Tess Falworth

"Shine with all the untold Hold the light given unto you Find the love to unfold In this broken world we choose In unending storms We search for space to breathe How our hearts are worn We've come so far In this desert How we blossom and we cease Tell your story now We have so much to know" Vienna Teng, Shine

I had a great time meeting two other forum members in-world, Kristen and LeeLee.. and being me I just had to grab a pic! Kristen was kind enough to pose for me.. so here is the result.. thank you Kristen!

I thought the lyrics fit the photo..its a glimpse of light in a mine of gold The cute hair is from Nani, for today's Fifty Linden Friday. I also snagged that cute sweatshirt dress as a store gacha..it fit my lighter mood. I hope everyone has a light-filled and joyful day "It's an afterglow, it's an echo Still ringing out in spite of me It's the faint outline of the divine In the hiding place of my periphery So I let go and in this moment, I can breathe I can breathe The setting sun through open windows The honouring of every shadow A gratitude for all that follows It's a glimpse of light in a mine of gold" Sleeping at Last, Joy

Maybe everyone that responded to this post should form one family? hmmm...

Oh nice! yes, sometimes the freebies are pretty nice..doesn't hurt to go see , right? you look good in it by the way!

Maybe we just need to set a date/time for everyone to meet in SL? Maybe that will be a fun idea..though.. not sure as to timezones.. I'm Tess, and I am introvert..I love obscure poetry and quotes, music, animals, art and making art of all kinds (RL and SL). I dont' think of myself as lonely, but I am always up for a meet and greet.

It feels like falling. It feels like rain. Like losing my balance Again and again. It once was so easy; Breathe in, breathe out. But at the foot of this mountain, I only see clouds. I feel out of focus, Or at least indisposed As this strange weather pattern Inside me takes hold. Each brave step forward, I take three steps behind. It's mind over matter - Matter over mind. Slowly, then all at once. A single loose thread And it all comes undone. Where there is light, A shadow appears. The cause and effect When life interferes. The same rule applies To goodness and grief; For in our great sorrow We learn what joy means.

omg this cracked me up! that dude gives me nightmares tho... needs to see the dentist lolol

Happy to help as well

No my dear, common sense is not that common! But, to be very fair, when you first start in SL it can be very overwhelming, and often people stick with trends and don't put that much effort into it because they are still just learning. I think its an evolution for many. I know I was guilty of it at some point myself! But.. not pin head..never that!

Honestly, I think I may have to just do a tutorial on this stuff....for the love of Pete! It really is not that difficult, and you don't need money to look it up...yegads. I think Jessica is right, take pride in yourself!

The issue with most folks is that they don't actually understand proportions for a human..fingertips reach to about midthigh, and that the inside of the elbows should be about in line with the actual waist/belly button of a human female. People tend to also forget that a human female shoulders should not look like a linebackers While I know that there are many many MANY variations ( I have a degree in Art/Painting and Art History and have studied human figure ad naseum) I know that not everyone ges that. And its not a bad thing, its just what folks know or have been exposed to. I grew up looking at Japanese animation, and hence so many of my drawings that I make for myself have those proportions, and also in SL those proportions tend to creep out. Alot of folks also make their avi proportinal to those things around them so I totally get it. And, if things around them are super tall, they will make their avi fit that. I refused to do that and stuck to a more "normal" height, and as time went on I saw that creators were making more accurately sized things to use, so I looked more proportional to them. It is all relevant to what you are standing next to really! Below are actually links that show it better..anyway, this is a "thing" for me, as a classically trained artist seeing people with pin heads and abnormally tall bodies with short arms makes me cringe.. oi! http://seams-couture.blogspot.com/2011/04/standard-proportions-for-sketching.html

I so agree with you! I just never understand it..I've been called shorty multiple times, and I am about 6 feet in SL!

So, I went for freebies today at Gacha Garden... can you tell I like pink? The hair (Analog Dog) , skin (glam affair) , both necklaces, and shirt (Tentacio/Mays Soul) (or what passes for a shirt haha!) the leggings, nail appliers (Alme) are just a few of the gifts I found there..I did play some gachas too So, if you are looking for some little extras for your avi, go check it out. By joining the group you can pick up the freebies, and the group is free to join. I actually don't do freebies much, but this was a nice assortment. And, that pink hair tho... love!!

LAQ and Lelutka heads have really pretty animations as well..you might try a demo and then modify the head to suit your needs. I NEVER use the shape that comes with the heads.. I make and use my own for every head I own (Catwa, LOGO, Lelutka, LAQ, Utilizator, etc) I did see an adult animation HUD on marketplace but since I was not in the market for it I can't for the life of me remember what the name was, though I think you can find some with search. Anyway, LOGO has actually some very nice animations on their heads that come with the head actually. I own the Quinn head and though I like alot of things about it, I am not really too keen on the actual profile of the had at all. I like the Alexis Bento head more, as it reminds me of their old non-bento Alex head and the anims are pretty nice for adult stuff. As for getting your face to work while "adulting"..sometimes people use their hud and change the expression based on what they are doing, and its not really the animations that are in the object they are on that is doing it. I've also found that sometimes when I try to animate my head, I need to detach any other HUDs for animations that I might have or shut them off, as they may interfere, and this is just for photos mind you. The same might be for the animations for "adult stuff". For now though, if I had to recommend a head solely on animations.. I'd say Lelutka and LOGO with LAQ right up there, with LOGO and Lelutka really close to a tie for first. Good luck with it and let us know how you make out!

uncropped and unedited, but I am dressed..which is half the battle! And, I am even wearing shoes! .. thank God for Blueberry or I'd be naked more. I probably own a hundred pairs of mesh jeans, yet I keep coming back to Blueberry's jeans and tops for those "holy sh&it, can't find anything in my inv, what do I wear today?" moments.

who is the maker for the body?

