This blog post has nothing to do with a certain movie...

Just covering my butt from a legal standpoint... this isn't about new releases... it's about the repackaging of some styles that have been in-world for 15 months in some cases. It has just come to my attention that in the wake of a certain, unnamed movie, there has suddenly become a large fanbase of avatars, all of whom are dressing the part, RPing and so forth... what's more, they have descended en masse to -dD- in search of braided hair. Now this, from my perspective, is very cool indeed; and actually giving me the well needed boot up the fazzoo to get on and build some more braids.

In the mean time, I have been watching the transaction history; and have noticed that a lot of these folks are not just buying one style from me... they're often buying several... so; to make life easy for them, I've boxed up two packs of four styles and am selliong them (in black only, admittedly) as a four for three bundle.

Imagery...



So there you have it... Box the first contains Sylva, Kaiba, Taylor and Laetitia... while Box 2 has Jocasta, Rush, Jordan (in both variants) and Nox.

Have at it, you tall blue people... or anyone else who has the need for several braided styles. There for the taking in Synchronicity, and also in Arborea

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

It's Mira, Jim... but not as we know it...

I've always held back on making mixed color hairs before... basically because I've always been afraid it might open a real can of worms... but I really had to release a few of these for Mira, seeing as it designed with streaks in mind. So here they are - I've made 5 - and they're live now.






They went live last night. I would have said then, but I was just exhausted and immediately after I dropped them instore I fell into bed and slept for twice as long as I usually do. Stil bleary here, but waiting for the coffee to kick in...

Soo... going to get another. Feel free to ogle - and if you want to check them out instore; they're just 75L apiece.

Until next time,

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

Ruin live... and a word on cheap stuff...

Ought to have said something sooner... yeah well... mea culpa...

Just as a heads up, Ruin is now live, and has been for a week, in fact, in solid colors in the main store.


Just as a note, I've retexured the style a little since the pic was taken, and the overall effect is a little smoother.. so if you haven't done so already, it's worth checking out.

Furthermore, I'll be running a 'Red Vendor' sale for the next few days; featuring a number of styles at a marked down rate comparable to the discount prices. These styles are Niobe, DeShaun, Cliché, Shola, Seraphina and Aiodhan... so if you haven't taken advantage of the offers yet, do swing by...

Until next time,

Kalli

Movement...

Have been breaking out the tinter again and have decided to give away one of my sculptie experiments as a group gift... The Longhorn mustache...



Check the subscribeo if you like... will put up the full color range in due course...

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

Do-up a do!

OK, you may remember a while back I advertised that I was offering a custom hairdo for sale for a fundraiser? No? Well it's in the blog somewhere. Work has been completed, it's all rather fun and lovely, and live now...

Meet Cliche...



Named after the winner, you understand...

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

The big Hair Fair reveal - Part 3 of 4

OK... now here's something I've been asked a couple of times... can I get an undercut?

Given the way it's been previously, the limitations of prim size has been an issue; unless you want a textured one that alphas. I tried a texture undercut with Anthony last year and wasn't overly convinced that it did what I wanted it to - and seeing as my texturing skills aren't the greatest on the face of the metaverse; I've thought about these from a prim perspective. Using the multis I featured yesterday I've gone and created three... Aiodhan, Judy and Kele





Aiodhan's going into Hair Fair... the other two go in store. Couldn't resis making Kele... using both the microdreads and the multis... and yes; it IS named after the lead singer in Bloc Party (hence the shirt) who sports something similar.

More tomorrow... and by now I think you can guess what I've been saving for last...

Kalli