Today for Bonfire night and the 5th of November, there's a sort of movement going on in the fashion community. There's been a buzz, more than usual, about Creator's Rights and copyright protection. There are a couple of groups that have been created to promote awareness about theft and supporting content creators.

Honestly, I don't think the message is going to reach the people who actually need to hear it. The worst culprits of theft probably aren't even aware of fashion feeds, and Linden Lab couldn't be bothered with whatever action we try to take. Munchflower Zaius and Stroker Serpentine are already taking the best action available as far as LL is concerned: a class action suit.

So what is there left? I know I certainly want to spread awareness of real artists and protect our content from being ripped and redistributed, but really what is there to do?

As a customer and a shopper, the best thing you can do (in my humble opinion) is simply to be aware of who you are buying from. Familiarize yourself with some of the tell-tale signs of resellers and rippers, and with popular prefab sculpt packs. Before you plop down lindens for something you really like ask yourself who you're paying the money to. There aren't surefire ways to tell if a store is legit, but if there are multiple red flags in one place, it might be better to teleport away and find somewhere else to get that tank top.

Real artists have a dedication to their work, a love for what they do, and a passion for their products. And I feel these are the people you should seek out, support, and buy from when you can. And when you find that the insecurity of the grid has been exploited at the detriment of these people, speak up and let the artist know. Even if they've probably heard about it a hundred times, there's always the chance that they haven't.

Really that's all. It's not a grand gesture, it's just a constant effort. As a shopper, even if you never speak to a content creator, wearing their items is a badge of support and an endorsement. So thank you, however you are showing your support today, thank you.

The King and Queen of the Dead

For the past few weeks, I have poured more time and effort than ever before into an event mask. I had a rough idea what I was in for, but even planning ahead and allowing extra time ended with me finishing them a mere four hours before the masquerade began. For the past week I literally woke up, worked on this, (grabbed a snack), and fell asleep.

I had a vision of not only a skull mask, but an entire skull.. and not just a skull but the neck as well. I wanted its beautifully asymmetrical and jagged vertebrae raw and exposed for all to see. This did mean tackling invisiprims, which are a kludgey, glitchy, and sometimes hideous thing to deal with. People tolerate them on their shoes, but would they tolerate them in a more visible spot, like the face? I'd have to make it worth their time.

I've been learning both new sculpting techniques but most especially texturing, which has allowed me to delicately paint and utilize sources in new ways, which allows me a whole new level of realism. I didn't want a perfectly photosourced look (I don't think it works too well in SL), but I adore the detail it brings to my already smooth and stylized textures.
The differences between the male and female masks might not be immediately evident, it's mostly in the collar, the jaw, and the shape of the invisiprims. I wouldn't suggest trading genders in the case of these; the shapes are quite specifically formed to the respective meshes.

Amusingly, you can wear hair with these, which can sometimes work out wonderfully and sometimes disastrously. I suggest you experiment with different styles, if at all, because obviously it works well on its own.

Another option you can try it with is just with the neck piece, which I've been quite enjoying. Sometimes you want a touch of the macabre, but don't want to hide that gorgeous face you spent so long tweaking and finding the perfect skin for.

If these go well I might consider doing other skeletal pieces like hands or an arm. The issue here is where are people willing to tolerate invisiprims? They're not the best solution, but they're currently the only ones.

I'm also so exhausted from this month I think I'm going to go crawl in a hole for a little while.

The Dead Can Dance

Last night was the Masque of the Dead, and Carnivale welcomed back some of the most notorious ghosts and departed wraiths this side of the Cornfield. We danced the night away, making sure to not step on each other's feet even though some might have been strewn across the floor.

The costumes were amazing as always, I'm consistently impressed with how well people are able to work around the limits and get creative with concept and execution.

Looking at my own pictures, honestly Carthalis Rossini and Arilynn Karu both out did me, those crafty cadavers.

Arilynn's slideshow
Carthalis' Album on Snapzilla

Some of Carthalis' pictures of the spirits that haunted us last night

Norathiel Silvera

Achariya Maktoum and Mourna Biziou

Mabb Dilwig

Mabb was so well received as a once beheaded and long dead French aristocrat, that she was crowned Queen of the Dead. Carthalis joined her as the King.

