Category: Muse
Faces of Kuumba: A Study
Kuumba doesn’t get enough attention. I don’t know why? He’s a man after my own heart; musical, artistic, poetic. Creative in every way. Mostly he’s seen with the family, his wife Umoja and Nia, their daughter. That’s cool but he’s going to get more attention in the future. These images are a study of expressions. I felt like I wanted to get a better range of Read More …
Marketing Books using Virtual Photography
I call this image creation technique “virtual photography.” It seems an accurate description as I only model minimal portions of the image. For the most part, I gather pre-made virtual props, arrange them in space, light the scene, and choose the aperture, frame, and film stock. Read More …
Figure creation with Blender 3D and Manuel Bastioni Lab
Speaking of summer vacation, I thought I’d update you with a few of the things I worked on over the past few months. If you’ve been browsing my site for a while you should know that I do my illustrations primarily using a 3D program called Poser and polish them off with Photoshop. Recently I’ve been using another program called Blender to create various props and textures Read More …
Kinara’s Children, Black Panther and More: Hanging with AkronHipHip.com
All About Kinara’s Children Here’s a pretty cool interview conducted by brother Hiram Akeem of AkronHipHop.com. It gave me a chance to go in on what and why I created Kinara’s Children. It’s really good to have a conversation rather than just kind of dropping my work on social media. It’s also instructive to see my work through other people’s eyes and, of coarse, practice my Read More …
Wakanda Fashion: Nia’s Black Panther Dreams
I’ve been a Black Panther fan for a very long time, dating back to the 70’s. Even though I was excited to learn of the recent, most excellent film just released I figured I wouldn’t be able to make any fan art because I’ve been totally focused on my ongoing project, Kinara’s Children.
Well never say never, because it turns out that little Nia is a fan too. So I thought I’d whip up this little costume using Blender (natch), and hook Nia up with an early Halloween outfit. Read More …
African 3D Art: Fertility Doll Rigged for Blender
Well I guess she’s getting down! This is the fun part. Experimenting and learning new stuff. My character Nia needs a prop. Like Ujima has his tool belt and Kuji has her books. What better for a young child than a doll. Not just any doll but this Ashanti Akua’maa. It’s purpose is to help teach young girls how care for a newborn and to ensure healthy children Read More …
Black History Flash Cards: Review
I wanted to make a brief note on a product you’ve probably seen advertised on social media. Black History Flash Cards: Vol 1 from Urban Intellectuals. I received my pack a few weeks ago. I must say I’m impressed with the whole operation. The cards and outer pack are well designed with sturdy materials. The selection of people and events is well thought out, and they delivered Read More …