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Welcome to
Darkwolf
Designs!
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As
you can
see,
there is
no
longer a
Blog
listed
in the
main
menu at
the top
of the
page.
The old
blog is
being
removed
and that
site
will now
feature
some of
Darkwolf's
Poetry
from
over the
years
and may
also
feature
some
small
excerpts
from his
writing!
Be Sure
To Visit
The Shop
To See
All of
Our
Funny
and
Inspirational
T-shirt
Designs!
Free
Screensaver
This all
new
section
features
some of
the
satirical,
witty
definitions
from
Ambrose
Bierce's
original
"Devil's
Dicitonary",
plus a
few of
Darkwolf's
own
additions!
These
make
great
gifts
for
lovers
of
satire
or those
who just
want to
show a
little
attitude!
- See
them
here!
Some
Alternate
Uses For
Our
Products
Darkwolf
Designs
is the
online
gallery
and
merchandise
shop
featuring
the work
of North
Carolina
artist,
Darkwolf.
Here you
will
find
fantasy
art,
glamour
and
pinup
art,
dragons,
fairies,
pirate artwork,
and a
good
dose of
humor.
There's
even an
inspirational
section.
Please
take a
few
minutes
to
wander
around
the site
and see
everything
we have
to
offer.
We
promise,
you
won't be
disappointed!
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Frequently
Asked
Questions
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Okay,
your
work
looks
pretty
good
online,
but how
does it
look on
the
products
in your
shop? |
Good
question,
and I'm
glad you
asked.
I
recently
ordered
two of
the
black
Darkwolf
Gear
T-shirts
and
three
mini-posters
of some
of my
artwork.
I
ordered
Merowyn,
Lacrimosa,
and the
Red
Dragon.
The colors on the T-shirts aren't as bright as they are
in the
image.
I've
only
ever
ordered
the dark
tees, so
I that's
all I
can base
my
judgment
on.
However,
even
though
the
colors
aren't
as
bright,
the
images
still
look
great.
The posters, on the other hand were an entirely
different
story.
All I
could
say was
WOW!
They
looked
even
better
than I
expected
and we
plan to
frame
them and
hang
them in
our
home.
Yes,
they
look
that
nice.
The
colors
were
absolutely
brilliant
and the
images
were
sharp
and just
plain
gorgeous,
in my
humble
opinion
and my
wife's
of
course.
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What's
with
this
whole "Darkwolf
Dictionary"
stuff? |
Well,
I've
always
loved
Ambrose
Bierce's
"Devil's
Dictionary".
It's
funny,
it's
satirical,
and in
some
cases,
it's
just
plain
too
close to
truthful.
I've
also
always
wanted
to add a
few of
my own
entries
to the
dictionary.
The idea sort of just sat on me one day. I was
brainstorming
for new
designs
and "plomp"
- there
it was,
the
first
idea for
the
Darkwolf
Dictionary.
Then I
thought,
the
original
Devil's
Dictionary
is no
longer
copyrighted
because
it was
written
in 1911
and the
copyright
has run
out.
I've
never
seen any
sort of
shirt
that had
any of
the
original
definitions,
or even
a
reference
to the
Devil's
Dictionary
on them,
so I
thought
- "now
there's
an
idea!"
If
you're
not
familiar
with the
original
Devil's
Dictionary,
I'd
suggest
that you
run a
Google
search
on it,
because
quite a
lot of
it is
still
relevant
today
and your
sure to
find
some of
it that
will
tickle
your
funny
bone.
Not only
that,
but if
you find
a
favorite
definition
that
isn't on
a shirt
design
yet,
drop me
a line,
and I'll
see if I
can put
it on a
shirt
design.
just
please
don't
send me
one of
the
definitions
that is
more
than a
paragraph
long - I
only
have a
certain
area on
the
shirts
that I
can work
within.
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What if
I want
one of
your
designs
on a
particular
item
that
it's not
already
on, or
what if
I'd like
a
personalized
version? |
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It's
easy
enough
to add a
design
to a new
product.
If you'd
like to
see a
particular
design
on a
product
that it
is not
already
featured
on,
contact
us
and let
us know,
we'll be
more
than
willing
to add
it to
any
available
product.
As for
personalized
items,
we're
less
likely
to do
this,
unless
we see a
lot of
requests
for it.
However,
we are
considering
adding
some
personalized
items in
the
future,
so keep
checking
back.
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How long
have you
been an
artist? |
I think
the most
common
answer
that any
artist
gives to
that is
"all my
life",
and I'm
no
different.
