Tasche Dash - Day 28 - Salsa Verdi

Winding up now... as of writing this I've actually built all the releases - because yes, I have been running this by the seat of my pants. I only decided to start work on this on the 26th of October... so thirty-two builds later (I ditched two for completely different reasons) and so far, twenty eight releases later I'm finally winding it down, and have every intention to go down with a heavy cold on December the first... Still... Nearly finished NaNoWriMo as well... *fnar*

Still style 28 - Giuseppe - a rather traditional full beard, with a sculpted mustache...


Nice eh?

Anyway... Just two more to tint, box and ship out... I'll let you in on one being a pointed goatee, the other being a rebuild of a popular -dD- standby...

Until tomorrow,

Kalli

Neguinha Eventa

Hi all - La Venta Eventa comes around quickly, doesn't it?

Well, this week I'm happy to offer a pre-release of Neguinha (named after Neguinha Darcy of Kurka's blog), which is a set of medium length braids on the new pineapple hairbase...

Five colors, 90L and available till monday morning.

Short but sweet, this entry...

Until next time,

Kalli

Slowly twisting in the wind...

UPDATE: These two styles are now live, as of 4.10am SLT, Thursday 28th July...

Two more launching before the end of the week - Aura and Delora...


What differs about the former - Delora - from work done before is that it isn't braided - it marks the first of a series of prim twists I hope to launch shortly - this was a prototype that I threw together for testing purposes, but those who saw it said I should put it up for sale... so I am!

Aura, by contrast, is an extension on the Arianrhod base much as Silva was to Jordan in '08-'09.

Hope you like - and out by the weekend...

Until next time,

Kalli

Slight technical hitch...

I've been performing a little background tidying and switching to a new primary Email address. I've changed a few blog associations as a result and it appears that images are not behaving the way they ought to be.

If this persists I'll re-upload those going back a year or so in due course - prior to that I'm afraid might prove difficult as well as time consuming.

I'm hoping that things settle down, but I guess we'll have to see.

In the meatime, here's a pic of something new I've been working on since Hair Fair - basically I got bored and thought I'd prototype some glasses...

More news in the not too distant future, I'm sure...

Until next time,

Kalli

It's here... Hair Fair 2011

Yes - it's that time of year once more. So without further ado - the reveal:

Lola - based loosely on Lulu from Final Fantasy X - A set of flexible braids on our new Urchin hairbase

Charlie - a ponytail with braided sides and floppy front - a softer variant on Stampede. Intended to be male, but works well on the girls - to the point that its the one I've been wearing for weeks :$

The original Urchin style that gave rise to the rest - Lotta is a short-ish, braided pony in the style of our old Laetitia do. This one, like the others, incorporates a few flexi braids for added life

Lilith - longer and fuller than Lotta - with the falls on the chest attach so that they don't spend their lives clipping through your shoulders. Really happy with this one, although a little disappointed that the animation of the pec attach points doesn't seem to allow hair to be mounted to it and still move with the body reliably... oh well... I'll keep trying... (sorry Jeela!)

In the words of Monty Python - And now for something completely different. Yes - this is inspired by Michelle Laine's headdress from the Katy Perry ET video. Somebody had to, and since it's braided, who better than me? Skin and face gems available from Nuuna's. She put it together especially for me - Thanks girl - you rock! :))

Discord Designs can be found on the Osmium sim (Hair Fair 4). Best way to find us, land anywhere and head South West. We're the last booth you hit before landing up in the water...

Doors open to the public on the 2nd of July, and demos going out to the -dDx- subscribeo and Hair Fair Demo group later today.

See you at Hair Fair!

Kalli

In the not too distant future...

Hi all... plenty going down over the next few days... and speaking of going down - so will my access to SL for the next month. Why? NaNoWriMo... It's become something of an institution for me, and I've got a novel to write as I've started dishing them out at Christmas to family and friends and last year's finished on something of a cliffhanger.

But anyway - News:

31st of October sees a one day sale at Second Style Island. I'll be taking part - naturally - with 33% off all styles there, and an exclusive - Esther.


not only will Esther be going live in time for the sale, it'll also be discounted by 66% - that['s a standard hair pack of four colors for just 60L for the duration of the sale. Ester will also be exclusive to Second Style Island until well into November.

