Cory Edo’s
Beautiful Tricks of the Eye Fall from the Skye (Studio)
Spring into New Styles
from the founder
Spring is not my favorite season but I do love the feeling of the sun warming my face while the last remnants for snow melt away. What thrills me most is when the seasons begin to change there is a flurry of new release notices that signal it is time to break ground on a new build! I recently celebrated my fifth Rez Day and am still completely facinated by the people I meet in our world and love learning more about them and their experiences in Second Life. The staff at Royal Living Magazine is very excited to introduce our readers to Cory Edo of Trompe L’oeil, Alex Bader of Studio Skye and Neo Icanadi of Empire Textures; each has had a very exciting and unique journey across the grid. We have also found lots of goodies perfect for adding touches of color or renovating your entire home! The one thing I have learned in the last five years is you can chase any dream or vision do whatever you like just make sure to be a part of this evolving culture!
, o x o x
Happy Decorating!
e i c a Gr
Gracie Kangjon-Bayn, Royal Living Magazine
from the editor
“
The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.
�
-Harriet Ann Jacobs
lE y
Namaste
Elysium Eilde
staff Lead Photographer
Tara Voskhod
Photographer & Writer
Naraelina Ordinary
staff photos by Stephen Venkman Writer Icewood
Bayn (not pictured)
Photographer & Writer
Journey Lorakeet
Photographer
Writer
Photographer
Writer
Stephen Venkman
Stephen Venkman
Altonia Jewell
Jewell Munro
Table of C Letters from the Founder & Editor . . . . . . 20 Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 My Man Cave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Part of Your World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Neo’s Empire of Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Featured Photographers: Love on Film
Kaelyn Alecto & Maxxster Resident . . . . . 54 Trompe L’oeil: Interview with Cory Edo . . 64
Contents Freshen Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Mesh Revolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 A House of Inspiration and Love . . . . . . . 82 Are you Living In theHouse of Your SL Dreams? . . . . . . . . . 94 Falling From the Skye with Alex Bader . . . 98 Behind Closed Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
My Man Cave
Written & Photographed by Icewood Bayn
My wife and I tend to have a few houses at once because we can never decide on one style, and she swears she is never finished decorating regardless of how long she’s lived there. The one thing we always make sure to have is my man cave. Recently, I found the perfect space called the Base-
ment Home Addition by Lyle Pelazzi. The basement has two small rooms which can be used as bedrooms or storage and one large main area; it’s designed to look unfinished and is accessible by double doors which is the only visible feature that can be seen from above ground. The last man cave
at our winter house was my office and before that at our farm was a gym so I was not sure exactly what type of area I wanted until I found this build. It is a simple area to hang out with friends and play darts, watch television and drink a beer or there’s a couch to hang out with Gracie if she sneaks
down! My favorite part of this version of a man cave are the Vintage Radio transmitters and operator equipment these are very well made with detail on every dial perfect for any radio pirate. Kick back, relax and always keep one space for yourself to express your own style when living with someone.
*~Basement~* Home Addition by Lyle Pelazzi Main Area:
Warm - Cuddle Couch - ! Warm Animations :CP: Kraken Dart Board - Dark Cherry - CP :CP: Painter’s Armchair -CP EoD Riffle Rack - EoD EoD Hunting Lodge Decor Deer wall - EoD Vintage COCA-COLA Ice Cold (Red) DBy* - DBy :FANATIK HOME: Provence Table & Chair - Fanatik {what next} Novelle Typewriter (s) - {what next} -Virtual Decay- desk lamp [C] --Virtual Decay /artilleri/ Lumoflex camera (just camera, no anim) *green* - /artilleri/ {what next} Charlotte Woodburning Stove (Black) - {what next} POST: Neuchatel Absinthe - POST {af} Lazy Man’s Chair -{af} :CP: & PILOT - Backyard Cinema LISP - Steam Fan Print - LISP EoD Vice Trays 4 - EoD
Radio Room:
Vintage Radio Transmitter - DBy Vintage Radio Operator - DBy Life of Me - Granny’s Crapola Ashtray - Salmon (cig giver) - Life of Me [ba] decorative steamer trunk with stickers - [ba] PILOT - Haywood Pipe Shelf 1 - PILOT Kari - Vintage fan - KARI
Balance and H
Harmony with Royal Living Magazine photo by River Stromfield
I wanted to blend decor into our backyard rather than have furniture be the main focus. Here we have a harmonious and carefree setting where we can sit and watch everything spring to life again. Sometimes we just need to get out of the house and enjoy the great outdoors; let time slip away as we go fishing, tend to our garden and run around barefoot. However, I dont think we’re the only ones excited about spring as it appears our little friends have decided to invade our set instead of panicking we all enjoyed a nice picnic and laid in the shade.
