06/01/20
The Shard
Multi-Screen Render
Sometimes ideas just pop into my head nearly fully formed. At that point it's usually important for me to concentrate on remembering it (new ideas tend to push out the old) or sketch it out. That's what I did here (even though my sketching skills are terrible) and I think I managed to render the idea pretty much as it appeared to me.
I used Gaea for the landscape and Oculus medium for the shard itself. Created and rendered on Rochallor. I hope you enjoy it!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above).
05/25/20
Once Upon a Time (Night)
Multi-Screen Render
The original "Once Upon a Time" had twilight version but no night version. I sought to correct that here. Rendered on Bucephalus.
Multiscreen versions available too. I hope you enjoy it and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above).
05/21/20
Once Upon a Time (2020)
Multi-Screen Render
Another in my "faithful remake" series. This one sits in the middle between re-render and remake. Using Bucephalus and Vue 2016, I kept most of the original Vue7 scene but updated the foreground with new high resolution tree models, new grass, water and atmosphere.
I wasn't sure whether to put this one in the 2003 gallery or the 2020, but in the end I decided it was different enough to put with my newer work. Multiscreens should be available tomorrow!
Dome of the Red Seeress
Multi-Screen Render
As I was falling asleep the other night I thought to myself how the "Blue Seeress" scene would look with the white stones turned black. If nothing else it would be a little less glaring on my very bright new monitor :-)
I will probably move this one to the Pickle Jar somewhere down the line, but I wanted to feature it in the gallery briefly because not everyone sees the PJ posts.
Multiscreen versions available too. I hope you enjoy the new renders and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above).
05/19/20
Dome of the Blue Seeress (2020)
Multi-Screen Render
I've been on a bit of a nostalgia kick lately; finally tackling all those requests to re-render my "classic" work for modern displays. One of those old favorites is "Dome of the Blue Seeress" from 2002. The original scene was unfortunately just not set up to easily re-render. Now I have already "re-visited" this scene back in 2017 but, if I am being honest, those scenes did not have the same simple aesthetic as the original.
Let's call this a "faithful remake". I basically recreated the scene in Vue (using Rochallor) but updated it just a tiny bit. Be on the lookout for more.
Multiscreen versions available too. I hope you enjoy the new version and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above).
05/17/20
Chamelea (2020 Re-Render)
Multi-Screen Render
Since adding "Rochallor" to my stable I've started using "Bucephalus" to go back through my archives and re-render certain images to fit today's larger modern screens. "Scarlet" turned out pretty well (IMO) and now I'm turning my attention to one of my all-time favorites..."Chamelea".
As with "Scarlet" I did a few nip-tucks here and there with the old scene but nothing too major. It should look much like the original, except now it will fit your shiny new 4K display :-)
Multiscreen versions available too. I hope you enjoy the new version and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Speaking of healthy... Zazzle started offering face masks last month so I thought I would try out a few designs. They've been quite popular so I've added some others by request. The store is now up to 60 designs so please have a look. Zazzle is a bit backed up right now so they are taking a while to ship, but feel free to take a look if you are playing the long game...
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are available!
05/15/20
Cloud Tree (Night)
Multi-Screen Render
When my son Jason came into my office and saw "Cloud Tree" for the first time he said to me "That's cool, but you really need to make a night version." I just smiled and nodded to him.
There's always a night version :-)
I hope you enjoy it and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are available!
05/13/20
Park Place (Skyline)
You might wonder what Shadowfax has been working on since being exiled to my basement office by Rochallor. Here it is...
I had the idea to add skyscrapers in the distance to the first Park Place but decided instead for a more natural look. Here I changed up my pathways so I could add some water and used the excellent Kitbash utopia models for the background. These flowering trees take an insane amount of time to render so a multiscreen version may be a while. Speaking of new multiscreens though...
Scarlet (2020 Re-Render)
Multi-Screen Render
Now that I have two modern workstations I've set Bucephalus to the task of revisiting some of my older favorites and re-rendering them at modern resolutions. So far I've added new HD versions of "Fireflies", "Brainstorm" and "Portal (1999)" from my early Bryce days (even a HD Ice Dragon). I may even be able to re-render some earlier scenes too.
One of my Members requested I revisit "Scarlet" and for this one I did a few very minor touch ups. I liked the new versions so much I've replaced the old one in the gallery. I've also added a new multiscreen version.
If you have any requests from back in the day let me know!
