Synthean - Instructional Video 3

Well, it's been a little while since my last post on this project, but in the meantime, Synthean and I have made some real progress on the restoration.

It appears that the film we were working on was actually a number of frames stuck together - so where we thought the image was a single picture featuring all three girls, it should actually have been a series of single images featuring the same background narration.  It took some work but we were able to separate the frames and provide a clearer image.  That said, in the interests of completeness, we are also providing the image as it first appeared to us during the restoration prior to separation.

Powerman2000 - Upgraded Uniforms

A sweet little piece Powerman2000 whipped up for me this year.  Great beautification sequence.  Again, nothing particularly fancy, but it worked out beautifully - I've got a number of "Wishing Stone" themed sequences that I need to work on this year.  At least in this case, the wording worked out pretty smoothly.

Merry Christmas 2012!

Nothing new here today - just a single post to link the full sequence by Synthean featured this past week.  This one will have all the requisite tags left off previously.  Synthean's generous gift art donations are really piling up.  (on a side note, I have been informed that PharmGen's morphic division may not be as defunct as I had suggested earlier - stay tuned).

All the pictures from the past two weeks may be found here!

I hope you all have a great Christmas with your friends and family!  I'm alone at the moment but I've had some good opportunities to visit with friends and family this month as well - just moved to a new location for work - hoping to be in a new apartment by the beginning of the year.

Either way, we'll have some new treats in the form of various *brand new* artworks later this week.

Synthean's 2012 Holiday Art - Vixen Finale!

Well, it's about that time so we now present the finale to Synthean's excellent Christmas sequence!

Synthean's 2012 Holiday Art - Vixen #7

You know, it's kinda funny - I coulda sworn I had the timing perfect to post one picture a day and finish on Christmas Eve - but I guess I still got it wrong - so that means two posts today.  Everyone's a winner!  (since technically it will most definitely be Christmas Day in most parts of the world by the time I post the finale).

And we're definitely getting in the proper holiday spirit with Synthean now!

"Feeling...uncontrollable....jollity!"

Synthean's 2012 Holiday Art - Vixen #6

One day closer to Christmas with Synthean!

"Suddenly feeling much lighter on my feet..."

Synthean's 2012 Holiday Art - Vixen #5

Funny how things work.  I know this might look late to most folks but let's just say it's only about 7PM here.

Getting closer to Synthean's Christmas masterpiece.

"My antlers definitely shouldn't be feeling this tight.  And why do my toes feel so funny?"

Synthean's 2012 Holiday Art - Vixen #4

Posting a little earlier today due to traveling - posts starting tomorrow might be significantly different as far as time stamps - I'll verify once I've got the time zone thing down - try to keep the seasonal ones on time at least.

More from Synthean!

"A little tighter than I was expecting.  And I don't remember my ears being quite this fuzzy before."

Synthean's 2012 Holiday Art - Vixen #3

Synthean brings the holiday cheer again today!

"What's this....holiday...spirit I feel coursing through my veins?"

Synthean's 2012 Holiday Art - Vixen #2

One day closer to Synthean's TF climax!

"Let's try it on.  Looks like a good fit."

Synthean's 2012 Holiday Art - Vixen #1

Synthean continues his holiday-themed transformation saga!

"My order has finally arrived.  This is just what I need for the office Christmas party!"

Synthean's 2012 Holiday Art - Vixen #0

'Tis the season...or something like that.  Thankfully, master artist Synthean has provided a very seasonal sequence - and in keeping with the typical media count-down to Christmas - I'll be posting one pic a day.

"C'mon...what's in the box?!?"

Synthean's 2012 Holiday Art! (Intro)

Generally I don't have a lot of holiday-themed art on the site - commissions can be difficult to schedule appropriately - but Synthean has been extremely hard at work with his own projects and has graciously provided some appropriately thematic material!

We'll start off with a little calendar pin-up.  - From the archives - If I understand correctly, PharmGen is a now-defunct former competitor to TransRepo Industries....but if any of you have heard or seen differently recently, make sure to drop me a line.

CallMePo - Sibling Rivalry

Cross-posted to "Growing up Gecko".