Part of Your World
Written & P hotographed by Journey Lorake
eet
SLink - Heidi Rainboots Dutchie - coffee bag *atmosphere works* milk coffee BP* - Drowsy bottles Botanical - Waterlily cluster 2 - Blue Fanatik Architecture - Rocks
floorplan. - book stack lamp / blue ombre BP* decanter/iced water HPMD* stuffed chipmunk HPMD* Sweet Garden Grass05 - olive Zigana - Winter grass
Breno - Corfu Hammock HPMD* Weasel - white(S) Dutchie - picnic table *alirium* butterflies yellow A Tee*fy Cassette Radio Drom *~MMG’s~* plates % - MasonJars / Clear POST: Bucket of Autumn Orchard Apples
fri.home - parlor armchair, entry ensemble HPMD* stuffed duck/pirate (rare) Tee*fy Portable Radio; Grandpa’s Old Camera BP* leather box/blue/open *~MMG’s~* File#03_1prim Zigana - Books (packaging) *Y’s HOUSE* Round Chair 02 Picnic Washing bowl - white HPMD* Little Birds -- white
:Cheeky Pea: Lane Framed Photos ::INK:: Curtain [*Art Dummy!] vintage barn:CP: & PILOT Backyard Cinema Projector +ILO+ - a. Metal Chair - brue Zigana + Flowey: Banana Fanna - Elifanna in limbo.
(stool in light wood) by Flutter Memel & Gala Charron Sculpty Creations - Pig Cheeky Pea & Orange Juice - Painter’s Chair Worn “Friendship Bear” by Damien Fate *Y’s HOUSE* - LD Chair 01 [Denim/RW]
{what next} Brighton Bicycle POST: Tivoli Birdbath (Cast Iron) Picnic lace canopy - natural covered wind :Cheeky Pea: Dakota Paper Jar Lights [*Art Dummy!] vain. bed & lamp {what next} Our Wooden Tree Swing
{what next} Cornwall Daisies Planter {what next} Charlotte Floor Cushions The Loft - Frezza Rug [*Art Dummy!] Old Window (decor) [North West] Tree trunk coffee table on wheels
LISP Lullaby Flower Arrangement Picnic Washing bowl - white Picnic flowerpot - mint & candle wick [*Art Dummy!] wooden rabbit (iTuTu) planter-03-s
Every culture has certain discussions that seem never-ending, and in ours one of them is what makes a piece or home better – the construction or textures? Most people will agree it is all about the textures! One of the people responsible for making our furniture and accessories beautiful is Neo Icanadi, creator of Empire Textures, not only is she incredibly talented but she was a pleasure to get to know when she gave us a peek behind the Photoshop curtain! Neo explained that her business ventures began “in 2010 with tattoos and clothes. I’m not really proud and barely remember my past creations that aren’t connected
with Empire Textures. It’s sad, I know! But I’m really hard to please and tend to jump from one project to another juggling many things at once. I’m never satisfied with my work and always thinking that it’s not good enough. Today I want to be a fashion designer, tomorrow a photographer or maybe a builder and the next month repeat all over again, but in another style... It was stressful at that time, because I was still searching myself in Second Life. I wanted many things, but then slowly settled on textures and I’m happy and thankful for what I have and do every day.” It was right at this point I realized this is probably why I fell in love with her work because this collection is vivid, bold and exciting!
