Our Patron Muse
El i z a Wi e rwi g ht Oh Look A DEER
Tegan Sara’s Floorplan
Make Your Home the Talk of the Party
from the founder
This issue is the thirteenth edition of Royal Living Magazine and proof that Second Life dreams do come true what was once my personal addiction to furniture, landscaping and prim items is now shared with thousands of people around the world. I never thought so many people would share my lust for home items, but I was very very wrong! I say those things often because I am truly grateful for the support and compliments I have received and it is still overwhelming when someone says, “Oh I love that magazine! It’s yours?!”This publication is the result of a wonderful group of artists working together to give praise to the content creators that build our world here in Second Life. This holiday season we are reminded family, friends and health is what matters most! The home I have here in world with my incredibly patient and equally prim addicted husband is my favorite place; it gives peace and comfort when I need a quiet moment without our content creators that would not be possible. I wish everyone a joyous Holiday Season and as always...
, o x o x
Happy Decorating!
e i c a r G
Gracie Kangjon, Royal Living Magazine
“
I please myself with the graces of the winter scenery, and believe that we are as much touched by it as by the genial influences of summer. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
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lE y
Namaste
Elysium Eilde
sta
staff photos by
Lead Photographer
Tara Voskhod
Photographer & Writer
Naraelina Ordinary
Writer Jewell
Photographer & Writer
Journey Lorakeet
Mu
aff
y Eve Leroux
Writer
Altonia Jewell
unro (not pictured)
Photographer
Stephen Venkman
Writer
Icewood Bayn
Table of C Letters from the Founder & Editor . . . . . . 24 Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Unique Skyboxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Homemade Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 We Spotted a Deer, Brandon London . . . . 56 Featured Photographer:
Stephen Venkman . . . 68
Patron Muse, Eliza Wierwight . . . . . . . . . 82 Exploring Second Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Contents Go to Your Room! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 O, Christmas Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 New Year’s Eve Private Affair . . . . . . . . . 116 What’s Your SL Dating Personality? . . . . 124 Blue Print of Tegan Sara . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Vintage Chic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Baby Its Cold Outside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Unique Skyboxes
Written & Photographed by Altonia Jewell
I have been exploring and found a lot of interesting spaces to spend your Second Life since mesh has been integrated! The skybox market is exploding with creations from the comfortable family home to truly unique experiments! I have selected three that piqued my interest and had to investigate further; these three are wonderful creations designed to fit on any parcel.
The first is an instant favorite and rather clever! Many people have created apartment buildings in Second Life, but
NotSOBad
has taken apartment living beyond expectations! The Charly lobby connects multiple floors with a wonderful detail of the mailboxes for everyone in the units! Each door way can rez an Ines Skybox with a simple click of the door buzzer. The units are all connected and wonderfully done with NotSOBad’s usual flourish of detail and use of light. The Ines skybox can be purchased separately with all of the wonderful skylights it is a wonderful living or work space!
Next up was a fun piece I found at an event! This beauty is from the amazing people at
Fanatik Architecture and is named the Beehive. I will need to whip out that ‘do and hang out this 18 prim unusual space! It is rather dark inside the box but this is a great prop for photos or as an additional hang out area in your wood. The detail is especially well done just add your own bees and clutter!
Shiver me timbers ARGHHH calling all of our role play friends we found a mesh dream come true! This absolutely fun new creation from
Aperture!
This special ship is a whimsical mesh creation complete with canon to deter nosey neighbors! Send your ex to walk the plank or use this for a theme party! Mischief and fun await you on the decks of your very own ship! Ahoy mateys!
Build Som
mething Magical with Royal Living Magazine
photo by River Stromfield
Homemade Soul
Written & Photo
ographed by Journey Lorakeet
As we inch closer towards the end of the year, you might find yourself at a cross between fall and winter. I have whipped up a cosy example to show you how you can mix a room for both seasons. I wanted to put a spin on another one of DECO’s lovely houses, “The Avalon”. This one was quite challenging as it uses prodominantly white and grey oak wood and are perfect subtle choices, but generally, we tend to use warm colors for autumn. The open rooms help us to make use of space and utilitise colors. LISP’s “Vine Vite Bistro Kitchen” is an example of piece of furniture that I wanted to design the room around. It’s perfect for a cabin feel and gives the room a vintage flair. The room is further accented with the use of stone, wools, wicker and dark iron. When you are dealing with a semi neutral palette, it is ok to use bold color. I love adding hints of red and as you can see the burst of red grabs your attention; just make sure that you use it sparingly so that your room remains balanced. Additionally, books and low lit candles are excellent details to add to any room. Having made up an interior with a fusion of styles, we have managed to mix modern, vintage and contemporary furniture.
dining room/kitchen
Dellinger Desk - PILOT Burlap Curtains - Mudhoney Wave Vases - MESHWORX Charlotte Woodburning Stove / Black - {what next} Gangplank Oddment , black/brown (wheel chair) - (pda) Artist Reclaimed Chair - White Paint,Fresh Catch - Atelier Kreslo (flowey/ohmai) Tribeca Chair / Red - The Loft Farmhouse Table (b.) - { ililo } Gnesen Harvest Indian Corn Dazzle - POST Candle Tray - Mudhoney Vintage Flutter Rug - Kosh Vine Lamp Long, Vine “Vite” Bistro Kitchen - LISP Olive oil bottles - Dutchie
living room
Priya Dressing Screen, Priya Carnations - Mudhoney Wall bookshelf, Ind. Lamp / alloy - { ililo } Suede Storage Bench Red, Strapped Sphere - The Loft Nick’s Futon, Nick’s Raggedy Table - .lame Bottles - Drowsy Striped rug - North West JAPAN Sushi - Apple Fall Tangerine Dream Chair - LISP Nest tables 01 - *Y’s HOUSE* Tea Mug - Atelier Kreslo “Autographs,” Birkbeck Hill, 1896, White Votive - POST Stuffed Siamese Herons by Cherry Manga - Mysterious Wave Iron Side Table (gunmetal) by Lili Brink Arthur Pictures, Condensed - DIGS
back wall
MATRYOSHKA Black Shiny (doll) - *L&Co* Red & Insolence Bamboo Jars - Tartessos Arts Driftwood clock gatcha / slate - floorplan. Bridges Bar Cart, Murrow Table- PILOT Parapluie-Revel, c.1922 (Frame 1) - The Loft KYUSU [SUMI] (tea set) - *Y’s HOUSE* Simple Candles 1 - M.Fox/The Loft
White Votive (candles) - POST Circle Shelf, Hammered Metal Plate - The Loft Billy Ball Vase - MudHoney Stool, KOKEDAMA 06 (plants) - *Y’s HOUSE* Fashion magazines - Dutchie
hallway
Bistro Fan, Lantern / opper - LISP Wave_Vase & Hive Lamp - MESHWORX Vintage wall coat rack - ABISS *modified Hanging Chalkboard - North West Round Chair 01 - *Y’s HOUSE* Old Books - TypeJ - ~*GOD*~ Double frames on a string - North West bohemian holiday. wood tree - Art Dummy!