Speaking of November, MoMoSL is happening starting on the 1st:


When I heard about this I had to take part. I've created a new 'tasche for it which is now available in the standard color configurations in the main store. I've dubbed it Heraldo:


The hunt gift will be in four "not for sale" colors - and marks a reappearance of Discord Red, Milk Chocolate, Raven Black and Ash Blonde. Look for the fake mo instore from the morning of the 1st of November.

And on the 5th of November, Discord Designs will be featuring in the Shopping Cart Disco "Disco Deals" event for November, featuring another exclusive fourpack - this time of Brandon, in Raven Black, Milk Chocolate, Ash Blonde and Discord Red, once again...

Further information through the subscribeo, and up here in due course...

Until next time,

Kalli

Incubating turtle hatchlings...

A sneak peek at three styles I hope to have out by the end of the week; based on the new tattoo layer hairbase (the one I named 'Turtle' - hence the obscure post title) that I recently concocted for my braids. I decided not to carry on developing the previous style I flashed in the last post as - well - it looks bald on top. I'm going to rework the short braids again, soon. What I *have* done instead is create slightly longer styles based on the same hairbase... Which leads to the three styles I'm aiming to get live when the hairbases are finally tinted into all 36 colors.

So... from left to right; Hayley in Light Blonde, Amy in Natural Red and Omri in Cool Brown.


Details of the release as soon as they're all set. Watch this space!

Until next time,

Kalli

Post-Hair Fair developments...

I say post, but its still going on... If you've not been yet then be sure to do so!

OK... advertising = off

I only managed to get three styles out for HF, because I was out of world for a few weeks - but while I was away my brain was ticking over and I wondered about the possibilities of pushing my boundaries.

Basically, if you flip back through this blog you'll soon discover that its all about hair... building it - rather than texturing it. Basically, I've been more or less convinced for years that I cannot so much as draw a straight line in Photoshop - primarily because I'm unfamiliar and uncomfortable with it; and my usual routine in that circumstance is to back away and not touch.

Anyway... I've been thinking about updating the braids for a while. I've bitten the bullet and have looked at the possibility of working with the new tattoo layers in 2.x and compatible viewers. For one it'll reduce the primcounts by 40 or so because there wouldn't be a need for a prim hairbase. Either way - here's a pic of an early prototype. See what you think...



Feel free to abuse the comments options below... ;)

Until next time,

Kalli

Third iteration...

Greetings once again from Kalli Land...

OK - last post I mentioned that I was working on some new braids; and that I wasn't going to save the big releases for September the 4th this year (as so much of it gets lost in the crush of Hair Fair - and let's be serious, how am I ever going to compete for attention with the likes of Truth, Exile, Ploom, Fri.day and 120+ other designers dropping on average 4.3 styles apiece (plus freebies) on the one day?) So like I said then, I'm throwing evidence of progression out here.

The textures on the braids themselves are still to be refined - so doubtlessly they'll look a little different come release; but for now here are some shots of two forerunners to the 3.0 braid line.



OK... what you see here I've tentatively called Trine (the top one) and Astrid. One is a traditional (for me at least) whole head braid - but this differs from anything that's gone before insofar as the braids themselves are now infinitely more bendy than they ever have been. They're a joy to work with as a result, and allow for more complicated twists, twirls and so forth without looking forced or awkward.

One positive bonus of the new braided sculpties are they allow me to create workable braided buns for the first time, as can be seen in Astrid. It's basically a "double Bavarian knot" (or as a rather crass friend of mine once said "Danish Pastry hair" - I slapped him for that one...)

I hope to have the time to create a few more mixed braided and non-braided styles. I've done it before to limited success, but I think I've got the kit to actually do it reliably now...

Either way - expect these, and the previously mentioned dreaded style Aeshna, live shortly... certainly in advance of Hair Fair.

Until next time,

Kalli

This all started a few weeks ago...

As you may or may not know, Savoir Hair recently moved... so I was in there setting up a couple of freebs when I ran into Treebee Withnail. She has this store called The U-Neek and makes items unlike anyone else in SL, including hair. She announces to me that she's organisaing a hair hunt and would I like in?

Needless to say I thought about it, and eventually, 48 hours later I said OK.... and I got to work.

Now, this is for "The Crazy Arse Hair Hunt"... and the conditions were that we as designers... all forty of us... were banned from making regular hair in regular colors... So I decided to bypass my normal hair textures, and even the sculpts and go for something whacky. I've created the hunt gift, but I've added a few colorways and launched them just a little early. Introducing the Nethead 5e:



As you can see, it's a mass of cables, rather than hair... ended with either blunt cut wires, or RJ45 ends... It's been fun to build,. if a little daunting.