The deathly duo of Mourna Biziou and Achariya, the twin dolls were also awarded a pair of Queen of the Dead masks, in honor of them coming in at a very close tie/second. The horns were awarded with the masks, however they won't be available with the actual for-sale version; I needed something to make my own costume grander so I dug in for my personal horns.

Me and Selos before the Masque

Thank you to everyone who came. No matter how long you stayed or how much you spoke, you were most welcome and I hope you enjoyed seeing the dearly departed back in the mortal realm. Even if they smelled a bit funny.

Mort

Just in time for Halloween! I've been working like a mad woman preparing for the Masque of the Dead, as well as trying to get just one last release out before the big day. I certainly seem to be in a Terry Pratchett mindset, so I figured I'd just embrace it for this mask.

Back when I had my tiny mask store in the sky (in the mainland sim of Plio) I had a big collection of skully things. I had scythes, masks, capes etc, and when I retired them they were missed. I've made a couple of attempts to make skulls since then but now I feel I've learned enough and pushed myself far enough to make something I'm happy with.

It's unisex, so it looks great on both men and women, but it's not very nose friendly. Due to the nature of the nose, I couldn't bring it out much farther without it not looking right. I did the best I could, but ye of the pointy shnozzles might want to try the demo first, and make sure your shape is mod.

It's texture change and changes to nine colors, which are a somewhat different array of colors than my usual jewel tones. They include classic black, white, bone (shown) and red, but also a more adventurous variety of old bronze. My favorite is the black and white:

And did I mention it looks totally kick ass with the Khimar hood? Nah... 'cause it didn't need to be said ;)

See How High She Flies!

I've just completed some fabulous new witchy hats just in time for Halloween! I released them last night, but some technical issues with blogger had me hung up, posting-wise. They shouldn't have taken me so long, my RL has been so darned eventful (in a good way!) I haven't been able to focus on buckling down and just working on these. This week I forcefully made some time, and finally finished these troublesome chapeaus.


I like the name my witchy hats after famous witches, and in this case I've named them after the infamous trio in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.

Agnes is a rather plain girl, very sensible but she longs for a mystical life with candles and seances and love potions. This hat has an eldrytch sense of age to it, maybe a bit musty, and is certainly perfect for witches and wizards alike. If you're thinking of going for a costume from the Harry Potter-verse, this would be perfect.

Like pretty much everything I make these days, it's scripted to change texture on touch to twelve different colors. Included are black, gray, white, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple and a soft pink.

If it's a little simple for you, this one is my favorite of the three:
Gytha is playful, wise, charming and drunkenly hilarious. The name might not fit so well, considering the Tim Burtonesque curl and the stylized shape, but when I thought about it Gytha would certainly be fabulous enough to wear this hat. She would also be able to fit a good sized kitten under it, as she often does.

Also, I just wanted to mention that I'm well aware that my friend Allegory just released a similar hat, and before anyone tries to call foul I think we'd both just like to say that great minds think alike :) We both worked independently on them and we're quite okay with our respective hats peacefully coexisting. Hers have some very playful colorations too, so if you're in the mood for orange and green stripes or something you're welcome to take a look.


The last hat was named after my favorite witch, Esme Weatherwax.

An utterly practical witch, Granny Weatherwax is a clever and no-nonsense force of nature. She won't give people what they want, she'll give them what they need. She has a commanding presence and seems taller than she actually is... could it be the hat?

I had to stretch the demo frame on this one higher than ever, you'll be tickling the rafters on this one! Like the other hats the band and hat have the same 12 colors, but on this one the buckle changes as well, to your choice of silver, gold, or tarnished black.

Now please excuse me, I must attune my Botanical crystals to the leylines of the sim. The sun is coming into trine with the Star of Neko and the constellation Freenis.

Three Years

I was sitting on this post for a bit, until I could figure out how to finish it.

October 14th marked my third year in Second Life. So I threw a little shindig on the Indigo Rose the other day, and took a little time to reminisce about how much has changed since then. That's what rezdays are for!