I've had this idea for quite a while - and the longer I followed CallMePo - the more it seemed more or less exactly the right sort of commission for an artist like him.  Only problem for me was - despite his huge number of commissions - I always seemed to miss his really short open periods.  That's the problem with working with a popular fellow.

Still, got in the queue this time - and the results were speedy and excellent!

Meg's not a bully, but as anyone growing up with siblings can attest to...every now and then someone really needs a noogie!

Poll Results and Comments - Feedback Requested!

Well, I can't say I was too surprised by the results of this end-of-the-year poll.  It roughly mirrors the 2010 poll. 

Unfortunately, 3 people didn't leave any comments to back up their votes :(  However, I do have a sweet little project by Cluedog all lined up for the first commission of the year!

As far as the year goes - I've got to say I'm very happy with the huge increase in comments this year - the feedback has been much appreciated overall.  Nice to see a general increase in responsiveness from folks.

Looking towards the upcoming year (and beyond), I've got some big and pretty solid (unique?) ideas in the works.  Can't wait to see how they turn out - just hope I'm leaving myself enough time as a whole. 

Aside from the above project(s) - keeping those mostly under wraps - I expect to have at least 2 new donation projects this next year - new artists and familiar favorites.

But while I'm on that subject...I'll probably be starting a new poll shortly.  Looking for feedback on this sort of thing - I enjoy my projects, but I can totally understand that a lot of other folks may not share my enthusiasm about some of them.  Unfortunately, I haven't tended to get as much feedback for some of them as I do for other posts.  Due to their size...they generally tend to have a much longer gestation period than the vast majority of my other commissions.  And to be truly honest, for me...at least 1/2 the fun tends to be just in the general project development - coming up with as crazy an idea as I can think of...and then slowly watching it come to life, picture by picture, page by page - pencils to inks to colors and so on.  Adding some feedback here or there, watching it slowly come together....till it's finally complete.

Then I post it here and wait and see if folks are actually interested ;p

Sooooo, looking for some feedback before I keep diving in.....more than just TF or TG or AB or whatever else (I know "Growing Up Gecko" is progressing really slowly....)...is there anything more specific that folks would like to see - obviously you've got a pretty solid idea over the past 3 years what sorts of things I'm interested in....Is there any particular type of project or artist that I haven't hit on as clearly as I could have over the past years?  I've given some consideration (generally light) to the possibility of a kickstarter-type project - but something like that would need significantly more viewer input on the front-end to even start considering it's viability.  Alternatively...would my projects do any better on the donation front if I worked in something more sexual or explicit?  I'm generally of the opinion that you can find tf/tg/etc-related porn almost anywhere whereas the variety on my site is somewhat more...."different"?  But is there a niche here I could potentially fill (one way or another ;p)?

Lastly...as far as general donations and support for the site go - I can certainly assure you that all commissions go right back into the site - would anyone ever be interested in donating for the convenience of a zip file containing ALL the commissions posted on the site (barring current donation projects, gift and bonus art) - or something similar?

As far as any of my questions above - if you don't feel comfortable leaving comments on the site, I will gladly take your comments/questions by email as well: thrandrall[at]gmail.com.

Thanks.  Have a good one!

More artz tomorrow!

Mertail - One Hot Kitty

You know....I'm really not sure why I don't work with more cat-girls.  There are a lot of great concepts out there - even ones that work for me.   Just need to have a little more than ears and a tail I guess.

Sooo, I turned to Mertail for one new look.  Still need to get more photomanips on this site.

New Request/Gift Art

Some amazing new pieces by some amazing artists!

First, as justinblong has just posted the final version of Once Bitten on his page, it's a great time to post an alternate colored version on the Gift Art page.

Definitely a very strong piece - the tone here was based pretty closely on a real poodle reference pic I sent him - very tight!

Next, we have a gorgeous poodle-girl rendition (with strong accompanying caption) by the mistress of beautiful hair - the Temp-Tress!  I will most certainly be commissioning from this amazing and generous artist in the future.

More posts this week!

justinblong - Once Bitten

My first commission by ace artist justinblong.  This one turned out beautifully.  Always loved seeing the style of justinblong's art on various transformations - and it translated amazingly well for my project...already got a second one in the works!

suan-cat - Lolita Beauties

I know it might seem like a lot of the recent posts are for single pics vice my usual preference of sequential projects...it's just that longer commissions generally take a little longer to produce....and there have been a number of amazing opportunities to work with a veritable slew of new and talented artists (new to me....I'm well aware that many have been around longer than me).

