How did you get started in 3D Graphics? Goodness, I can't remember! It's been such a long time... I think I found Renderosity by accident some years ago, possibly in late 1999 or very early 2000. I was surfing the web and ended up on this site and I was hooked. I really loved the artwork in the galleries but didn't really think I would ever post any artwork here myself. I remember being particularly impressed with Lon Chaney's works, they're the earliest memory I have of Renderosity. The first contact I had to Poser was in early 2000 when a student friend of mine had bought Poser 4 and was showing it to me. I thought it was the coolest program I had seen and finally ended up buying it for myself as well. How long have you been working with 3D Graphics? Oops, I sort of replied this one already. I've been doing this for three years now and I've loved every minute of it :) Just the other day I was looking at my very first Poser images and I was squirming out of shame.. LOL! I guess I've come a long way since. Do you have any formal training? No. Everything I know about graphics I've learned by doing. I'm usually too impatient to even read the manual before I start playing with something (and oh boy how many times I've been cursing and swearing because of that!) I wish I had some kind of education in this field though, I would love to do this for living. What software do you use to develop your products? Poser and Photoshop - they're a perfect team. I'm still using Poser4 but I'm also really looking forward to seeing what the upcoming Daz Studio will be like. At the moment I am also trying to learn how to do 3d modelling, Dmentia (Silverleif Studios) told me about a very simple application called Wings3D (hey guys - it's FREE!) and since it seems to be the easiest of all the modelling apps I've seen so far, I'm trying to learn how to use it. How much time is required for product development? It depends on a product - some products are a lot faster to develop than others. For me probably the slowest products to create are pose sets. Posing takes a lot of time because I always make sure each pose looks good from each angle... it's tedious but rewarding. Do you have any advice on how to get started selling 3D Products? If I can do this, YOU can do this! :) If you're only just starting to create your own things (poses, textures, models), you might want to put the first items in the Free Stuff section instead. You might get valuable feedback that way. Read the forums, see what kind of items people are looking for, browse the MarketPlace to see what is already being sold... And don't hesitate to ask questions. The more experienced merchants can help you with testing, pricing, etc. Where does your inspiration come from when developing new products? My inspiration often comes from other people's artwork. For my 'Reflections of the Masters' series I found the inspiration in the great fantasy and pin-up paintings by famous artists. Music is another thing that really inspires me, it creates visions in my mind. If I only had the skills to actually turn all those visions into artwork and products...! And often I get ideas for products simply by thinking of what I would like to see at the MarketPlace myself. "Hey, no one has made anything like that yet... I'll give it a try!" How has Renderosity's on-line community played a role in regards to your products, friendships and learning? I think the Renderosity community is really encouraging to people who make artwork and want to create their own products. People are always willing to give you feedback and offer their opinions on what you're working on. I started by making free items and I got really nice feedback for those items. People also told me that they wouldn't mind paying for the kinda items I was creating - that felt really encouraging. But I might still be handing out all my stuff for free if my little family hadn't experienced some financial problems. That's when I realised we really could use a bit of extra money and I decided to try to sell my items. And this is where I am now. Learning.. For anyone who wants to learn things about computer graphics, Renderosity is a *fantastic* place. After three years it still amazes me how helpful everyone is in the forums. Whatever you ask, there always, ALWAYS seems to be someone who knows the answer and who has the time to help you out. When I was a newbie I was a bit afraid of posting questions because I thought people would think I'm stupid for not understanding something, but no one ever looked down on me. Everyone has always been very friendly and helpful. Friendships.. Well, that's easy. I've found some really special & close friends through Renderosity and I treasure them all! :) Do you have any final words? Why? Am I going to be executed now? ;) Final words... I'm THRILLED to be the Merchant of the Month, I definitely didn't see this one coming! I would really like to thank my customers for all their support and positive feedback and my friends for being my friends and always being there for me.