When I first logged on, I was ugly as hell (but enjoyed making outfits out of the freebies I did have), and after some fumbling and camping and other noobie things I found refuge on the Limbo sim and made my first objects. The first rose I made, was a mere ten days after I joined. Varda coming out around the same time is a very happy and appropriate coincidence!

I'm excited for another year. It's hard to imagine what ways I'm going to change and what I'm going to learn and pick up. Evolution is impossible to avoid when you push yourself as hard as you can towards excellence. So here's to the hope of perfection... one of the things that keeps me going :)

Varda

Do you remember back in mid-June, I posted that I had a lot of big projects in the works and I couldn't really talk about them?

Well, Hedera was one of them, but the other... I have only just finished.

My teaser in August really didn't do them justice. This is a project that has been almost three years in the making, through slow and steady evolution and a fanatical desire to achieve perfection. Cutting to the chase, MY ROSES ARE FRICKIN' DONE!
I wanted them done back during the summer... I wanted them done at least in time for Jewelry Fair... but at least I've got them done in time to honor my rez day. I say three years because first thing I ever made was a rose made out of cylinder slivers, textured with that satin texture from the library! What better way to celebrate my third year in SL.

Each rose is painstakingly sculpted (I do mean pained, this took me ages) out of unique sculpts. Each petal is a different sculpt, each rose is a slightly different rose, each leaf, each stem, each petal, each and every damn thing placed as close to perfect as my sanity would allow. So please, do adorn yourself with them.

There are thirty six different colors for the rose petals, 20 of which were carefully matched to real rose colors that actually exist. Natural roses range from deep reds to brighter vermillions, into soft mauves and pinks and then more vibrant apricots and corals. I did my best to capture every color as faithfully as I could, so that everyone's favorite rose could be represented. I played with the leaves and stem textures too, and came up with six that were both beautiful and fun to combine with the petals. My favorite is the "red branch", I have no idea what it is called but it's very common for roses to have burgundy stems and branches with red tinged leaves, and I tried to capture that. There's also brown dead leaves, two shades of green, and the omnipresent black and white.




The mask has unique colors too, and has a range pretty close to the natural roses. I tried to make sure there was a match for most of the rose colors, and I even included a specific coloring for the red branches, which is shown up in the jewelry picture. The mask is my first attempt at a torus mask with no middle bridge... so please forgive the seam. I did my best to conceal it but sculpts are only so precise.


If having a mask, necklace, and earrings made of roses isn't enough for you, I've made a range of hair accessories so you can really load yourself down. People won't be able to get near you unless they want to be near a perfumerie.

A modest hair clip, and a possible blast from the past for anyone who still has the old hair rose. I wanted to add a bit of something so that the bloom had some context, so I added leaves and sepals (the petals that cup the bud). But the single hair rose is so small and modest, it'd be fun to go a bit bigger.

This is perfect for dressing up an updo a bit, or clipping to the back of a long hair to give a splash of color. I can imagine it being positioned on a bun with the roses set to white for a wedding and being stunning. But even that isn't necessarily big enough to really show up on some long hairs, so I made a larger barrette with stems coming down:
And just so you can have your options, because the cascading blooms is such a lovely effect, if you want them closer to your face there's always this...

Yes, it's a "hair adornment", after using up "clip" and "barrette" my limited lexicon of decorative hair terminology was spent. This is the piece shown up in that first picture though, which makes a beautiful frame for a beautiful face.

Each of these hair ornaments comes with three different attachment points, so you have your choice to work around your lashes, piercings etc. This is only with the copiable choice though, so if you choose transfer you will only end up with one fit.

For the purists, and those who love to tango, you can also have your rose on the side, as god intended (just genetically mutilated all to hell through generations of careful breeding)

Changes texture as well, comes on the hand and mouth, geezus this is a long post... I'll just finish up quick. I'm also making available the long stem roses in red at a discount rate, unscripted and transferable so you can buy a pack to pass flirtatiously to fancy ladies or as part of your roleplay. This is only available in red at the store, but any of the other colors is available at the same prices upon request.

And this post doesn't need any more pictures, but the boutonniere is back. Oh, yes, and "Varda" means rose in hebrew, it was much more creative than just calling them "rose" and much less evocative of skin conditions than "rosacea".

