Another prototype

The new Aya... or something similar at least... 135 prims of fluffy abandon..



Until next time,

Kalli

sneak peeks...

Just for your information... photographic evidence of the new 'refit' builds...

Left to right... Sakura, Tori and a new one that bit me today, Shinobu..



Tori looks a little odd from this angle... but basically it's a long on one side assymmetric A-line like it always has been..

Hope you like 'em!

Until next time,

Kalli

Sneak Peak - New Sakura

OK... finally happy with the refit on Sakura... gone is the band of bright lighlighting, in is some choppiness, wind responsivity and a load of other fun features. Weighs in at a lightweight 67 prims, rather than the 208 behemoth that simply looked wrong last time. Please note the hair isn't huge... I'm in one of my bigger build heads - the 65, compared to the 50 I usually sport.



A note though... the new Sakura won't be live for a while yet... so please don't come rushing to the store to look for it. Will be offered in 72 colors when it is, though...

Until next time,

Kalli

Thirty score and six days ago...

The 27th January 2007 was something of a turning point for me... Standing as I was at the time under the seas of Southwest Arm (which at the time was unoccupied with build on and auto-return off) I constructed my first hair - Zoe. Who was to know where I would be a year from then. I certainly never expected to get into the business.. but the more I built, the more obvious it became that that's the direction I was to head. It's been a ride, that's for sure...

But as Bob Dylan himself once sang, 'The times they are a changing...' and looking around the store now I see things that are grating. I've improved no end... my hair textures aren't great... there are colours missing from the range the vvendors are big and clunky... and at 60 prims a pop, unwieldy. The shop has been outgrown and needs a redesign... So I'm announcing that there will be NO MORE WORK on new lines, while I address issues with the layout as it stands currently.

and work really does continue apace...

The first style to undergo refitting for launch, Sakura, is now set to clone... (I chose this one as it's relatively simple... well now it is... it was 208 prims, but has been downgraded to 67... and it looks better for it...) other will require rescripting and retinting, which will follow in good time.

Plans for tonight include the reworking of Tori, and if time allows Evangeline.

Alice has taken on the brunt of the architectural work, as is her wont... and she has created a new vendor for me... 72 colours, in 46 prims... including demo, fatpacks and "everything pack"... which is sweet... want to see? well here it is...



Thanks to Iskar, I now have a system that allows me to clone named hairs in one go... which is a GREAT relief and timesaver... so recloning everything ought not to take as long as before...

Basically, I'll be sure to let people know closer to time... but right now, it's all change.

Watch this space...

Until next time,

Kalli

60 down... how many to go?

Designing new textures for hair this week, rather than making new styles... that's a given, but as it stands I've made over 300 textures, including a full gamut (5 textures - 3 alpha, 2 non-) for 60 colors. on top of that I've made another 7 half-way and figured out the most effective way to make tips...

we could be looking at as many as 72 before I run out of steam... BEFORE adding tips into the equation.

we're through the looking glass, people...

Until next time,

Kalli

Ok... I think I got it...

A start has been made on recreating the new textures in every conceivable color and shade; and things are off to a rather rocking start.

Currently I have just three textures for each shade that I use, but having picked through my list of wants and needs, it looks that for the new series of textures, I'll be doubling that as a bare minimum... so 48 colors times six textures... you can see where this is going... but to make matters worse, I'm not just looking at the original shades; oh no... but debating whether to replace or extend the range to phase out those that don't go down so well... either way, I'm looing at comeing up with some colors and textures that will be certainly worth the wait. Here for your delectation, is a sample using the new textures. You'll see I've stuck prtty faithfully to the original palettebut have toned down the AAAAGH shiny qualities that the previous textures had to make something a little different.

Also shown in the mix are two experimental colors, Malice and Amethyst darker red and purple respectively.



As you can see they're holding together rather well... or coming together; whichever.

on a further note, It's been decided to gut the shop and find a more effecive way of creating vendors and filling space... if nothing more than to do something about the heavy primcounts currently tied up in the architecture. Alice is in the process of working on some proto vendors for me... and this is how far she's got...



Vertical... colored 3d objects (rather than the little clicky things)... and rather funky with the cutouts and shiny metal struts... looks good, don't you think?

Anyway... until next time,

Kalli

Dawning realisation, and the pleasant sound of the bottom dropping out of the world...

Well... This all started yesterday when I looked at Kiriyama and thought "this is absolute crap... I cant do what I want with my textures..."

Then it struck me.. I've been using what were and are basically off the peg ones for nigh on a year... and they suck... they don't look at all realistic and it makes my work look like poo.

So I've bitten the bullet and gone back to square one... except this time making my own textures using the ones I have been using as a base. the results have been surprising so far...