05/11/20
Cloud Tree
Multi-Screen Render
My first render conceived, created and rendered using my new Rochallor workstation. This was an idea I'd had for a while and it seemed like a good "Hello World" for the new machine. The bad news is that these clouds still take a long time to render. The good news is that they render a lot faster than they did before (around half the time).
I hope you enjoy it and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are available!
05/07/20
Null (2020)
Multi-Screen Render
Someone wrote me a recently wanting to license "Null" for their book cover. I agreed but I only had a low resolution file to offer because it was so old. Yesterday he asked if I had a higher resolution file so I booted up the oldest version of Lightwave I had and tried to re-render the file larger. Unfortunately the file was so old that I couldn't exactly re-create the original. My experiments however (on Bucephalus) lead me in some interesting new directions so I played around with it for a few more hours. I hope you enjoy the new version and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are coming shortly!
04/30/20
Lotus (2020)
Multi-Screen Render
Used the same Plant Factory technique here that I developed for Oddball, Boardwalk, and Park Place to update one of my favorite renders from 1998. The main goal here was to keep the minimal look of the original but also look like it was created in the 21st century.
I hope you enjoy it and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Speaking of healthy... Zazzle started offering face masks earlier this month so I thought I would try out a few designs. They've been quite popular so I've added some others by request. The store is now up to 60 designs so please have a look. Zazzle is a bit backed up right now so they are taking a while to ship, but feel free to take a look if you are playing the long game...
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version of "Lotus" is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are in the works!
04/26/20
Passing Through (Day)
Multi-Screen Render
Where the "sunset version" came together quite quickly and and turned out very nicely, this day version (tbh) felt like a labor. I rendered two different versions and ended up combining them in Photoshop to what you see above. Honestly, I was about to post it in my Pickle Jar when Jessie saw it and said she liked it better than the first. She said I should post it in the gallery and Jessie is the boss :-)
I hope you enjoy it and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version of "Passing Through (Day)" is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are in the works!
04/16/20
Passing Through
Multi-Screen Render
Learning how to use Gaea's "Island" node here. You may not be able to tell that they're islands, so please trust me :-)
This was another scene created on Bucephalus and it's basically the limit of what that machine can comfortably create. That frustration lead me to finally purchase "Rochallor" yesterday.
I hope you enjoy it and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version of "Passing Through" is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are in the works!
04/15/20
I'm happy to announce that Project Rochallor is a go! The future has never looked more uncertain and it did occur to me to hold onto the Rochallor funds as an emergency nest egg. I knew, however, that if I didn't purchase the machine soon it would probably be hard to get the funds together again. Anyway, I just got tired of working on Bucephalus.Just ordered the new workstation. Huge thanks to everyone who contributed to Project Rochallor! I will leave the GoFundMe open for a while longer if anyone would still like to kick in...https://t.co/3E0FlHY3TA pic.twitter.com/6LFR57FHV7
— Ryan Bliss (@dblasphemy) April 15, 2020
The GoFundMe is actually now closed (huge thanks to all who contributed!!) but you can still hit up my Tip Jar if you would like to contribute!
04/13/20
Pantheon
Multi-Screen Render
I created a number of different planetoids for my recent work and this render collects them all together for a family picture. Whenever I create an astronomical objects (planet, nebula, galaxy, etc) I am always conflicted about whether to present it by itself or as viewed "from the ground". Usually both yield interesting results. This one is for the "space only" folks :-)
I hope you enjoy it and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Thanks to everyone who's purchased a face mask from my new store! Quite a few of you asked I could also offer jigsaw puzzles so here are some which I thought might provide a challenge. 30% off today...
DB Jigsaw Puzzles!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version of "Pantheon" is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above).
04/10/20
Park Place
Multi-Screen Render
In Boardwalk I used my Plant Factory software to create an abstract walkway. I thought it would be interesting to tame the concept a little and use it to create something familiar and relaxing. Of course the title is inspired by the game Monopoly and the connection between the two dark blue properties (which my older brother always seemed to own).
I hope you enjoy it and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Speaking of healthy... Zazzle started offering face masks a few days ago so I thought I would try out a few designs. They've been quite popular so I've added some others by request. The store is now up to 50 designs so please have a look. Unfortunately the store seemed to be US only at this point (sorry!!)
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version of "Park Place" is available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above).