And now to just reiterate... HOMG THEY'RE DONE! THEY'RE DONE! HALLELUJAH

I went through my store today and did a bit of redecorating! The furniture that was out had to be from two years ago, and I had been playing with my own Rococo inspired furniture for my sim build. For the past few months it's just been sitting in my hobbit house, so I figured what the hell, might as well put it out in the store.

I haven't even touched my sim model in four months or more, I haven't felt that I could devote the time. As a result, it's very likely that the Mardi Gras masque will not have been the last party to be thrown in the current hall, but no promises. I might just tear it down anyway, build the full scale version of the model's event hall and just let it be a stand alone piece for now.

I've added a little bargain wall that has items priced at 50L or lower. I've lowered the price of my Sweetheart Cloche to 50L, and put a few items that have been floating around wherever I could stick them over there. I also pulled out a very old piece from my inventory that I never really formally set out: the Smokey veil.

Actually, I can't remember, did I ever put this out? No idea... but anyway, it's languishing, and its original form in normal prims was incredibly popular. The reason it's been sitting for so long is that there are some minor texture problems that were driving me batty, and what are the chances of no alpha conflict with bangs?

But you know, it's darn pretty, and that's what a bargain wall is for. It might give me a chance to release a few other things that have little bothers like this one. It's 50L tucked around the corner where the moustaches are.

I took down the old pirate head sign, it was cheeky but it didn't say what I wanted to say. I know that the unscrupulous sorts who would steal are going to find a way to anyway... but it's the people who can be led to believe it's alright that worry me. It's a slippery slope and I want to remind folks who've been tempted that the items you clearly love enough to purchase are worth purchasing again. Circumventing permissions in any way is a slap in the face to the original artist. Content creators like myself honestly need every cent. None of us are Anshe Chung, and even the people who are part of the big fashion houses have bills to pay.

As my new sign says, ripping content in SL is like stealing a kid's macaroni picture. It may have no real value to you, and it may be easy for you, but it can break a person's heart. The time and effort and creativity that goes into something we put out for a pittance is all born out of love for what we're doing. And I know that I for one thank the powers that be every day that I can do this for a job, but I wouldn't be able to do it without every person who trades me a few lindens for a piece of my soul. I'd hope that that's a bargain. I'm also quite happy that my soul seems to be big enough to go around :)

Masque of the Dead

Halloween is coming up once again. And of course, as well all know, the spirit world is closer than ever to meeting with the real world on that night. Does that count for the virtual world as well?

On Friday, October 30th, the barrier between the worlds of life and death will waver, and the spirits of those departed will venture into mortal halls, to caper and dance like they once did.

Come back from the ether of the afterlife to be "lively" again. Be you a ghost or ghast, a wraith or revenant, you will be welcome to dance your feet off!

And then you can pick them up, put them back on and dance some more.

But please, no vampires. Vampires have never shuffled off the mortal coil, and still enjoy the luxury that so many spirits are denied. Do not rub your good fortune in the faces of those who don't get to enjoy the mortal world on a daily basis! Zombies are more than welcome, as long as you promise to pick up your pieces should you shed them.


When assembling your costume, please keep these rules in mind. These rules have worked exceedingly well for former events, even with the sim at capacity! So please, do respect them. For the sake of all of us, if each party-goer abides by them we should all be able to dance and camera around without molasses.

Please keep your prim attachments in total to 200 or less.

You can double check how close you are to the limit by using build, and holding down shift to click each item you're wearing. The build window will display the collected total of those prims.

Streamline your AO, or leave it at home

Nobody likes looking like a noob while being a wallflower. However, if you don't plan to dance, fill a veritably lag free, low prim ZHAOII with your two or three favorite stands. You don't need a walk or any other anim if you're not moving. Otherwise, just go without.

No particles, and no listening scripts
Turn that bling off, and make sure you don't have any items on you that respond to chat commands. Try to avoid scripted items at all if possible.

As always, there will be a costume contest, determined by vote, to vie for the title of King and Queen of the Dead. Two previously unreleased, themed masks will be awarded as the prizes, along with 1500L each.

