Posted on February 18, 2013

I’ve added a night version of “Satori” to the Members Gallery this morning.

I thought this one was a pretty good candidate for “Nightening” but it actually turned out to be somewhat complicated.

My original idea for this piece was the bottom of a cenote and (to be honest) the scene is still set up that way. This means I am a bit restricted in how I can place the moonlight. I hope it doesn’t look too dark. I did some fireflies to brighten things up a bit.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I will be rendering the multiscreen shortly and then onto new projects!

Site News: I wanted everyone to know that I enabled PayPal’s “Bill-Me-Later” program over the weekend. It allows you to take up to 6 months to pay for purchases $99 and up and can be used to acquire the Lifetime DB Membership you have always wanted!. In addition, if it is your first time using “Bill-Me-Later” they will knock $10 off the price.

Posted on February 7, 2013

Hard to believe it has been 10 years since I rendered the original “Satori” using World Builder 3. The company that made World Builder went out of business unfortunately and I haven’t been able to use the software since 2005.

This update was created and rendered using Vue d’Esprit 11 Infinite. There are (as always) some things I would still like to tweak. You can find the original “Satori” in the Free Gallery here for comparison.

Let me know what you think of the update!

• (2/13)
• (2/10)
• (2/9)

Posted on January 23, 2013

I’ve added “The Forgotten Way” to the Members Gallery this afternoon. The weather in Illinois has been especially cold and grey recently and this piece is a definite reaction to my cabin fever. Dual and triple-screen versions are also available.

I’m still working out the lighting on this one so don’t be surprised to see a variation or two over the next few days. Let me know what you think!

Posted on January 18, 2013

Haiku Contest!

I am offering a free Lifetime membership (or upgrade) to the person who writes the best haiku based on one of my wallpapers.

Simply post your haiku in the comments section for the above image on my Facebook page along with a link to the wallpaper in my gallery that inspired you. The link should be in the form /product/haiku2k72 (copy/paste it from your address bar is the easiest way to do this).

The writer with the most likes by 5pm (CDT) will win the Lifetime Membership and the next two will win 1 year Memberships (or renewals).

Yes, your haiku must be in the 5-7-5 syllable format to win.

Here’s a wonderful example from DB Member Michelle…

“Like this autumn leaf,
I hope to show my colors
Before I am gone.”

Good Luck!!

(PS: Be looking for a new render shortly…)

Posted on January 8, 2013

Added “Valinor” to the Members Gallery this morning. I’ve also posted a free 1024 x 1024 iPad version on Reddit.

If you read J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” you will see references made to the long history of the Middle Earth. This history is laid out in a book called “The Silmarillion”.

Here’s the short version:

The first beings were the “Valar“, and were analagous to the demi-gods of Earth mythology. They walked under dark skies without Sun or Moon however.

Iluvatar (the Supreme Being) and the Valar made many attempts to illuminate the world, but these were opposed by Melkor (who was the forebearer of Sauron). The first light was made by two massive lamps on either end of the world, but these were cast down and destroyed by Melkor.

The second attempt came in the form of two brilliant trees which shone over the Valinor. The silver tree was called “Telperion” and seeds taken from it eventually grew into the White Tree of Gondor. The gold tree was called Laurelin. A shining dew fell from the each tree which the Valar collected in wells.

The light of the Two Trees was captured in three brilliant jewels called “Silmarils” which afterwards became the source of much fighting and discord. Frodo is given the Phial of Galadriel , which contains the captured light of a Silmaril (and by extenstion the Trees).

The Two Trees were eventually poisoned and destroyed by Melkor with the help of a massive spider (an ancestor of Shelob). The Sun and Moon were the last attempt and were set in the sky beyond the reach of evil. The Silmarillion describes the trees each waxing and waning in brightness over their own 7 hour period:

In seven hours the glory of each tree waxed to full and waned again to naught; and each awoke once more to life an hour before the other ceased to shine. Thus in Valinor twice every day there came a gentle hour of softer light when both trees were faint and their gold and silver beams were mingled.

This first render depicts the “gentle hour” above. My final goal is to render each hour in the cycle and folks can then use “ChronoWall” to set their desktop to a day in Valinor…

The Two Trees have always captured my imagination and I’ve been meaning to render this scene for a long time. I’m glad to finally get it started!

As always, I took quite a few liberties with this piece but I hope it is enjoyable even if you aren’t familiar with the history of Middle-Earth.