It really is
amazing what one can learn about fellow artists, if only it is
thought to ask. That is definitely the case here, as I had the
great opportunity to talk with one of Renderosity's talented
Vendors, arcebus.
Full of humor and a dangerous looking fellow, as he himself is
first to declare, he is a man of many talents. I was delighted to
be able to get a look into what he does, and hear his views on what
it takes to be a succesful vendor, and artist.Â
Who is "arcebus", and how did you come by that
username?
"Arcebus" is just the translation of my family name
into latin. I love dead languages, and I like the seriously sick
ones, too. But I'm not an old roman. During my professional life I
used to change my artist names depending on the kind of work I did
- and sometimes even from one customer to another. Just like the
ancient japanese painters. But also - I am not japanese.
Having talked about what I am not, maybe that's the
point I could start to answer your question...
I was born a pretty long time ago, and was raised by two
extraordinary good people - Mum and Dad - of whom the first was a
tailor, the latter an old-fashioned craftsman (painting decoratives
and lettering, doing stucco work), and both were working hard to
raise me and my late sister. After finishing school (ok - they told
me to leave...at once), I absolved an apprenticeship as a clerk in
a leathergoods industry. That was boring, and it was the right
time, so I became part of the pagan folk scene in continental
Europe. For a couple of months, I actually was the
continental european pagan folk scene.
Don't know how nor why, but I finished my apprenticeship with
success. I started to study arts and design, with the goals set on
photography and sculpture. At the same time, I started to work
freelance in advertisement, mainly in the fashion industry - hey, I
was young, and I needed the money!
At the age of 28, I launched an advertisement agency, which a
decade later employed 35 staff and more than 20 freelancers. My
marriage broke up, I lost everything I owned. So I intensified some
contacts I already had - to publishers in the USA and GB, and
worked free-lance, again, as a photographer. Besides this, I had
several regular contracts as an academical teacher - sculpture and
art-theory. In summer 2006 I started to look for something new.
And guess what - I found something new.
First, I have to
say I absolutely love the Avril Lavigne sculpture you have pictured
on your website. As a (new)
sculptor myself, I'd love to know a bit about that process and how
long that particular sculpture took to complete.
The Avril sculpture was mainly made from aluminium, a
water-based modelling clay and plaster-of-paris. Bending and
binding the aluminium mainframe, the skeleton, takes about two
hours. Modelling the detailed parts - face and hands, in this case,
as well as the boots - takes some 6 to 8 hours. Building up the
torso and the limbs with pop (plaster-of-paris) is another five
hours, including the mounting of the detailled parts. I am using
dental pop, that dries up to a very, VERY hard consistency - it can
even be polished.
Plaster can be "adjusted" concerning the hardening
process, from 3 minutes to some 10 hours by adding genuine
bone-glue. So the inner layers are pure pop without any additives,
applied to fabrik strips for stability, hardening in 3 minutes,
while the outer ones, where details are modelled, are a mixture
that needs some 3 hours for hardening.
The time I spend actually working on such a sculpture has a lot of
breaks in between - for drying, mainly, not so much for thinking.
This increases the time needed to finish it in raw (whithout the
painting, the laquer layers and the gold applications) to 10 or 11
eleven days.
Then the whole thing had to dry for a month, and within two more
days the finishing was done.
How long have you been sculpting, and what kind of
materials have you used? What do you like best to work with?
Well, decorative sculpting I've been into since the
age of 16 - that was stucco work, when I also learned to work with
leaf-gold. My first human sculpts were made during the academy. I
worked with clay, plaster-of-paris, polyester, silicon, wood and
marble. I like the workflow best that I used the last years -
aluminium rigs, pop and modelling clay to build the sculpture up,
laquers and leaf-metals for the finish.
|
Portrait |
What has been the most satisfying for you in regards to
artistic medium: photography, sculpture, or 3D art? Do you still
venture into photography or sculpture?
During the last 20 or so months, I didn't touch
modelling clay, wood or marble. If I used a
camera, it was for texture reasons. That doesn't
mean that I will never ever be doing photos or sculptures again,
but...3D art brings all my skills together - as my mother says
"without all the dirt...".
Of course, the circumstances aren't the reason why I became
addicted to 3D artwork. As a matter of fact, 3D art with nowadays
tools is a shortcircuit between brain and result. This is an effect
that doesn't come within the first months. But with growing skills
(and, in fact, a growing hardware base) one gets the virtuosity
that is needed to experience this "shortcircuit" feeling
- and, man, THAT'S a feeling.