Oh crap... I thought... that's like 1000% better.

Sadly this holds true for Oscar and Zoe II as well...

So now, dear reader, I have no choice but to do something ridiculous... SCRAP THE ENTIRE SHOP STOCK AND START AGAIN.

I mean it... I want to look good... I want the products to look good and right now, they look like crap compared to how they could be. So I'll go back to the prototypes, clone up and work with what's in-store to rebrand and relaunch... except this time looking good.

I'll have help, fortunately, and I'll be looking to rework the palette slightly... so if you have any suggestiongs, you know where to leave them.

Until next time...

a rather freaked Kalli

Doing somethng different... again...

Now anyone who knows me well enough by now would know that I have something of an interest in Japanese culture... or elements of it anyway. One thing I discovered recently was the delightfully titled "Asian Mullet Blog" which I flipped through fascinated by all manner of weird and wonderful ways in which guys out there are wearing their hair... well... not to be outdone, I have started work on one based on a particularly inspired spikey do that I saw and immediately thought "I can see the prims..."

Naturally, the style is a little androgenous... so unisex after all... modelled here by Heather... who is still me, but wearing my fighting boobs (almost a C cup at a size 40 on the ol' sliders!) and an extra 10" of leg.



Now it's not done by a long shot. It needs the entire left hand side added for a start (I always start above the right eye) and it needs a little life in terms of textures... but at least it gives you a feel of what we're looking at for it.

I titled it Kiriyama after the nutcase volunteer in Battle Royale; which Alice and I were watching this evening while we both worked. The shirt shown is actually an early prototype of a future release by the lovely Ms Hoyer, so do look out for them in-store as and when she's added cap sleeves, seams and a little shading (her words!) Personally I like this one, and the addition of the dd logo on the back is definitely very cool...

Alice, you rock...

*ahem*...

Anywho... expect Kiriyama to be gracing the Unisex section some point shortly... probably by the close of play Friday.

Until next time,

Kalli

Could have updated last night, but...

I didn't...

Oscar now live!

Plans afoot for some more men's hair this week...

Kalli

After last night's debacle...

Tifa is launched as Discord Designs' 40th style...

So there you have it... come buy...

Until next time,

Kalli

A moment of idiocy... an evening wasted...

Tinted and cloned Tifa in completeness... loaded the vendor set to take it to the shop... and put one on for the trip, as I always do...

and I spot a mistextured prim in the middle of the back of the head...

It's repeated on EVERY single hair, including the demos...

Three hours down the pan...

AAAAAGH!

Will try again tomorrow, I fear...

Until next time,

Kalli

Something changed...

Hmm... in just two hours after my previous post, I had Zoe II tinted, cloned and live in the shop; so it's evident given the right boost up the wazoo I can achieve these things... Also helps it's a low prim hair which means I can tint 36 at once; which is always a bonus.

That in mind; all being well and distractions aside I may get the other low one, Tifa, out tonight (if I do expect another short update today). Sadly the gents' styles, Angelus and Oscar are high prim... 140 and 181 respectively - meaning it's 12 runs to get them tinted and cloned.

In short, I need to find somewhere which is utterly deserted in which to work if I'm going to cover my bases at a sensible rate.

Oh well... time to consider shopping for that sim, I suppose... although right now I'm a LONG way off affording one; even to rent...

Until next time,

Kalli

And so it continues...

I'm looking at the old product lines and thinking it's about time I redid them...well... no... there are a few that I can consign to the wheelybin of life... but seeing as I've efctively redone Kate as Evangeline, I thought I'd look closely at a style always close to my heart, but, compared to recent efforts, poorly put together... that is, of course, Zoe... the first hair I even made.

The redo makes use of a few tricks that I wasn' au fait with way back then... and some multis at the back and sides just because they're there... Despite all this, it clocks in at a remarkably manageable 55 prims and looks, if you don't mind me saying so, the business.



Additionally the clip at the back touch changes between animal print (shown) rosewood and a plain pale texture for color tinting... so that's a whole lot of whizz in what is a simple little hairtie... enjoy!

Going live when I can concentrate enough to stop fannying about and get a clone run on.

In other news, Diva is live... well... one color, it'd be hanrd not to get it done would it?

Until next time,

Kalli

An interesting new trend...

Noticed of late that a LOT of retailers are offering Dollarbies... That is, hair for a single linden...

Not to miss the fad, I whipped something up in next to no time.. Only five prims so I could hardly charge more!



70's retro at it's best, whatsay? Currently, due to the nature of the texture it'll only be available as seen... so Onyx, basically... and despite the pic it works both on men and women.

Will get it live ASAP...