Neo’s Empire of Color Written by Gracie Kangjon-Bayn Photography by River Stromfield
Neo also leaped right into creating when she found Second Life because 2010 was her Rez year! She joined “in 2010 just because I was curious to see what it looked like. You know what they say, ‘curiosity killed the cat’. No surprise I got caught in this beautiful virtual world; being able to discover all the fantastic and unique places around the grid, meeting and spending time with amazing people and later on creating and running my own shop. All of this made me stay as well as enjoy today.” I am always curious why creators select the name of their stores and what it means to them. Neo told me a little secret which I can share with our readers because I know they won’t tell! She divulged with
a big laugh, “This is a hard one! I remember struggling with the right name for my shop. I’m still not happy with the name ( but pssst, don’t tell anyone! ) I’m really bad when it comes to name selections, because I’m drawn in different directions at the same time. I would re-name my store if I finally decided the right one, but in the end I think I’m too lazy to change all my products and names. So I guess that Empire Textures will do the work for now. But just for now. Maybe I will decide to close the shop and re-open under a new and “more me” name. We will see.” Speaking of seeing when texture creators see their work being used by other content creators on the grid or perhaps on Flickr
in scenes it must be very satisfying! Neo said, “I’m excited and happy like other creators are I guess. There is no bigger satisfaction than seeing a talented builder using my textures and creating gorgeous products. I can’t really say or choose my favorite product because I love them all. I’m open to different styles so it’s easy to have a ton of favorite items, but in different themes or styles.” A lady of many talents and interest she also builds! “I do, but just for fun. I don’t sell or show anything because my customers and their works are a priority to me. I sell full permission textures for builders so it’s important to me not being a competition or obstacle to them. If I ever decide to sell furniture or
structures I would probably use a second avatar and create a shop that wouldn’t be connected to Empire Textures.” Just how did Neo learn Photoshop to create all of these gorgeous palettes of color? She had some experience prior to SL during “school creating content for The Sims 2 and later on The Sims 3 it was a fun and cool hobby so I had plenty of time to learn Photoshop. I think that once you get used to the interface and basics you’re good to go. Next step is to experiment by yourself or learn with the tons of tutorials available out there. It all depends on how badly you want something and how much time and tears you are willing to spend on it.”
Just how much time does a texture pack take to build? Neo explained to me, “It all starts with gathering inspiration and ideas and creating a simple, but effective mood board, if needed. It can be a productive sketch session, a relaxing long walk, my favorite music or just a much needed and loved coffee break with my IPad. Once I’m satisfied with the ideas, colors and overall look the next move is to try to put everything in place in Photoshop that is the most important part of the process. As I’m creating I usually come up with something useful for the next pack of textures so it really depends of the day and my mood. Usually it takes few hours of creating and experimenting and then half hour to create the contact sheet, pictures, style samples and banner for my marketplace store.
The most time consuming is all the time between starting and being satisfied with the final results! I tend to re-do things that looked ok in the first place, but my selfcriticism usually wins so I lose a lot of time and nerves so I end up changing things over and over again and I end up being unsatisfied. Guess what happens then? I return to what I have created back when I thought that was only ok and it finally becomes perfect. It’s a journey that I repeat every day that may not sound that good, but it brings lots of positive things back.” Where does her inspiration come from? I wondered the same thing! Neo said, “Beauty and inspiration are everywhere! A walk in the woods or just a trip to the old city center can be a jackpot most of the time. You can find me staring at an old
“B
brick wall or observing the cracked stone floors and moss as I walk. I really enjoy all the small details that Mother Nature and human work offer. I’m lucky to live in such an inspirational, but relatively small city with lots of beautiful architecture, spots and gorgeous details to look at every day. I’m also very drawn to aged, weathered and cracked things so just give me an old house and I’ll love you till the end of time. It’s an obsession and pure love to me. Details rock my world!” When I asked which texture pack is currently rocking Neo’s world she said, “lately I’ve been really in love with coastal color palettes as well as neutral and relaxing colors so I would say that Coastal Cottage Siding, Traditional Charm and Concrete Loft are a win for me in the builder’s material section and
Vintage Bloom, Winter Chic and Serene Whites in the fabric section.” It is not only inspiration that Neo hopes people will take away from visiting her Empire, but also she hopes “that the work and my texture bundles help people build and create what they have in mind. Sometimes it’s difficult to find the right texture or create the ‘most useful ever’ texture pack, but I think that I’m on the right track to bring people what they need.” It is also important to note that textures while sold full permission does not mean they can be distributed to everyone you know! Texture creators spend hours on their art and Neo does find this distribution problem with the items from her shop. She said people do not realize, “if it’s full permission they don’t really have to sell or give the materi-
Beauty and inspiration are everywhere!”
als away to their alts, friends etc. full permission products tend to be more expensive just because of all the permissions the buyer receives with it. I have seen many of my textures around and then searched for the merchants separately for example in my transaction history on marketplace and guess what? I didn’t find the merchants there. So I guess they received the goodies from someone. Some buyers really need to be more respectful and thankful for the full permission materials that Empire Textures and all the other great stores offer.” Even with the frustration all creators tend to experience when dealing with permissions on their creations Neo still has lot of projects planned and loves what she does! “I’m more drawn to my marketplace store
than the in-world one so it’s as simple as uploading and filling in all the details. My favorite part? Happy customers, great reviews and of course closing one project and starting all over again with fresh ideas. I have lots of new projects in mind like some new brick, concrete, plaster, wood and different building material textures as well as spring/summer fabric collections. It’s hard for me to tell which will be the next one because I wake up with something in mind and finish it the same day.” Neo and her creations are a breath of fresh air that can re-vitalize any project! Her marketplace shop is home to a bit of her personality, enjoy all of these vivid details on your next project and take a walk through her Empire of color!
