Wednesday 27 February 2008

Explaining the perceived slowdown...

So just to explain why I'm not grinding away as I used to... releasing left and right, and taking on more and more...

Well...

I've been ill... My housemate Alice has been ill and together we are convinced it's affecting us in RL... so we have made a pact not to sit up until 3am on a schoolnight any more working our tits off; as such things will happen on an as and when they happen basis.

With that said work still continues and I'm not losing sight of the goals... Once in fact I get enough styles to launch a few vendors I may set up a teaser establishment with a limited range for sale, just to see how they go down. The refit plans for the entire shop are coming on, but naturally there's a lot of waiting around for things to happen before work can really skiddaddle again... that and I really don't like tinting when I want to relax... and relaxing for me is building... so the backlog looks ever more insurmountable...

Then there's me getting it wrong... tinting and resizing a hair 288 times, only to find a single prim is out of kilter or mistextured is a swine... and soul destroying. Well it's happened twice so far tinting up Luna and Criss... as such I'm not really wanting to go there again right now... but I will...

The elephant's growing despite my best efforts... but it'll be done... I promise it will...

Until next time,

Kalli

And there's more...

The reworks of Kitsune and Li...




I like... hope you do too...

More men's to follow in due course... Also will get on with the resizing and retinting as and when.

Colour choices here... Kitsune in Amythyst (Purple 04) and Li in Midnight (Monochrome 02)

Until next time,

Kalli

Monday 25 February 2008

finetuning...

More armband details...

Decided the big ones were a little too much at first... and a little ungainly... so I've gone back, added som buckle details and created a pair of dogcollar armbands...



Well.. doesn't show an awful lot, but they're a lot more subtle I think... I'll look at creating another few larger ones at a later date.

In the meantime, it's back to the hair I think... going to clone up a few more into completeness before starting on a secret project, bought on more as a joke with a few friends at the weekend over too much coffee and cake while playing party-type computer games.

Saturday 23 February 2008

So... those new colors... and new price bands

It occurs to me that I've been making a lot of reference to the new colors, but I'm yet to show them off...

Why?

No idea... just the way it's been. So what do you want to know? well... I've toned them down a little... gone is the excessive shiny, although I've maintained some to give them a feel of life... not flat jet black from me this time out... oh no... nor will there ever be. You want hair that's black black black in my range? Buy whatever color you please, take a copy and tint it yourself.

And tips... I've mentioned loking at them... I did... and decided against because it just gets silly. What colors do I offer tipped... and what color tips? Well... the other thing to bear in mind is that every other retailer out there who offers more than a dozen or so colors offers tips... red, black, white... whatever... but they don't offer the sheer range of base colors that I want to. As such, I won't offer tips in the foreseeable because if I did, I'd have to find a way of offering all tip colors on all my existing hair shades... Which for the 3rd set is no fewer than 72 colors to begin with... or, two hair vendors PER SIM, which is, as you can imagine, unworkable...

So anyway... enough of the preamble.

Here's the new grid...



72 colors, 36 packs, 6 color groups... You'll notice that there are around 30 new shades, with some notable retirements from the old line. Pillarbox is gone, as I never liked the highlighting - Marachino (in Red Box 2) is a good substitute if it was your preferred color. Mocha has been renamed Cappuccino (Brown Box 6), now that I realise that's what I meant the entire time, and now I can reliably SPELL 'cappuccino'. Espresso has been rebranded Coffee (Brown Box 1)

Please note; colors are now going to be offered in Dual packs (to keep the vendor prim count down, and to give you the choice of shades for just a leetle exra money). Nothing overly fancy, and I'm still cutting my own throat... you'll see when these babies go live... Also, I think I'm going to have to say it... No... I won't be offering colors singly at any point in the foreseeable future. Most of the major players now offer dual or even triple packs (for more than I'm charging) and those who still offer singles (at sometimes deluded price figures) will soon have to open their eyes and move with the times.

I'll be offering color demos for the first time in a range of styles and sizes for you to try to make absolutely sure you're getting what you want. Note that not all styles will be represented in all colors... but there'll be long ones, short ones and spiky ones to get the best idea.

we'll be offering fatties as before... 12 colors in each, and the big 72 color pack for a further per style discount. And to simplify things further, the relaunch will take place with just two initial price bands...

Premium / Popular:
120L per double
360L per fattie
980L the works

Esoteric / Simple:
60L per double
180L per fattie
540L the works

I've decided to forego the 75L equivalent tier, as it was for static styles... in the new range, no static styles exist, so it's redundant. I may later create a 25L equivalent band as and when I decide to start phasing out new lines. Either way, when that hits we're talking 30L for 2 colorways...

All told, you've got to admit whichever way you slice it, those prices are pretty reasonable bearing in mind you get 2 shades in 4 sizes in each basic box.

