

Too Hot for Deviant Art

Yeah, so like many people I have had a handful of images removed recently from D.A. Unlike many others I didn't dispute them. I try to pick my battles carefully, and also focus my energy and efforts where they'll pay off best.

Besides, I have other places to pose my more risque work, such as here, TFMC Nexus, Tumblr, and Erolair. I'm not currently as active at those places as I am at D.A., but it's important to have options. Web sites come and go—something that it would be good for the owners of D.A. to remember. Don't get me wrong, D.A.'s been a good place to hang out, mainly because of some very cool people who also hang out there. But if the censorship gets worse and if this new Eclipse "upgrade" makes the site less usable, I'll keep an eye on where the crowd's going. I earn a tidy extra income from commissioned artwork and it doesn't make sense to hang out my shingle at a web site that's committing a slow, painful version of suicide.

So first off, in order to provide my loyal watchers with another place to view them, here are the images that were removed from D.A. In each case I think I know why, though I think someone is really stretching their interpretation of the Terms of Service.

I remember that long ago I received a warning because of this one, called "Solstice's Choice", which was my entry in a contest that Southblade held many months ago. I think the warning was for "vaginal spreading"... which, as any sensible person can see from the above image, is a bit ridiculous to apply here. Yes, Amazon Arrow and Duster have vaginas. Yes, they're bound in a way so their legs are slightly parted. Yes, you can therefore see their vaginas. Sort of. Kind of.

But I always interpreted that rule as applying to the sort of genital exposure you see in a gynecological exam or in the pages of Hustler.

Oh well, I suppose it's all on how you interpret that rule. Like the other removals I decided not to dispute it because if push came to shove it could be interpreted in that narrow a fashion. I will probably re-do this image when I get a chance with all the heroines in their costumes. After all, for true peril fans, what matters is the peril. Of course, I can't help thinking of the irony that in this image two women are being threatened with violent dismemberment, and from what I can tell nobody objected to that.

Of the four images below, the first three were removed.

Again, it's a technical interpretation. The laser is, arguably, a sex toy, and it's in use, and that's not allowed. Okay, it's a stretch but in many ways a fair one, especially since I intentionally created this series (a commission, but still) to push the bounds of D.A's ToS to see what I could get away with. So, a fair cop, I guess. And one I didn't dispute. But hey, they left up image 4, and in many ways I consider that the sexiest one.

I won't be modifying this series to try to make it "D.A. Safe" (if there is such a thing) because I really don't see a way to do it. They will live on here and (sooner or later) at the other sites I mentioned above.

To comment on this from a bigger perspective, I understand and even sympathize with what Deviant Art is doing, or trying to do. They don't want to be just another porn site, and frankly, nor would I want them to become one. There's more than enough sites filled with nothing but images of monstrously large penises spewing ridiculously copious amounts of ejaculate on impossibly-proportioned women. I avoid them.

But there's that provocative word that's right in the site's name, and they have attracted a large number of adults (such as yours truly) who enjoy using the site as a means to display, celebrate, and explore sexuality, even within their sometimes vague and strange limits. They have also attracted a large number of people who seem to miss the whole point of the site, and of art, and of human sexuality in general. It's a difficult balance, I can imagine, and like most web sites trying to keep a handle on their content while retaining their audience and remaining viable as a business, they're probably woefully understaffed. The people who do police the content have to deal with the emotional baggage that comes from seeing images far, far worse than anything I've ever posted there.

At the end of the day, that's another reason I don't fight this stuff. On D.A. I sometimes see people ranting about "the mods" and "the admins" as though they're some sort of powerful establishment figures, when the more-likely reality is that they're twenties-something youngsters who are horribly overqualified and ridiculously underpaid and who have to sort through images of child pornography and misogynistic violence every day. So in a few seconds of this workday none of us would ever want to endure, they look at one of my images and make a decision and click on a button and it's gone. Boom, onto the next one. Jesus, how long until lunch...?