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/47455
The pictorial in each issue usually highlights one artist but with Spring’s arrival it is never too early to have a bit of love in the air!
Kaelyn Alecto & Maxxster Resident capture emotions in their photographs that instantly put a smile on my face.
Kaelyn shared a bit of what her Second Life has been like since she met Maxx. “Maxx and I started as good friends and just ended up spending more and more time together learning we both love taking pics and can stand to be around each other non stop without driving each other nuts. We found out we have lots in common and have the same kind of humor. He lets me be goofy and crazy and supports me in everything I do. He helps me try new things and gives me the confidence boost I needed to actually go ahead and do it.�
this is their
love story caught on film
Maxxster’s Flickrstream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxxster Kaelyn’s Flickerstream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetsexycrazy
Their blog: http://www.sweetsexycrazy.com
Explore the sim
m “It all starts with a smile� here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Onyx%20Isle/101/124/254
Almost a Decade in the Making:
Trompe L’oeil
Our Second Life experience has drastically changed every year in both fashion and home items; every new medium, such as sculpties and now mesh, has changed our landscape into a more natural almost 4-D existence. The sheer volume of creators in our world makes it difficult to pinpoint just one that has the greatest impact or is perhaps the most well-known, however, it is easy to recognize bona fide talent. It is very rare to find a collection that has been consistently well-done regardless of the medium, and still evolving with each new release. Cory Edo is one of these rare creative visionaries her store, Trompe l’oeil, is anything but ordinary this anthology ranges from landscaping items to homes each piece more charming than the last. It was an honor to spend some time with this incredibly kind designer as she shared her Second Life journey with us! Cory’s journey began almost a decade ago! Cory “joined SL originally in November-ish of 2004 - wow, that’s creeping up on 10 years, how crazy is that? I saw a banner ad for SL, oddly enough, since I don’t think they’ve done banner ads for many years now. It was the Echo Omega ad campaign (http://www.peregrinesa-
lon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/ echo_omega.jpg) and I remember being blown away that you could make your video game character look exactly like you, if you wished. Well, “exactly” being a relative term looking at the 2004era SL avatar with slider hair, but still - it was pretty impressive for somebody that’s always been interested in creating virtual environments and characters. I logged on that night and was hooked on the completely open-ended nature from that point on.” Building was a natural progression from Cory’s interests and she explained that, “I gave building my first real attempt within a week or so of first signing up. I went to Sandbox Cordova (then just Cordova) and tried making a lamp, and it was absolutely terrible. I gave up on building for a little while after that and tried making clothing but the avatar mesh and the seam issues just frustrated me to the point that I went back to prims. Once a kind soul taught me how to texture individual faces on a prim, it was all over from there. I was building my own houses, a shop, furniture, you name it.”
Several years had passed before Cory opened shop while involved in other projects. Cory said, “I started Trompe Loeil in 2007, when I was still working as a creative designer and project manager for The Electric Sheep Company. It started out as a way to blow off creative steam when I wasn’t building for ESC, so my output was pretty minimal compared to product line of the last year or so. I went with home and garden because I love building and I have absolutely no fashion sense, so clothing and hair are right out. I do genuinely love creating environments and working with space to move within, and I hope I’m getting better with practice. When I purchased my region for my store it was next door to Tableau, and I thought a French name would fit the theme. Trompe l’oeil means “trick the eye” and that’s a perfect way to describe not only creating textures with depth and lighting effects (especially back in the pre-mesh days, when you had to do a lot more with texture creation to add detail and depth on a flat texture) but 3D content creation in general. Your eyes are continually tricked into seeing a three dimensional space on a 2D screen, and we