Until next time,

Kalli

Can't keep a good woman down...

Issues as mentioned yesterday aside, there's another hair on the horizon...

Long, girly and thick... It kinda fell into place this morning. While some people doodle for a distraction, I make a new style...

This is Tifa...



Like the others, it'll go live when I can be bothered to tint and clone...

Until next time,

Kalli

hiccups

For a number of reasons, some personal (SL related but I'm not telling) and others private (RL related, and the same), I do not suspect that I'll be getting any hair out in the next few days; meaning Oscar and Angelus will probably be released early next week instead.

What I have done is relaunch and rebrand one of the Illumina rings, which is up for sale in the eye hut. on and off bling, windlight renderglow, lightsourced and flight assisted... not bad for 99L...



Until next time,

Kalli

Discord Designs' 40th hairstyle...

OK folks... here we have it... news of another upcoming release.

Short... male... curly... Oscar!

Not sure whether this or Angelus will be the 40th, as I've been looing at the first Angelus tint run and noticed an alarming offset with teh back of teh head that I sure wasn't there when I made it... as a result I'll have to reposition the prototype and reclone the whole shebang... which is both tedious and disheartening.

That said Oscar's been tinted to a degree already so it may leap up to be release 39.

Here's the final ad-board!



Until next time,

Kalli

P.S. And just to add... I'm loving Windlight...

Trying something new... kinda

Thought it was about time I did something utterly different and leave my multiflexis on the shelf for a little while.

Basically they're fun to have and allow for some funky stylings in no time flat, but truth be told, they only work when long... which by default means they look good on the ladies only... So, from out of nowhere I started work on something untoward, and never tried by me before... OK, I tried something like it once, and called it Joss, but while I was happy with it at the time, I look at it now and think it's formless and rather naff...

What's more, after the purge yesterday I'm now lacking mens' hair... so... This is Oscar... a curly mens' style that's about half done right now...



Look out for Oscar come the end of the week, all going well...

Until next time,

Kalli

(Second) Life's little frustrations - #2073a...

"No matter how much you fight it... or how you try to avoid it, long men's hair always looks good on the ladies... often better."

Kicking myself as I am, I've decided that it's in my best interests to move and rebrand Aidan, and the new men's open do (Angelus, which I finished last night) as Unisex, and as such have redrawn the ad boards. When back inworld I'll upload the new images I'm going to share here...

*headdesk*




So... despite the fact that I've only ever set out to make one Unisex do (Jude) the shop now, or soon will, contain six - Aya, Axe, Jude, Siren, Aidan and soon Angelus when it's tinted and cloned - effectively enough for their own platform. What with the new extensions, this leaves the men's section looking a little sparce for now, but I'll just have to do something about that later.

On a totally unrelated noted, Alice has been working hard with her trolls creating prim bikinis of all things! This is no longer simply just for an advert... she's looking at offering a complete avatar with clothes (both wearables and prim) green skin and shapes... I'll organise some hair for them... looking at doing an urban tribal threepack that'd fit nicely... and of course the demon eyes are already instore.

What began as a rebranding exercise is taking on a whole momentum... I would say "We've created a monster"... but that was the idea, so it's all a little moot. Pics will follow when she's happy with everything!

Until next time,

Kalli

Oh no she didn't...!

Oh yes she did... tinted and cloned Evie on Thursday, and the remaining three Friday... which nearly killed me.

As a result, Evangeline, Boo, Yumi and Sid now live and instore... which has been reshuffled to allow for a little more space... I added a fifth platform and, thanks to the miracle of trying desperately not to overcrowd, have already filled it! Stop by to see!

Wht's more, the long open mens is in development with animatic testing taking place right now. I suspect its set for a Tuesday release... details to follow...

Until next time,

Kalli

Something Yumi this way comes...

Strictly speaking, there's a lot of creating underway at the moment, and no fewer than four outstanding adboards in-store now...

As of tinight, I swear I'll get off my butt and get my clone on, working with Evangeline to get it set for Saturday when doubtlessly it'll be needed at the club. Sid, and Boo will follow, and Boo has already been subject to some interest from the vendor instore... which is good to see.

Naturally today has not been entirely without forward motion - I've added another to the long line of pendings, in the form of a HUGE anime-driven pair of piggies that firmly place Chimera in the middle of the range. Boo is 25cm, Chimera is around 70cm but this one, titled Yumi is over a metre and a half. and the movement on it is awesome, and includes wind effects for the first time for a -dD- hair. Might look like a ripoff, but I assure you, there's new works all the time!

Here are the three finalised adboards...





Hope you like...

Until Next time, when with any luck there'll be words of a release...

