sl5b: exhibitionism sans raincoat

Big 5th Birthday Bash! Five years for Second Life! Many sims, many exhibitions, so little time!

I was really lucky. Fox and I had so many events going on, almost simultaneously, that I forgot to get my application in for the SL5B. Thank goodness for the kindnesses of strangers and quick-thinking friends and I had a plot given me late Friday. All great and good, but Fox and I had the one-year anniversary of the Shaolin Temple and a day of events, plus the Elven Lands RFL Fashion Show, and Cypress Rosewood’s Summer Solstice concert. Whew! As a friend said, you need to breathe and I replied, “nuh uh, it’s not on my TO DO list.”

I’m showing both my Second Life work with my sculpts, including a new one (still in progress) named, Native Warrior. I’m also showing my work from Real Life as Cris Palomino..digital paintings done primarily with Corel Painter. Included is my work with one of my creative partners, MAB/Venovara Ivory, with whom I have made numerous beautiful trees and mushrooms and other things.

Please come by for a visit and say hi. There are a veritable TON of exhibits and most will be there for two weeks. There are a few different tinies represented there including Raglan Shire. Check the SL5B Wiki for more coverage on the events and exhibits.
~elfa and namaste

pandas!

  Pandas are beautiful animals that make most of issue a very heartfelt “awwwwww!” The recent earthquake in China had it’s epicenter in Chengdu where the revered Pandas are actively being protected, researched and bred in captivity to get the numbers up from their remaining 1600. At first, all the pandas were all thought to be safe, but two were found missing, although one has been spotted heading back home. (Part of NPR’s coverage on the quake.)

This past week, we, at Tiny TAMA hosted a fundraiser for Pandas International where we raised approximately 20,000L, with about half of that from the Tiny TAMA portion of the event.

I had sculpted a mother and baby in Modo and painted them using a combination of photographs and hand painting to give them a very realistic look. The sculpture stands some 3 meters in height and contains 17 prims (two are regular prims with all the textures involved to preload the sculpties and color maps and rez faster). This sculpture is sold, with mod and transfer perms, for 1000L and 50% of the purchase price is given to Pandas International.  

I also sculpted a tiny panda pet that can be worn on the head (for tinies) or shoulder (for humans). This little guy features a sculpty which animates and changes textures to emulate the head moving and the eyes blinking. The whole thing has 2 prims (one of which is for the preload). You can obtain your own pet for 500L. Both of these are available at our Tiny TAMA store.

Oh, and one last note of pride on my part: the Panda mama and baby took first place at the Lummerland Show and Tell today!

~Elfa and namaste

why that is jus’ divan: a reading lounger for tinies

Six sculpted prims including the book which rezzes for you to read. You get a second divan without the pose and book in case you want to add your own poseball.  This divan is sold by itself and, as a set, with the Dewdrop Lamp.

posted by Eleanora Newell on Mystical Mastery using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Lying on my divan while reading my book by the light of my Dewrop Lamp which is fully sculpted. The book in the divan contains illustrations I did, which includes this cover, Faerie Hippo Dreams BIG.

posted by Eleanora Newell on Mystical Mastery using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Sculpted drops add magical detail to this little lamp which features a light in the large dewdrop hanging from the sculpted leaf which, in turn, contains a custom designed star alpha.

Look for the version for tines tomorrow in my stores, The Oh! Factor and Just a Jot followed later this week by an adult and child’s sized versions.

~elfa and namast

posted by Eleanora Newell on Mystical Mastery using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

dewdrop lamp: a whimsical lamp for faeries and tinies

My newest product for tinies and faeries and others loving whimsical designs. The dewdrop is turned on and off by touch and gives a nice golden light and a sparkling dot of magic glow from a handmade alpha. This lamp is completely sculpted with painted dewdrops on the hand painted leaf texture, plus three small sculpted dewdrops on the leaf surface and stem ending with the large dewdrop hanging off the leaf tip which serves as the light. Eight sculpted prims in all, this will be available at my The Oh! Factor stores and my new tinies store, Just a Jot.

Also coming is a divan for lying and reading a favourite note or book.

~elfa and namasteposted by Eleanora Newell on Mystical Mastery using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

water for water: a showcase fountain for an inaugural exhibit

We are getting ready for the inaugural exhibition of the Eyes of the World: A Global Vision series at the Shaolin Temple Arts Center, in Mystical Mastery.  The Center is featuring the photography of Shadow Marlin starting on February 16th.  Fox Obviate had chosen this image to enlarge on a curved panel and had put it up in the corner of the exhibition room. I kept looking at it and asked Fox if I could try something which he graciously granted. I envisioned copper and water and thought it would be a fitting encasement to make it part of a standing fountain.

I used another of Shadow’s photographs, of Stargazer Lilies, and worked with an existing filter from the Filter Forge library, called Metalizer, to make it mimic copper embossing and added decorative borders to finish the look. Add some rushes and sword reeds, some rocks and a couple of koi, and we now have a simple, elegant way to present a beautiful piece by our premiere artist.

I am looking forward to the show as Shadow’s work is beautiful and a grand way to start things off. On top of that, we have been honored with an acceptance from Cypress Rosewood to play on the evening of the opening day. More details will follow.

~elfa and namaste

posted by Eleanora Newell on Mystical Mastery using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

relay for life in second life: save up your lindens

My mom died of complications from breast cancer in 1999.  Thanksgiving Day, to be exact.  My grandmother, some nine months from her 100th birthday, died two days before Christmas the following month.  My grandmother had had a long wonderful life.  My mom, born in 1928, was still very young in comparison and, so, it was more sad to me.  The real tragedy, however, is that this dreadful disease had claimed one more to add to its far too numerous victims. 

