Unimaginable Creative Boost: 3D Art Made Easy

I love to draw. Ever since I was a little kid with a pack of crayons…I just couldn't get enough. Whether it was sketching space battles on looseleaf paper in 5th grade, complete with laser blast sound effects (I'm so sorry, Mrs. Sugars!) or doing pen and ink work for my high school's yearbook cover...I was hooked on art.

Creating is just too much fun, eh? Well, somewhere in the 90's, I found a program called Bryce 3D. It's a realistic landscape program that I've been using ever since to craft the settings of my books. And seriously, the limits are that of your imagination. It is ALL doable.

For a while, Bryce 3D disappeared. You couldn't find it anymore. Then Daz Studios came along, bought it up and made it better than ever. And more than that, Daz is practically giving it away. I've put an ad for Daz Studios in my sidebar. If you have any desire to draw with 3D art, you need to check out the Daz site. I use Bryce 3D, Daz Studio, and Carerra Pro (just learning this one). And I have to tell you, anyone can use these programs to make impressive art. Bryce is easy. Daz is not too hard. Carerra...mmm, not sure yet. But the results are staggeringly cool.

Check it out. Oh, I should mention for my younger blog visitors, get your parents' permission first. Sometimes, esp. with human modeling programs, the artwork can end up being revealing, so just know that ahead of time.

Happy drawing!

PS: The image you see above is a first render of a scene from my new book: Curse of the Spider King.

Last Chance to Vote! Banner Contest!

The Banner Contest is over. 33 entries were submitted. I've posted them all below. First, I cannot thank enough those of you who entered. I know a bit about design work. It's very exacting and very time consuming. And now, I'm left with the choice of which one wins the contest and becomes the official Banner of Enter the Door Within. And...

I can't make up my mind! Please see the poll in the sidebard and vote for the design you like best. It I get a majority, that will help me make the decision. Thanks!

I've not included the artists names at this time, so just refer to each header by it's design number. If you would like to review the rules and regs, click HERE!

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Motiv8 Blog Tour, Plus2: The Miller Brothers

The Miller brothers have had the distinct privilege of growing up in a CBA Bookstore. As children they learned first hand the value of faith-based stories while helping their parents operate several Christian bookstores and clubs for 30 years. As a result, Lumination delivers more than simply good stories, we bring passion to write and illustrate stories that inspire and illuminate the truth of God's Word in a fresh way.

Christopher & Allan are formally trained with a degree in Computer Animation. They have worked as animators for the popular CBA kids video series, Juniors Giants, and have recently written and illustrated the newly released book The Legend of Gid the Kid and the Black Bean Bandits, the first book in the Heroes of Promise Series (Warner Press Kids).

Okay, so that's the company line about the two authors in this week's blog tour. I got to know Alan and Chris Miller for just a couple of days while on our far northwestern leg of the Fantasy Fiction West Coast Tour. I can tell you they are two of the most amazingly creative folks I've ever met. And that's coming from a creative type! You should see their basement entertainment room. Full size movie posters of animated movie greats, life size Larry the Cucumber standups, and more DvDs than you can shake a ten meter electric cattle prod at!

They do their own digital animation and have a studio in their homes. I am SO jealous. I've done a fair amount of digital art, but never animated. Someday, maybe Alan and Chris will give me some pointers. LOL. But seriously, they do some cool stuff. They are also two of the most enthusiastic fellows you are likely to meet. Talk about sold out for the Lord and for the mission they believe He's called them to: Chris and Alan are absolutely on fire. They are a big part of the Christian Arts revolution that I pray is coming.
About their books...well, I really don't know. BUT, while you can't always judge a book by its cover (silly publishers sometimes don't let the authors have ANY input on the art that will cover their own books), you can for Chris and Alan. They have designed the cover and artwork for their books. And just take a look at these cool covers. I especially like the design below. It just screams: COOOL STUFFF CAN BE FOUND HERE!!