Soooo, I hope you won't mind the occasional artistic interludes featuring something often very different than what's normally featured on the site.

I was introduced to suan-cat a little while back by cobalt_k.  She's got a very unique and beautiful style - and I was more than happy to commission two portraits from her...and I think I'll probably have to order a few more in the future - these came out so incredibly well!

2,000,000 Views...Wow! (and poll notes)

Well, quite the wild ride here...

(well...maybe you had to be where "here" is....)

That said, thanks for the views - I'm not sure what it buys me, but it's been fun - comments have certainly picked up from when I started - hope to keep getting more feedback - it's a combination of affirmation (in some sad way ;p) and acknowledgement.

Soooo, I think I missed it last year due to deployment, but looking at our quasi-tradition - why not continue it this year.

Please vote in my little polls on the side and give me something aim for - and I'll see what I can do.  Comments here will certainly help too.

Have a good one.

Solios - Cocktail Hour

Always looking for more renditions of my OCs - and invariably I need to run them by Solios...if I didn't actually start the design with him of course ;p  More importantly, I'm running up a larger concept idea with him - and I want to have established designs down for certain things first.

Always like to see how a different artist portrays my characters - some work better than others - it's definitely a different look for Candy, but not necessarily a bad one.  At this point in the process, I'm really not sure if I would have been better off with a more defined look for Mistress Arianna at the very start - but as my goal has always been to set her outside of time and space (a little - given her appearances), I think the flexibility works better and allows more options for the artists.

Now the setting definitely worked out beautifully!

Weekly Update

Well, still waiting on a few projects expected in soon - but that said, check out the Pending Commissions tab on the left.  I've got a lot more projects on tap now from a bunch of new artists as well as more from some of the more familiar folks.

I can tell you that we'll be seeing some great variety here - I mean sure there'll be a few sequences of my usual types - but coming from brand new artists - as well as some wildly new concepts and portrayals.  I'm sure looking forward to them.

That said...if you've only picked up Cluedog's most recent project through the donation project - you're doing yourself a disservice - there are some great projects there from a number of other artists and I can heartily recommend them all.  More importantly - any donation supports the creation of more art for this site as well as a portion of every donation going right back to the artists.

Jitensha - Sketch Collection

Top artist Jitensha had herself a little Sketch Off this week and I had to take advantage of it.  A great opportunity to get some more visualizations of some characters.

We'll start off with the always-fashionable Mistress Arianna.

Art Contest Update

Just a reminder for all the artists out there - about 3 months left in the 6th Art Contest for the site.

Please check out the details here - and have a great Thanksgiving weekend!

zdemian - A Candid Portrait

Been meaning to do this for quite some time.  Finally snagged the opportunity to work with the master of "big" - zdemian.

In this image, we see Mistress Arianna in an earlier time and place - assisting a young woman of the court with a new dress.  Truly a beautiful professional.

Cluedog - Chapagne Wishes - the Conclusion

We finally come to the end of this massive undertaking.  Portrayed beautifully by Cluedog - a labor of love.

Thanks for the support that allows us to bring projects like this to you.

Cluedog - Champagne Wishes part 5

Resuming our posting of Cluedog's "Champagne Wishes".

Cluedog - Champagne Wishes part 4

Probably the last post for the weekend.

Happy Veterans Day / Armistice Day / Remembrance Day!  Thank someone who served!

Cluedog - Champagne Wishes part 3

Images 25-43 of Cluedog's Champagne Wishes!

Cluedog - Champagne Wishes part 2

Continuing our posting project of Cluedog's "Champagne Wishes."

Cluedog - Champagne Wishes part 1

 Keeping the tradition, now that Cluedog's newest project has been listed, I'll be posting the previous project - Champagne Wishes - in full here on the site (I think we'll go with 10-15 pics/day).

Enjoy!

Election Day 2012

Well....election day here in the US.  I voted last month - my county does mail-in ballots for absentee voting AND normal voting - but I got an early ballot due to being out of town for training.