When I first joined Second Life,  I started hearing about RFL.  What’s that I asked?  Relay for Life, came the response.  Then I found out it benefited the American Cancer Society which had been so good to my mom.  Of course, I had to get involved. 

Relay for Life is Second Life’s major charity fundraiser.  There are ongoing events throughout the year.  Stores have storewide sales for a day with profits going to RFL.  Some people, me included, create products, whose proceeds go to RFL in perpetuity.  There are concerts and fairs.  I participated in one fair where I built a Honeybee ride to raise money.  Huge prim roses towered over the event field while the honeybees looped around them.  It was enough to make anyone go, “Wheeeeeeeeeeee!” 

At the big fairs, there are people who run, as in real life, along paths that wind through areas where artists and builders have joined to create wonderful prim environments as the runners, wearing pedometers which track the leg movements of the avatar, raise money with each step.  

The last big fair had wondrous recreations of Lord of the Rings and The Wizard of Oz (replete with tornado and dropped house on the unfortunate witch with the ruby slippers). This year will be no different and you will have the opportunity to enjoy these amazing visualizations, partake of special products, and all you need do is share some lindens for life.  That life may be gone before us or someone in the struggle or, all goodness willing, preventing someone from losing another loved one.  So when you see the RFL sign in Second Life, join us in the fight against cancer.

Oh, and yes, that is me with my mom on the day I came home from the hospital. I found the picture after she died and remains one of my favorite pictures. For all the misunderstandings, shortcomings and disappointments there were between us, I can look at that picture and know that there was also perfect love between a mother and her newborn child. Thanks, Mom.

~elfa and namaste

the oh! factor showcased in designer showcase today

The Oh! Factor cordially invites you to 

The January Designer Showcase 

at the Posé Modeling Academy in Second Life.

 

My Adagio, Impressionista, Joyeux, Wings of Love and Precious Egyptian outfits will be modeled by

the Academy’s beauties for your viewing pleasure.

 

Outfits may be purchased at the show.

 

21st of January 2008

4 p.m. SLT/Pacific time

 

Located at The Posé Modeling Academy main runway.

Live DJ

Sexy models

Sexier Outfits

 

The Centurion (182, 60, 21)

 

Contact Eleanora Newell,

inword or in the blog comment field,

if you have any questions.  I may also be reached at

eleanora.newell@gmail.com.

Saturn Concert at Spindrift with Cypress Rosewood

Continuing his wonderful planet suite, Cypress is joined by his RL band, Spacecraft at the Planetary Theater in Spindrift, for the fourth in his Planet Series, SATURN.  Surrounded by celestial-body-laden-heavens, synthesizers and Native American flutes transport the audience with beautiful trancelike melodies written to evoke the mighty, ringed planet.

posted by Eleanora Newell on Spindrift using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Nebulaes rising above us, the music is transfixing and melodious. This suite has been splendid and what’s great is that you can prepurchase the night’s recording at the concert and normally download it the very next day for your continued listening pleasure.

posted by Eleanora Newell on Spindrift using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

The very floor gives way to suspend the audience in a galaxy of stars. A marvelous setting for the premiere of this stellar opus.

posted by Eleanora Newell on Spindrift using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

One of the audience members gave us a floating animation he had and it was so much fun to float to this wonderfully meditatative music. If you’ve missed the last few ones, be sure to check Cypress’s next Planet Concert at his homepage.

posted by Eleanora Newell on Spindrift using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

thinking of love on a cold winter’s night

I really should have started even sooner than I have, but I am working on Valentine’s Day products.  Of course, the thing is to think of what kind of things would someone in a virtual world go for when they want to get their honey on that lovers’ day.  I’ve been working on some graphics.  These were done in Photoshop, but I love to do patterns in Illustrator, so that will be my next stop.  I’ve also been working in some of my favorite filter programs.  One does glass really well, that’s Genetica; and the other does great metals and woods and nifty effects and that’s Filter Forge.

I found the neatest music box songs, so I am designing some….I love music boxes!

~elfa and namaste

 

DAZ Island: Creating a virtual identity for DAZ3D

I have been on the team building the DAZ Island which belongs to DAZ3D, a 3D asset and software company in real life, building a presence in Second Life. This is the DAZ Gallery which showcases artwork created by their customers using any number of models or software applications to create the works on display.

 

posted by Eleanora Newell on DAZ Island using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]  

The goal was to use and make things based on DAZ product where possible. In the instance of this grand plaza, I based it on the feel from some of their Spanish-looking assets. With the permission of Moyra, who created the original textures for the 3D products, I repurposed the textures on the prim and sculpted pieces I created in Second Life and utilizing Luxology’s Modo and, in some cases, DAZ|Carrara. I also created textures where needed using photographs, Painter and Photoshop. I designed the mall to be as open as possible, making it camera-friendly and welcoming.  

 Oh, yes, and I have one of my The Oh! Factor stores here. 

 

Higher-resolution image of fountain here.

 

This 19-prim fountain is mostly sculpted down to the water flowing over the lips of the sculpted fountain basin. The water in both basins were additionally sculpted to conform to the unique shapes of the basins. It’s one of my favorite creations.

posted by Eleanora Newell on DAZ Island using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

~elfa and namaste