Laura Console, books - Mudhoney Laurence Traveller Bench - Cheeky Pea KOKEDAMA 05 (plant) - *Y’s HOUSE* Letter Frame R - The Loft Franny phone *black* - Artilleri Home Bookreading Prints / Red - LISP Dans la Vie (floor plant) - Zigana
We Spotted A DEER...Wait it is Brandon L
Phot
London!
tographed by Tara Voskhod
Shopping for a new place that will become home can be a very daunting task especially if one does not have a particular style in mind. I spend a lot of time talking with people about stores they love, styles, furniture, etc. and the residents who have shopped at Deer all say the same thing, ‘it feels warm and like home.’ After having the chance to speak with Mister Brandon London, the creator of Deer, I can assure our readers he is equally as warm and has created quite a number of magnificent homes. It was an honor to spend some time with him and get a little insight on the man behind the antlers, so to speak! Brandon discovered the realm of Second Life “on a whim one night actually while in college. I was taking a computer music course which I needed to do a project for and was seeking unique ideas to fulfill it. Long story short, and without getting too geeky on the topic, I ended up creating an in world audio/ visual music installation. It comprised of an environment in which avatars could explore and depending on their
path would in turn create a unique composition. It was quite interesting and I had to learn to build quickly of course. My first impression of Second Life was probably initially like most... “How the hell do I get around... what’s this... what’s that?” It just so happened to be Christmas break after my project so I was able to spend a lot of “addicted” time on SL.” I wandered around wearing a box for a while my first day, but Brandon said “well, I literally started to build the first day. I remember when I purchased my first 512 lot... which seemed like a lot of money at the time and was a big commitment on a College budget! There is a funny story too, well at least to me, about my first building/business endeavor. I wanted to build the most luxurious upscale hotel ever. I spent days working on it and about half way through I realized.... people don’t really need to sleep..... bummer. So I ditched the idea. I’ve always had a love for hotels and architecture for that matter. I
went to school for music and film however, so this was my architecture outlet. The first home I built is long gone and deleted as it should be :) thus no picture sadly. I will tell you it was pretty laugh worthy today though. Everyone starts somewhere right?” Brandon has certainly come a long way from that night, but when he thinks back on his earlier creations he can appreciate both how far his individual skills and Second Life has come over the years. He said, “The most improved thing for me would certainly be the inclusion of mesh. I’ve been working my way towards offering all mesh homes from here on out. I really think the look, the control, and the prim savings they offer makes them the best way to go. I have experience modeling in rl for work but never had to do some of the methods to get them into SL before. It’s still very much a learning experience.” I guess like most people I had wondered why the name, Deer, was selected for his store. Brandon explained that “To be honest, I’m not 100% sure where it
came from beside a long process I went through to find a name that was not only what I wanted but one that was available. I choose the deer in the end for what the animal represents in my mind. It’s a strong yet mysterious creature. To me they also have a sophisticated look about them. I wanted a name that was short, easy to remember, and didn’t have any feelings associated to it. Plus I just like deer.” Thankfully for many residents he also just likes architecture because he believes that “there is just something neat about making structures that you can interact with in a realistic manner. One thing I always strive for is to create homes that are as realistic as possible. It’s fun to dream and have a fantasy home of course, but I’ve always been a stickler about living on the ground in SL, having windows that open, etc. It’s quite funny when people IM me “The windows open!?”... aren’t they supposed to?” It is unusual to hear about Brandon’s interaction with his customers he is de-
lighted to spend some time talking with them about their purchases or even potential purchases. He said, “The most important thing to me is staying connected to my customers. I feel that too many designers ignore, or neglect customers unless there is an error of some sort. Maybe they are busy, but I am quite busy myself in rl. I feel though that if I never talked to my customers, which by the way they are usually surprised about when I do, that I wouldn’t know what they want, what they like, what they don’t, etc. They help me design for everyone. It only gets tricky when half want bigger homes, and the other smaller, etc. I try my best to listen and adapt to their needs.” Brandon did admit building can become challenging when “SL gets in the way. When it thinks it should rotate a prim of mine by .02 degrees, or that it should import however it feels like... it can get very crazy as we all know. I call it the SL period... seems every month she gets one. No offense ladies!” I assured him none would be taken! He also said that
in the end it is worth the challenge because his “favorite part is when all is finished, and I get to see my home in SL complete and functional. Sometimes I get frustrated that it turns out not as I hoped but sometimes I’m like finally there she is.” His favorite product so far is the newly released “Montauk House. It always tends to be the latest home I make for the most part. I like The Montauk House mostly because it’s showing me how close I am to getting a solid method of building again. Moving from prim to mesh was a tough transition. Not understanding the process fully was a bit scary at first, but as anyone would say, you just dive right in and you’ll figure it out. It seems like every house reveals one more thing I didn’t do right, or could do better next time. I always try to improve however even on the aspects I know. It’s all a balance.” As always I wonder where inspiration for each new build comes from and Brandon explained that “Inspiration for me is quite easy I suppose, I sort of have visions in my head of homes
I hope to one day live in. I see things in magazines, online, or on HGTV and take mental shots of things I like. Then when I want to make a new home I literally have a huge sketch pad I lay on the floor and I just start drawing. I say what kind of style it will be, how many rooms roughly, and what kind of shape. Then I just fill in all the creative blanks. Once I have sketched it all out, I re sketch on grid paper and upload to Maya and begin meshing away.” Brandon would describe his style as “certainly be a bit eclectic. In my mind I have an idea of a style I strive for always... whether it comes to life in that style or not is another story. I would say I’m sort of into the traditional, vintage, upscale look. I like old things like a beach house that has been abandoned... and I also love grand hotels. So trying to find a good marriage of all these is tough but proves interesting I think. I live in some of my homes from time to time, but currently I camp out above my shop in The Brownstone House. It’s a cozy house... but I feel I
