New World Notes

Learn from the Masters by Tuning in to These Second Life Content Creators Who Livestream Their Work

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Earlier today, Second Life designer and artist Nylon Pinkney livestreamed her process as she worked on one of her gorgeous avatar portraits, just like the one shown on the left. Nylon does these streams pretty regularly, but unless you follow her on Twitch.tv there's a good chance you'll miss them.

Nylon's not the only Second Life creator streaming their work, for that matter. There are quite a few others taking advantage of the various streaming services to broadcast their process. Some like Nylon spend their streams painting or drawing, others edit snapshots, and still others work on 3D models and textures that will be brought into SL once they're complete. Watching these talented folks work can be a great learning experience, but since not all of these streamers store their archives it's crucial to catch them live.

With the help of folks on Plurk (the Second Life community's social network of choice) I've compiled a list of Second Life artists and designers that stream, so you can follow your favorites and be alerted whenever they go live. Take a look:

The Case for Clearer Names: Here's Why Second Life Designers Should Keep Things Simple

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

There are a lot of Second Life designers whose creations I just never wear. It's not because I don't like them, it's not because they're not my style, and it's certainly not because I don't buy their releases. Quite simply it's because I can never find their products when I'm looking to fill in a blank in my outfit. 

It's because I'm searching for something pink instead of Peachy Keen.

It's because I'm searching for a skirt, and not Genevieve.

Straightforward item naming may not be glamorous, but it's important. Here's why:

The Drax Files: There's More to Second Life Supermodel Absinthe Than Meets the Eye

 
Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

I'm all about the latest episode of Second Life-sponsored mixed-reality documentary series The Drax Files: World Makers. It focusses on the first and second lives of SL supermodel Absinthe, and you'll want to watch even if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea. The fact is she has a wealth of personal wisdom to share that extends well beyond the realm of the runway.

In reality Absinthe works with patients living with HIV/AIDS, so being able to come home to Second Life gives her an outlet for her love of fashion and creativity that she might not necessarily have otherwise. It's a means of exploring not only your interests but your identity, and even seeing intangible things about your personality materialized right in front of you. That's why Absinthe has absolutely no patience for people perpetuating the tired old idea that Second Life's users live lives any less varied or interesting than anyone else's. 

If you want to see more of Absinthe's work in SL then be sure to check out Ferosh, a fiercely stylish digital publication that prominently features her work alongside a slew of other talented virtual fashion enthusiasts. 

Weekend Shopping List: This Mesh Head is so Beautiful That it Barely Looks Like an SL Avatar

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

There's a new item at the top of my virtual world shopping list this weekend: The Tia mesh head by VCO, available at The Winter Wonderland event [Teleport link]. I already have my fair share of mesh heads, and these days the latest from The Sugar Garden has been serving me just fine. So why am I in the market for yet another? Well, when I first saw the above image of this finely-featured face from VCO I didn't entirely believe they were shot in Second Life. 

I don't mean that Tia looks hyper-realistic, however. Far from it. She looks more like a flawlessly modded Sims 3 character, or even a high-end doll, and to me that's just as appealing as realism would be.

Even if Tia's not to your liking you may want to swing by Winter Wonderland anyway, especially if you're looking for the perfect finishing touch for your virtual home...

Five Questions to Ask Yourself if You Want to be a Second Life Designer

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

A very nice person sent me a notecard once, asking what they needed to know to become a Second Life designer. Content creators, including fashion designers, are some of the most respected people in the virtual world, so this question is a pretty common one. At the time I sent them a few Youtube links, a few blog tutorials, and some free software suggestions to get them started, but every now and then they pop into my mind. As far as I can tell they never did open up a store like they wanted to, and I wonder if I should have given them some slightly more practical advice instead. 

What do you really need to know before you become a Second Life Designer? Well, a lot more than just Photoshop and Blender.

Things Get Very Real When SL Users Describe Their Tastes in Virtual Hair

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Last week I asked NWN readers to describe how they like to wear their virtual hair, and something about the answers really took me by surprise. It turns out that when you ask people how they like their avatar's hair, the answers sound a lot like someone talking about their real hair. Maybe that only surprised me because I framed things more in terms of flexi and mesh than I did fringe and mousse, but, well...

Here's what I mean:

Iris Wants to Know: How Do You Wear Your SL Hair?

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

I'm a little bit in love with the sweeping waves and swirly curls in the latest release from Second Life hair brand Magika. It's romantic but flawless, in just the right amount of disarray to look 'natural' without looking... Well, too natural. This is exactly what I want from the mesh haistyles topping off my avatar on a daily basis, but that's not the case for everyone.

My mother's a big fan of L fashion too, and our tastes in virtual hair tend to clash. For her, if a style doesn't have any flow or movement to it, it's pretty much off the table. That's not to say that's she's living in the pre-mesh past with her pixel perms, but she still certainly appreciates a dash of flexi here and there under all that mesh. A feature that's a dealbreaker for her is something I don't think I've ever even noticed among all the styles I own.

There's even more variation than that, though. I have friends who loathe chunky, "piecy" styles and others who wear them constantly. Some won't consider buying from a designer if they don't have a full range of dip-dyed texture options, while others never stray from their signature color. Even the least fashion-frenzied among us seem to be pretty picky about our avatar hair.

That's why today I want to know how you like to wear your Second Life hair? Are there features you can't live without/won't touch with a 10-foot prim pole, or are you pretty easygoing as long as you can find that perfect shade of auburn? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Here's How Alpha Map Support for Mesh Could Change the Face of Second Life Fashion in 2015

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

If you're looking for a new Second Life feature to root for in 2015 look no further than BUG-8100, a.k.a. Alpha Map Support for Mesh. In a nutshell, this proposed feature would allow for alpha maps similar to those that can be layered over an avatar to "cut" parts of it away to be used over mesh objects.

Why does that matter? Well consider mesh avatar bodies...

There's an Ugly Side to Dragon Age: Inquisition's Most Beautiful Virtual Fashions

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Why is it that feminine fashion in video games always seems to indicate something about the character wearing it? Why is it never just a matter of taste? It's the case in countless games, including BioWare's Dragon Age: Inquisition, and the subject of my latest article for Paste. As much as I love Inquisition and its stunning fashions, the way those fashions deal with femininity fits a little too well into some all-too-common media tropes.

Beyond the usual handful of narrowminded people who think dissecting a game's style and design choices is more "superficial" than writing a list of its most obvious mechanical elements would be, I've already gotten a lot of interesting feedback about this post. Pleasantly enough, one of the most insightful comments yet has come from a BioWare employee...

From Second Life to Victoria's Secret: How Angela Jarman's Wings Wound Up on the World's Most Watched Runway

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Angela Jarman (Violaine Villota in SL) is a veteran Second Life designer whose work transcends worlds -- as does her brand. Fancy Fairy wings have graced the backs of metaverse models for years, and if you tuned in to CBS this past Tuesday you would have seen them similarly gracing models walking the runway for Victoria's Secret.

Victoria's Secret's fashion shows are recognized for their regular use of spectacular costume wings, so it shouldn't be too surprising that they found Jarman's real-world wing designs appealing. But how does someone get started making something as particular as fairy wings, and even bringing that hobby with her into the virtual world? After the jump, Jarman shares how she found her way into SL, the virtual design techniques she's carried into her real-world creations and, most fascinating of all, how she builds her signature wings.