Out now... and right next to the entrance... and the Wild Released hair boards. Just so you know, if you've not grabbed a HUD and picked up Katherine yet, the style goes away FOR GOOD on the 19th of April... You've got 3 weeks... NOW GO! ;)

Until next time,

Kalli

More new-textured goodness...

Coming soon, on the heels of Katherine, the Wild:Released stamp rally prize, is Heather...


Now - funny story behind this. Alice Hoyer has been asking me for a 'just got out of bed and sluched my hair up off my shoulders' style for the longest time... possibly eight months or so - but all previous attempts (and there have been some) with my previous bank of textures all looked naff. So... now that I had the new ones available I had to give it a go... and I must say I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Alice certainly was, and agreed to model for the vendor shots in the new black.

Either way, coming out later this week!

Until next time,

Kalli

Born to be wild... and the beginnings of a new product line

Felicitations on this fine antemeridian of a Friday...

I'm going to come clean and let slip some details of the new development I've been so cagey about now that the time has come for me to start publicising.

Back in January, my good friend, and sometimes accomplice Faery Sola approached me with an intriguing offer - a stamp rally, involving a number of stores that do a really nice collection of out of the ordinary clothes, gowns, accessories, poses, skins and all the rest of the sort of thing to need to function in-world as an avatar who doesn't sit in the middle of the road. Anyway. As it happened this coincided with a long thought out plan I had (initially thought of it in October 2009) to give the brand a boot and hopefully draw in new people. How? Basically I look at my textures and realise they were OK in 2007/2008, but things have moved on drastically.

Why has it taken me five months? Well... I tell people this repeatedly, but they simply don't believe me... When it comes to 2D digital artwork, I suck. What I know about Photoshop is writable with a wedge-tipped sharpie on the back of a postage stamp; so there's been a bit of a learning curve at my end... including a month set aside to create JUST THE ALPHA MASKS...as I had to do it by hand... well.

If you look at the pic that follows, you'll see something rather unusual for SL (hey... this is me... what do you expect?) Rather than go for the conventional "dodge shine" in horizontal stripes across the base prims, I've decided to pick out the highlights in the hair to give some depth and variety... basically it shines verticaly rather that horizontally (and on a more technical note, my alphas are at the top of the textures rather than the bottoms... ;) Its been a ride, but they're working for me... even if it took nearly a month, over 200 uploads and a lot of swearing, crying and teethgnashing just to get a workable alpha(!)

The new textures themselves are only, for now, available in limited colors - 8 in fact; but of the shades I sell instore, there's no denying they're the eight most popular so I hope not to disappoint too many of you.

So... what are we looking at? For Faery's event, I'm unleashing Katherine as a prize... score enough stamps and you can claim all eight colors for free.


When the event kicks off on the 20th, there'll be two more new styles under the new dDx banner to choose from... a messy low slung bun, tentatively called Heather, and a simple ponytail which has yet to name itself. In short, look out for some new stuff next weekend!

Until next time,

Kalli

I'm going to hell for this one...

Announcing that yes, I have been getting off my sorry arse and have been creating again... albeit slowly... hey... progress is progress.

I have something in the bag that I *will* get done soon that you're going to want to see (although the NDA is still in effect there)... but in the meantime, I'd thought you'd probably like a heads up on a release coming out towards the end of the week. Braids... New ones. The first since Hair Fair '09, in fact...

This is Monique...



I'm posting this now as I've got a lot to say about it, and with the rush of a release I may forget... so... here goes.

This thing is, without question, the largest, most complex style I've created to date (in terms of primcount)... I knew it was unfeasible using my current methods to create anything really long and wild on a single attach point, as the 255 prim restriction saw to that. As such, I've overshot - intentionally - and yes I know some people will accuse me of lagging teh grid to hades, but... mea culpa. Monique attaches to skull and mouth - as would a hair and beard combo of mine. The result is, as you can see, some seriously long braids with dandy flexi ends.

Is it resizable automatically? Its not... sorry... but it does colorchange the beads into any one of 16 million colors, or whathaveyou. It's intentionaly non- autoresize as each prim of these things requiers a listener script to be maintained in each element. The server load of the sheer number of scripts would probably flatten most sims given time... so I've left them out. The hair is, however, rigged as fully moddable without having to fanny about dropping and collecting and so forth to get it to work.