Since I was a child, I tried to reach visual perfection. I started
drawing before I was able to walk orderly (no joke...). When I was
12, a teacher of mine told my father that "this boy must be
sent to an academy as soon as possible". I washed bottles for
months in every free minute at 13 to buy my first SLR, because
drawings weren't "perfect" enough for me, and I switched
to sculptures because they gave me the depth in view photography
couldn't provide.
Then, in September 2006 I stumbled over Poser5 while looking
for an application that would be helpful illustrating a storyboard.
Even if I finally made my illustrations manually, I got kind of
addicted to Poser. I started sniffing around, got some experiences
with C4D, which I found too expensive for my intentions, got
Vue, which I use now and then for fun or testing reasons. I
found - and still find - Poser a ridiculously easy-to-use
application which produces astounding results for almost no money.
I mean - I had never worked with any 3D programs before, so that
thing came handy.
It sounds like big words, but Poser opened up a whole new world for
me. And the abilty to produce components that others can use to
make their own visualisations of their own ideas, even to inspire
them by creating such tools, is in fact the most satisfying work I
have ever done.
|
Thanks For The Warm
Welcome.
For pupino&venerella |
On to software, what programs do you have in your toolkit?
At this time, I am working with Poser7Pro, have
Poser7 still installed on my main workstation, and
Poser6 on an older machine with nothing else in the runtime
other than just V4.2 for testing. My modelling mainly is done
in Hexagon 2.5. One of the most important tools is an older
(free) version of the Komodo text editor. For texturing and
postwork (which I keep as minimal as possible, not by religous
reasons like so many other people, but to deliver a result in my
promos that can be repeated by others without climbing mountains),
I use Corel PhotoPaint X3. I've been with Corel since
their very beginning, so I stick with them.
Also very important, is Steve Cox' UVMapperPro, because it
offers some dirty tricks for grouping. For some time I also used
some of PhilC's tools, as well as some from Netherworks. But these
little helpers, even though very, very useful in the beginning,
also can limit the technical and design possibilities. These tools
are a great help while learning, but the more skilled one becomes,
the more manual editing is required. It just leads faster to better
results.
I also spent a lot of money for new hardware lately, after
eFrontier announced network rendering. Their network
rendering is somewhat different from what I expected, but at least
the renderqueue turned out to be very, very helpful. I am now able
to send jobs to the network and let my new machines do their work
overnight - while I can sleep. Sound funny? It isn't, because
during my "hot" learning times there were weeks with 15
hours sleeping time overall.
The network is running under Windows XP64, by the way.
|
Lazy, Rainy Monday
Afternoon |
Having worked in so many artistic areas, what can you tell us about
what you have learned? Moreover, what best advice could you give in
any particular area?
Guess, whatever I'll say now will be used against me...
What I have learned is, to follow my own directions, no matter what
it costs. It is for sure not the easiest way to go - times are
changing, peoples minds are changing, the "taste" of the
people is changing - whatever you do as an artist can as well be
"wrong" as "right" to the public opinion. To be
an artist can be a pretty lonesome business, because you will have
to wait for people to gather around you. Because - if you
"join" a group, an audience, a "school", a
"fashion" or even other people's (including customers)
opinions, you are no longer an artist, you are everybody's
fool.
And as soon as the group that gathered around you is big enough -
change your ways. Because you will begin to follow others'
opinions, you will try to fulfill the expectations that others set
in you. If you don't break up here, you are lost - you will begin
to copy yourself, and this is not the beginning of the end, it is
the end of the end.
There are so many examples of highly talented artists in every
imaginable branch out there to explain what I mean. I will not
mention names here - but there were photographers who started an
entirely new way to view things, people, landscapes; there were
painters that revolutionized their art after WW2, even one or two
real good sculptors, architects, musicians - whatever it may
be.
They started something new. They were successful. They copied
themselves. They were history.
Also, there is an ever-growing amount of restrictions art is put
under since the late 70's/early 80's. Half of my brain understands
and accepts those restrictions, even if they seem to be against all
social reality. The other half knows that art should be absolutely
free, with no restrictions whatsoever. That's a thing that comes
and goes through all of mankind's history - my generation has to
deal with the fact that we were there when there weren't
restrictions.
