September 2006 VOM Thorne

Who is Thorne? First let me say thank you very much for this honor! Who is Thorne? Now that's a loaded question, lol let's see... all the hats I wear: artist, musician, poet, programmer, electrical engineer, carpenter, witchdoctor, faerie shaman. After a near-death experience in 2001, I pretty much dropped the electrical engineer part. Now I just sit around and play with dolls a lot. ;) How long have you have you been involved in digital art? Actually since 1984 when I got my first Commodore 64 computer, with screen resolution of 320x200 pixels and a palette of 16 whole colors! I used to draw people one pixel at a time, and eventually wrote my own little program on the Commodore to manipulate simple 3d objects. Of course I was drawing, coloring, and cutting out paper dolls and props to play with when I was about 3 years old, so nothing much has changed since then in that respect. What are you currently working on? I always have several projects going on at the same time. Currently I'm working on more Poser characters with various partners, as well as some really cool upcoming clothing items for Maddie, Aiko, and V3. Then again I might throw in a spaceship just for variety, hehe. What software do you use and why? In my software arsenal I currently have: Poser 4-6, Corel Photopaint, Bryce, Lightwave, Rhino, Silo, Hexagon, Carrarra, and my old standby, RayDream Studio 5.5. I tend to rely more on the older programs though, as I have a real aversion to that whole learning curve thing. ;) These, along with some others I simply couldn't work without, including UVMapper Pro, EditPad (a text editor in which I do a majority of Poser work), and the free programs Mason's Morph Manager and Masa's Morph Mirror. I still prefer Poser 4 to Poser 6 when I don't feel like cussing a lot. Poser's magnets are a really wonderful tool and well worth getting to know. The text editor is great for many jobs such as manipulating morph targets, building mats and inject/remove files, creating/altering new Poser figures, editing OBJ files, etc. I really use it extensively in my work. Where do you find inspiration for your products? Inspiration is literally everywhere! The supermarket, History channel, Heavy Metal magazine, America's Next Top Model :)... I also find a lot of inspiration in my own backyard, which consists of an alternate reality all its own. Do you have any advice for aspiring Digital Content Developers? My advice would be to pay attention to the details! In this business like no other, quality and craftsmanship really do make a difference. Don't cut corners, and don't settle for "good enough". Think in 3 dimensions and double check everything from every angle. Do your very best in every aspect, then take it to the next level and try to outdo yourself with each new project. Practice being a perfectionist in your work and try not to worry abut how long it takes. It will certainly be worth it in the long run. How has this online community (Renderosity) enhanced your work, relationships, and learning? I've been a member here since the beginning, and except for a brief absence, had a store here in the marketplace since its inception. Renderosity provides a unique opportunity for challenging yourself and learning in any number of ways- not only in artwork, but in interpersonal and professional relationships as well. I truly consider my friends to be my greatest asset, and I've met many of my best longtime friends here, including my good friend and partner Sarsa way back in '01. Do you have any final words? Hi mom! :) Please pray for peace on earth, and may Goddess bless us all.

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