may be moving into the Montauk soon. Some of my favorite furniture stores are Lisp, What Next, Cheeky Pea, and... I can’t remember more at the moment. I feel these places share a similar style I like. Speaking of furniture though... I started to make my own recently but got caught up in rl work and had to stop for a bit. I started off with two kid rooms and have much more coming down the pike that I hope people will love. I wanted to start offering furniture with my homes. Hopefully all will be up and around during Christmas.” This was certainly news to become excited about especially after walking through the homes at Deer and having a true sense of the character they exude. Real life does have a way to take over as does the business side of running a store for creators. Brandon explained that he doesn’t “really stop working in rl or sl... which may be good or bad, I’m not sure yet. I work from home so it makes sl work a bit easier. I will say though, that I really enjoy all aspects of running a business as do I
in rl. I’ve always been self-employed in both worlds. It’s an amazing amount of work, which you never even realize till you look back. You just sort of suck it up and go with it because you love it; sometimes though SL works as an escape from my rl work and vice versa. They play nicely off each other and it certainly helps that I do modeling in rl work as well. However, the process is a bit different when importing into SL so that can be quite the pain in the arse!” He continued to explain that having a personal side of Second Life can prove equally as difficult as the work at times. “The business aspects of sl are unique I would say. In rl I find it much easier to plow through work... second life seems to fight me often. The personal side is interesting and tough at times as well. I try to stay professional with people while having some social life in sl as well. The tough part is being open to customers but also having time to myself or with close friends. I love my customers and talking to them but at sometimes it’s hard to sign in and just
work... I usually can’t put up a busy message... I just cave in to nice people. I do have a great friend in rl who helps me with customer support now which has been a big help. It’s tough running a business, but the rewards are plentiful. The creativity flows, the people are lovely, and what else could I ask for?” If I could create time I would lend it to Brandon after hearing about his work and process to create I cannot imagine what he could do with even more time! Deer is an absolutely wonderful store and a must see for those in the market to truly find home.
“
A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light. -Leonardo da Vinci
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Stephen Venkman is a wonderful artist that we’ve the pleasure of working with on every issue of this magazine. Stephen is not simply a contributor, he’s a fierce friend and artist who is very active in the Second Life Art community. Visit his gallery at http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenvenkman/
The Patron Muse:
Elizwriat en Wiby Kamalerwiin Baightley
photography by Elysium Eilde
In a virtual reality world such as Second Life, you can expect to find a lot of virtual and to a lesser extent, some reality. With the development of building tools over the years, SL content creators get closer and closer to developing items that are hard to discern realistically from their real life counterparts. It would be foolish to assume, however, that anyone with the right tools would be able to achieve the realism to which creators strive. Designer skill and talent also play a huge part in the equation. For about four years now I have followed the work of Eliza Wierwight, the mastermind behind Patron and Wildchild & Muse, and I’ve watched how her creations have evolved from rather prim heavy, finely textured pieces into the elaborate, painstakingly crafted, realistic works of art that she produces today. It’s hard to define Eliza in any one way as her scope of creativity knows no boundaries, but hopefully from this interview you’ll garner some insight into what drives this phenomenal talent and an appreciation for how lucky we are that she calls Second Life home. I’m always curious how residents initially found Second Life and what the appeal was to keep them here. Eliza shared her tale with
me. “I first heard about Second Life when I received a Google News alert for virtual educational facilities where people interacted in ‘live time’. I’d had zero to no experience in the gaming community other than a consultancy dalliance for a large Corporation exploring the fuller potential of graphic tablets a few years prior. As to the appeal of Second Life, it was fairly nonexistent at first. I found it disturbing to say the very least. I must have wandered into the ‘wrong places’ at the wrong time for a noob. It was months before I ventured back to investigate further, where I accidentally discovered Baron Grayson & Sue Stonebender’s SIM’s at the time. Templum had me captivated. Anyone familiar with those SIMs knows exactly to what I’m referring.” After getting over your initial shock and assimilating yourself into the community, did you imagine the wide-ranging possibilities that are available within Second Life and comprehend how fully you would explore them? “ Nameless Isle, NING, the 2D works of Raul Crimson, Stephen Venkman - there to name a few. Venks always understood I had a penchant for creating 3D. Friends would drag me around the grid to see this or that. My genuine foray is that I developed a
habit of relaxing after work in world by indulging myself in non-commercial work. Friends like Cuwynne Deerhunter and his partner Cariad were entirely behind me. I had amazing support from all my friends. Even when I look back now, much of my work was just complete crap in its construction, but it had ‘something’. You know your friends rock when they buy your stuff and it’s rubbish,” Eliza reminisced. Building a successful business in Second Life is no easy task and is quite dependent on word of mouth advertising and creating quality products that appeal to a wide audience. It’s a large part imagination, visual tweaking and long hours behind the computer. Eliza describes the business a little more poetically, “Patron has incredibly been around for 4 years and yet I still feel like there is so much to do and enhance. Patron it seems these days has a bit of everything. I have a ferocious capacity for creativity and I often go off on different tangents of content creation to sate that. I see absolutely no reason to pigeon hole myself in that regard. I really love what I do, love the challenge; I turn the music up, start with some idea and get in the zone, who knows what will eventuate. I will say this though; when I took some time out
