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.