Make sure you join the group early, do not put it off because you don't have a group slot. Spots will go surprisingly fast, and I will refuse to add a single soul more than 50. I will, however, have a waiting list just in case anyone leaves the group, which has happened before. There will still be hope to get in even if you hear about it too late.

Masks are required, but a freebie mask will be included, which is the mask shown in the invite. I know the costume rules are tough to follow, especially when it's so tempting to go for the excess, but I have the utmost faith in your creativity to be able to work around the limitations, and flourish. I can't wait to see you there.

Illusions Masque of the Dead
Friday, October 30th, 6PM SLT
Illusions Event Hall, Carnivale
(Join the "Illusions Masque of the Dead 2009" Group)
Formal Dress and Mask Required

Jewelry Fair Releases 2009

Both RL and my obligations to the Jewelry Fair itself have been interfering incredibly with my production, and so I'm very sorry to say I didn't get everything done that I had hoped. I really thought and hoped that I would be able to get my roses done and out and completed but there's just too far to go with them for me to be able to get them out tonight. I'm going away for the weekend, but when I get back I am going to do my best to get them out during the fair.

Despite my delays, I have some other treats I'm incredibly excited to share. Everything is currently only available there, but it will all be out in the main store come the 27th, with the exception of the freebie (which you don't want to miss).

First off: something simple, which Vasean Talamasca suggested to me and I realized was a fantastic idea. He wanted a simple cord, no more than a string, wrapped around his neck. After torturing an oblong sculpt for a few hours, I had the absolute perfect piece of casual jewelry! Just one prim, you can wear it with absolutely any outfit. Grunge, goth, punk, trendy, couture, I couldn't think of a single outfit that it couldn't go with. Which is why, of course, I had to make bracelets and arm cuffs!

At one prim, this is the sort of thing you actually could wear to the fair, if your skin just seems too bare without your baubles. They're not available separately, you get all in one for 175L. They're texture change, even though I love the black, so you can add a bit of color in my usual range of 12. They're unisex too, obviously, since they were made from a guy's suggestion, and come in small and large sizes.


That's relatively simple though... and after everything I've learned in just a year from my middle eastern jewelry I wanted to take another crack at something incredibly delicate and ornate. A year ago, I didn't have oblongs, and most of my metal textures were the same across everything. Well.. I went nuts, and have created something that is both intricately detailed and dramatic.

Orinthia truly needs a closer look to see everything that has gone into it. Delicate leaves encircle a luminous stone, with chains trailing from elegant filigree. In keeping with the Secret Garden theme of the jewelry fair, leaves hang from the center and the sides, framing and accenting the pendant. Instead of simple earrings, which didn't seem quite enough for a pendant like this, I opted for full ear cuffs. Paired with an updo, the effect is unique yet timeless.

I'm not done yet though.

This has to be one of my favorite pieces of jewelry I've ever made, if not the favorite. One of the problems with bracelets in SL is that they can just disappear on the wrist. A simple tennis bracelet can be so perfect while you're setting up an outfit, but as soon as you zoom out, you can forget it's ever there. Well, I dare you to miss this on your wrist! This one really makes a statement. And I think it goes along the lines of "hot damn I love jewelry".

Rings have a similar problem to bracelets, if not much worse, in that the hands are so far from a focus that rings, unless they have sentimental value, are an easy accessory to forget in SL. That's when sometimes bigger really is better. This isn't enormous or unwieldy (why would I do that?) but I have to say it's eye catching, especially when paired with the bracelet.

Lastly, a simple chain arm band, which I think is a nice accent when you have statement pieces everywhere else. Delicate and feminine, it dangles down the arm and adds a sense of unity to the set.


Currently only available at the fair, if you miss out don't worry, it'll be in the store on the 27th. However, this won't.
Available for free at my booth! It's a simple reverse teardrop necklace called Aurelie, and it's scripted with the same stones and metals as Orinthia and should serve as a perfect test drive to my new textures. Plus, its a darn flexible and nifty bit of casual jewelry. I found myself wearing this one around almost as often as the cord necklace (damn it they're both so versatile!). SO HEAD OVER TO MY BOOTH ALREADY!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/JewelryFair%202/211/183/28