Crisis of imagination? Penny for your thoughts...

tsroemi

Not so much a fan of AI here (sorry y'all!), it doesn't really improve YOUR work, IMHO. It just adds something to it that comes from another source. If the post is about your own creativity frustrating you and not producing the results you want (but maybe I got that totally wrong -???) - well, maybe your inner artist just wants to give you a little push? To try some more, learn some more and become better? It's not bad per se to feel frustrated, although it sure doesn't feel too great. Depends on what the frustration makes you do! If there's something inside that wants to go for something new - why not let it? It'll sure be interesting! And maybe you'll come back to your old style a while later with lots of new ideas and abilities in tow.

Don't put your trust in the computers. Put it in yourself.

RenderPretender

tsroemi said:

Not so much a fan of AI here (sorry y'all!), it doesn't really improve YOUR work, IMHO. It just adds something to it that comes from another source. If the post is about your own creativity frustrating you and not producing the results you want (but maybe I got that totally wrong -???) - well, maybe your inner artist just wants to give you a little push? To try some more, learn some more and become better? It's not bad per se to feel frustrated, although it sure doesn't feel too great. Depends on what the frustration makes you do! If there's something inside that wants to go for something new - why not let it? It'll sure be interesting! And maybe you'll come back to your old style a while later with lots of new ideas and abilities in tow.

Don't put your trust in the computers. Put it in yourself.

I must agree wholely in most respects. This post, among others, causes me to realize that what I'm after might not be something earth shattering as much as celebrating the athletic female physique with due respect, and some degree of fidelity using this medium. Attached are two raw/unretouched five minute renders of Freja in a studio setting with basic flattering lighting and some dumbells. No awards merited here certainly, but I think she's quite convincing at an aesthetic level, unburdened by any distracting props, wardrobe, or other substandard characters. I put a lot of time and attention (beyond oiut of the box) into my models' physical characteristics, and I hope to showcase that. If I can build on this theme in the way that a real-world studio photographer might, with her and other characters, I might be off to where I want to go.

 

kyoto kid

TBorNot said:

Do like Hollywood does to create new TV shows and movies.  Paste all the content listings onto a large dart board and throw three darts.  Make an image out of those three components.

 

...there used to be an monthly challenge here that involved picking several items at random from your library and using them to create an scene that followed a theme put forth each month.  It was a great test of resourcefulness and rewarded the top entries with a small GC.  I often found it helpful when in one of those "creative muse malaises".  Unfortunately I don't think they are being done anymore.. 

kyoto kid

McGyver said:

Another thing you can try if you don't live near a museum or if there were certain past misunderstandings and you are no longer welcome at the nearest one, is to browse through the galleries at the various 3D sites... ArtStation if full of great imagery and is great for studying lighting and poses, background composition etc... If you have access to a library or bookstore, sometimes browsing through graphic novels (or well illustrated comics) is a good way to study classic poses and perspectives... like hero poses and stuff like that. 

I couldn't for a million bucks remember the name of the book, but ages ago I either had or was in the possession of one about drawing superheroes and it covered how many well know scenes and pose styles were actually based on classic paintings and sculptures... most artists probably pick up on that early on, but sometimes it can act as a refresher to go back and re-examine those things, especially if you are into rendering characters, not necessarily scenes with lots of stuff... if you are into scenes, sometimes books that are collections of movie art, like "The Art of Star Wars" or "The Making of..." are pretty good to examine because they often contain lots of storyboard images or concept art not used in the movie or promotions.

...I believe that book is How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way by Stan Lee and John Buscema. I still have it on my bookshelf along with the Burne Hogarth Dynamic Anatomy and drawing books from when I was into doing comics and still able to wield a pencil and drafting pen before arthritis set in.

kyoto kid

..OK now to the OT. 

I find one of the main issues getting in the way is financial.  Not so much for purchasing Daz  products but upgrading the hardware to keep pace with the increasing demands of the software. I am on a system I built t back in 2011 which has been upgraded as much as it can be. It still is based on an old generation (Nahelem) 6 core Xeon, DDR3 memory (24 GB), a Maxwell Titan-X, and an old X-58 motherboard with PCIe 2.0 slots. With Windows7 pretty much abandoned (still working under 7 Pro) an upgrade to support Windows 11 is pretty much a necessity, but on that for now is out of reach. 

I pretty much have already taken something of a hiatus for the last couple years in part due to RL stuff like staying afloat on a meagre pension and being a "concerned citizen".  There are days I'm wiped out by the latter (sometimes both) which often taxes the mental and sometimes emotional resources to the point the creative ones have little left to draw on.  When I still had a full time job I couldn't wait to get home and fire up the computer and begin working on a new scene even though I had less time per day to do so (and was often physically drained by the job itself).  When I turn in at night I say to myself "tomorrow i'll get to work on a 3D project", but the next day by the time I'm done with everything else the muse seems to have "left the building" so to say.  

While maybe one option to recharge the creative energy would be to take a break from the "concerned citizen" stuff, however I feel it's too important right now to just drop. Wish I could go into more but trying to keep this "TOS friendly".