Frankly, I'm well aware that I'm part of a tiny minority in this "community", but my thoughts on the incumbent are not suitable for polite conversation (or this blog). 

That said, this is an apolitical blog - so just for the sake of equal coverage, I'll direct your eyes towards this little piece from Engineskye I commissioned two years ago.

Part 1

and

Part 2

This commission was a lot of fun - thought about doing something similar this year, but just never worked it out....even considered an art contest, but we know how well those tend to turn out.

Will continue with some special art posting tomorrow.

Donation Art Update - Common Courtesy

I am extremely happy to present a new donation project by Cluedog.  This one has been a long time coming but I think you will agree with me that it is more than worth the wait.

The natural follow-up to the beautiful set of sequences by our guest artists this past week - Mistress Arianna occasionally reliant on public transportation finds herself waiting for an overdue bus.  All the stress of a long day has accumulated and the blatant rudeness and disrespect around her is just too much.... 

On a side note - with the sheer size of this project (over 100 images) - I am upping the price slightly to $7.50, but a full 1/3 of this will be going to the original artist.  Thanks for your support!

Art Contest #6 - "Luck Be A Lady"

Alright….time for the sixth Art Contest…the biggest ever.  I really hope to see considerably more entries this time - probably need to do a better job advertising myself, but I appreciate any help you viewers can provide too.

The new deadline is midnight 15 February 2013!  This will work partially for a 3rd Anniversary Celebration for the site - albeit a little premature - and some other key dates to be mentioned later.

The primary theme here falls under a somewhat tighter subject, but should allow plenty of space for interpretation by the artist. 

"Luck be a Lady Tonight"

Now this phrase can certainly be interpreted in more ways than one - including looking back at the original song and its associated setting - the musical "Guys and Dolls".  While the title might imply a TG transformation, that's not necessarily a necessity given other potential changes.  The key is that there should be some sort of gambling involved - it could be at the races (dog races included), any casino games, slots, poker night in the basement, big wagers - almost anything goes!

Could even be some high stakes action..but probably not fight night.

Again, any kind of transformation or process is permitted - always on the lookout for cool, original ideas that provide a little more variety from my normal commissions.

Now for process here, this one will be very open to interpretation again.  The idea here only requires a minimum of 3 pictures – although more are always encouraged.  Much as I love straight captions - there needs to be some process actually shown in the transition from beginning to end. 

I fully encourage you to share this challenge with other friends and artists you may know who don’t regularly read this site.  Any artist I have previously commissioned from – even similar subject matter – is welcome to compete, but the submission must be a new piece.

On 16 Feb, I’ll announce three winners – First prize $200, second prize $150, third prize $100 – cash prize from me to you via paypal.  From our previous contests...if we have enough entries, there will also be a Viewers Choice Poll with a prize of $50 - that's $500 in total prizes!

Now the hard and fast rules (no real changes here):

1. All work must be the original work of the person submitting it.  No exceptions.

2. Sequences must be at least 3 pictures long.  There is no upper limit to the number of pictures and additional consideration will extended for additional effort.

3. Any medium is accepted – pencils, ink, paint, digital art, CGI renders, photomorphs, etc – or any combination of mediums.

4. All submissions should include the following information (which will also be posted with the picture): artist name, medium(s), scenario (if applicable), sequence title (optional) – and any other additional information you think is relevant.

5. Subjects must be adults – at least 18 – NO exceptions!

6. Any artist may submit as many sequences as they wish.

7. Unlimited revisions are allowed during the submission period.

8. No copyrighted characters are permitted (unless they're your own characters). This means no anime, videogame, movie, comic/manga characters, etc.

9.  By entering a submission, you are automatically giving permission for me to post it on the site clearly labeled and identified as an art contest entry – and although I would prefer to avoid it, if the artist wishes to remain anonymous, I am amenable to posting their entries in that fashion.

10.  Submissions should be addressed to me: thrandrall@gmail.com – subject line should contain the artist’s name and that it is intended as a submission for the Art Contest.

