Featured Artist – Deedee Davis
“Inspired by great fantasy artists, great stories … songs … and …men”
Dreamlight: What motivated you to get started in 3D?
Around 2002, I bought a PS1 and started gaming. The first game I got (Soul Reaver) had an awesome sequence at the beginning that made me really want to figure out how it was done. I spent a lot of time in online gaming forums around that time, and in my search for an avatar, — or a way to make my own – I found Poser. I found the learning curve really steep, and my machine really wasn’t up to running it, but I persevered and I’m really glad I did! My first fan-art was of characters from the Soul Reaver game series.
Dreamlight: What is it that inspires you the most?
Great fantasy artists, great stories and songs, strong characters and moody settings. Oh and men – My gallery is mainly devoted to images of men, as I find them most inspiring…!
Source: http://3d-fantasy-art.deviantart.com/art/Meet-the-Inlaws-357531165
Meet the in laws
Deedee writes: This is the largest number of individual characters I’ve ever rendered in a scene.
Dreamlight: What do you have the most fun with, any special techniques?
My workflow is split into several separate sections. I create the scene in Poser, usually import it into another program for rendering (e.g. Vue, Carrara, LuxRender), and then post-work it in Photoshop. I need peace and quiet for the scene setup and render and lighting settings, but once I’m onto the post-work in Photoshop, the music goes on, the tablet and stylus come out and the fun, creative stuff really starts! It’s in the post-work that you can really make a picture your own, and bring your individuality and personal style to bear.
One of my favorite techniques is the use of the Liquify Tool in Photoshop, which can help you make strong or subtle changes post-render.
I’ve linked to a video I made on some ways of using it here:
Dreamlight: What gives you the most difficulty?
Lighting. I have a few standard light setups that I use (i.e. basic 3-point, HDRI, volumetric spotlights), but light can really make or break a scene. If I really can’t get the lighting right on a picture, it sometimes gets abandoned. On the other hand, when you do get it just right, a well-lit picture will be eye-catching, and something you can sit back and be proud of.
Dreamlight: Where can we find your work? My main gallery is on DeviantArt: http://3d-fantasy-art.deviantart.com/ and my artist website is here: http://www.3dfantasyart.co.uk/ I can also be found in all the usual places (Facebook, Twitter, Daz, Renderosity, RDNA, plus Guru and Freelancer).
http://3d-fantasy-art.deviantart.com/art/King-Conan-for-MarkH3D-346159093
King Conan
Deedee writes: I’ve always loved the idea of an older Conan, bored with Kingship.
Dreamlight: Any advice for people who are starting up in 3D?
Tons. I wrote a whole document on it because people kept asking me for advice! You can find it here.
I also put together a few tutorials for absolute beginners in Daz Studio, Poser and Carrara – they can be found on my tutorials page here.
My main advice to everyone is: take advantage of free trials and free software and find out what you’re going to enjoy using before you splash out on the software that’s right for you.
Deedee writes: This one started off as a bit of fun and ended up being picked up by lots of online communities.
Deedee writes: Lastly, just one of my personal favorites. I nearly threw my PC out of the window while making it, but it was worth it.
-Val Cameron/Dreamlight
PS: Dungeons, Dragons, Princesses, Warriors, Warlocks, Wizards, Unicorns, Magical Powers, Castles And Surreal Landscapes… It’s all part of YOUR FANTASY ART. If you want to create fabulous Fantasy Art, much quicker and easier than you ever thought possible, then Fantasy Art Master for DAZ Studio artists will do the magic.
very nice work I tend to use poser but I do have daz studio too thanks for the inspiration