So... okay. I'm an adult. Have been for a long time. I can deal with criticism and rejection. Spent most of my life learning how to do that, in fact, and it's high time to put that into practice. I move onto bigger and better things.
Speaking of which, here's another additional image for my graphic novel Once Bitten. Remember that you can buy the novel directly from me. More details at THIS LINK.

Now onto the usual fashion show!

I'm thinking that this next outfit, called "After Dark", would be great for a villainess (or maybe an edgy heroine), but I can't decide on which version to use. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts in a comment here or back at D.A.





















Here's a couple from a creator called Exnem: a lingerie harness and a yoga outfit.

Now here's some sexy outfits: Charming Party Dress, Lace Lingerie III, Spiritual Suit, and Tiny Things.

As always, if any of these particularly strike your fancy, let me know here or at D.A. When I hear several people really like a particular clothing prop I try to find a way to work it into a high quality image.

Bumper Crop

It's autumn, time for harvest, and as the title implies I have quite a haul for you blog-followers this weekend! Not just the usual costume and character tests, but several high quality sexy images too! Let's get started...

Those of you following me at Deviant Art will probably recall the recent "Immortal Seduction" series from an anonymous commissioner. It features Hathor, the ancient Egyptian goddess of love, seducing a trio of our favourite OC heroines. Below is the final image from that series, featuring my own Whirlwind (L) and Duster (R) with Curia-DD's Wonder Woman. I probably could get away with posing it at D.A. but on the off-chance it would get reported I'm posting it here instead.

I quite liked the series, I think it has some of my best girl-on-girl work, including this image.

Now for another commission, this one also part of a recent series. BonV23 commissioned me to create a series of images illustrating scenes from my Duster story "The Cage". Here's the final one, which again would violate D.A.'s ToS so it's here instead: Duster suffering at the hands of Big Bertha following her defeat in the fighting cage:

Just a reminder: "The Cage" is available in ebook format as part of The Domination Variations - Duster Volume 3: A Superheroine-in-Peril Story Collection which is available at Smashwords.

Speaking of other ways you can part with your hard-earned cash for my benefit, you can also get my adult-only superheroine-in-peril graphic novel, Once Bitten, directly from me (more information HERE). To entice you a bit, here is a bonus image I recently rendered showing Duster seduced by none other than Dracula:

I may do up a couple more bonus images for that comic and post them here in future. Stay tuned!

And I have one more HQ/HC image for you. This one is a scene from my superheroine-in-peril novel Arena, which is also available from Smashwords (or in a slightly-altered form from Amazon under the title Duster versus the Pit Boss). Once again, Duster has been defeated after being forced to fight for an audience, this time losing to Gladiator, who enjoys the spoils of victory in this image:

Once again BonV23 commissioned a related image (which in the story takes place just before this one), and I just used that picture as the base for creating this one. 

And that's it for the HQ images! Usually I just post one of those per blog entry, but this time I had several for you. Happy October!

To finish off, as usual, I have some test images.

First up is a new character named Saskia.

She has a very sultry look to her, doesn't she?

Now for some new fashions for Duster (or other characters, Dusty's just the one I use to model them). As always, please let me know here or at D.A. if you really like any of these or have ideas/suggestions for them. They may end up in a HQ render one day.

First up is an outfit called "Lylia" which is for Genesis 3 Females (Duster and practically all my other characters are Genesis 2): 

This next one is just called "SwimWear V6" (i.e. for Victoria 6, the figure on which Duster is based). I used an Iray shader on the outfit to give it a nice patina:

Finally, this outfit is called "X-Fashion X Bodysuit", which is again for Genesis 3. I think it would make a good superheroine (or supervillainess) costume.

And that's it for this blog entry!

Variations

First up for this blog post: Night Angel in trouble... or is she?

Maybe she's just enjoying herself.

This is a variation of a commissioned image which I haven't posted. My anonymous commissioner has had me create a number of erotic images featuring a heroine called "Spectre Woman" for whom the base figure is the same as Night Angel (which makes it very easy to swap them around). I haven't posted any of them yet for a number of reasons--one of which is that they will, in the end, form a more-or-less cohesive narrative. But we're not there yet. In the meantime, enjoy this altered sneak peak.