I've
been
drawing,
coloring,
or doing
something
creative
for as
long as
I can
remember.
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Do you
really
do all
of this
on a
computer? |
Yep.
100%.
The only
thing
that
isn't
computer
drawn,
rendered,
or
created
is some
of the
textures,
which
which
were
originally
photographs
of
certain
materials
(and
even
these
are
reprocessed
on the
computer
to fit
the
models),
and a
few
reference
photos.
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You keep
mentioning
"rendering".
What
does
that
mean? |
"Rendering"
is a
term
used by
3D
computer
artists
to
describe
the
process
by which
the
computer
takes
the
information
we give
it and
turns it
into a
completed
image.
Basically,
we set
up a
scene
using
very
crude
representations
of the
objects
we plan
to use
and then
tell the
computer
to go
back and
fill in
all of
the
tiniest
details.
To be
honest,
I doubt
I could
even
begin to
give and
accurate
description
about
what the
computer
does
during
all of
this,
but I
can
absolutely
assure
you that
it
involves
some
seriously
complicated
math!
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Ok, so
what is
a
"texture"? |
"Textures",
or
materials,
as we
call
them are
the
images
that get
"wrapped-around"
a 3D
model to
make it
look
like
what it
is
supposed
to be.
For
instance,
all of
the
people
in my
artwork
would be
one
solid
color,
like a
statue,
if I
didn't
apply a
flat, 2D
"skin"
texture
to them.
The
Textures
contain
all of
the
model's
color
and skin
details,
so if I
want my
model to
have a
heart-shaped
tattoo
on her
arm, I
have to
go in
and draw
it onto
her skin
texture.
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So, you
just set
up a
scene
and let
the
computer
do all
of the
real
work? |
It's not
quite
that
simple,
although
I wish
it was
sometimes.
3D
artwork
is, in a
lot of
ways,
like
photography.
In fact,
I
learned
a lot of
my 3D
lighting
skills
by
reading
tutorials
on
photographic
lighting.
You
certainly
wouldn't
tell a
photographer
that his
camera
does all
of the
real
work!
A lot goes into creating a scene. You have to
decide
on what
model or
models
to use,
what
skin to
give
them,
their
hair,
eyes,
makeup,
etc.
Then you
have to
pose
them, so
that
they are
doing
what you
want
them to
do.
From there, you move on to the background and foreground
scenery,
such as
mountains
and
trees in
the
background
to maybe
some
mushrooms
or
stones
in the
foreground.
All of
those
have to
be
textured
to look
the way
you want
them to
look
too.
Now that
you've
got
everything
and
everybody
in the
proper
places,
the real
fun
begins:
lighting.
Just
like in
photography,
lighting
in 3D
artwork
is
extremely
important.
It can
also get
a lot
more
complicated.
Where a
photographer
can only
control
certain
elements
of
lighting,
a 3D
artist
can
control
almost
every
element
there is
to the
lighting
in a
scene.
The 3D
artist
doesn't
necessarily
have to
use all
of the
complicated
features,
but they
are
there if
he or
she
chooses
to use
them.
Ok, so
here's
the
short
answer.
No, I
don't
let the
computer
do all
the real
work.
I just
let it
develop
the
image
that
I've
created.
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How long
does it
take to
complete
one of
your
images? |
That's a
hard
question
to
answer
because
it
depends
on the
image.
Some
images
can be
finished
in 2 or
3 days.
Some can
take
months.
One big
factor
is how
complicated
the
lighting
and the
scenery
is in
the
image.
Something
with
only one
or two
elements
renders
much
more
quickly
than
something
with a
hundred.
For instance, I had one image, that was later put in
the "to
do
later"
bin,
that had
a very
complicated
atmosphere
(yes, in
3D, you
can even
control
the sky
and the
weather).
The
image
also had
two
pieces
of land,
a large
body of
water,
and two
moderately
complex
lighthouse
models.
Water
can take
forever
to
render
and this
particular
atmosphere
was
extremely
complex.
My most powerful computer's estimated time for completing
the
rendering
process:
about 16
months!
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What
kinds of
art do
you
create? |
Mostly I
create
fantasy
art, of
which
fairies
and
dragons
are my
primary
subjects.
However,
I also
enjoy
creating
pirate
artwork
and
glamour
pinup
art.
Of
course,
I also
enjoy
creating
fun
t-shirt
designs.
I have,
and
still
do,
create
other
types of
art.
In the
past, I
have
painted
in oils
and
acrylics
and even
done a
bit of
pottery
and
sculpting.