04/07/20
Cloud Canyon (2020)
Multi-Screen Render
I've wanted to revisit "Cloud Canyon" from 2007 for a quite a while now. It seemed like a job made for Gaea so I took a stab at it. I chose to frame the single-screen a bit differently than the original but the multiscreen version should look familiar.
I hope you enjoy it and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are available!
03/30/20
Skyline (Day)
Multi-Screen Render
By request I've created a day version of Skyline. As with the first version I stuck with the building textures that came with the Kitbash models but I changed up the windows a bit. You will most likely see these buildings in future renders, but they won't look like this again.
They gave the meshes away for free (they normally cost $200) to spread maximum joy and in that spirit I am happy to offer a free version for everyone to download. That said, DB needs your support now more than ever.
The nice folks at Kitbash also asked that everyone who uses the meshes include the hashtag #brightartdarktimes. How do you guys feel about me using their products in the future?
I hope you enjoy it and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are available!
03/25/20
Skyline
Multi-Screen Render
A company I follow called "Kitbash3D" recently released one of their object sets for free with the stipulation that the meshes be used to create optimistic artwork to bring hope to people in these uncertain times.
I have never used their products but I thought it would be a good way to create something hopeful, optimistic artwork relatively quickly which seems to be what the current situation requires. For this reason I didn't really do much of any editing or changes to their meshes other than to apply my own window lights.
They gave the meshes away for free (they normally cost $200) to spread maximum joy and in that spirit I am happy to offer a free version for everyone to download. That said, DB needs your support now more than ever.
The nice folks at Kitbash also asked that everyone who uses the meshes include the hashtag #brightartdarktimes. How do you guys feel about me using their products in the future?
I hope you enjoy it and stay safe, smart and healthy!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are on the way
03/22/20
Public Enemy
Lots of folks have asked me to render the infamous Coronavirus but I had some major reservations; number 1 being that I like my work to take folks away from everyday problems. In the end I decided to do it on the off chance that just one person might see my render, think about the virus, and decide that trip out to wherever isn't really that important. Just stay home if you can folks.
I've added this one to my free gallery as well because all that I wrote above only works if enough people use it. If you have the means though, there's never been a better time to be a DB Member :-)
I hope you all stay smart and stay healthy. I will try to do both and get back to rendering stuff that helps you forget all this...
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are on the way
Please help Project Rochallor get to the finish line!!
03/17/20
Island Time
As soon as the Coronavirus pandemic started shutting down daily life around me I knew that it was time to start working on a nice, calm, tropical wallpaper. I've been meaning to revisit "Island Time" for quite a while now so the time seemed right. I still may play around with some things here but I thought it looked nice enough to share as is. I hope it helps you "find your beach" if only virtually.
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are on the way
03/13/20
Landmark
Multi-Screen Render
I've been wanting to do a proper Sonoran desert scene for a while now. Over the last few months I've come back to the theme quite a few times and have rendered a number of attempts that never made the gallery. I think these scene turned out pretty well though and I hope you enjoy it. Perhaps I will post some of the rejects in the weeks ahead :-)
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are on the way
03/4/20
Boardwalk (Day)
Multi-Screen Render
I thought it would be fun to see what the Boardwalk looked like during the daytime. I wanted to keep the "luminous" quality of the spheres so I backlit them with some subtle SSS. I hope you enjoy it!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are on the way
This piece really pushed Bucephalus to the max so... Please help Project Rochallor get to the finish line!!
02/28/20
Boardwalk
Multi-Screen Render
Believe it or not this is actually the same model from The Oddball but evolved quite a bit. I thought it would be interesting to see if I could build walkways or other architecture using Plant Factory. This first iteration is a bit on the fanciful side (I actually couldn't decide if this was a night scene or an abstract) but I could see some interesting future applications.
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are on the way
02/25/20
The Oddball
Multi-Screen Render
After posting "Fireborn" last week one of my Members wrote to ask if I was ever going to make any more abstracts. I checked and discovered that it's been nearly 40 renders since I've posted one! While Shadowfax chugs away rendering my volcano for multiple-monitors, I set about creating a new abstract on Bucephalus.
The result is a piece I call "The Oddball". I used techniques similar to what I used for "Shades of Blue" but took things a bit further. I hope you enjoy it!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are available!
Please help Project Rochallor get to the finish line!!
02/20/20
Fireborn
Years ago I saw a photo of an Indonesian volcano that quickly become jammed in my memory banks. Sort of like an earworm but for the mind's eye. I've been wanting to try to bring it to life for a while but I knew it would be a pretty complex undertaking. Indeed this scene took quite a bit longer than usual to get right.
