How do YOU describe this stuff to friends / coworkers?
ItsCeo
Posts: 471
What do we call the things we are making? Is it a scene.. is it a render... is it a picture... is it 3D Digital Art? What is this stuff called by the lay-person? How do I make people understand what I am doing? I show friends what I did / the end result of my Daz labours, and I struggle to make them understand what it is. One co-worker says I have been 'playing paper dolls again this weekemd'. She says that not in a mean way - it is what she understands and it makes me realize I am not describing the process very well maybe.
I have one friend that is an accomplished artist and tells me (quoting him) while what I do is 'nice'... it is not really 'Art'. To him, 'Art' was the stone sculptures I used to make, but this 'digital stuff'... not so much. Luckily, I am not seeking validation from him, but more using him as a sounding board on titles and lighting.
I like my new-found Daz avocation. I have not made anything creative for 10 years and it is pretty sweet to get the creative juices flowing again. I have only been doing this for 5-6 months so I have many, many, many things to learn... including how to effectively communicate what I am doing.
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In before someone posts about it being "Digital Barbie Dressup". lol
Personally, I call it 3D art. :) But call it whatever you're comfortable with.
And people will always "poo" on any relatively new art form and say it's not "real art". They're just speaking out of ignorance - pay them no mind.
I'm a retired portrait photographer so I just tell people I'm doing what I have always done but my studio & models are all digital now.
Is there something wrong with calling it paper dolls?
but yes: when I’m showing offf something I made and getting oohs and ahs over my artistry I always hurry to assure them that all I did was pose the model and pick out her hair and clothes and makeup and backdrop but I didn't actually model anything myself so really I’m like a photographer except it’s all on a computer.
I describe it as virtual photography or, in the case of animations, virtual filmmaking/cinematography.
I just say it is whatever you want to call it. I get everything from "That's rubbish!" to "That looks great!"
It's stock 3D art is what I call it that would make it clearest to the listener most concisely and then we can learn & stretch it from there.
I just say mind your own business, I'm having fun
I say I make 3D art and animations, but then I compare it to like Toy Story but more "realistic". Then I continue further to say it's just static images for the most part and not actual movies, in case they interpret the "like Toy Story" a little too literally. I also explain that I don't necessarily create everything from scratch, but that I use models and just move things around. I have a lot of the stuff I make on my phone, so I then proceed to show them some of the things. I once had someone start telling me all the things I'm doing wrong and how certain things should look and act differently, without me asking for critique; literally just trying to explain my hobby. Someone else said they thought it was something completely different, but what I did "wasn't bad" either.
I forgot, I also wanted to mention; my best friend refers to as a "game", because she doesn't exactly understand how it works and it reminds her a lot of Sims. I always correct her, but it doesn't offend me that she refers to it like that.
When I have done a really good job at it, then I don't have to call it anything. When people see it, they just say, "Cool." Or "Wow!" Or "You did that?"
If they ask, "What is that?" I just tell them, "It's a picture I made." How? "With the computer and a program called Daz Studio." And that's that.
If I were you, I'd give your friend a good slap and tell him to stop being so precious. I'd also go elsewhere for advice.
As for what I tell people? I tell them I make pictures on the computer, using 3d software. Invariably, their response is "Oh, so you use photoshop?". At which point, I walk away or change the subject.
I’ve only had a couple people ask. One described it as sims art. The other seems to feel unless I physically make the models it somehow isn’t art. Mostly I don’t care at all.
Well I see it like this. Take a well known artist, who wants to make a set of statues in porcelin of him and the misses having fun. So he devices some poses wich ride the delicate balance between classical art and modern erotic kitsch and goes to a porcelin workshop near the Bavarian/Austrian border to have them cast into porcelin. And all of it winds up in Venice at the Bienale and some folks are less amused. Now I am completely shock proof (even back then), so the art missed the point in my case but he did cause a smile, but my point is, that these days (as in all days previous), art and craft are seperate enteties (must not misspell here). Hell even the Nightwatch isn't completely painted by Rembrandt........and who cares.
