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reviews_and_ramblings ([personal profile] reviews_and_ramblings) wrote2007-12-24 01:22 am

Christine Clavel: A Poser Artist

There is now a cottage industry of commercial artists and fine artists who create original artwork (illustrations) of human figures using Poser. Previously, drawing realistic human figures was both difficult and very time consuming. Now over 200,000 artists create everything from magazine covers, print advertising and product illustrations using Poser.

To read  more:

http://rosaromance.splinder.com/post/15248300/

[identity profile] angelabenedetti.livejournal.com 2007-12-24 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
I have to say I'm not impressed by poser-generated graphics. Nothing against any particular individual who uses a poser, but I've never seen anything come out of a poser that looked even close to a decent painting or drawing. There's a sameness to all the faces and bodies, and a too-smooth plastic look to the skin that gives the impression that they're pictures of dolls rather than pictures of people.

Maybe I've just played too many computer games, where very similar technology is used to generate the character figures. But while that graphic method works for a computer game -- where they have to have a limited number of options for characters, because of resource issues -- it just doesn't jazz me for a book cover.

I get that a lot of the small publishers can't afford the really good artists to paint them custom covers for each book, but I'd rather see a nice stock photo (the cover of Ariel Tachna's A Summer Place, which you reviewed a little while ago, is a great example) than a poser cover.

Just my opinion, for whatever it's worth. But it'd be interesting to see a poll of some significant number of readers and see where the more general feeling lies.

Angie

[identity profile] elisa-rolle.livejournal.com 2007-12-24 09:21 am (UTC)(link)
Christine Clavel I think is the only poser artist who manages to have internationally success in her work. Usually I agree with you, but some covers of Christine (not all mind you) are very interesting.

When I wrote this post I knew that this is a delicate matter, I have never found any writer who says to like Poser covers.

Elisa

[identity profile] erastes.livejournal.com 2007-12-24 10:12 am (UTC)(link)
I Agree with Angie - I don't think it's a good thing that so many cover artists are moving over to Poser, I think it's a detriment to the art and turns something individual into something that looks the same as everything else.

Most of them (including the book you have highlighted) just look like Barbie dolls in Velvet - and that's the good ones. The bad ones are indescribably bad, most the m/m erotic ones make me want to rip out my eyes.

[identity profile] elisa-rolle.livejournal.com 2007-12-24 10:41 am (UTC)(link)
You are right. Even with Christine Clavel, that I think made a good job, the problem is that she use always the same figures: the woman, Victoria, is always the same in every cover and so the covers lack in variety. And yes, Victoria seems a Barbie doll... Elisa