think nothing of it.” There is not trick this lady has a great sense of style, and when asked how she might define her style Cory said “Gosh, hard question - I’ve worked in just about every style there is by this point either for work or a custom job, but I would like to think the unifying theme throughout them all is warmth, a sense of handmade care. My favorite look to work with lately is slightly vintage, classy urban, with character.” Strangely enough when describing her work many people have said it has character so Miss Edo has certainly accomplished this goal with her work. After so many projects it would be incorrect to think inspiration would be hard for Cory to come by because she finds it “All over! I try to spend time each week going through various interior design and architecture sites on Tumblr and now on Pintrest. Anything that catches my eye I save in an inspiration folder or board and when it comes time to get a new product together, I just pick out whatever I feel like making from that collection. I also like seeing what other SL home and garden creators have released on Flickr, but I tend to use those as generalized inspiration,
like “I should put out some cool lamps”. I like seeing what the SL interior design trends are, what other designers have come up with. They’re usually much more creative than I am!” The Trompe l’oeil journey can be an inspiration for other budding creators on the grid. Cory did have some experience prior to joining Second Life, but had to learn other modeling programs to continue building using the latest mediums. “I knew Photoshop before coming to SL - I used to work in web and graphic design - but 3D modeling I’ve had to learn since 2010 (I use Blender for modeling, along with some programs for occasional touchups and lowering poly counts). Blender honestly wasn’t that hard to learn, because I had to learn the basics back when sculpties were first introduced, so when I picked it back up to learn mesh properly, I already knew how to manipulate a mesh object and bake a UV texture. SL kind of accidentally set up a very handy gradual learning curve for creators making the jump to mesh. The most frustrating part was figuring out how SL was working the physics of the model and how best to upload a model for the optimal land impact
- I’m still learning tricks, it’s a lot to keep track of! The easiest part - well, the most enjoyable part was finally being able to just make what I had in my head without trying to work around the limits of prims or sculpts. I’m not sure if it was the easiest part, but it was the part that made all the hard stuff worthwhile.” When asked if Cory makes all of her own textures, sculpts and now mesh she explained, “yes, with the following caveats: I do use one or two programs to help me with texture bases (and now normal maps since the textures are being used in Blender for baking), I take advantage of free Photoshop patterns/brushes/custom shapes to use in my textures, and starting last summer my partner Makaio Stygian has been contributing to Trompe Loeil by doing modeling and scripting work. I still do all the texturing, about 50% of the furniture modeling, all of the large-scale building and prefabs, the animating, the product listings, the advertising, and the administration/day to day upkeep of the store. But the more succinct answer (in terms of SL content creation) is yes, all the work is our own, no templates.”
That sounds exhausting finding the time to create and handle all of the administration! Miss Edo said, “SL for me has always been about the building, completely. I’ve never really been involved in the social side of SL, outside of the same small circle of friends I’ve had since around 2005. I log in, I sit in my sandbox region, and I build. I am the worst user test case imaginable for SL, I throw off every stat Linden Lab must measure. I’m logged in for 12-16 hours a day and 98% of the time I’m at my sandbox or my main store. I do like popping out to see the latest and greatest build on the grid, or do a little shopping if something really catches my eye, but usually its Flickr images from other people that get me to go there.” “The hardest part of having a business in SL is probably the total dependence on another company (Linden Lab) for your business to even exist. All the other difficulties - server problems, third party business solution problems, sales slumps, market instability - are things you deal with in any business, on any platform. One of the best things about mesh, its finally giving SL content creators an industry standard form of modeling that we can
export to other platforms with minimum effort, which actually makes us less reliant on Linden Lab and the SL platform, and that (oddly enough) makes SL stronger as a viable marketplace.” One of the largest projects Trompe l’oeil has undertaken in recent months was the complete redesign of the main store which is a beautiful custom mesh shopping plaza. There has been a great deal of buzz while other designers, fashion and furniture alike, wait to see if these shops might be sold or if Cory might have the time to take on custom projects! Cory explained re-designing her sim took a great deal of time. “I started working on the sim redesign last summer, and it took much longer than I intended. I was still working on it up until the day that I installed the new Trompe L’oeil main store, actually. I started by building out the new Hucci store on my private homestead region I use as a sandbox, in between product releases. I really wanted to have the entire sim switched over before Thanksgiving so I rushed the Trompe L’oeil store a bit, but it was important to have a mesh store to match the mesh products of the last year.”
