"Book illustration: TAoH ch 23" by Joelle Duran

Oh, beautiful, me dear. I adore the expression Mist seems to have. ^_^

*hugs* How sweet of you to stop by and comment when you're still on vacation!

Well done - the hard work was certainly worth it. Tis wonderful.

Joelle Duran replies: "Thank you! I'm still not sure about the 'worth it' bit...but it will probably be my only 3d hyarmi making an appearance here, so in that respect, I'm glad I got it done."

*isn't sure whether she wants to comment on this, since Joelle said she wanted to forget the image*
You know what I did? Right near the very end of my working on it, I flipped the image, that way my brain thinks it's a different picture and doesn't have the gag reflex. My brain is fun to play with.
I like it, though. The sky and the field make a wonderful contrast and really draw your eyes towards the characters. I go from Geren to Mist and then to Heove, but I can see other people's eyes travelling differently.

My eye moves like yours. Thanks for explaining!

I can see why you said it was actually quite a 'simple' thing. It does look that way. *hugs* But I'm glad you persevered on this because it's a lovely result. ^-^ *very much like Heove's pelt* Hyarmi are such pretty creatures...

Joelle Duran replies: "It was supposed to be my 'quick and simple' lets-celebrate-finally-getting-the-Daz-horse-figure-at-50%-off...but it turned into a monster! I'm glad you like Heove!Thanks for the comment!"

Some Poser pictures look fake, but this one looks more real, like the subjects are alive instead of mannequins.

Joelle Duran replies: "Happy to hear I've avoided the plasticy stiffness, though I know I still have plenty of learning to do. Thanks for your visit!"

Now that is a gorgeous horse. I've never used any of those programs (save photoshop, of course).

Joelle Duran replies: "Thanks!"

Very well done. I just love Mist.
Her experssion seems so gentle. What a beautiful horse.
The grass seems so real. Good job on Heove. SD

Joelle Duran replies: "Very happy to hear you like Mist! Thanks so much for the comment!"

Oi! Another great pic--Geren looks fantastic! And the horse (Mist? I don’t know him/her yet...) is beautiful. I love the shadows and textures; the piece FEELS warm and sunny, if you know what I mean ^_^

My one critique would be that the sky looks a bit flat--but then I supposed cloudless days do create that effect from time to time. Hm. Perhaps a slight tilt/curve to the gradient might help give it more drama? I dunno... I’m awful at backgrounds myself, so perhaps I shouldn’t be nitpicking in the first place!

And let me say one more thing to echo John up there--I’m amazed at how REAL your Poser figures look! I’m usually annoyed by the doll-like quality of these types of pictures, but yours look smooth and natural. Lovely work ^_^

Joelle Duran replies: "Delighted that it feels warm to you! And I quite agree about the sky--my perfectionism makes me stay as true to the story as possible, and since this takes place during a drought summer, Geren would’ve gotten excited if he saw some clouds! I was trying to make it look hot and hazy at the horizon, but then the camera tilt and the grass height rather wrecked all that!

And thanks for the kind words about the figures! That’s something I’m still working on, and I’m happy to hear they don’t appear super ’stiff.’

Thanks for dropping by!"

3-D imaging is hard to get right, and usually I don’t care for it much, but this is kinda charming. Because the guy’s face is a bit farther away, and have swathed in shadow, it gives the allusion of more personality than a lot of the 3D pics around. The shadows are too harsh for the time of day, but the rset of the lighting looks great. The horse is really well done, as far as I can tell. I’m no artist, no anatomist nor husbander either. But I generally know what I like and what I don’t like, and this...I kinda like.

Joelle Duran replies: "I wanted a harsh scorched sort of lighting because of the nasty drought they’re in, but I wasn’t able to get the feel of the heavy summer haze I wanted as well. Ah well, it’s all learning as I go and much more to learn with this stuff. Thanks for the comment, even though the artform is not to your taste."

Usually I don’t like 3D pictures, but this one really looks realistic and I like it! ^^ What strikes me especially is the lighting; it reminds me a bit of afternoon sun and the way it falls is just right!

Joelle Duran replies: "Thanks! I was really trying to make it feel like a hot afternoon, so I’m glad some of that comes across!"