So, as far as I can imagine, the only advice to others can be: find
your way, learn how to put your boots on, and then go. For good or
for bad.
Â
As a Vendor here on Renderosity, how has your experience
been? Are there any tips you would give to members looking to start
selling?
Both with the crew and the customers in here, my experiences were
entirely positive. My first team contact in here was Clint
Hawkins who helped my to make my "Rocksta'" character
marketable - which wasn't the easiest procedure, me being such a
newbie. Clint and his wife Lillian are now running Gothicblend.net,
and I take some pride from helping them at least by sponsoring
their art-contests.
Important for my work also, was Robert
"Xenophonz" who tested a lot of my products and was
very helpful. Jenifer
and Jason are
keeping the thing going in a fantastic way, and my new tester,
KarenJ,
also rocks. Debbie
Montique simply is a pearl in a perfect mounting. All those
people helped me lots and lots, and I wouldn't be where I am now,
without those great guys. Sometimes I wonder if the owners know at
all, what a perfect crew they have got here. I have worked with
several teams where people were pulling the same rope - but at
Renderosity, in addition they are all pulling at the same end and
in the same direction.
At this point, I am having some 750 or so customers, many of them
returning buyers, and 160 of them already own 3 or more of my
products. Knowing that I am rather in a niché, it really makes me
proud to be able to provide those people with stuff they like, and
like enough to return and purchase new products. Some already made
requests on special products, and I am just beginning to put the
first couple of those requests to the market. Yes, and I admit that
I didn't fulfill the most popular requests, but the ones that
interested me most. Sorry...
If somebody seriously thinks about making some - or even
"the" income from this market - (s)he should be
prepared to go through a long, dark, rocky, rainy, frightening
alley. There are already some three or four charactersets for Vicky
4 available, and I think as long as you don't have a really, really
unique character, you should better start with some other stuff.
Keep in mind that people are giving you their money for your
product - so produce a value for them. Don't be cheap, set fair
prices. Don't steal - especially not from me, or I will ...
If you want to make a living from this market: keep in mind that
this takes both time and resources. With resources I don't mean
merchant resources, but technical equipment, software and skills.
When I decided to try to make a living from this, the first thing I
did was count my money and make a plan - on how long I could give
it a try without being able to cover my expenses from the income
generated here, and still be able to pay for health insurance,
retirement plans, housing, some food now and then, and my two
faeries (Duchess Nicotine and Princess Caffeine).
And then - remember that it also needs a lucky hand.
Think about brokering with ONE company - being exclusive in one
store helps the entire store (because that store becomes more and
more exclusive). A strong store strengthens the vendors. So - if
you are just mediocre or even bad, sell at xx and/or xxx, if you
are really good, sell exclusively at Renderosity.
I see that you offer plenty of
Free Stuff, both on Renderosity and on your personal
website. How do you decide what you will offer for free? Does it
depend on what it is, and does it help to support your MarketPlace
products?
Most of the items that I give away for free were
originally made because I needed them for a special image, or
because I tried a special technique on them. They are either not
"big" enough to be sold - like that squirtgun thing - or
are given too little options - like the "Bronze" facade
from Joss Whedon's Slayerverse that I needed for one image. It
offers just the front of the building, which I think is not enough
for a product, but it would have been a pity not to publish it. So
it became a freebie.
A supporting function for my MP products - well, actually the stats
say, there is some, especially because I promote my freebies on
other sites, too, and I'm offering my newsletter opt-in, which
people seem to like - it gives them an advantage of between one and
three weeks when a new freebie is published. And even if that
wouldn't be the case, I think it's a way to say "thanx"
to my customers in a way useful to them.
In all honesty, what do you think it takes for a vendor to
be able to make a decent living by creating digital content
here on Renderosity?
I think, about the same things you need for every
business - inspiration, patience, discipline and a good portion of
luck. In addition, it will turn out to be helpful if one has got
some financial resources or a very low level of regular expenses -
it takes a while until the income is good enough to make a living
from it (I'm far away from this point at this time). The weak US
Dollar is an additional, serious problem for everyone who does not
live in the States...like me.
The neccessary technical equipment is underestimated far too often.
One cannot work on one computer, no matter how fast that thing is.