Just how did these two brands ‘mesh’ together? Friendship even if Cory thinks she might be a bit of a homebody! She said, “Eboni Khan of Hucci and I go back to the very beginning - when I was first starting out building in 2005 she offered to host a ridiculous all-torus build I made that lagged you as soon as you looked at it. From there, she asked me if I would help build out her sim named Gold Coast, which also contained a Hucci store that I worked on. All total I think I’ve done 3 Hucci stores, so it’s pretty much tradition at this point. When I was planning the Trompe Loeil region redesign I asked her if she would be up for moving in, since I didn’t need all the room or the prims, and it worked out pretty well. We’d like to do events as soon as we can - I’m kind of waiting for Barnesworth Anubis who has the region next door to finish his store update as well, as well as Rue d’Antibes, the shopping sim to the north. We haven’t even had our grand re-opening promotions yet, hopefully it won’t be too much longer now, and we’d like to show everything off while the shine is still on!” Yet this was only one of Cory’s projects that took a long time to perfect. “Outside
of the new Hucci and Trompe Loeil stores, the project that’s taken the longest so far is probably the NYC66 skybox, which is a pretty faithful reproduction of Don Draper’s Manhattan apartment on Mad Men. Makaio and I spent a week just getting screen caps and photos together and mapping out the apartment interior along with all the details we wanted to include, and then it was another three weeks of building and baking and uploading. Even so, we were still a couple hours late for the Collabor88 release! It’s also my favorite piece I think, just in terms of how it takes you to an entirely different place when you’re inside it. It’s the first piece in mesh I did where the potential really came through. The lighting, the scale, everything felt so much more realistic than a prim build ever could.” Going forward from these accomplishments there are a few plans in the works! Miss Edo said, “After the large scale projects of the last year and given that I’m back in college now, we’re kind of scaling back our project scope somewhat. Anything that I sneak peek you on now would be already released by the time the interview is out, but I can say I regu-
larly put up work in progress pics on my Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coryedo/ So if you’re looking for the newest upcoming goodies, that’s where you want to check first! Generally speaking, my personal goal this year is to do a cottage prefab each month for Collabor88, and we want to do start doing more full room sets, so be on the lookout for full bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchens. Whatever inspiration happens to strike last year I did two skyboxes based roughly on Game of Thrones settings and one off of Mad Men - hopefully this year both shows will give me even more eye candy to work into skyboxes!” After spending some time chatting with this talented creator and getting a peek into her Second Life journey it is easy to see why this collection stands out and has been described repeatedly as having character and a ‘uniqueness’ in the market. Cory Edo has put a bit of herself into each piece she is a truly kind and genuine soul it was a pleasure sharing her story with our readers!
Freshen Up! by Gracie Kangjon The sun is shining - spring has arrived! Give your home a little pick-me-up with bright new accessories!
Con Deco Paper
what next boutique pinboard
tea.s The Bat Shelf
scarlett apple pup lamp
Cheeky Pea Sara Picnic Basket
Not a Toy Babushka Group
the Log
nstrust rplanes
e Loft gie Chair
Breno SpaceInvader
lame LOVE art
Creative Decay Chalk it Up
Lisp Charlotte Nerd Bookends
Alouette Hanging Book Shelf
MudHoney Ryan Candelabra
floorplan linen cabinet
Clever mesh breast creators also made it possible for clothes makers to make ‘appliers’ for mesh boobs. This meant that you could wear a lacey pink top for example, wear the mesh breasts and then ‘apply’ the matching lacey pink top texture to the mesh breasts essentially giving you a seamless looking top with as big a bust as you want! The mesh breasts, in particular the Lola’s Tango Mesh Breasts (pictured with appliers on) are my personal favorite; when Lola’s Tangos are worn naked in an intimate setting they make for an extremely flattering look and may inspire you to take naked pics of yourself…just sayin’ ;)
The Mesh Revolution
By Jewell Munro
Let me start by saying, I like mesh and I think it’s one of the best things to happen to Second Life. I like the enhanced realistic look, feel and movement that mesh gives my avatar my interest in mesh started with clothes, of course. I soon became fascinated with wearing mesh breasts to cover/ enhance my pixel shape which looked way more appealing (and perkier) than their sculpted prim cousins of the past.
Not long after mesh breasts hit our marketplace talented mesh creators started making appealing mesh hands which solved a nagging problem for me. As an enthusiastic Second Life photographer I always struggled to get my hands to look good in photos (it’s generally agreed that our pixelated avatar hands and feet look awful) so now not only do I wear mesh hands when I’m snapping pics of myself I also wear them daily as I think they look fantastic and I can wear my engagement ring with them by selecting ‘add’ to my hand as opposed to selecting ‘wear’. If color match-
ing your hand skin to your pixel skin isn’t exact you could always ‘add’ a bracelet to make it less obvious. Beautifully sculpted mesh feet are also another fascination of mine. I was never barefoot around home because I don’t like my pixelated square shaped blob feet, but now when I’m chillin’ at home I kick off my heels and slip on my mesh feet for a carefree look. Just like the mesh hands, the mesh feet are available in many shapes like; a flat foot shape, tippy-toes, arched and many other shapes that mimic our real life tootsies. Creators like Mandala have also made mesh ears which have become essential pieces to finish your look because some of the new mesh hair styles sweep hair back from your ears and our standard pixel ears are far too flat to pull this look off well. The ears are available in many styles as well with jewelry options! The best thing about the mesh body part revolution is that each new development allows us to have more unique avis and style so there you have my take on mesh! Always try a demo first, to see if they are for you and to test skin matching tones.