to design and build the iconic Patron Gallery/Emporium, I wanted something that would elevate the experience in in world for the guest, whether they were purchasing or not, but not to the point it was intimidating though. It’s a fine line and I think I just may have achieved it.” I also wanted the story behind the Patron name and Eliza explained, “Well like my Avatar name here, I did in fact give it reasonable consideration. I wanted something short yet distinctive. Patron had an allure for the multifaceted meanings in the word - Patron of the Arts, patron as in customer, Patron Saint! What’s not to like? Because of the talent of so many creators in SL, many assume first life occupations are heavily similar to the design and graphic work performed in Second Life. That’s not always true, as is the case with Eliza. “I had almost zero experience in a digital sense. The work I mentioned earlier had a degree of that, though it was instinctual. I was never responsible for the hard end of it all, just good ideas. I’d worked as a self-taught window dresser in the infamous Oxford Street. Where I do have ongoing experience is in constantly working in different art mediums. I went to an extremely prestigious school
where the tenure of the teachers was sublime, privileged in the literal sense of the word. We had no idea just how incredible our teachers were. I adored my Art and English teachers and they imparted a confidence in me. There is not a medium that I haven’t dabbled in that I’m aware of to date. I’ve studied and explored some obscure art techniques over the years. I’d get close to mastering something, and then move on. You know I’m frequently surprised how often I’m asked here am I creative in RL. I always smile at that question. As if some unique part of my brain and lust for expression through creation magically appears only at the log on screen. I can’t make a sandwich offline without some degree of embellishment, even if it’s as simple as placing a beautiful Hibiscus to the side of the plate. Sounds a bit like my work in Second Life, don’t you think?” One of the greatest attributes of the creative community in Second Life is the willingness to teach, inspire and assist fellow designers. Who have been your creative rocks and inspirations? It didn’t take Eliza long to respond, “Yes I’ve been totally blessed with meeting and exploring the most amazing enclaves of creative minds in Second Life. My early influences have been documented
in interviews over and over. There are many people working here that I both admire and respect. The person who has had the most significant inspiration for me however is Igor Ballyhoo. Plenty of assumptions can be made on this topic and I think he’d agree that in the context of our persistent commitment to each other, that the negatives between us have been as equally important as the positives. His phenomenal talent & Rockstarwhore status aside (Eliza laughs), we share an incredible bond. He eternally remains my best friend as well as Muse.” As your friend I know how incredibly hard you work to perfect your craft, realize your visions and satisfy your customers. What drives you? Eliza thought for a moment and replied, “I’m too far invested in Second Life to do otherwise? I’m a workaholic, I won’t apologize for that. I’m never satisfied with the status quo - also not apologizing there. Complacency is an offensive status for me. The crazy thing, there are so many Content Creators and Artists out there with technical skills that far exceed my own. I’m not being coy, it’s a pure fact. I’m laughing at this answer; it’s offensive to some extent as well as accurate. The accuracy of creating great work is PASSION, that’s the genuine answer. It’s a
constant in HOW I work. That I derive genuine pleasure from what I do has a significant effect in what I produce. Whether it’s a vase or an epic project, I’m rarely to never just going through the motions. Although I know asking a creator to name their most beloved project is akin to asking a mother which of her children she loves the most, I wanted to see if Eliza would put some favorites on the table. To my surprise and delight she did. “Pride is an interesting concept when it comes to creation; I take pride in everything I create. Hmm, I loved Aria at Originalia and my other immersive FlowerDrum at Split screen (two large-scale art projects), though I was exhausted at that point. Regarding my commercial work, it all holds some allure at the time of its inception. Perhaps I don’t stop long enough to really go there. I hold a soft spot for “Angel in Edit Mode”. Speaks to that point of commonality, she’s an Angel yet the premise itself is grounding. And there are a few tables with painstaking old school texture work. People would not believe the hours I invested in them. Sometimes I don’t.” You create content throughout the year, but are widely recognized across the grid for your Christmas wares, particularly your
whimsical and imaginative takes on the traditional Christmas tree. Can you describe the inspiration for your trees this year? Eliza got a little glassy-eyed (this interview was conducted right after she had finished the trees) and beamed with pride, “I love doing my annual Christmas Trees. Sweet that I get people ‘bugging me’ months in advance. All I know is that I will do them, what that entails is a whole other ballgame. I do endeavor to create across a spectrum of potential wants based on experience. If I’ve released 10, then you can be sure I designed 30 in the process of exploring and pushing my textures. I think the allure of my trees is that they illicit for some people a real feeling of Christmas as opposed to being anatomically accurate SL versions of RL Christmas Trees. Doesn’t hurt in the slightest that the vast majority of incredible sculpts I’ve used in them over the years were made for me by Igor. I also like to take a little walk on the wild side with them as you’re aware. This year it’s the Picasso-esque hand drawn style nudes “Platinum Harlow” that is selling the most. It’s an ‘adult’ Christmas tree, though in a sophisticated way. I have the highest admiration for my customers and that they can get into the feel of that tree. Makes me smile and often.”
Another item customers are constantly asking about is a house and you didn’t disappoint. The PATRON House was recently released to great reviews and fanfare. You spent months perfecting every prim and sculpt that went into it. Walk us through a little bit of your build process and do you intend to do more houses in the future. “Thank you :) The PATRON House, like the Ambassador Suite preceding it, was meeting the ongoing requests of my customers to design a house. I invested a huge amount of time into that build. Three months of not much else would be accurate. PATRON House did start with an idea of sorts, that you would greet your friends at a certain area, that was beautiful, and then continue to get reveal after reveal from there. It was also a design priority for me that no matter what angle you viewed the House, you would be rewarded visually. When I started, that was my MO, nothing more. I designed the entry and built it, then the foyer area and so on and so on. There was no blue print per say. It’s an entirely instinctual design. Once I had a rhythm going and had established what I call a ‘texture palette’ it was mostly smooth sailing. I always learn new skills when I set challenges like that House and everyone benefits. Yes, I’ll do more eventually.
