July 2013 Artist of the Month - choronr

Each month the Renderosity community votes on the Renderosity Artist Of The Month [AOM] ... July's AOM is choronr!

We congratulate choronr for an outstanding collection of works in the Terragen Gallery!

Tell us a bit about yourself. Who is 'choronr'?

I'm a retired senior, now living in Phoenix for about 26 years. During the late seventies through the mid eighties, I was involved with the hobby 'bonsai' with a group of eleven other fellows. The leader of the group was able to get permission from the Bureau of Land Management for us to venture out and collect tree specimens for bonsai in southeastern Utah. Being my first trip out west, I was surprised at the absolutely beautiful landscape. In subsequent years, my son Ken and some friends made hiking trips to these areas and covered much of the 'Grand Circle.'

Upon return from these trips, I decided I wanted to live near this place so I could photograph and sketch some of these endless and strikingly beautiful places. In 1987 I was fortunate in landing a job with a company in Phoenix. Since that time my wife and I have made a number of driving trips to many places both in Arizona and Utah - often wish my auto had an automatic pilot since it is difficult keeping your eyes on the road while taking in all this beauty. I guess you can see how this leads to digital art.

Hazeland Shores

How long have you been working in digital art?

It was in late 2002 when a fellow employee, knowing my interest in landscape scenery, directed me to Renderosity where I discovered Terragen Classic. I downloaded the program and started learning how to create landscapes. After some months of practice, I uploaded my first image to Renderosity titled 'Lake Kim,' after my first daughter. That was in early 2003, about 10 years ago.

Who, or what, inspires you?

I get inspirations for my work just hiking through both the high and lower deserts. To me, the Midwestern never looked this good. Out here in the west, there are many places where you can see nature unobstructed for great distances. Additionally, perusing through photographic galleries helps to fire my enthusiasm.

In the early days my favorite artists were (and still are) Dotthy, LutzB, and Magann. With Terragen 2, my favorite artists are Dune, dandelO, mhaze, FrankB, Oshyan and Hannes. I certainly learned much about Terragen from these sharing people.

About five years ago, Planetside, the creators of Terragen Classic introduced Terragen 2, which allows one to create terrains procedurally. The learning curve is a bit steep; but, the results are very rewarding. Planetside has a forum for both the Classic and TG2 versions. It is here where I met many helpful others who will answer your questions and share their files.

West - Improved

What are you currently working on?

My current project is a fractal terrain that includes some sand dunes and vegetation in the foreground and mountains in the distance. There is a brush fire in the distance with billowing smoke. I am several days away from the final render. The image will be titled: 'Canyon Blaze.'

What all is in your digital toolset and why?

Basically, I use Photoshop CS2 for image resizing and creating modified elements of 3D models where colors might need adjusting. I try to avoid post working my images and rely solely on Terragen for the results I'm looking for. I will also use Irfanview on occasion.

What do you enjoy most about Terragen?

My greatest enjoyment working with Terragen is the enthusiasm generated by both the Renderosity and the Planetside forums. Working with TG2, I continue to learn something new about the process through some pretty smart people there who always come up with the answers to my questions.

Rustler's Retreat

Do you have any tips you would be willing to share on using Terragen?

I sure do. Approach your work with patience and start out with simple projects. When you get stuck, the Planetside forum has a search engine that will usually get you the answers you're looking for - if not, pose your question on a new thread - you will usually get answers from the members and sometimes the staff. With this program, you will find that sometimes there is more than one way to accomplish a task. BTW, Planetside will be releasing its much improved 'Terragen 3' this July.

What do you think your best piece of work is and why?

I have yet to experience my 'best piece of work.' After putting the finishing touches on a project and engaging the final render, I'll turn in for the evening. Upon awaking the next day, I'll have a cup of coffee and sit down in front of the screen to see the results - then I'm thinking, this doesn't look right. Full satisfaction is rare; but sometimes, reworking can yield good results. I believe my recent image called 'Unexplored,' which I posted on June 14th, 2013 in my gallery at Renderosity, is one of my better works. I like this image for its depth and details in the foreground, mid ground and distance.

Unexplored

How has this online community (Renderosity) enhanced your work, relationships, and learning?

As mentioned earlier, my CG art started 10 years ago. During that time, my images were of minimal quality and composition at best. Through the Terragen forum, I've met many proficient artists from all around the world who offered good critiques that helped me improve my work - this is important! In my beginnings with CG art, I'm glad I made the right choice of using Terragen Classic as a terrain generator and Renderosity for my gallery to display my renderings.

Do you have any parting comments, or advice for other artists?

Above all, entertain critical comments of your work from the experienced artists. Don't feel bad about the negative critiques. This is the way to improve your ability. Ask questions when you are in doubt as to how to achieve a certain aspect of your image; and, when you get responses, test those suggestions. Doing this regularly will make you better. In time, you will develop your own style.

When posting your images you may get comments like: Very nice, Cool, Beautiful, etc. These are nice for boosting the ego; but, you're never going to improve.

Most of all, enjoy the hobby and meet some new friends from around the world.

Ambience

We invite you to have a further look at choronr's Renderosity Gallery!

Be sure to visit:

Artist of the Month is highlighting a talented Renderosity artist that has been nominated by mods and admins, and voted by the community. Recognition is given to this member for their collection of works for that year.

Since we only select one AOM per month, it is not about their works for that particular month. Instead, it is about highlighting a talented artist's works for that year, and they are recognized during that month.

To learn more about Renderosity's Artist Of The Month [AOM] award, and to view our past AOM's, please visit the AOM page.

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