Learning Dark Arts

Come learn the art of 3D computer generated art and animation. This blog deals with the lessons learned and the art created by Robert G. Male using DazStudio from Daz3D. Also covered are the ancillary software, tools, techniques, and processes needed both before and after rendering in the 3D software.

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Spell casting woman.


R.M.T.P. Co.


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October 19, 2009

Today I have for you special guest blogger, Richard H. Fay. I met Richard on Facebook and immediately took note of his art. It had a certain feel to it, a mood that was very inline with my own sense of aesthetics. I like his line work, the contrast styles, and couldn't have been more pleased than when he mentioned he could write an article on how creates his art by hand first then works on it with the computer. Here is his gracious provided and insightful article. Be sure to check out the links to more of his work.

Traditional Meets Digital
by Richard H. Fay

Robert graciously invited me here as guest blogger to talk a bit about the creative process behind my artwork. I'm Richard H. Fay, a traditional artist and illustrator with digital leanings, and owner of Azure Lion Productions. Many of my works have appeared in a variety of print magazines and e-zines, illustrating both my own poetry (I'm a poet, too) and the verse and prose of others. Examples of my illustrations and designs can also be found on merchandise in the Abandoned Towers Zazzle Store.

What do I mean when I say that I'm a traditional artist with digital leanings? Well, my medium of choice is ink on Bristol board, but I add the final touches to my artwork using the computer. I create my black and white originals by the tried-and-true method of drawing by hand, but I use the versatility of the digital realm to colour and sometimes even manipulate my hand-drawn images.

My works invariably begin as pencil sketches, and then I go over my initial lines with design or artist pens. After completing the originals, I scan them into the computer, creating bitmap working copies of the images. Pieces meant to remain black and white receive a bit of touch-up, and are then converted to jpeg or png files for submission to publications or use on merchandise. Pieces designed as full-colour creations receive their varied hues on the computer. I add my colours to the bitmap images and then convert them as I do my black and white works.

Utilizing the computer's image-manipulating capabilities in this fashion allows me to experiment with different tints and various colour combinations before deciding on a finished image, something I simply could not do if I coloured my art by hand. In that respect, the computer makes my job as an artist a whole lot easier. I can even add elements from one drawing to another, creating certain pieces as two separate images added together digitally. I don't know if the method I use is the most sophisticated way of doing what I do, but it works for me.

And yet, as much as I appreciate the convenience of colouring and manipulating my art digitally, I still consider myself to be a traditional artist. In my mind, when it comes to my art, the line's the thing. And my lines are still drawn in the traditional manner, by hand, ink on paper.

Now for a sampling of my works:


Music: These Colours Don't Run by Iron Maiden.


October 12, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Yes, it's Thanksgiving in Canada today. To those in the US, have a Happy Columbus Day.

Music: I.R.S. by Guns N' Roses.


October 5, 2009

Simple, Elegant, Bloody?

There is a new image in the Battered Spleen Productions Grotesquerie. The image is marked Violent, despite that it does not actually depict any. It is titled "What Happened Here?" and represents a concept that I wanted to explore. Sometimes simple says a lot. It is the basis of the adage "a picture is worth a thousand words." I received the butcher's block and knives, noted the bloody poses for everything, including the wall--the floor appears stained but cleaned up, well minimally--and had to immediately begin constructing an image. There were so many possibilities. I decided on a simple presentation that spoke volumes despite the lack of elements to the scene. A small number of elements do not mean a small number of things of interest.

The ambiguousness of the image is also a strong draw for me. The first assumption is that the woman has been murdered. Is this necessarily true? It is a butcher's block, there is blood spattered on the wall, but as previously indicated the floor has had blood cleaned off of it, repeatedly it would seem. The leg is a left leg. Where is the right? The woman must be in an awkward pose. The question I put forth is, is the pose too awkward? It might not be. Since we cannot see any more of the leg do we assume there is more to the leg currently? There could be nothing past the knee. That opens up an even greater number of possible stories to explain the scene. There are also the possibilities within the history of the woman. What does that pink toenail polish say? So many possibilities.

Music: Poison Apples by Motley Crue.

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Robert G. Male

Name: Robert G. Male
Location: Ontario, Canada

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Suggested Reading:

This scary book

available at Battered Spleen Productions™.


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This free scary audio book

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Learning Dark Arts is a presentation of

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