Perhaps one a year. I’ll see. As we’ve mentioned already, you’ve never limited yourself to one or two categories of creating. Readers may not know that you also have a successful clothing line, Wildchild & Muse? What spurred you to move into the SL Fashion world? Eliza excitedly exclaimed, “MESH and FUN. My hats off to designers that work in wearable layers. It’s a very sophisticated skill base that mostly eludes me. Doesn’t mean, however, that I can’t design fashion. How to articulate it well though on a moving Avatar is another matter. When the first commercial mesh templates became available, I was intrigued. I just purchased some to play with. I had a solid interest in the potential thanks to Second Life icons such as Maxwell Graf of Rustica. I started throwing some textures on them and was drawn by the side of me that enjoys creating textures and ‘sculptural work’. Before I knew it, one of my studios had 30 or so designs - all in varying states of progression. I’ll always dabble in fashion because it’s fun. I’ll never do it exclusively, but it’s rewarding to see people in world wearing my couture. They bring it to life.” I’m continually amazed by all of the pots you stir. There doesn’t seem to be anything
you can’t do. Is there anything on your bucket list that you’d still like to accomplish? Eliza harrumphed at me and said, “There are plenty of things I can’t do, though thank you for promoting the myth. We like that one (laughing)! We know I could design in my sleep. It’s the technical side of SL that remains the constant learning curve that I so enjoy and get to in my own good time. I don’t really have a bucket list of sorts other than to eventually have complete purity of components. It’s very rewarding to work as a “professional 3d digital content creator” in Second Life. Second Life creation is my real life occupation and it fits my commitments outside of SL well. I have challenging responsibilities as much in world as out and somehow I manage to influence both to complement each other most of the time. It’s a real gift actually and I feel fortunate indeed. As a member of the Second Life community I think we’ve got a real gift in Eliza Wierwight and are fortunate to be able to watch her skills expand and her mind erupt with fantasticalness.
As a person who loves taking photos in Second Life I’m always on the lookout and excited when I find beautiful scenic sims to use as a backdrops for my photos. The graphics advancement and capabilities in our Second Life viewers – windlight, shadows and depth of field features for example have made it possible to create some pretty stunning and visually appealing photos when you have a great backdrop for inspiration. Speaking of advancements in viewers, if you’re a Firestorm user and haven’t downloaded the next upgrade yet, you should! The new release offers some pretty cool integrated Photo tools & Camera tools for creating breathtaking photos. In this issue I’m going to feature three of my favourite sims so you can visit and hopefully enjoy snapping some photos there as well!
Exploring Seco
ond Life for Photography Written & Photographed by Jewell Munro
Allirium http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/alirium/129/123/37
Allirium gardens are just spectacular and you truly need to visit to see the potential for many photo backdrops. You’ll find all the seasons represented in this sim, from a mystical spring garden scene full of butterflies and sun beams to a beautifully cool winter snow scene with snow drenched
trees blending into an red/orange hued autumn garden scene with fallen leaves and tree trunks scattered around which blends into a green and bright summer scene. A very pretty and colourful sim, I always come here when I am chasing inspiration for a fantasy or magical photo shot.Â
You can buy a lot of the elements from the sim in the Allirium shop if you wanted to build your own Allirium inspired landscape.
Venexia http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ Venexia/40/246/609
Venexia is a vampire role playing sim. The location is a romantic gothic representation of old Venice, Italy, built with vampires in mind. It boasts beautiful detailed buildings, walkways, boats and many scenic locations to use as backdrops.
On landing in Venexia, follow the red footsteps towards the gondola, once you reach the end of the footsteps trail, you’ll see a spire like dispenser - touch it to receive a tag which you must ‘wear’ once you receive it in order to board the gondola which takes you for a ride down to Venexia.
ChouChou http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ Chouchou/180/163/21
A sim that is mosty sea water and flat sand with a few relics randomly placed – like a piano, big tree, sunken bird cage and a couple of other artefacts that you can lean on, sit on or stand next to to snap a self portrait shot.
You can view ChouChou with a cinematic HUD, there is a black mesh flower like object in the middle of the sim that you can obtain the hud from. It is a fantastic tool that allows you to be completely immersed in the sim from a cinematic perspective and movement. Great for machinima.
The ChouChou sim has been around since I joined Second Life in 2007 and is owned by the Japanese music group named Chouchou – to read more on the group, you can check out their blog at http://chouchouholic. blogspot.com.au
Go To Your Room!
Written & Photographed by Naraelina Ordinary
I was sitting in my empty room and just looking around for hours, trying to figure out what to do. Miss Gracie had just asked me to do an interior based around kids and Christmas and I had jumped at the chance. Now I sat there and I was stuck. How could I possibly go about doing this? Where was my inspiration?! I had sighed and started mentally going through my lists of furniture and decor that I owned. I had a lot... BOY do I have a lot. Slowly I started throwing things into the room, looking for that one thing that I could base the room around. I was going through my Arcade stuff when I came across the adorable white cabinet from DIGS. I then found a little whale painting from floor plan and I decided to throw that into the room on top of the cabinet. They were all I needed to get my room started. Using the cabinet and the art as inspiration, I started putting things out one right after another. I had a vision of an ador-
able little kids room, messy, but fun, full of artistic things, full of art, movie posters, games and books. Very much like the room I had growing up. I cluttered the room up, put little knick knacks everywhere, making it feel real and lived in. This was a kids room, a kid excited for christmas, a kid who had hid her presents in her closest, a kid who hung her christmas cards from her friends and family everywhere, and a kid with a love for christmas movies. Two, maybe three hours later, I sat back and looked around. It was actually done, and it was just how I had pictured it. Happy with how it had come out, I started taking pictures, while my Mom came in and pretended to faint at the sight of the mess and my little art on my wall. I had originally only planned on doing the room for Miss Gracie, but I decided then that I’d leave it down for the rest of the year. I do hope you all enjoy!