Four? Yes... Due to popular demand, and because most male shapemakers insist on creating HUGE guys (who I refuse to date, just so you know), we're instigating an XL size above the previous large... which means, quite simply, if the XL is too small, you ain't gonna find hair anywhere... really... The base size used for XL generation is a 100 head; and in SL, they don't come larger until you start adding prims. The large previously was an 80, medium 65 and small 50. these sizes we're keeping. Note as well that all the hair can be scaled DOWN should you need to, as I don't use minimum measures in any part of the build.

Well... that's more waffle than a belgian breakfast... Go havbe fun and watch this space...

Until next time,

Kalli

Friday 22 February 2008

Wow... 100th post...

And a little bit of a sidetrack here...

Recently things have slowed down as first Alice, and now I have been remarkably ill with a really heavy cold. I'll update as and when there's some progress buildwise, but for now... bleugh...

Even so... as a random aside, while pratting about not so long ago I came up with a potential hair ornament... a punched leather thing with chrome eyelets... I'm yet to use it, but I've realised that it makes a good wristband...

So... why just wear one when eight will do?



Hope you like the hair... This is Luna in the new shade Barley, set for launch soon.

Regarding the rest, the skin is "No Sun" red makeup by Ayiki Takakura at Creactions, the stripy red bikini's from WRONG, the goggles are the gato blues from Miau Haus, and the body oil (for it is there in abundance) is from Stars...

Earrings and (heavily customised) shape are designers own and not for sale... sorry...

Until next time,

Kalli

Wednesday 20 February 2008

Oh Noes... Emos!

Well.. not strictly... just a heavy banged work in progres in the form of the updated Kitsune...

The back's not finished, but I present it here in Chestnut for your delectation.



This and 71 colors available after the rebrand...

Saturday 16 February 2008

One from the ashes, and something even more yummy...

Once again the Windlight viewer is insisting I download an update (for the third time in a week) so here I am at a loose end, adding to the ol' blog.

Tinting continues apace - I've finished four and made a start on another 9 - I just want to get done what I have in the inventory now, before ploughing on and making more hair.

That said, all the time I'm finetuning and refining. the latest tweaks have been made to what was initially called the 3XL pony [refit]... not the catchiest name.

Either way, I've decided not to make a 2XL pony this time arouind... and as such I've decided to name the ponies, rather than number them. The XL is beiong called Lara, due to the surprising similarity between the style and that worn by the erstwhile Ms Croft... the 3XL is being rebranded "Phoenix" - after it's hugely long and floaty tail - over 2m in all.

Also been playing with the tails and have recreated a MUCH more convincing Yumi replacement; the previous now being referred to as Luna, as it bears similarities to a Sailor Moon hairdo.



On the men's side, I've been working on a way to add a little body to a skin with hair on it, and have come up with "Stampede" - a military flat top, which due to the way alpha textures are (poorly) handled in SL, I'll only be releasing in the darkest of colour. Will finalise shortly.

Wisper is still holding onto Kiriyama, TW1 and Sid... but once she gets them back and retextured to me, I cam carro on and rework James, George and Dexter. Not long now...

Until next time,

Kalli

Thursday 14 February 2008

Tinteriffic...

Shinobu and Ryoko now set in 4 sizes and 72 colors...

Criss will go this evening, along with the long dual pigtails that's like Yumi but not, that I've decided to call Luna...

Haruka's set to tint, having been retextured, as is Matsuko. I suspect Spike won't be too far behind. Dreading trying to resize the ponies... but it'll get done.

All I'll need to do then it cadge a vendor off Alice and try a group load...

Work progresses!

Until next time,

Kalli

Tuesday 12 February 2008

Stage two...

It's taken three weeks, cost over 4000L in uploads, and two and a half hours to populate the new tables... but the hair textures for the new tints are in-world and set to go.

Thanks be to Iskar, the tinters have been played with to the extent I can now do blocks of hairs together, which should make things easier... much easier...

Shinobu will hit the tinters in an experimental capacity later today or early tomorrow. Fingers crossed guys and gals...

Until next time,

Kalli

Friday 8 February 2008

Two new - almost

Two fell in place based on other styles in the last day or two... Halfspike - yes... it's back and improved, is basically the tufty bit from spike, extended and straightened out to look like a mohawk.. and Crista... a feminised bob version of Criss fo those who like a little floaty.

Picture!



Halfpsike in the new shade Apricot... Crista in Pepper. The latter needs a little bit of work before I'll be truly happy with it...but the basic concept's not going to change.

Hope you like them.