Next up, a couple of do-overs. First off, a variation on a recent commissioned image titled Harem Piercing. This one is extremely similar to the one I posted but shows Duster and Honeypot just before the villainess administered the piercing to the heroine's navel.

Granted the poses are virtually identical but for you Dangerguy trainspotters out there—assuming those exist—this "completes the set", as it were.

Here's another one along those lines. Another recent commission was a scene from Arena where Guardian (now Gladiator) has defeated Duster. Below are two variations that more or less follow it, where Guardian has raised Duster's head so he can look his defeated opponent in the eye. The sharp-eyed among you will notice that Duster's bruises aren't consistent between this pic and the one posted at D.A., something I may get around to fixing in the future.




















And another do-over, this time of a classic laser peril trope. I didn't change anything other than re-rendering it on my newer PC with the more powerful graphics card. I also did things a little different in postwork, but nevertheless I think you can see a subtle difference in quality.

Now onto some recent test images.

Here's a new figure, named Gabriella for Gia 6:

A new prop, called "Pleasure Seat". It's designed for Victoria 4 (which is why I've put my V4 version of Mindless Entertainment's Violet Spike into it for the test), but it's easy enough to adapt Genesis 2 figures for it.

And finally there's the fashion show! Some new digital outfits for my digital girls. This first one, in a different colour scheme, was worn by a warped, evil version of NathanOmir's Aura Lockhaven recently.

Another maid outfit? Sure, why not...

Maybe Duster will show up on the bridge of the Enterprise sometime...

The next four are (L-R, top to bottom): Intrigue Corset, Obsidian, Shinya Dress (which is a pain in the rear to pose, by the way), and Miss Fisher's Fabulous Dress which is a great name for any dress, digital or real world...

...and that's all for this blog entry!

Uncensored Hunters

First up, here's the main HQ image, my submission to Bethany Hunter's Uncensored Case Files Contest, which she's hosting at her blog. This is a 4th image and continuation of a previous series Bethany commissioned from me titled "Hunter or Hunted".

I may do some more images in this series. We'll see.

Before I get into some of the test images, I thought I'd share a little more info with those of you who visit the blog. You see, the stuff I post here and at Deviant Art isn't all of the material I have on my hard drive. Not even close. As you might gather based on some recent projects like Once Bitten, I somehow find the time to create other stories and images. I'm hoping to develop most of these for sale.

Now I don't mean to tease you, but rather let you know what these other projects are. It may take some time before any of these come to fruition, but I thought my most devoted followers/fans would like to know what else I have going on:

• The Deep End Part 2: A sequel to the first set of digital images I ever created. I have a mind to not only include the new images of Indigo Dynamo's domination, but to revamp those earlier pix and include them as well. 
• Close Combat: This is a hard-core story of yet another encounter between Duster and Gladiator. Which, surprisingly, does not go well for Duster. Fancy that!
• Out of This World: I've previously posted a promotional image for this at D.A. It is still in progress, when I can find time for it. It's even longer than Once Bitten, and involves more changes in scenery and effects, so it will take longer. But it will be worth it! I mean, Duster, naked on an alien world, facing weird, perverse monsters? How could it not be good?!?
• Duster Collections: I'm half-way through revamping Duster's earlier stories, revising them and supplementing them with new material. The next one, titled Double Jeopardy, is in progress and I hope to finish it by the end of the year. 

But of course I have commission work and the other one-shots and pinups and short serials and Raiders and Storm Warning to work on, so I can't make promises on delivery times. Patience is a virtue, kids!

Okay, on to some test images.

First up is a lovely new character named Farrah:

She has something of an exotic look; I'm sure I'll find a use for her sooner or later.

Next is a sexy top called xclothG3F:

Two different material sets for an outfit called X19 Hunger:

   


















And finally, the appropriately titled "Saucee Outfit":

And that's it for this blog entry!