Change is hard. It is the one thing that we are all resistant to, whether we like it or not, because it is based on fear. Also, change can cost a pretty penny when you start diving in to mesh heads, bodies, etc. There is an array of choices, so trying on demos first is a good thing. Everyone will have their favorite bodies and heads they recommend, and honestly, don't expect to just have one. I have .. far too many probably! But, it has allowed me to let go of that fear of change, and embrace the possibilities Learning new things can be fun and you might end up with something you like more than with what you started. At least your shoes will fit, right?

"Souls tend to go back to who feels like home."

Lillith you made me chuckle, thank you! xo

ugh pardon for the double post.. my browser refreshed in the middle!

Wow! this is actually a pretty interesting convo in that the stratification of individuals based on looks and $ and material possessions continues. I love SL for the ability to express creativity. I love to see what everyone does with their avatar and how they customize it. I also understand that some have more $L to spend on it, and time too, as it does take time to do this. That does not make them BETTER. SL is a visual environment, therefore we do use our eyes to judge, as we cannot have the pleasure of intimate non-verbal communication or eye-contact. However, I've met and still am friends with folks whose avatars may be considered "less than" by some, and yet they are the most amazing souls and personalities. And yes, I am still guilty of this as anyone else is. Because of my pre-disposition for a certain look, body shape, and face shape, I tend to gravitate to those individuals that fit my inherent aesthetics. I'm human, it's what happens. But I am also aware of it. Mea Culpa. Then I move on. Because in the end it is that person behind that avatar that we are interacting with. This is the look I love the most.. for dramatic purposes. Most of the time though.. my RL handler is in jeans and a hoodie..chasing after my two dogs and my two kids, battling the monsters under the bed, making cookies, drawing the same unicorn over and over again becuause my 7 year old wants to repaint it becuase she didn't like the first 1234th versions. That fallen angel with the ripped out wings and the claws approves, and has asked me to get off my soap box. And for the record, I love Skell's look and his range of diversity, plus .. he's just classy. peace xo

Wow! this is actually a pretty interesting convo in that the stratification of individuals based on looks and $ and material possessions continues. I love SL for the ability to express creativity. I love to see what everyone does with their avatar and how they customize it. I also understand that some have more $L to spend on it, and time too, as it does take time to do this. That does not make them BETTER. SL is a visual environment, therefore we do use our eyes to judge, as we cannot have the pleasure of intimate non-verbal communication or eye-contact. However, I've met and still am friends with folks whose avatars may be considered "less than" by some, and yet they are the most amazing souls and personalities. And yes, I am still guilty of this as anyone else is. Because of my pre-disposition for a certain look, body shape, and face shape, I tend to gravitate to those individuals that fit my inherent aesthetics. I'm human, it's what happens. But I am also aware of it. Mea Culpa. Then I move on. Because in the end it is that person behind that avatar that we are interacting with. This is the look I love the most.. for dramatic purposes. Most of the time though.. my RL handler is in jeans and a hoodie..chasing after my two dogs and my two kids, battling the monsters under the bed, making cookies, drawing the same unicorn over and over again becuause my 7 year old wants to repaint it becuase she didn't like the first 1234th versions. That fallen angel with the ripped out wings and the claws approves, and has asked me to get off my soap box. And for the record, I love Skell's look and his range of diversity, plus .. he's just classy. peace xo

ugh I accidentally quoted another's post that had responded to yours, but feel free to check it out!

Mesh heads are awesome in my opinion! I love the photo quality of them even in super low graphics. Same with mesh bodies. There are MANY heads to choose from within each brand, and the ones that have the most stuff made for them tend to be the most popular, and vice versa. For example, you will find lots of low priced gachas for Catwa and Lelutka heads, but not so much for others. Yet, there are also designers that make universal Omega appliers (though alot of this is going out the window wiht the new feature of baked on mesh, but I digress). So, yea, mesh heads are by far one of the best ways to get a lovely looking avi that you can customize quite well. For example, my avatar below in same mesh head but with different skins, shapes, hair, eyes, etc. This happens to be the Catwa Catya. Some bento heads have a basic structure that is more unique than others, so you will be able to customize within the constraits of THAT head. For example, the Catwa Lona has a specific nose shape and mouth that other heads, for example, the lips and nose on the Catwa Lona head. To find what you like, you should look at demos but also suggest looking at blogs, flickr and just other avis wearing mesh heads and see what they did to customzie their look. Often, as in our default state, just changing a skin will be a pretty big change. The variances you will find in between creators of heads can be dizzying, but just be patient, try demos, and see which one fits YOUR style, budget and SL lifestyle. if you want to see various heads that I used, you can see them on my blog http://bubblegumpop2013.blogspot.com/ ... Also, suggest you check out Strawberry Singh's vlogs on Youtube for mesh heads. Lots of good info! Good luck! Tessy