Due to the amount of work involved, and the having to create what is effectively two elaborate styles to form one, I'll be pricing acordingly... sorry... In addition, I would ask all those who buy this beast to be gracious with it... No big events please, and be aware that there are more vertices in this thing than most game developers could ever dream of.

I know its wrong... but so many people have asked for long sculpted braids I had to do something.

Out later this week... watch this space...

Until next time,

Kalli

Three weeks late?

Um... well... got me a minute now to add something here about latest developments. I've launched the Hawkeye braided mohican, redrawn my store advertising (with plenty of advice from the irrepressable Alice Hoyer) and have started work on some new hair textures with the intention to create something that actually works low-prim, and looks a little more realistic than my current batch allow me to do.


Also working on a long set of braids that hopefully will be finished shortly - but for the meantime, its a lot of little jobs that are keeping me on my toes and away from the bigger picture - like updating the blog when I throw something out...

Mea culpa...

Until next time,

Kalli

I'm not dead... (I'm in Pittsburg)

"I don't want you to worry - I'm OK...
Just Didn't want you seeing me this way.
We tried to talk about it but we didn't understand
We never really talked much anyway"

OK... scuse me... Frank Black references aside (including the post title) but since November things have been very RL-centric for me... well... not quite... Took November (and a few days of December) out to write a novel... my fifth NaNoWriMo... and then had some stuff to do relating to RL and other machinations associated with it... then I was ill for a while... then there was the whole festive season to contend with... and... and... and...

Well... I'm sure you know how it goes - we've all been there. Basically SL had to take a back seat for a while; but I've had the opportunity to work on a few bits and pieces so now at least I can share a photo of some upcoming prototypes - a suite of three braided pigtails that I'm tentatively naming Antonia, Polly and Martha.

Pics or it didn't happen I hear you cry? OK...


Wondering whether to throw them out now... or add a couple of extra styles - something for the guys and maybe another set of braids (yes I know... it's been ages) first to cover my bases and not flit over any part of the ol' client base (because I love you all equally!)...

Still... watch this space as things are moving again...

Until next time, which with any luck won't be in March...

Kalli

Mira now live in solids...

Well.. 2 hours late... but it's done! Mira, in solids at least, now live and in the main body of the store (tacked on to the back of the nearest pillar by the entrance as you walk in... can't miss it)

The update group's getting the demos delivered directly right now... and work continues on the the retints... here's an example... and please excuse the background... 31st of October and all!


It and the others will be out in a few days...

Until next time,

Kalli

So I was asked for a commission piece...

Strange request... not going into the finer points of it, but the long and the short of it was that after I made it, I was told I could do what I wanted with it.

Now - I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, but I've tweaked it slightly... changed some prims about to make it not 100% the same and am poised on a release for it. I've named it Mira, and all being well it should be on teh shelves by the end of the month... so Saturday. It would be out tonight but the OCD's kicked in and I'm looking at it, thinking a couple of prims are still not entirely to my liking - and my standards as they are now don't allow me to throw it out quite yet.

The vendor photo, however, doesn't show the two prims I felt obliged to alter, so it's as good to go as any... So here she is... Mira...


Furthermore, the initial commission was intended to have streaks in it... well... I like this idea, so am setting about, time permitting to release a few companion variations (probably at 75L apiece) featuring some interesting highlights. As things develop I'll be sure to keep you all posted... eventually...

Until next time,

Kalli

The road to Ruin

Greetings one and all... and yes, I know full well it's been at least an ice-age since my last update. There have, as always, been reasons.

Primarily, this all goes back to a three pointed kick in the guts in terms of SL recently; and a massive drop in ym motivation to build based on what I was seeing. First, there's a glitch in the 1.23.4 viewer that's been hardcoded in by Linden Labs themselves, that basically breaks complex sculpted items in lieu of some kind of "anti-griefing and performance enhancing" stratagem from the people who're actually coding the thing. Basically what this has meant for me in the short term is a loss in income rivalling 6 weeks take in the last 15. The JIRA's available, the public have been voting, but as yet there's no solution in the foreseeable future. The trouble is, depending on your graphics settings it seems to vary in efficacy. Some see it, some don't, but the only surefire way of getting aroudn it is to use a non-LL viewer. This hurt...