Kalli

In under the wire...

Unusual for me to add a double edit in one day... but...

The grid is down in 6 minutes for six hours, thus killing any activity on my part until tomorrow morning (out tonight!) but no matter... I've had a GOOD morning on the new system, which is infinitelyquicker to build on... and have dented the list once more with the creation of a new feminine pigtails do, tentatively called "Boo"...



Hope you like... a little retexturing called for on the crown, but it's practically there already... Just need to tint and clone it, Sid and Evie now... going to be a busy week!

Until next time,

Kalli

New Year's Resolution...

1680x1050

Well... new year.... new computer and bloody hell... what have I been missing? My 6.5 year old box has been retired as of now, I'm running the windlight firstlook client and getting 50fps on HELP ISLAND... so I'm astounded...

This also mens, for the first time, I can see how the hair really moves... and truth be told some of it isn't quite how I expected! Still... nil desperandum... will keep working and keep tweaking as I go...

Speaking of which, the decision that the long open men's would be next fell by the wayside... and as such, I've constructed something not even on the list... *ducks*

Yes... I know I said I wouldn't, but if you remember Kate from back in August..? Well the 20s club approached me again, and I was never happy with Kate, so I've reworked it and branded it Evangeline... listed as coming soon... and it will be; but I suspect it'll go online first in Sterling Grove, where the club is located. Either way, piccy!


Hair this time modelled by Wisper, who also works at said club...

On another note, I have stuck to the script somewhat and created one of the guys styles off the list... The short asymmetric one in fact... It's based on teh James base, but a lot more spikey and actually rather fun. Like some of teh other styles in shop, namely George, Dexter and the ponys, it comes up ratehr dark as there are no obvious highlights. Bringing you a proto shot here; much as I did for Tori and Spike, as I'm yet to get the graphics software on my new machine to do the job properly..



Somewhat different eh? Color pictured is Pepper, for reference. Told you it came out dark!

Still, until next time,

Kalli

A swift aside...

Li now live!

Until next time,

Kalli

A subtle clarification, and news of further developments.

The last post is a little confusing I now see, reading back over it. It implies that both Aidan and Li are already out... well... Aidan is, (as of late last night) but Li is yet to go... I suspect, if I pull my finger out it could be launched today... but hey... we'll see!

Never mind!

Further news: a troll in a bikini has been spotted shamboling around Synchronicity Island. If you see him, do not approach as he could well be dangerous... or it could simply be Alice working on a couple of freaky avatar shapes to go with the Demon eyes, which are set for a relaunch shortly!

I've whipped up another 12 colors, stretching the line to 27 colors total. There should be a freaky color available for you, should you be so inclined! The Demon shapes will go on sale too, and come with a couple of optional prim horn combinations.

Hair-wise, once I get this little lot off my back (that's an expression, not a statement! Honestly!), it's on with the schedule... Next up I suspect will be the long open men's, as we have nothing like it at the moment in store... but I could be sidetracked once more...

Until next time,

Kalli

These ones are superlucky!

OK... taken my time to update this, but I've been noticably busy in-store. We've had something of a shakeup and more "coming soon" vendors have been added. What's more, the eye hut has taken a hammering and both cat and anime eyes are now available.




Both retailing for 15L a colorway or 75L for a palette of 9... there are three cat and two anime palettes to choose from - so knock yourselves out!

Like the shapes in the Anime ad? Well... they were created by Alice Hoyer - the poor schlubb called in to model for me in the early days, who is now a resident in the shop, assisting with sales when and where she can. If you've ever seen Alice in person you'll know that she plays the sliders expertly; and rattled off these two shapes, named Ai and Yu (girl and boy) for me in no time flat. She's also agreed for them to go up for sale... so we now have shapes again! No skins though... just shapes...




The shapes are 75L each - and they're copy mod, as all self respecting shapes should be. I've seen people charge 800L for a mod shape, so once again, in true -dD- tradition, you're onto a bargain here. Just FYI, the skins pictured are, on Yu, Gabriel in Early Tan by Lost Thereian; and on Ai, AYSK NoSun (Light makeup) by Ayiki Takakura - which also happens to be the one I generally wear now!

Also in the offing are two new men's hairs... Aidan and Li. Aidan sticks rigidly to the plan - a long male ponytail as advertised before the new year; but Li happened by accident when someone walked into the shop and said he was after a chinese style pony, all set at the back of the head. I had Wisper stall him and ran across the island and whipped one up in what could have been no more than 15 minutes... either way, I was quick about it... Named after the first character named in Crouching Tiger - Li Mubai

Anywho... vendor shots for the pair of them...




More stuff to follow as more stuff is made!

Until Next time,

Kalli