Bed: Little Boxes Vintage Bed (yellow) Nightstand: * AR * - Zoe Tot - Nightstand Unicorn Plushie: Uni-ee!~silentsparrow~ Tree: [*Art Dummy!] for winter conversations. (tree lamp) rare (The Arcade) Christmas Cards: LISP - 1 prim Copyable Vintage Card Hanging V2 Stars: [W] Starry Night Ceiling Stars
Air Balloon: Little Boxes Hot Air Balloon Deco (stripes) Ranch: Larnia Kids~pretty pony ranch Plushies: Intrigue Co. - Plushie Pals (Various ones around the room) Paint: Sweet Baby - Paints Bottles Rug: {what next} ‘Cosy Christmas’ Rug 2 Games: [croire] game board cluster
Pillows: {what next} Soft Blue Floor Pillow Sled:[what next} Snow Day Sled Cabinet: DIGS - Winston Cabinet (TheArcade) - White [MESH] Art: floorplan. species silhouette / whale, {what next} Woodstock Framed Poster (mesh), The Easy Life princess cameos, :: AB : Home Begins Wall Decal, FrankLee’s Picture and Frame
Stool: [North West] Refurbished stool Bouncy Ball: LISP - Mesh - Bunny Firetruck: BALACLAVA!! Fire Truck Boots: Reek - Boston Boot Chair: [*Art Dummy!] for winter conversations. (chair two-beige) Books: HBLYS_Book Set 2
Snowglobe: A.D.D.Andel! Seasons Snowglobe-Winter Tree Flowers: LISP - Button Flowers in a Vase Dolls: Schadenfreude vouboo: archie RARE, Schadenfreude vouboo: gilly Gameboy: LK ~ Zelda Oracle of Seasons Gameboy
Books on Cabinet: [QQG] Advanced Potion-Making, [QQG] History of Magic Kite: -G[b]R- Kite ~Blue/Green Closest: -G[b]R- Closet Wagon: Reek - Reek Flyer Presents: {what next} Night Before Christmas Pile o’ Presents Television: SMERSH-Tv & Betamax v 2.1
Record Player: /artilleri/ Phonograf record player *blue* Magazines: SMERSH-bunch of 80’s comics and mags Tapes: -RC- Full House Tape Pile 1 Game Console: [STANK] - Game Night Footprints: -G[b[R- Oops! Finger Painting ~Footprint Trail 1
Wall Doodles: Aio Kids Wall Drawing (alphabet), Aio Kids Wall Drawing (dino n sun), Aio Kids Wall Drawing (tigers)
O, Christmas Tree
by Gracie Kangjon
The ultimate decoration for the holidays is the Christmas Tree! It is said that when this tradition began the tree was adorned with apples, nuts or dates and eventually in the 18th century people began to add candles to the tree which evolved into lights. Yes, those lights that take ages to detangle and will not work if one bulb is out! In Second Life we do not have those issues to worry about but it does take some time to find the perfect tree! We found a bunch of beautiful trees that should suit any decor!
Follow Us Christmas Tree (With Props & Poses)
Old World Christmas Tree
PRAVDA - DC Christmas Tree
Hello, Septem Oh! Christmas
mber s Tree
nOISE Christmas Kawaii Tree
Cheeky Pea Tynebank Antler Tree
Commoner Tinsel Tree End of Daze Jolly Tree
Stonewood Interiors Xmas Tree Purple Trompe Loeil Funky Christmas Tree
Cure Your Winter Blues with Royal
l Living Magazine
photo by River Stromfield
New Year’s Eve
Written & Photograp
Private Affair
phed by Editorial Clarity
New Year is actually one of my least favorite times of year. This is mainly to do with this weird thing where I just don’t like starting all over again. After about the second week of January I’m fine again. One thing I do love about New Year’s Eve is the celebration events of the evening. My perfect New Year celebration would be to invite my nearest and dearest for a nice dinner, away from all the hustle and bustle. A place where we can socialize, have a laugh and a few drinks and generally enjoy the night together. This display would be a personal fav spot to host this party. Minimal but so stylish. Featured Designers in this space I created are Apple Fall, One Grid, The Loft, MudHoney, MeshWorx and Trompe L’oeil.
I hope you all have a safe and stylish New Year!
1. You’re at a party/club. What are you doing? A. You stick with your friends B. Mingle of course! C. Flirting in everyone’s IMs..partnered or not fair game! D. Make a move on the hottest person there
2. You friended someone. When do you think they’ll IM you? A. Psh... never, as usual! B. In a day or two C. Don’t know, but I will be right in the next IM waiting D. Later that night
3. How did you break up with your last ex? A. Offline B. Email C. I just stopped stalking their profile, fb, flickr, plurk, sim on my alt D. Skype
What’s Your SL Dating Personality 4. What’s your kind of date? A. Hanging out at a live music event B. Going to a romantic out of the way sim to explore C. Introducing them to ALL my friends on the 1st or 2nd date D. Hanging at their place or mine with access to a set of pose balls just in case ;)
6. You’re moving through a crowded sale event and there’s a hottie standing in your way, what would you do? A. Find another route B. Ask them something about one of the creators in local chat C. “Bump” into them. D. IM them, of course!
y?
7. Oh no! There’s a lull in the conversation. What do you do?
5. If you liked the person, but not the avi. Would you do the work to redo them? A. No B. I would make suggestions of stores C. I would tell them since we are dating they cannot look that way D. Absolutely, but slowly so their feelings are not hurt.
A. Wait for them to say something B. Crack a joke C. Send them naked photos of myself D. Send a sexy/flirty emote
photo by Tara Voskhod
Mostly A’s. Laid Back Loner While having someone in Second Life is fun as an amusement you tend to be happier hanging around on your own schedule. However, if you did manage to find someone you really liked you would make a huge effort to make your partner happy in the relationship.
Mostly B’s. Subtle Flirter You tend to be the one that keeps people intrigued with a fun mixture of flirting, jokes and casual intimacy. You keep your partner very happy while managing to maintain a sense of yourself in the relationship.