Additional Guidance:
a. Upper body nudity is permitted but should not be excessive. Lower body nudity will be frowned upon. Sexual activity is right out. (This is a great opportunity to try out some new poses or stances).

b. Constructive criticism by others is encouraged in the comments section, but *should* be accompanied by suggestions on how issues might be addressed, improved, etc.

c. Extra consideration will be given for judicious, original and innovative use of fur, clothing, BE or other additional tf styles (ie. WG – within svelte, sexy limits ;p), hair growth, etc.  Backgrounds or scenarios are optional but also encouraged.

Have at it!

Morning Routine - Sunday

Our last special promo for Cluedog's "Common Courtesy" - which should be available this week (Sandy pending ;p).

Our final piece is by old favorite artist Snareser - seriously - everyone needs a day off now and then ;p

Morning Routine - Saturday

Our promo for Cluedog's "Common Courtesy" continues:

Naturally there's no point getting up super early on a Saturday.  And besides, as Mr-DNA shows us again, it's always worth treating yourself every now and then.

Morning Routine - Friday

Still chugging along on our promo for Cluedog's "Common Courtesy" - which should be available around the beginning of the month.

Today's sequence is again brought to you by blackshirtboy - sometimes you just need a little something extra with your morning joe.  TGIF!

Morning Routine - Thursday

Our promo for Cluedog's "Common Courtesy" continues:

 Today's rendition is by Darkoshen again - looks like Arianna is amping up the caffeine to positive effect.

Morning Routine - Wednesday

We now return you to your regularly scheduled update in preparation for the release of Cluedog's "Common Courtesy."

Today blackshirtboy asks us if it's really better to forgo coffee completely if decaf is the only option available?

Morning Routine - Tuesday

Again, apologies for the delayed post.

Continuing our promo for "Common Courtesy" by Cluedog.

Tuesday is by Darkoshen - this is why I stay away from decaf.

Delay

Apologies for the delay, but I suffered an unforeseen lack of internet access this morning.  I will post Tuesday's pics as soon as possible and should have no issues with the rest of the week.

thanks.

Morning Routine - Monday

I'm really looking forward to the next donation project by Cluedog.  So much so that I've got not only a beautiful promo piece - see below - but also a complete week's worth of daily pieces by some really great artists.

Classy and retro-looking IMO - very cool.  And yes, Mistress Arianna is the protagonist.

 Monday's piece is after the break - by none other than Mr-DNA!

Illustrating the "Classics"

Fast responders may have noticed a new page on the bar at the top of the site - "Illustrated Stories".

Basically, this is a concept I've been thinking about off and on over the past year - commissioning some of the best artists out there to illustrate some of my favorite stories from around the interwebs...and I've finally got it ready.

Oppaiman's rendition of "An American in Hell" serves as a pretty good example of what my intentions are.  Simply put, I'm looking at a flat commission of $100 (possibly to increase) in return for 3 to 5 pictures illustrating any of the stories on the list - even ones that have already been illustrated by another artist (although I'd prefer to see all the other stories get hit at least once prior to something like that) - and eventually getting to a point where these stories - and any others that I add to the list, wind up being virtually fully illustrated.

The illustrations can either be set throughout the story (as demonstrated by Oppaiman) or focus on a single transformation (granted in some cases the entire story consists of a single transformation sequence).

Unfortunately I can't shell out large amounts of money at random for this - even if you're willing, I may not have the resources directly at hand depending on the timeframe (I'll probably add a little availability notification window to the widgets on the page).

For prospective artists, I would like to see a link to your work (unless I've already worked with you) and a simple write up of the story you plan on illustrating and which shots you intend to portray.

As in the case of my art contests (I will be announcing another one very soon!) - my contact email is thrandrall(at)gmail.com.

Thanks for the interest!

Oppaiman illustrates "An American in Hell"

For those of you who see this update first and immediately follow it, there will be an additional explanatory post following.

That said, I am happy to present an old favorite of mine (came across it years ago):

An American in Hell by Hugh G. Breastman

(.doc with illustrations by Oppaiman)
(alternate format .doc with illustrations)

It seems as though it will require a significant amount of time to actually format a story to look reasonable on the blogger template.  Copying and pasting from word or even the website doesn't seem to retain any formatting.

That said, however, why deprive you of Oppaiman's excellent art?  Here are his first illustrations for the story. 

Note: I do not take any credit for the story - just the presentation here.