However,
since I
became
ill with
CIDP, my
hands
tend to
tremor,
and I
have
difficulty
working
with
traditional
media.
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What is
CIDP? |
CIDP
stands
for
Chronic
Inflammatory
Demyelinating
Polyneuropathy.
It's the
chronic
form of
Guillane-Barre
disease
and it's
a fairly
rare
condition.
In terms
of
symptoms,
it's a
lot like
Multiple
Sclerosis
and even
damages
the
myelin
sheath
that
surrounds
the
nerve
cells
within
the
body,
just
like MS.
The
difference
is which
nerves
are
primarily
affected.
In MS,
the
brain is
the
primary
target
of the
disease,
while in
CIDP,
it's the
nerves
outside
of the
brain
that are
primarily
damaged.
You can
find a
lot more
information
about
CIDP by
visiting
the
CIDP USA
Foundation.
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Where do
you find
the
inspiration
for your
artwork? |
Honestly,
I find
inspiration
pretty
much
everywhere.
There
are
several
artists
that
influence
my work,
mainly
Boris
Vallejo,
Luis
Royo,
and most
recently,
fantasy
artist
Amy
Brown.
You can
see
Amy's
work
Amy
Brown
Fantasy
Art.
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What's
your
favorite
subject
for your
artwork? |
It all
depends
on my
mood.
Right
now, I'm
working
on a lot
of fairy
artwork,
but I've
got a
few
other
designs
in mind
that I'm
planning
to work
on soon.
Of
course,
I also
do a lot
of funny
shirt
designs
and
those
pop up
all the
time,
usually
when I
think of
or see
something
that I
find
funny.
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What
software
do you
use to
create
your
images? |
There
are
three
software
programs
that use
for
almost
everything
I
create.
They
are:
Poser 6,
Vue 6
xStream,
and
Photoshop.
Poser is a program used to shape, pose, and dress the
models
that I
use.
I think
of it as
sort of
the
model's
dressing
room.
Vue is primarily a landscape and scenery design
program,
although
it does
have
some
minor
capabilities
for
creating
objects.
I use it
for
scenery
and it
is also
the
program
that I
use to
render
all of
my
images.
It has a
very
robust
rendering
and
lighting
engine
that I
love.
Photoshop or a similar program is an absolute must for
computer
artists.
I use it
for
creating
and
painting
everything
from
textures
to
background
images
and I
also use
it to do
"touch-ups"
of the
final
rendered
images
that Vue
produces.
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So why
do you
use the
name "Darkwolf"?
Why not
just use
your
real
name? |
There
are
several
reasons.
The
first is
that I'm
a very
private
person,
and I
want to
remain
that
way.
The
second
is that
I've
been
using
the
nickname
Darkwolf
for
years
and I
just
like it.
Besides,
it's a
really
cool
name.
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What
kind of
stuff
can I
find in
your
store? |
All
kinds of
things.
There
are
fantasy
prints,
fantasy
posters,
fantasy
t-shirts,
fairy
prints,
fairy
posters,
fairy
t-shirts,
dragon
prints,
dragon
posters,
dragon
t-shirts,
pinup
girl
prints,
pinup
posters,
pinup
t-shirts,
pirate
prints,
pirate
posters,
pirate
t-shirts,
funny
t-shirts,
inspirational
t-shirts....and
that's
just a
starter
list.
Most of the art available in the shop also has some
other
neat
stuff,
like
coffee
mugs,
mousepads,
and
journals.
Some of
the
works
are even
featured
on
clocks
and
throw
pillows.
But the best way for me to answer that question is to
simply
tell you
to go
have a
look for
yourself,
because
there's
no way I
could
possibly
list it
all
here.
Besides,
we're
constantly
adding
to the
shop! |
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Do you
do all
of this
by
yourself? |
Actually,
no.
My wife
runs the
business
end of
things.
She
manages
the shop
and
decides
what
products
to carry
and then
arranges
to make
those
products
available.
There's
no way
that I
could
possibly
do all
of that
with my
physical
disability
and
still
produce
art.
My end of the work is making the art, which is something
I can do
whenever
I feel
physically
up to
it.
I do
maintain
this
site
most of
the
time,
but
everything
that is
in the
store is
actually
managed
from a
different
site and
then the
info is
pulled
here to
Darkwolf
Designs
through
a
special
software
package.
Either
way, you
still
contact
us
through
one
email
address,
darkwolf@darkwolf-designs.com.
If it's
a
question
about
the shop
or a
business
question,
it gets
forwarded
to my
wife.
If it's
about my
artwork,
then
I'll be
the one
to
respond. |
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