Mostly C’s. WHoaaaaaa. Slow Down There Nelly! You know what it is like to have someone move sims in the middle of the night to escape you or see a banned from region/muted message.....and believe that is why you made alts. Calm down and take a break from dating perhaps explore other ways to have fun in Second Life.
Mostly D’s Smoking Seductor You aren’t always the one in the long term relationship, but all your friends come to you for dating advice. Always the center of attention and there are plenty of fish waiting in the wings if the current flavor grows old. Honest and up front about expectations but be careful about who you chose; it could back fire!
Blue Print of
Tegan Sara Photography by Tara Voskhod
Sometimes the best things are found in unexpected places like discovering that the fabulous new-ish store floorplan is actually the work of the amazing talent behind Molto Bene! Miss Tegan Sara came onto the scene in 2010, but she actually discovered Second Life in 2007 during “an episode of The Office, my main avatar’s rez date is the same day the episode aired! As soon as I saw it I knew it was something I wanted to try. My first impression was something along the lines of “...oh...” after landing at a welcome area, but luckily, just before I was about to close the program a nice person messaged me and asked me if I wanted help once I escaped the terror of the welcome area and seeing what potential SL had, I was smitten!” Smitten is the perfect word to describe how I felt after wandering across floorplan’s item at The Men’s Department Event. It was only a matter of time before we had the chance to spend a bit of time with Tegan and get to know the artist behind the amazing creations! Tegan began building by “modding every prefab I’ve ever purchased to personalize it, but I didn’t make my first actual build until the end of 2009. I opened a little prefab shop on my main avatar called
Molto Bene! after my very good friend, Bethany Heart, very patiently taught me how to build in SL. I think the first thing I ever made was just called the Small Skyboxsee how creative I was there? It was probably about 10 prims so I was very pleased with myself at the time!” Luckily Tegan returned with her newest venture, floorplan, to continue her journey. She explained, “I opened floorplan. this past June after I had created a couple of tables. I was slowly learning Maya, so my earlier pieces are quite simple, but as someone who loves decorating, I try to make multiple options - whether that be texturechange or a few different versions of an item to suit multiple decorating styles/themes.” The name of the store was chosen because her “intent all along was to concentrate on creating prefabs once I got comfortable enough using Maya, and “Floorplan” is one of my favorite songs by my favorite band, Tegan & Sara. It just felt right! I’m not really sure how I would describe my style, but nerdy is one adjective that comes to mind. I just make things that I want in my own SL home, whether it be a pile of books or a top
hat lamp. I think everything I make has a hint of my personality in it, and I am absolutely a dork.” The programs builders now use with mesh can be very difficult to learn and navigate. Tegan explained that she “uses Maya for mesh work and Photoshop for texturing. I had never used Maya before, and had very sparingly used PS. My very good friend Isla Gealach of Cheeky Pea taught me Maya, and the patience that must have taken on her behalf, well, I can’t even begin to thank her enough. I had never used any kind of 3D modeling program before but I was determined to learn. After many frustrating hours (which even included Isla visiting in RL and instead of lounging by the pool on her vacation, she sat beside me and walked me through modeling a cabinet) it all finally sort of clicked, which I’m sure was a relief for her just as much as it was for me!” The end result is definitely worth the frustration floorplan has bursts of wonderful piece that breathe life into homes! Her advice for people who want to become builders would be “Don’t give up! Learning new programs can be incredibly intimidat-
ing and frustrating, there were many times I wanted to just rage quit Maya, but I have some wonderful and supportive friends who pushed me through it. Having a group of friends who also create is essential, not just for support but also to bounce ideas off of one another. Every single creator in SL has, at one point, struggled while learning these programs, and look at how amazing the content is all across the grid. My largest learning experience is still Maya- every time I create something; I learn something new, whether it be by trial and error, or asking another creator for advice. A great place to meet SLers learning to create is on any of the Mesh Sandboxes on the Beta Grid!” Tegan believes that mesh has been the best change to Second Life exclaiming, “I truly think mesh is amazing- I’ve had SL homes almost as long as I’ve been in-world, and always loved decorating and creating my own unique spaces, but prim count was always the bane of my existence! And now to think I can rez a skybox on a 512 plot and completely furnish it with prims to spare is phenomenal!” The truth came out Tegan is also a prim hoarder, just like us! No wonder we fell in love while browsing the shop. It is difficult to imagine coming up with fresh
ideas, but Tegan says “I have a folder of ideas that I want to work on. I also browse Pinterest daily to see if anything pops out or inspires me. What I really look for is something that immediately makes me think “I want something like that in SL!” as well as “Is that something I could make?!” so when both answers are yes I generally get started quite enthusiastically!” Tegan said at this time the most difficult creations at floorplan have been “the two skyboxes I’ve made- the Brownstone Bedroom and the Brownstone Apartment They were the first two builds I’ve done in Maya and so vastly different from building prefabs in SL. So much goes into the planning of each cube, because you basically have to reconstruct everything all over again in the UVing process for texturing. I may or may not have cried a few (or many) times while building both skyboxes, but I learned so much from each time! So far, my favorite item is the Boho Ivy Planter- a friend of mine suggested it and after I fiddled about and figured out how to make a leaf, it actually became a really fun project and I was so pleased with the results!” She is not daunted by tears over spilled
mesh! There are many plans to continue pre-fab work like the dance studio that is currently available. Tegan said, “The Dance Studio was made for an event and was originally intended to be a skybox, but I had an urge to see if I could pull it off as a build and it worked! I like how it’s actually quite versatile too. The whole intent behind floorplan. was prefabs, so I am slowly but surely building up my confidence in creating, and someday I’ll get to prefabs, I promise!” That’s a promise floorplan fans will keep in mind while checking out all of the upcoming special event items! Floorplan took off quickly, featured at many high profile events across the grid. Tegan says while she does “do my own marketing and I’m really quite terrible at it! Luckily for me I have some really fantastic bloggers. I also think having had a shop previously has given me some leverage with getting floorplan. up and running. I’ve met and befriended some amazing creators over the past few years and I previously participated in popular events, so that was kind of how I got my foot in the door with floorplan. this time around.” Floorplan will be at the new Arcade Gatcha round, as well as, the ever popular Fifty Lin-
den Friday Event! “I’m so honored to be a part of each event I participate in, they each have a unique feel to them! Yet, I would absolutely have to say Fifty Linden Friday is my favorite. I participated as a guest occasionally with my last store, and when Barb decided to start it up again, I was so excited to become a regular participant. I absolutely believe that FLF gave floorplan. the kick-start it needed to get exposure. What I like most is that it’s an opportunity for a
small group of stores to feature a special sale item and Barb always has her eye out for up and coming stores to participate so it doesn’t just become the same old thing week after week. Barb really hit it out of the park when she thought up Fifty Linden Friday- and since then, so many amazing events have started up in the wake of FLF! I think The Men’s Department deserves more attention Mikel Monk has assembled some great creators that actually make a ton of
unisex items, so while its geared toward the guys, there’s so much there for the girls too. In fact, I haven’t taken off my BALACLAVA!! Kip Glasses in 2 weeks!” Thankfully Tegan’s Second Life experience is not all work and no play! She said, “for the first few months of learning mesh, I was absolutely a hermit, I don’t think I left my platform except to rez items at my shop. Now that I’m a bit more comfortable with
creating, I’ve been spending more time with friends, who are very understanding and patient when I go into hermit mode for weeks/ months at a time. I also love playing trivia and going to Indie music venues.” The tears Tegan shed were not wasted. A visit to any of the floorplan locations will prove while she may consider herself a dork. her style is absolutely adorable and bring a new sense of charming to any home.