I decided it would be more interesting if I based my scene on my memory of the photo rather than looking up the actual place. Maybe you will still recognize it...
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions, unfortunately, are still a ways off.
02/18/20
A Rare Alignment (Cloudtops)
Multi-Screen Render
While Shadowfax finishes up a new landscape scene I decided to continue my exploration of this particular moon system. I started this out wanting to render the scene "from space" but again got distracted creating a foreground. I hope you don't mind.
My new Shadowfax render should be available shortly so stay tuned.
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are available.
Please help Project Rochallor get to the finish line!!
02/13/20
Water Is Life (Oasis)
Multi-Screen Render
My main machine is now busily rendering a new scene (one that has taken a bit longer than usual) so I thought I would open my request mailbag. After posting "Water is Life" last year I received a number of requests for a view from within the oasis. You can't see many of the fancy Gaea techniques that inspired me to create the scene in the first place but I think it makes a nice background all by itself. I hope you enjoy it!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions should be up shortly.
01/31/20
A Rare Alignment
Multi-Screen Render
I created this scene on my old Bucephalus workstation using good old Lightwave 11. Newer software doesn't seem to run that well on the old machine so I thought it would be appropriate to do a "throwback" piece of sorts, inspired by my very first Bryce planetscapes from the 90s.
I will most definitely turn back to Bucephalus for simpler scenes like this when Shadowfax and Rochallor are busy in the future. I hope you enjoy it!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions should be up within a day or two.
01/27/20
Threnody
Multi-Screen Render
This one has gone through quite a few variations since I started the project in the first week of January. I will have a couple of alternate versions to share in a day or so but I think this one works for me now. Always dicey posting winter images in January but I have to follow the muse...
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are rendering now!
01/22/20
Samsara
Multi-Screen Render
I've wanted to try my hand at a "Gargantua" type black hole for a while now but it wasn't until I caught the film "Samsara" recently that and idea for the foreground came to me. I hope you enjoy my interpretation.
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are rendering now!
01/10/20
Nimbus (Moonlight)
Multi-Screen Render
This moonlit version of Nimbus is, in my opinion, a bit more relaxing to look at than the sunlit version. It's good to have options though and I hope you find one to suit your mood :-)
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are rendering now!
01/07/20
Nimbus
Multi-Screen Render
I stepped away from rendering for a good week or so during the holidays to have a nice little staycation with the family. Basically a lot of video games and Jason introduced me to "Rick and Morty" (!).
I'd intended to get back to work when the kids and Jessie went back to school (which is today). However, I wasn't able to stick to that and started working on this new project late last week using Vue.
I hope you enjoy it!
Non-watermarked lossless 8K version available to Lifetime Supporters and Plus Level Members (and above). Dual and triple-screen versions are available!
1/1/20
Happy New Year!!
I hope you all had a wonderful 2019 and have a happy 2020 to come. I'd like to thank my Members for sticking with me this year and for however many years you have been with me. I honestly could not have produced this gallery without you.What am I planning for 2020? I would like to move DB from my rather expensive Rackspace plan to something a bit less expensive. I have a few options in mind, but I don't want to simply move the site. I want to replace it with something modern.
I haven't decided if I am going to hire someone for this, or ask for volunteers. If anyone out there is interested in helping me with this please send a PM.
You may remember that I'd mentioned we were looking at a $2000/month health insurance bill. Fortunately we've been able to halve that since Jessica started working as a teacher's assistant (Spec Ed) at Ian's high school this fall. The job doesn't pay a lot (especially after $1000/mo is deducted for the health plan) but she loves the work :-)
Which leads me to an uncomfortable, but necessary announcement. The price for the basic yearly Memberships will be going up $5 in 2020. Auto-renewing Memberships will be $25/yr and auto-expiring will be $30/yr. The Plus Membership price will remain the same.
IMPORTANT: If you are already on a yearly plan YOUR PRICE WILL NOT CHANGE unless there is a disruption in your yearly payments and your account is auto-expired!
I haven't given myself a raise of any kind since 1999 and it was starting to show in my finances. Thanks everyone for understanding!
If you would like to help with Project Rochallor or would just like to help me out with a year-end bonus please visit my Tip Jar.
Thanks again everyone for supporting my work and my family. Please let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer them.
