Limited-edition “Alexa” flats (left to right): Tourmaline, Aquamarine, Amethyst

I’ve created limited edition versions of the “Alexa” metallic ballet flat in 3 pretty Spring colours. These colours will only be available during the event, and priced at L$100 (with 75% going to Amesha.)

I’ve also put out the “Cyber” necklace, an older piece I still like, with bright shiny plastic shards. L$100 during this event (regular price: L$200,) with 75% of the proceeds going to Amesha.

The alaskametro<3 booth at the event. Open until May 14th, 2013.

I decided to shop and put together an outfit using fashion from the fundraiser! I wanted to highlight my pieces, but show how they can be incorporated in a more subdued casual look, despite the vibrant colour palette.

I was inspired by the fresh, spring colours of new leaves and blue skies filled with puffy clouds.

Aeva skins come with a myriad of options, including eyebrow-less. They’re perfect to wear with my eyebrow sets (or those from other creators), allowing you to match any hair colour. They’re natural and fresh-faced, allowing you to layer on makeup as needed. I adore the pouty lips and gorgeous shading on this skin.

[Context] offers mesh clothing with a HUD that allows you to customize your outfit’s colour scheme. This minidress, Zane, offers 8 possible combinations. I like to think of this as a mood ring for dresses… today I was feeling pale grey and pastel green.

I love blue. For accessories, I paired the limited edition Aquamarine “Alexa” flats with the “Cyber” necklace in Pearl, then remembered that I picked up an affordable little blue purse on the Marketplace a while ago.

My look:

Skin: Aeva Arielle skin, Tone 4 – Natural (Aeva/Heartsick fundraiser item, L$100)
Eyebrows: alaskametro<3 Mocha brows 01
Hair: [e] “Again” in Brown 04
Eyeshadow: alaskametro<3 Creme duo “Peacock”
Eyelashes: alaskametro<3 Au Naturale
Lipstick: Aeva Glossy Kiss lips (Aeva/Heartsick fundraiser item, L$75 for 6 pack)
Freckles: alaskametro<3 upcoming release (sparse)
Nails: alaskametro<3 “Pool”
Eyes: alaskametro<3 “Ocean”
Dress: [Context] “Zane” mesh dress (Aeva/Heartsick fundraiser item, L$100)
Necklace: alaskametro<3 “Cyber” in Pearl (Aeva/Heartsick fundraiser item, L$100)
Shoes: alaskametro<3 “Alexa” flats in Limited Edition Aquamarine (Aeva/Heartsick fundraiser item, L$100)
Handbag: Magi Take mini bag (blue), no longer available

For more information on the fundraiser: foraevaheartsick.wordpress.com

Visit the fundraiser!  |  Visit the alaskametro<3 booth at the fundraiser

Above: Sketchbook showing some rough ideas. Also in the background, the all-important tools!

My process

1. I usually start sketching with a black fine-liner. Though I’ve been trained at an art school, I’m not much of a figurative illustrator, so I tend to sketch the rough shape and let the on-computer process dictate the final look and feel.
2. Then I work on the computer – in my case, I’m doing everything on an old black MacBook (shown above) using Adobe Photoshop CS3 and a Bamboo Wacom tablet (also shown.) To preview stuff, I use the SL Clothing Previewer – vital for saving L$ on upload fees if you don’t own high-end 3d software (which I don’t.)
3. Even after uploading to Second Life, there’s adjustments to be made! The flat shading in SLCP isn’t what we generally see inSL, and the colour definitely shifts from what I see in Photoshop.

Preview: “Trish” underwired dress

Above: “Trish” dress, the top left illustration shown on the sketchbook page above. It’ll be available soon!
Also worn: “Persephone” mirror-sole platform shoes in midnight,  “Kadence” hair by Truth

For this underwired corset-style lingerie dress (named “Trish” after an acquaintance in RL,) I ended up adding a lace panel option once I got working on the computer. Often stuff evolves as I’m working on it; the crossed straps were added based on the separate corset top design.

Spring colours

I always try to work within a unified colour palette, even if I don’t release much from season to season. The above colours combine some of my favourite soft neutrals and feminine tones with the saturated hot primaries that I secretly love… even if I’d never wear them in RL.

A note on mesh

I wasn’t sure if I should write a separate blog post detailing my feelings on using rigged mesh clothing for my Spring 2013 line. Based on talking to newer Second Life avatars and some of my oldbie friends (sorry I called you that!) it seems it’s a very polarizing topic. For any Second Life creator whose strength lies in texturing, not 3d modelling, it’s a technology for which we must weight the pros and cons.

As a consumer, I went “wheee!” when I learned about rigged mesh, and tried a bunch of demos. Not a single one fit me the way I’d like… I was crushed to learn that the mesh will not distort with the underlying avatar’s mesh, but instead is forced into a set “size” upon upload. I’ve bought a few items and sucked it up, modified my shape a little or worn an alpha layer, and been ultimately disappointed with the entire experience.