Secondly, there also appears to be a glitch in one of the latest versions of the server code that affects perms on a limited basis, and is in turn affecting up to eight styles I have in-store. At least I've been able to gt a workaround for this and am in the process of gearing up to eradicate it from my store (and yes, there will be a sale by means of an amnesty when it's all resolved)

The third is that due to a number of factors, wondering what the frell I'm doing with my RL on top of the rest, I've realised that I simply don't want to spend all day every day doing what I have been doing for increasingly smaller rewards; and I actually want to use SL as a tool for furthering my abilities, and while I'm about it, actively ENJOY my time in SL. I've reconstructed myself a home for the first time in eighteen months... have found a way of streaming the odd movie... actually been out talking to people... and generally living a second life. This too as you can imagine has hit my productivity to the extent that it practically hit zero.

BUT...

I was talking to April Looming a while back, who if you weren't aware, has tied a couple of her (very nicely done) avatar creations into some of my hairstyles when she mentioned the Twisted Hunt... I looked at the timeframe... gave it some thought, weighed it up against other commitments and decided OK... I'm going for it.

This leads to a style that I've flung together and named Ruin, named in part as a tribute to the resident Ruina Kessel who, while not a friend per se, has always given me wonderful feedback on my creations (and always thanked me for shipping out group gifts... ;) but has recently ceded back into RL for the foreseeable future.

The style itself is classic -dD-... braided up one side, sculpted where it needs it, tight to the head etc... but this time, the hunt gift is tipped. Note guys and gals, these colorways will ONLY be available for the duration of the hunt. After that... well, and during as a matter of fact, it'll be available int the requisite 72 solid colors; which I've tested and they are rather nice thankyou. Going on what I was saying earlier... it does actually go some way to furthering what I'm capable of... the sculpts... or some of them at least that I used were made, for the first time, out of SL using a commercial 3D package... ZBrush, for those that are interested.

Anyway... after more waffle than a Belgian breakfast club, here's a pic...


The hunt gift will comprise no fewer than five variations on this baby... the Onyx/Leaf tipped variant shown, three further tips - Onyx/Cobalt, Onyx/Fuschia and Onyx/Sunburst (Bright yellow - not replicated in solid colors)... and the straight Onyx.

Launch date is set for the first of September... so watch this space, OK?

Until next time,

Kalli

Biker beards from Mars....

It's been a while... the whole hair fair thing, then some potential repurcussions relating to a Linden Labs tweak of the new viewer have left me a little deflated... and to be honest I was due some time off - but I've been at it again in the beards department.

Specifically, I was walking around Hair Fair (the day before it went public, admittedly) and saw numerous Lady Gaga inspired hairs out there... you know the ones - with the bow tied in out of the hair itself? No? Well neither did I until I googled it... well... I've made my own take on it and it's live...


OK... it's a little quirky, but hey - so's the majority of the rest of the range. In addition, I've been at it to create something a little more 'hardcore' and some would say practical - based loosely on the beard 'Slayer' Guitarist Kerry King sports. It's finished but not live yet - waiting on the model for the shoot; one Arianrhod Gehlbard - the tweakress behind Silverwheel who has been nagging me (nicely though) about posing in a beard... Either way - placer pic for you all to see. Lord Gaga is live now, Kerry will be out some time later this week, once Ari and I cross paths.


Until next time,

Kalli

The big Hair Fair reveal - Part 4 of 4

OK... it's technically tomorrow, and I have a busy day in RL... so without further ado... the last in my installments of new stuff for Hair Fair and instore.

Ladies and Gentlemen... the forerunners of braids 2.0

Yes; I've had this in the back of my mind for over six months now; and yes, I could have got to it sooner (in fact I first broke out the sculptor to make a start in December...) but things got in the way... blah blah blah... and to be honest, I re-evaluated how to make the braids from the ground up.

Ok... I'm waffling... Pics...





Now, you can all thank Alice Hoyer for looking at the first attempts at these and making the very valid point that they needed their own designated textures... three banks, or 219 images in total... but you have to concede, it's worth it... She is, as I call her, and evil genius; which is of course meant as a compliment! ;)

Yolanda is the Hair Fair one... and the ONLY female hair I'm presenting this year... while Ryu and DeShaun go into the store.

Furthermore, Faery Sola at Studio Sidhe as done a set of beads to fit Yolanda due for release as soon as Hair Fair opens! Thanks!

So that's it for Hair Fair... All we need to do now is finish loading them all and get the booth set up...

Until next time,

Kalli