Vintage
Chic
Photographed & Written by Misty Frugal
Vintage is no longer a term that only applies to a fantastic wine sealed in a cellar waiting for that perfect time to be enjoyed. Vintage is a feeling, a look, a style. Vintage now refers to clothing or home decor pieces that are more than 50 years old in style but not more than 150; this is a difficult look to accomplish in Second Life since it is after all a cutting edge virtual world. Many designers work tirelessly to lend a worn look to pieces or clothing but it is very difficult to do, and sometimes that worn out look is not exactly what people want. Vintage does not necessarily mean retro or antique it is definitely in a category all by itself. This style can be accomplished by adding vintage accessories, a few pieces of jewelry to an outfit or going all out; as for this article I have matched my vintage clothing looks with a home by LeeZu! that oozes the vintage feel that I adore.
The LeeZu Studio Mesh House is fully decorated at the main store location and styled as an office. Normally I would redecorate but in this case they have done a superb job at decorating. The home itself is perfect for escaping to the sky on a small plot because it is mesh the entire home is only 254 prims with the beautiful curtains. There are many color change options but the pinkish brown tones set off the mood and the furniture is to die for as a vintage lover! The tables and art even the rug call back to an funky slightly modernized 1960’s feel. Check out the awesome loungers with a small plaque that says, “The Prince Sleeps Here.” It is the small touches that make this home a must have in your collection along with all of the LeeZu furnishings that are on display.
I have also put together 3 vintage chic looks to rock while decorating your new fabulous home! Dress - NYU Honeycomb Dress Green @ Bees Through The Seasons Hair - /Wasabi Pills/ Kylee Mesh Hair Boots - Retro’ Rainmix Boots Black @ Singers Fair Clutch - ^^Swallow^^ Lion Clutch Classic Choker - |AB|24K Latvian Gold Necklace Necklace - {mon tissu} Floral Disk Hair Pin - ‘noodles’ Collect Some Honey Hair Pin @ Bees Through The Seasons Glasses - House of Fox 1960’s Frames Gold Socks - Maitreya Scrunched Prim Socks Ring - [H] Two-Fingered Stacked Pyramid Ring
Dress - ::Eclair:: (new mainstore!) Bonnie Skater Dress Cardigan - Emery Over-Sized Cardigan Hair - Magika Tendency – Mesh Shoes - Blackburns Lace-up Creepers Black Bag – EUPHORIUM Bag 2012 – Black CHANEL Hat - NYU Deut Chic Fedora Black Necklace – [glow] My Music Necklace Gold
Top - Tee*fy Mini Corset Dark Floral Hair - [e] Studio Black Jacket - House of Fox Scarlet Blazer [Olive] Skirt - illmatic Danielle Waist Skirt Shoes - toki-doki High Spring Shoes Mustard Gatcha!! (With Socks) Glasses - [DDL] Here Comes The Sun (sunglasses) Turquoise Necklace - illmatic The Neverland Pendant - Gold
Baby,
It’s Cold Outside
Written & Photographed by River Stromfield
Many people prefer to snuggle inside on cold evenings in the winter perhaps by the fire, but they miss the feeling of the crisp wind and sound of fresh snow beneath your boots. The call of the birds overhead and the silence that sweeps over the land during the dead of winter. I personally love both fashion and prims equally; my closet runneth over.
Location: Winters Scenes by Incredia Outdoors 2012 Clothing: Hat: Deco- Hunter’s Cap Coconut Sweater: Entente-Eric Sweater Black Coat: Deco-Peacemaker Duster Gray Pants: Ispachi-Executive Chinos Gray Gloves: Redgrave-Driving Gloves Boots Redgrave- Walker Boots Black
Location: Bazaar, Arizona House [EoD] End of Daze Pool Table Clothing: Hair: Cheerno- Rich Dark Browns Sweater and Shirt: Fatewear- Roger Quagmire Pants: Entente- Deep Pocket Jean Midnight Bare Feet: Cheerno- Feet V2
Location:Â ++Small town of Green++ Clothing: Hat: VOC- Warm Short Beanie Black Sweater: Ispachi- Banded Cardigan Black Scarf: Boho Hobo- Scarf Teal Pants: Kal Rau- Skinny Pants Denim Blue Shoes: NotSoBad- Mael Sneaker Suede Gray