A reliable redundancy is essential, and with P7P, the development
process became much, much faster just by putting renders to the
farm and being able to continue the work while the test renders are
made elsewhere.
So, this is about independance - from cashflow for the first months
(or years...) and from technical problems - if your big-boy-machine
has decided to die.
There's another thing I think one must become independant from, and
that's the market. Just speaking for myself now: a lot of people
waste their talents and efforts on trying to "make stuff for
the market". Creating products that come from the heart turns
this method upside down: good products create their own markets.
This is valid in general, not just here at Renderosity, or
specifically 3D.
So - do what you do best and use it to create what you would like
to buy yourself.
Â
I always love seeing folks collaborating online. I
noticed in your store that you have a few products from both you
and "Propschick".
Is this something that you may do more of in the future?
Working with Jackie "Propschick" was fun -
unfortunately, the products we chose weren't very successful. The
cooperation with others takes additional efforts, of course - the
workflow must be managed, and there needs to be communication (the
latter of which can be difficult, because somebody decided to make
our planet a sphere, even though a disc would be easier to be
managed when it comes to time-zones. It also would be more easy to
get rid of some people, just push them over the edge...).
I don't know - collaborations have both advantages and
disadvantages. With Jackie I was lucky, but one could also stumble
over a less honest artist. So - it might happen, but I'm not going
to force it.
Where do you get your inspiration, whether for your
MarketPlace products, or other works?
Haven't you got it any smaller? Now, that's a complicated
question.
Inspiration can come from so many things, people, situations. A
neighbors daughter helping my mother with housekeeping became my
"Alyson". A movie inspired me to make
"JessInvisible". My old DocMartens Boots were the
inspirative kick (and texture delivery base) for
"TroublemakerBoots". The best female singer/songwriter
was the trigger to get started at all with "Rocksta'. A
very close and fulfilling friendship was the inspiration for
"Lady2Be", and my nasty, rotten mind inspired me to make
the "Rubberpet" series, in addition to a customer's
request.
Concerning other works - well, money can inspire me a lot... No, I
am very much in concept art. I have some of those little notebooks,
Moleskine by name (you can have them in all colours, as long as
it's black...) and whenever I see/hear/read/think something I might
use some day, I write it down. Then, work is best on Sunday
mornings, during my VERY early breakfast. I watch the sunrise, sit
there with gallons of coffee, and read what I wrote during the last
week. I transfer some of the notes to another one of those
notebooks.
In such relaxed, almost timeless situations, I get what I call my
"flow". Images are just coming up - some of them I like
right away, some are kept in mind and worked at later (or
never).
If the procedure of "being creative" could really be
wrapped up in words, I would write a book about it, sell it at 25
bucks per copy and become rich, happy and famous within days.
If you could divulge such information, what are you working
on now?
My next project is a NVIATWAS - a nude Vicky in a temple with a
sword... no, not really...
Seriously: I am having a couple of charactersets for V4 stirring at
this time, that have the 4 most important women in my life (besides
my mother) as base. They are themed in a special way (which I won't
talk about in public). They will go live in late summer.
I am working on some scenes and props, too. And I am working at my
first standalone character - which will be a bit surprising,
because there is already a nice publishing contract for calendars
and postcards using renders made with this character. Sound
mysterious? Makes curious? Good! With this character I am already
busy with the rigging, but I need some more weeks for the
tuning.
Of course, there will be more Poser stuff. First of all, two teen
characters for V4 and some clothes for them. And I will finish the
Rubberpets series with two more packs - even more tasteless than
the ones that are already out...
|
The 37
Bus |
When you are not creating, what do you enjoy doing?Counting all the
money I make here... No - not really ...yet! What I enjoy most
during this time of the year is to hate garden-work. And I have
plenty to hate...
I am part of a group of totally insane "ripe adults" who
gather up once a month for a "long Buffy night" -
watching an entire season of the vampire-slayer in one session. YES
- that's some 20 hours, isn't that just wonderful?
Then there's some clubbing, not as often as in those years long
gone by. Most times I would like another dance, but I fear to have
a stroke.
Music of course - listening, not making...
And if there's still some time left, I try to look as dangerous as
possible.
Any final words or advice to fellow Renderosity
artists/vendors?
Take care, and always suffer with a grin!
We invite you to visit:
All supporting images are copyright, and cannot be
copied, printed, or reproduced in any manner without written
permission.
Â
|
Comments