I took my 3D prints to a group of avid amateur fotographers and showed it to them. Yeah, that looks cool but is it art? Now what does a photographer do? He or she takes a camera, loads it with film (or an SD card) and points it at something he or she either aranged or found outside. He or she focusses. He or she sets aperture and shuttertime (or uses P) and he or she presses a button. Now what do I do:
1) I take a DAZ figure....
2) I set her (or him) in a pose (I can asure you ms. Giselle B. poses a lot easier then her DAZ namesake)
3) I set a background
4) I make the light (which is somehow a lot more hassle then in a studio, if the latter is wel organised)
5) I point the camera and set a you know verry well what load of render parameters......
6) I render, in several render passes and combine these to a picture.....
Now where is the difference......
a) DAZ lads and lasses are a hell of a lot more patient then a professionel model (and have also a lot cheaper running costs) and they are also verry well behaved.....
b) I don't have to walk through the world with a 5000 dollar camera rig, looking cool and don't need to invest in a lighting kitt either......
c) I can create my own models (all hail to Blender and Allegorithmic) and then I sort of span the gap between photography and painting (how cool is that)
d) I don't have to look at the "Moment Decesive", but judging from the 250.000 negatieves the man who coined the frase made, well.........and well he didn't have a motordrive (or continous mode).......as modern photographers do..even if they use a Leica (the M10 does 5 frames a second, whoooohoooo).
So is it art......well if it isn't than photography isn't art either and some famous photographer who uses a Quantell Paintbox (and a Quantell Paintbox specialist) would vehemently disagree.....
The term I use to describe what we are doing is: Notography.......and then I see questioning faces...
Greets, ArtisanS
I call it what it is 3D Digital Art created with Digital art zone tools ( DAZ for short.)
I have to wonder If people think Daz is so simple or not art. then whynot give it a try the software free, But people rather hate and complain then try something.
I hear all the time. people tell me all the time .. "Oh that is just Simms" Or tell me "oh you created that with simms or that is not created with Maya or 3DS so thats not a real animations" and proceed to hate on any daz animation I post for those reasons. Its always the same people and always same ISP IP's and they never have any videos themselves. I like to tell these people animation is animation no matter the software used. so I call these people what they are haters.
If you don't believe me, check out this simple gymnastic IRAY animation I released 3 months ago, you think there would be nothing to hate right? But you would not believe the number of hateful comments I have had to remove or how many thumbs down ratings suggesting the video sucked. when its just a simple daz IRAY demo. really what is there to hate other then the haters can't do it themselves ..lol So I come to the conclusion haters go to hate no matter what it is, so I just ignore them. and enjoy my hobby being constructive and creative. and keep posting & frustrating the haters.
Or even this Iray animation the haters have enjoyed hating on, Really what is there to hate?
Don't delude yourself and you'll be fine.
Digital art is an artistic work or practice that uses digital technology as an essential part of the creative or presentation process. Since the 1970s, various names have been used to describe the process, including computer artand multimedia art. Digital art is itself placed under the larger umbrella term new media art.
New media art refers to artworks created with new media technologies, including digital art, computer graphics, computer animation, virtual art, Internet art, interactive art, video games, computer robotics, 3D printing, cyborg art and art as biotechnology.
Funny topic. Whenever the topic of what I do on my spare time comes up , I tell that someone at work I am artist and show them a render I did and they are astonished with some disbelief.
Its funny to watch their inital reaction. "Did you draw and paint that"? is the most common response I receive.
So, Of course not wanting to mislead anyone I go into the details that's it a 3d render where I setup a scene arranging a composition of models and props, much a like a photo studio. In addition its an opportunity to share Daz Studio with people. I show them that Daz Studio is free of charge, tell them they receive starter kits, show them the Daz Online store as to how they build a library of models and that they too can create art no different than I. Once they get grasp of what I am talking about many are fascinated and go about their lives and few others express interest. At the bare minimum by sharing Daz Studio with people it plants seeds so to speak in people's minds and even though they may not decide to use Daz Studio they may know or encounter another person that may actually become a new Daz Studio user and customer.