Until next time,

Kalli

Wednesday 6 February 2008

Another men's refit... SPIKE

Our most popular style... no ifs or buts... Spike has consistently outsold any style instore... with the possible exception of Criss or, mor recently, Aya. Either way... I was happy with it for aroundf about 20 minutes before it started to grate. I never pulled it because people seemed happy... but hey.. who am I to complain.

The new one is flexi, alpha textured and has one fewer prim than the original..

You heard it here first people... Spike drops from 224 to 223 prims in the refit. See what you think... Modelled by me, in classic Kalli male shape...



Today's demo color is Penny - a new dark purple/bronze shade.

Until next time,

Kalli

Tuesday 5 February 2008

Criss finished...

Ok... This is Criss... the new version. I've uploaded a few new textures so you don't have to stare at Onyx and Malice protos anymore...

This is the new Pepper. And again it's on me looking girly insofar as that's who I am... although please excuse the effects of a push-up bra. Going out on the tiles tonight and am already getting dressed.



More guys' styles forthcoming!

Until next time,

Kalli

Yummy?

A potential Yumi rework off the production line tonight...

Shorter than that which preceeded it and more streamlined... may call it something else and got nuts for the Yumi replacement... not sure...

Either way... for your delectation...



Until next time,

Kalli

Monday 4 February 2008

Another whacky one!

A quick one on a split head covering... Haruka

One to pair up with Keiko and Matsuko



I just cannot help myself!

Until next time,

Kalli

two peas in a pod... and big spiky fun

Well... you know I whipped up Shinobu a few days ago on a whim... the base has proved great for a number of applications... and I loved the fringes... but thre was no denying that Shinobu was a feminine short style... the undercut at the back and the long bits by the ears kinda guaranteed that.

What I didn't mention was that I tweaked it a little, added a little more bulk on the crown of the head and some neck detailing, rather than just the high bob thingy and came up with a much more masculine line, which also works on the ladies as a more classic cut of Shinobu's contemporary...

So photo time... Shinobu on the left, Keitaro on the right.



Hope you can see the difference! I ought to have taken a shot of the back of each, as that's where the real differences lie.

Furthermore, I went out for the first time in ever on Friday night after cranking out 6 hairs... but before I went, I created something silly to wear... which I've since refined and created another atyle based on the Shinobu frame... This is the triple-tailed Matsuko. To hell with my decision to drop primcounts when I could... this one clocks in at an alarming 214... the second highest individual score of any hairstyle, new or old (Spike's 224, Nariko and the original Sakura are 208) but what the hell...



I have no idea how it'll go down, but I like it... hope you do too...

Until next time,

Kalli

Sunday 3 February 2008

Work in progress - one for the guys

A swift update to reveal that I've moved on to men's hair again... and have started rebuilding Criss...

Work in progress pictured.



To answer your comments... yes I know that's me in a girly shape in it... and yes, I know it suits me, but it's MEN'S HAIR damnit!

Seriously... all hair is unisex anyway... just some look ridiculous on guys!

So anyway.. Criss... en route for a relaunch

Until next time,

Kalli

Saturday 2 February 2008

Revenge of the sixth...

Six new hairs in a day... I must me out of my mind...

Well... here it is... Ryoko, the new batch.

This is a funny one. My relationship with this style... or it's version one predecessor is mixed to put it mildly. At first I was proud about how it came out; loved it in fact, despite it being longer than it ought to have been. Then I got bored with it. Then I started making better hairs... and people kept on buying it... and they STILL ARE!

No offence to you if you love Ryoko the first... it has it's fans, but it's no longer my best work - in fact not even close... and the fact that it still sells despite other styles that look, IMHO, better being available confuses me. OK I have to redo it for the sake of tradition... and here it is - The improved version. Shorter, you'll notice and, eerily enough 105 prims, just like the original.



OK... now to either get some sleep or drive myself to distraction going for #7...

Until next time,

Kalli

Friday 1 February 2008

Tackling the ponytails...

The XL through 3XL ponies have always been s staple of the range... selling relatively well always... but you have to admit that they're in dire need of an update...

Well today I started... creating the XL and 3XL - 1 and 2.15 metre drop (although with the ends alpha that makes a visible of 1.75m in the case of the 3XL) Also tried something new and created an XL and 4XL - 2.75m - double drop tail. Both look good so will be added to the range with specific names. The XL looks suspiciously like Chimera... but at the same time isn't... hmm...

Also new today is Keiko - another messy updo from the Shinobu base...

Piccy time... L-R Keiko, XL pony, 3XL pony, Chimera-like dual XL pony and the 4XL dual...



The model shape is 6 feet tall for reference... and is NOT my standard by any means!

Until next time,

Kalli

Motivational poster!

This one is for me... why am I doing all this work?

Shown on the left is the old Whisper style.. July/August '07 vintage... on the right is the rebuild of Whisper, as of this evening.



Keep going, Kalli... Keep going..