Weekly Update

Slow going lately - projects still chugging along...finances a little tighter since I've got a move coming up and also looking at a replacement laptop this month - but should still see some new pieces soon.

A few notes - first off, got a few more sample pics of the next big project by Cluedog - this one will be going by the title "Common Courtesy".  These samples may give an idea of what to expect - but since it's a slow weekend - let's run down the list (in no particular order) - multiple TGs (as always), age progression, pregnancy, weight gain, shrinking, adult baby, clothing changes, race changes - may have missed a few but I think that covers most bases (and plenty more Mistress Arianna).

Next, wanted to throw out a recommendation for Okayokayokok's recent work.  He's got a number of recent comics worth checking out for a small purchase each.  Details below.

Weekend Update

Well, apologies for the lack of posting this week.  After the big production of Swan Song a few other things are pending but not ready just yet - stay tuned for some new formats and tweaking!

In the meantime, I did want to reach back and thank Catfish and Case Scenario in particular for their detailed and insightful comments on the project - definitely the most worthwhile and detailed feedback I've had in the 2 1/2 + years that the site's been up.  While I didn't get around to responding to Catfish's last post directly, I did want to add some follow-up comments on my rationale for running the page. 

Swan Song - The Full Story

Well, I had assumed my story was fairly straightforward, but that's what I get from assuming.  It can be really easy to take things for granted as the author when you've been so focused on getting a look down and the story seems natural in your mind.  But putting together a visual representation without any verbalization or captions is something that requires a bit more thought - and I apologize for leaving things so ambiguous.

So without further ado - I present "Swan Song" in it's entirety with featured director's commentary.


----------------------------

1.

A young man arrives at his grandmother's house to help her move to a nursing home.  While packing boxes in the attic he comes across a photo of another woman - definitely not his grandmother as a young woman...someone very different.

Swan Song #14 - The Finale!

And here we come to the end of the tale - the final performance - or Swan Song if you will (although in this case, it's probably better that it doesn't end with the fat lady singing - so to speak ;p).

Hope you all enjoyed it as much as Blackshirtboy and I enjoyed working on it.  Please feel free to continue leaving feedback on it here or elsewhere.

Will probably post a collected post later on this weekend with full labels, etc.

Swan Song #13

Visiting family...

Swan Song #12

A new future.

Weekend Gift Art

A few new pics to share this weekend here.

First a piece of gift art from MDetector5 - kinda a request-granted - a different take on Mac from "Growing Up Gecko".

Next is a quick piece by in-FUR-no - always knows how to do it right.

Enjoy.

Swan Song #11

Funny how these things work.

Swan Song #10

Back in the present....another familiar face?

Another ridiculous work schedule results in delayed posting...

Swan Song #9

Back in the present.  In a very different kind of club.

Pink-Diapers - Party Surprise

Not the kind of surprise you normally expect to receive at your 30th birthday party....wonder what was in that cocktail?

Another beautiful mini-sequence by Pink-Diapers.  Again, not necessarily a direct response to the previous poll - this was commissioned significantly earlier - but works out even better this way ;p

Synthean - Instructional Video 2

It's taken a lot of hard work and elbow grease, but Synthean has managed to recover and restore a few more frames of this footage.  Almost impossible to believe, but despite the archaic nature of the footage, it appears that TransRepo Industries was actually fooling around with gene therapy or radiation-derived mutations or some other form of human transformation technology only a few years after the second World War.  Unless this is all some sort of elaborate hoax...

We'll keep on with the restoration progress and keep you posted as things develop.

Swan Song #8

Apologies for the delayed post.  Today's work schedule turned out substantially different than I was anticipating.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.  I anticipate at least one content post in the next couple of days.

Swan Song #7

We now return you to our regularly scheduled series...in progress.

AutumnNatural - Fitting Room

As mentioned previously, we're taking a brief interlude from our regular posting schedule on Swan Song as a "recognition" of Labor Day (here in the US at least) - don't worry - we'll resume on Wednesday.

Instead I'm happy to present a brand new project by a brand new (to me) artist by the handle of AutumnNatural.  A very talented and very responsive artist - great to work with!

Not much to say about this one...just another idea that came to me - love the sound effects ;p