LOL, obviously you have been living on another planet. The vast majority of people place way too much validity on what others think. Why do youj think social media is so freakin popular, LOL.
No matter how I describe it, when I add the commercial aspect too it, they then start to pay attention, like it is meaningless until i am getting paid for it, then they start thinking about how they can get in on it, LOL.
I usally descibe it in photography or video game context since those are things they know and can understand. I work in retail management and with coworkers and employees, I can point out product ads and descibe how I can reproduce that image in 3D
Didn't we just have this discussion last week?
I think I understand your question. As you can see from the responses above mine, this is a topic ALL of us have encountered at some point, and many have recieved negative feedback or just a sense of confusion from others. It doesn't help that many people will "steal" work of 3D artists to make Christmas cards and such and call the work theirs. This lends itself to the general public thinking you are using clip art to create YOUR images... or, like you said, "playing with paper dolls".
As Outré Limits has said, I have found I get the most positive feedback if I liken it to a digital studio. People understand "studio", but I am sure you will find you're own way to deal with it.
But, take comfort... You are not alone.
I will say I have never, ever actually had anybody say, "Oh that isn't art," or, "Oh that's just the sims." Maybe it's just the people I hang out with.... but the primary person I know dissing the artistry in my work is me. I've definitely felt embarassed when somebody commented on the artistry in an outfit in a picture. On the other hand, as I improve at Photoshop and composition and lighting, I feel more and more comfortable simply taking credit for my art, perhaps with a note if somebody asked that Photoshop and 3d models were involved.
I have called it just "making pictures that sometimes people like". Or, it's "making pictures, for people who can't draw."
I certainly couldn't describe the larger percentage of my art as "Playing with Dolls"
I tend not to discuss any non-work topics with coworkers. As for friends, those who know me know that I have a long history as a photographer. So I describe DS as a digital version of photography and it lets me "photograph" places and things from the comfort of my own laptop. They like the idea that I pose the "dolls," choose the camera settings, create my own custom textures, have complete control over lighting etc.
I don't. I am mostley surounded by folks with the IQ of a potato.
It really depends on the person you are discussing it with. Last Christmas, I got REALLY annoyed with my mother-in-law and have since refused to speak with her about ANY type of art. My husband spent over 1/2 hour explaining to her what my art with Studio is and all she could say was "why waste the time and money. It doesn't take ANY skill or talent". At that point I told them both to just drop the subject, my Depression (and temper) starting to get out of control. She then commented on my "lack of manners". Don't you just love people?
But usually, I do tell people that "As a BAD, but simple, explanation - using Studio is like taking a doll as a starting point. Dress, pose, MODIFY and set and light the scene. But as I SAID it is a SIMPLE and BAD description. but you get the idea"
And, yes, I do emphasize the words that I have capitalized. Most people can get the gist from that.
just say ..."If I tell you it is porn, will you leave me alone?"
usually they stop asking
I make digital art. And get paid for it. nuf said.
This attitude, that what we do is not art if we didn't create the models ourselves, has always bugged me. Genesis is like an artist's brush, Daz Studio is like a canvas, clothing and hair and environments are like a pallette knife, kneaded eraser, or chisel. Art is expression of thoughts, ideas, or emotions through a medium that involves one of our senses, whether it be visual, auditory, or even taste (such as chefs, who are artists IMO). Just because I use a premade figure in a premade environment, doesn't mean what I created is not art. I have my tools, Bob Ross had his.
And for anyone who thinks it is easy to make a great render, they need to give it a try. It takes skill, patience, a good eye, lighting, composition, etc. It is not easy. Just look at images in the Galleries... some of them are just amazing, and I guarantee they were not "easy" to do.
Anyway, it's probably ironic that I post this, since I do make my own outfits, hair, and environments. But it irritates me that people don't think we are producing art and just playing with digital barbies.