As a texture artist, the idea of having more control over the UV map and fabric drapery was thrilling. But, again, there’s no distortion to “fit” avatars automatically. As I’m a far better texturer than 3d modeller, I toyed with the idea of purchasing prefab meshes (or hiring an artist to help me produce said meshes.) I felt there were too many drawbacks:

• There’s a still a chance that the Deformer Project will still go ahead, meaning that new 3d mesh uploads WILL fit your avatar automatically. Which I desperately want, but will render any prefab or existing content second-rate in comparison… so why bother working with rigged mesh right now?
• Many people are already using prefab rigged meshes, so a lot of the rigged mesh clothing looks similar. If I purchase said prefab meshes, I’d like to export & modify them to make them my own (while I’d never consider myself a 3d artist, I do have experience with modifying meshes)… something their terms of use generally does not allow.
• Many of the demo prefab rigged meshes I’ve tried have poor UV mapping. (Before I joined Second Life, I did a lot of skinning for The Sims and The Sims 2. I’m sure that’s not unique. However,  I gained a lot of experience in working with 3d models, UV maps, and textures in that time… I’ve re-mapped a lot of Sim objects and meshes to fix patterns and seams, and I’m still very picky about UV mapping.)
• The Standard Size project is a good attempt to unify rigged mesh content, and provide consumers with a guide to purchasing mesh clothing in Second Life. However, I find the sizes are just too small! (According to the standard sizes, my avatar would be about a medium.) In an ideal virtual universe, our clothes would fit us… we wouldn’t change to fit our clothes! Which is why I’d want to see the Deformer Project succeed. The Standard Sizes are good, but the Deformer Project is ideal.
• I’m a control freak and want to learn to properly rig my own 3d content, so that I own the rights from sketch to vertex to pixel to final product.

Once I analyzed my feelings about rigged mesh clothing, and decided to wait it out and see if the Deformer Project happens, I felt enormous relief. I could continue to work with technology and methods I am familiar with, and perfect my 3d skills on the side without feeling pressure to release it to the general public. “Trish”, the underwired dress shown above, utilizes the system skirt. Sigh all you want, at least the skirt will actually fit you with a skirt shape. You can keep your proportions, even if you’re a plus size or a petite avatar.

As always, I’ll clearly label anything so you’ll know which products use the system layers, which use sculpted add-ons, mesh non-rigged add-on, and (eventually I hope) deformable mesh.

Now that you’ve heard my opinion on the entire rigged mesh can-o-worms, what’s your take?

Matte Smoke eyeshadow is a powdery, semi-transparent blended eyeshadow. Available in “Charcoal” grey, “Swoon” hot pink, “Lush” purple, “ForgetMeNot” blue, “Teal” blue/green and “Surplus” green (free tester.)
Extreme Wing eyeshadow is a slightly shimmery thick crayon look, drawn in a trendy winged shape. Available in “Cyanide” blue/green, “Electric” blue, “Cerise” hot pink, “Ultraviolet” purple, “Acid” green and “Flame” orange/red (free tester.)
Matte Dark lipsticks are a solid, matte/opaque look. Available in “Classic Red”, “Swoon” hot pink, “Venom” purple, “Vamp” dark red, “Autumn” brown and “Gothic” black (free tester.)

All makeups are available on the Marketplace store and in-world.

Above: Matte Smoke eyeshadow in “Swoon” with “Swoon” dark matte lipstick.
Also worn: “Olive” skintone Asian, “Abyss” eyes, Chestnut brow 02, “Drop” earrings (Tourmaline), and hair by Lelutka.

Above: Matte Smoke eyeshadow in “Teal” with “Classic Red” dark matte lipstick.
Also worn: “Rose” skintone, sparse freckle layer, “Ocean” eyes, Auburn brow 01, and hair by Lelutka.

Above: Extreme Wing eyeshadow in “Cyanide” with “Gothic” FREE matte dark lipstick.
Also worn: “Cacao” freckled skintone, “Eclipse” eyes, Midnight brow 01, and hair by Lelutka.

Above: Extreme Wing eyeshadow in “Flame” (FREE) with “Autumn” matte dark lipstick.
Also worn: “Ivory” skintone, “Nile” eyes, Sanddollar brow 04, alpha pout layer, and hair by Lelutka.

Sign up for the mailing list (don’t forget your Second Life name!) before December 29 2012, midnight SLT, to receive your free limited edition version of the upcoming release “Bette” lingerie. “Bette” is a satin bra and shorts set with black lace trim, hand-drawn with a high level of detail and shine.

I’ll be sending a limited edition colour to the mailing list after December 29 at midnight. If you miss this gift, don’t worry, I’ll be sending more gifts to my mailing list subscribers in the future!

Left: “Milla” face dress in Swoon (purple), Right: “Laara” sequin dress in Celebration (gold)

If you’ve previously purchased the “Milla” off-the-shoulder lace dress, or the “Laara” sequin minidress, check the skirt permissions. Due to a bug, some people aren’t able to modify the skirt prims, though they are set to enable modify permissions. I’ve updated the versions for sale in store and on the Marketplace. If you’ve got an older version with incorrect permissions, please email me (AlaskaMetropolitan@gmail.com) with your Marketplace transaction information and I’ll drop a new copy on you.

“Laara” is still available in Poinsettia red and Evergreen for FREE in world until January 1, 2013! <3