Build a House of Inspiration
and
Love
Written & Photographed by Editorial Clarity
I’m very lucky to have a partner like Rico because I do not know many people who would put up with my changes as far as houses go in Second Life. That is one of the beauties of this Virtual World, we can have what we want, create what we like and live some of our fantasies. This house was a project from the moment we purchased it. Built by Kaya Angel, the talented guy behind The Rose Theatre, we knew this house had great potential. Originally, the interior of the home was quite gaudy, it reminded me of a Royal Palace of some kind. The first step was the landscaping, which we already had a good idea on how we wanted it to look. Rico helped a lot with the garden because that is the area he enjoys the most in both lives, but he leaves me with the interior design and decorating. After the exterior was done I had an idea for what the interior would be like. I have always loved the wide open space, plain white washed walls and wooden floors of large apartments or newly renovated homes. That was the vibe I wanted to capture here in this house, to feel like it is an old building but we are modernising this old space, which really, we were doing anyway!
The house has a formal living room and an Entertainment living space, the perfect spot to watch movies and hang out with friends. I wanted to do something a little different in this space, so lowering the central area of the room with steps leading down to a large sofa turned out great. A Large chandelier hangs down low above the center of the room and gives it a classic yet stylish look. Opposite is the kitchen, a burst of orange and accents of purple and white. The same as the rest, this is a large room so filling the space was a little daunting. The kitchen set from BAZAR fit perfectly in the corner and the colors worked well with the rest of the room. Adding in a casual table and bench dining area from Petite Maison gives this room a relaxed feeling. The Bedroom is also one of the more colorful rooms of the home in a deep yellow. Separating this one big room into two different spaces and building an archway entrance really gives this room a feeling of grandeur and luxury. Not too much clutter in the bedroom but keeping it tastefully decorated, bright and welcoming. Main pieces are from The Loft, BAZAR, Meshworx and Leezu home.
The indoor spaces are great, but the outdoor is where time is mostly spent. A swimming pool is one of the newest additions to this house and it works so well. A cozy seating area sits under the pergola over looking the water and with the birdsong and nature sounds playing in the garden, it truly is peaceful and relaxing. One of my favourite spots is sitting under the tree, it just feels so hidden away from everything else. Pathways in the garden lead through the forest of trees varying from Willows to Oaks and Pines. At the far end of the grounds there is a large dock and seating area and a little further on is a cute little tea garden built with a set from Patron. Nestled amongst the trees as far from the house as you can go, it is a great hideout. I love decorating and anything to do with homes in both worlds, Second Life is an amazing platform to carry out this love. I really hope you get a little inspiration from this to do something with your own home.
Walk In Your Field of
Dreams with Royal Living Magazine photo by River Stromfield
1. If you could pack up and move anywhere in real life assuming money was not a factor what is the first image that comes to mind? A. A small wooded island B. A tropical fruity drink pink sand island C. A desert ranch with lots of open space D. A farm in the country with an orchard
2. One favorite food includes: A. Stew B. Chips and Salsa C. Grilled Veggies & Steak D. Home-made Apple Pie
3. My Style is more: A. Traditional B. Trendy C. Eclectic D. Country
5. Your living room furniture is more likely to be: A. Warm Tones B. Light Colors or White C. Striped or Red - Very Bold D. Casual, Comfortable Pieces - Blues and Yellows
Are You Living in the House of
7. When people see your name on their friend list you hope they think: A. There is my friend \o/ B. I wonder what kind of trouble he/she is up to :o C. Maybe they want to hang out/ come shopping with me \o/ D. I love him/her <3
6. If you had instruments for decor or to play they would be: A. Guitar B. Bongos C. Drums D. Piano
Your SL Dreams?
4. When you move to your dream destination one thing that has to be included or you would refuse to move: A. Music System B. Friends could visit all the time C. Activities to keep you entertained D. All of my Animals \o/
photo by Tara Voskhod
Mostly A’s.
Mostly C’s.
You enjoy quiet mornings with a cup of coffee finding inspiration in the world around you. If your current home is too modern or tropical you are desperately in need of change why not create a wooded natural area and place your home snuggled in between the trees think grass and calm surroundings.
You love the extraordinary and have a flair for adventure! You should not come home to a typical home create a desert abode or ranch style home and try living on the open range for a while - think tumbleweed and catcus!
Mostly D’s Mostly B’s. You enjoy being in the spotlight and making people smile. If you are already in your dream tropical home and getting a bit tired of the same old, same old palm trees switch up your home and try a modern twist with a bungalow or studio in an urban setting - think large open floor plans and lots of furniture for all of your friends to hang out!
