I call this one "Yaoi Golden Nude," and if we didn't live in a society where the human body is believed to be wrong, or shameful, or sinful, or some such complete twaddle, I would have been delighted to upload the full version ... as it is, I cropped it, and then used the border to further mask the image, so that no one's sensibilities are going to be upset!
This kind of artwork is such a joy to produce! If you have the slightest desire to get into this -- bookmark this blog and keep coming back, because I'm happy to share the secrets online here, and the first of a suite of "hold my hand and walk me through" tutorials is going to be available at the weekend. (It's been out for proofreading, and/but when I got it back, there's a bunch of notes in the margins ... golly, thanks, Mel -- no really, thanks! -- telling me what I forgot to put in! So it turns out I have a little bit more work to do on this before we release it, but the good thing is, when you guys get it, it will be bulletproof. )
Today I have to keep this a bit quick, because I'm running out the door in 50 minutes exactly, an appointment I'll get shot for not keeping. So, down to brass tacks!
First, it all starts with the model, and I'm still so newfangled with the character I created a couple of days ago, I'm still playing here. For the character creation notes, see this: http://3d-adventures.blogspot.com/2010/01/3d-yaoi-exotic-even-erotic.html ... and also, the same post has the notes on how to get the background into shape.
So, basically, this gorgeous shot today was a repose - relight - reborder situation. Now, it's purely artistic, but I pulled the character's hand OFF his head and out of his hair the moment I closed his eyes and opened his mouth. Because (!) it you leave the hand there and change the expression, he looks like he's having a monster headache!
You could pick any pose you want for this shot, and it would work, because of the beauty of the model and also the fantastic harmony and balance between the model and the background. The colors just work.
Resetting the lights, just be sure to stay "true" to the way the light falls in the background. He's got sunlight, or at least daylight, streaming from his left (right of picture), but the foreground is lit by candles or lamps. So the light is always going to be golden in front and blue-white behind. To get this effect I used a golden distant light and three white and blue-white point lights, and they "burn out" in just the right way to suggest really bright sunlight coming through that archway.
The borders are also a variation on what I've been using on this picture ... they also contribute to the overall color scheme with a kind of "creamy jade" tone which is perfect. The borders were done in Serif X3, and if you need my notes about how to achieve this effect, the post you want to see is this one: http://3d-adventures.blogspot.com/2009/12/little-seduction-plus-serif-borders-and.html ... it's not hard, when you know how!
So, this is actually a fairly simple shot, using:
Michael 4 (face by me),
Mon Chevalier hair set to golden blond,
the Jagger skin map,
a stock pose that was tweaked waaaay out of its stockiness,
a background, four lights, and --
Last but not least, this guy's face was designed by yours truly, because don't forget that the model "hits the stage" as your plain and simple Michael 4, who's a doll in any case. But unless you want all your models to look like twin brothers, you have to start in with making faces.
I ought to do a post on this topic -- and then another one, on designing the physiques ... soon!
And enjoy!
Jade, 5 January
