Argrace – Page 31 – Pics by Peep

Ruffles and Shadows

Image May 3, 2014July 11, 2015PeepSideshow Darkward12 Comments

I had a plan. I had a shopping list of stuff I had seen that I loved and had an idea for a picture. The dress, the hair, the flowery arm wraps. The birdie, perched on my hand. A blooming garden and soft light. It should have been a cinch.

Instead, I fought the depth of shadows caused by the ruffles and pleats of this dress. Don’t get me wrong; I love it. It is everything I adore – romantic and feminine and delicate, the textures and construction are impeccable. But all of those folds played havoc with getting a photo that didn’t end up looking like the dress had been shot through with holes.

This is also a dress that is designed for standing still. The way the skirt puddles and flares is lovely when posed for a portrait, but when I walked it reminded me of a duck. I laughed when I waddled across the garden to find a position for this shoot. The designer had the right idea; the limitations of mesh make anything created static and flexi-prims just wouldn’t work, either. I am hopeful for the day that there is the capability in Second Life for mesh to have movement.

I had another picture I was going to add to this post, showing the front, but after spending almost an hour trying to soften the SL-rendered hard edges to the ruffles and shadows, I had enough. You’ll have to either imagine how it looks or go get it yourself.

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:

Dress: =Zenith=(Begie)Lana Long Dress by Miffyhoi Rosco (available at FaMESHed May 2014)
Arm wraps: Lark – Briar Arm Wrap by Sienia Trevellion (for Enchantment)
Necklace/earrings: ::: Krystal ::: Eden – Jewelry Set – Gold by Krystal Jenkins (available at OneWord May 2014)
Hair: *ARGRACE* KOTO – True Red [headband] by rika Oyen (New release)
Skin: [PXL] Creations [PXL] JADE NAT PetalPink MEB C2 (FR) by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Hand appliers:[PXL] Creations – [ PXL ] Slink Hand Appliers NAT by Hart Larsson

1st pose: Bounce This Poses – Birdy Pose 1 by Bouncer Criss (gacha prize)

Photo taken using the LumiPro HUD

V Is For Villa

Image April 23, 2014April 23, 2014PeepSideshow Darkward6 Comments

I am doing something today that I very rarely do – I am posting raw shots (other than cropping/resizing). Why? Well, for once when I opened the photos in Photoshop to process them I realised I liked them as they were. I think this is a lesson to me; I can sometimes rely on Windlight, great poses and a location to speak for themselves.

The location is the Cortona Villas from Trompe Loeil, available at the April round of Collabor88. While this is not someplace I would normally call home, I can see myself using often for photos.

The build is materials enabled, so in certain lighting there is a lot of shine on the walls – too much for stone, in my opinion. I spent a lot of time trying to find the balance between definition and shininess. I seem to recall that there is a way in Firestorm Phototools to adjust the amount of detail given off by materials; I am going to have to find the tutorial that covered this so I can use this tool properly.

Another reason I was able to use raw shots was because of the poses from fri.day by Darling Monday, available at Pose Fair 2014. Both the Monday and Careless pose sets are well-constructed and natural, so the joints are smooth with no need to correct jagged elbows or knobby wrists. Darling is one of those designers who has recently hit my radar as a posemaker and I can see her becoming a fast favourite.

And what villa would be complete without a balcony? This one has turrets and balconies and rooms big enough to hold court. I may end up becoming a princess after all if I keep hanging out in this villa 😉

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:

Dress: Cog & Fleur – C&F Satin Doll Gown – Opal by Abathyr (available at Genre April 2014)
Necklace: Cae :: Guinevere (C88) :: Necklace by Caelan Hancroft
Earrings: Cae :: Guinevere (C88) :: Earrings by Caelan Hancroft
Shoes: ::HH:: Hucci Vinnitsa Sandal – Blush for Slink High Feet by Eboni Khan (available at Collabor88 April 2014)
Hair: *ARGRACE* MIZUKI – True Red by rika Oyen
Skin: [PXL] Creations [PXL] JADE NAT PetalPink MEB C2 by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Feet: Slink Mesh Feet (Av) High by Siddean Munro
Hand & Feet appliers:[PXL] Creations – [ PXL ] Slink Hand & Feet Appliers NAT by Hart Larsson
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri
Rose: Inizio Longstem Red Rose modifyable by Mistress Midnight (map would not load)

Build: Trompe Loeil – The Cortona Villas V1.1 (with greenery) by Cory Edo (available at Collabor88 April 2014)

*Pose in photo 1 fri.day – fri. – monday.pose 1 by Darling Monday (available at Pose Fair 2014)
*Pose in photo 2 fri.day – fri. – monday.pose 5 by Darling Monday (available at Pose Fair 2014)
*Pose in photo 3 fri.day – fri. – careless.pose 1 by Darling Monday (available at Pose Fair 2014)

Photos taken using the LumiPro HUD

O Is For Orbit

Image April 16, 2014PeepSideshow Darkward9 Comments

There is an art, it says, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
~ Douglas Adams, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy”

Although I love books and have read some sci-fi, I can’t say I am a big science fiction fan. But I do love the “Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” series by Douglas Adams. So when that was chosen as the theme for this month’s Seraphim Social I was looking forward to the creations the designers came up with for this theme.

I wasn’t disappointed. I am highlighting the Orbit series of poses from an lar [poses] in this post, along with some other fun stuff. It also fits in nicely with The Inventory Alphabet challenge, since today is the day for the Big O.

The top from Coquet. and shoes from [L.Warwick] (complete with Babel fish swimming in the platform base) are also from The Seraphim Social. I rotated myself in this pose, so if you don’t want to search for the meaning of life, the Universe and everything from an upside-down position, you don’t have to.

And I LOVE the nail polish appliers from {Wicked} Peach! You can search the galaxy to find the bum, but you’re out of luck – this baby is one of a kind 😉

The Seraphim Social is now open. Grab your towel and head over. Don’t panic; you have until April 29th to find the answer!

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:

*Top: Coquet. Galaxy S – Ellipse by Tabitha Marquez (available at The Seraphim Social April 15-29 2014)
Pants: ::OhLaLa ::Pinkflower Pants by Elise Onmura
*Shoes: [L.Warwick] Callisto -Clear Platform Heels- Bablers Noir by Lindsey Warwick (available at The Seraphim Social April 15-29 2014)
Earrings: Cae :: Riviera :: Earrings by Caelan Hancroft
Ring: Cae :: Promise :: Ring by Caelan Hancroft
Hair: *ARGRACE* Saki – True Red by rika Oyen
Tattoo: Letis Tattoo :: Pink Rose :: Back :: 50% :: B12019 by Leti Hax
*Nail polish: {Wicked} Peach – Nails – Galaxy by Autumn Amaranth (available at The Seraphim Social April 15-29 2014)
Skin: [PXL] Creations [PXL] JADE NAT Terre MEB C2 by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Feet: Slink Mesh Feet (Av) Mid by Siddean Munro
Hand & Feet appliers:[PXL] Creations – [ PXL ] Slink Hand & Feet Appliers NAT by Hart Larsson
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Painting: .Olive. the Invasion Painting – Teal Frame by Naminaeko (Retirement Sale until April 27)

*Pose 1: an lar [poses] The Orbit Series – Eclipse (m) by Katya Valeska (available at The Seraphim Social April 15-29 2014)
*Pose 2: an lar [poses] The Orbit Series – Starlight (m) by Katya Valeska (available at The Seraphim Social April 15-29 2014)
*Pose 3: an lar [poses] The Orbit Series – Streamline by Katya Valeska (available at The Seraphim Social April 15-29 2014)

Photo taken using the LumiPro HUD

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