Hey, I got sampled in the intro to a Poser 12 Tutorial Video

 Well, this is cool!

I was at YouTube and I saw a video titled "Poser 12 Tutorial: SuperFly Render Settings: Pixel Samples." Sounds like a fun topic, so I watched it. And yeah, I know that I have a weird definition of "fun," but I think we all know that! Anyway, the video opens with a bunch of still images flying by very, very fast, and I did a double-take.

"Did I just see what I thought I saw?" I asked myself (yeah, I often talk to myself because I love an intelligent conversation!).

I went back and slowed the video down and... Yup. I saw exactly what I thought I saw (and no, it was NOT a "puddy tat"). Right there at about the 2-second mark:

There it is, one of my illustrations! The line art of the guy and the gal in the car. That's so cool. 

And before ya ask: 

1. No, I don't get any money. 
2. Yes, I gave them permission (it's an option when I upload the image to their gallery).

For anyone interested, I created this illustration for a book of short stories. Honestly, I'm not happy with the way they printed the illustration (it was printed in b&w, of course). They were supposed to put it at the bottom of a page under the text, and the editor shoved it in sideways, centered on an opposite page. It looks AWFUL in print, so I really don't mention the book to anyone.

Nevertheless, here's a full-size copy of the color version (I like to add a little spot color when I post the pics online – it makes them a little more interesting):

© 2020 Mike Mitchell

 If you'd like to watch the video (which is a decent, fast little tutorial on pixel sampling; I learned stuff I didn't know), you may watch it here:

By the way, I glanced at a few other videos for Poser 12, and it appears that this illustration is in the standard intro for all of them. VERY, very cool! Apparently, this started last year (at least in November 2020), and I'm just now noticing it.

Heh. Ya snooze, ya lose!

It's still pretty cool.

Children Game, Pt. 2 Illustration selected as "Staff Pick" over at Renderosity

I got a nice bit of news today. Another one of my illustrations has been selected as a "Staff Pick" (in other words, an "Image of the Week") over at Renderosity.com. The Poser group moderator (a nice lady by the name of Boni) chose seven images for the week of July 31 - Aug. 7, 2017 as the best for the week.

© 2017 Mike Mitchell

The image was created for a short story by Roger Keel, called "The Children Game." It was serialized in the Collectors' Club Newsletter, and this was for the second half of the story. The central figure is based on the Michael 4 model, and the two cops are LoRez figures by Predatron. I rendered the base images in Poser 11, then created the sketch effects with Akvis Sketch.

Renderosity is an online community of artists who work in traditional and digital media. If you're interested in seeing the other illustrations selected that week, the list is available here at the Renderosity website.

Again, no prize, but it's always nice to get a pat on the back and be told that other people like what you're doing.

Rendersotiy: Ms. Marvel was selected as a "Staff Pick" for the week

I got a surprising honor today – my "Ms. Marvel - Blue" Illustration was selected by Renderosity as a staff pick of the week! I'm blown away, especially since I considered it to be a minor image, really little more than a doodle. I definitely didn't put the usual amount of work into it.

I doubt any of you can see this without a Renderosity account, but here's a link to where it is included in the forums. And, if you do scan the images: https://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/?thread_id=2914383

Interestingly, out of the 13 images selected, I was the only working in (mostly) black & white.

RuntimeDNA: My Zombie Attack was selected as an Image of the Week!

I received another VERY COOL accolade this week. My Zombie Attack illustration was selected by the RuntimeDNA community as an Image of the Week.

You may not remember this one, because I usually post my zombie art over at the Hawgleg Blog, but it features young Sheriff Mike Foreman coming face to face with a newly risen fiend.

I am particularly pleased with this illustration, as his expression really conveys a sense of terror. Plus, I like the blast effect -- messy without being too messy!

RuntimeDNA is an online community similar to Rendrosity. They sell a variety of products, focused more on the Poser community than on Daz Studo. Renderosity has a lot more members, so the traffic over there is very high. But although RuntimeDNA has a smaller user base, that translates to the images posted there being of a high quality. That's probably just a product of the math -- when you have tons of anything, more of it is going to be average rather than spectacular.

I'm not exactly sure how large RDNA is, but they select about five images a week, and I'm very proud to be one of them -- especially since this accolade comes with a prize! As a winner, I was able to pick an item from their store! There were a few restrictions (no software & no bundles), but nevertheless, something free is AWESOME!

For me, the item I selected was almost a no-brainer (don't tell the zombies I said that). Last September RDNA released a really cool Saloon Gal outfit that I really wanted to use for a character in the upcoming book, Gutshot: Night of the Living Deadwood. But, at $25, it was a bit pricey (not unaffordable, but I prefer to wait for sales and coupons when buying something that can really only be used for one character).

But, as a freebie? Ohhhhh yeeeah! That is exactly the item I selected as my prize. Here's the promo art for the Rockabilly Burlesque outfit.

Copyright 2013 RuntimeDNA

Yeah, I can definitely picture her whipping out a hidden Derringer to shoot a surprised undead gambler right between the eyes. And yes, I may even go all cliche and have her pine for young Sheriff Foreman, knowing all the while that she can never wind up with him.

Anyway, we'll see how that plays out. But you can definitely plan on seeing her (or at least her outfit -- I haven't designed the face or selected the hair, yet, but I admit that I like this a lot) sometime in the near future.