A homebody with lots of family surrounding you at all times. If you already have the ultimate family home why not switch it up a bit and make a farmhouse complete with a barn or if you have been living in a modern or tropical home opt for a quieter country home and enhance the feeling of truly being ‘home’.
Written by Altonia Jewell â&#x20AC;˘ Photographed by Tara Voskhod
Falling From the Sky with Alex Bade
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There are many residents that lack a green-thumb we make grand canyons or mountain ranges when terraforming until some kind soul comes over to help fix the land. There is a shop I noticed on Marketplace and later had to visit in-world and I was astounded by the beautiful décor, textures and landscaping sets. It was a near miracle at how easily the pieces from the Studio Skye collection melding with my land making it easy to add landscaping items while maintaining a nature’s perfect chaos. We were very excited to have had a chance to meet the artist be-
hind Studio Skye, Alex Bader, and chat about his exquisitely crafted collection as well as his experience in Second Life. A visit to Studio Skye is like walking in a picture perfect park with tons of areas to explore and poses to test it is very easy to forget it is actually a store! Alex said, “From the start I liked to display my buildings in a natural environment; I suppose to help inspire people and demonstrate what could be created. Skye now is very much a product demo area, but I’ve spent some time on the display and tried to give
it a friendly feel even though it’s packed with stuff! Above all I’d like people to be inspired to create their own environment. If I can provide a spark of an idea along their way, I’m happy.” Thankfully Linden Labs invests in advertising our world otherwise Alex would not have dropped in to paint these natural landscapes! He “Heard about SL through a radio article describing virtual property developers. I think Linden Labs were doing a big PR drive and everyone seemed intrigued by this idea. That was
in *checks profile* 2006. I was fascinated by the idea of virtual land and had to have a look for myself. It all seemed a bit crazy at first but I could see that there were creative people around and was inspired to develop some building skills of my own. When I felt I was beginning to understand things I bought a nice piece of cliff top mainland and built two custom villas when they both sold I found myself hooked! After another mainland project I set up my own estate - Skye (after the Scottish Island) - selling custom built properties in an integrated environment. I
had 14 sims at one point and a small band of like-minded residents. It was good fun and I really enjoyed how much everybody bought into my vision for Skye.” Luckily, Alex had some experience with graphics programs that made it easier to begin building. Mr. Bader explained, “I had loads of experience with graphics software but not with 3D packages. SL’s building tools are surprisingly flexible; easy to discover and you can produce some surprising results with simple prims and some nice textures. I spent a while learning to use the basic SL building tools and seeing how far I could push things. For me Mesh has been the biggest improvement. It has changed my life! It’s allowed me a huge amount of control over the objects I design and to build things I could only dream of a few years back.” Alex transitioned from his fourteen sim community to the store “When the custom sim market got a little thinner I diversified into prefab castles and buildings and then, after numerous requests, texture sets and builder kits. It seemed logical to keep the Skye name but I wanted to push the business as design led, hence
the Studio part. Things definitely took their own path one product line developed from another and I guess I just followed my nose in term of things I enjoyed building and products people were buying. Clearly my own personal taste comes through in the items - architecture and landscape are my passions. You have to have a lot of yourself in your products it’s what helps them stand out in a crowded marketplace and connect with customers on a personal level.” Castles were all the rage in the earlier days
and actually getting the chance to use my own landscaping kit. That has been a pure joy for me. I make these things so people can use them to create and enhance their virtual environments and now I’m getting to do the same! (Sneak Peek: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9999541@ N07/8508799628/in/photostream/)
of Second Life, and it can be a challenge to find one that is done well with more modern building techniques. I was very surprised to find very handsome castle builds at Studio Skye, but perhaps it because they are indeed proof Alex’s passion built them. He explained out of everything available in his store, “I still love my castles. The Basilisk Keep was my latest build and incorporated everything I had learned to that point. I have to say though, my new mesh scenes are my favourites - all of them! I’m working on a from-scratch sim build just now
Alex said he is “Always super excited when I spot one of my textures in a build. It makes it all worthwhile. I spotted a sim on the viewer home screen recently with a familiar terrain texture. I visited and sure enough it was mine. I was stoked!” After wandering around the terrain at Studio Skye it is easy to see that Alex truly enjoys being in nature and captures her essence in his creations. He finds inspiration in “The landscape around me. I live in a rural area with forest and mountains (and yes, a castle which I see from my front window) - I just have to take a walk with the dogs for inspiration.” Sometimes creators feel that the business aspect may distract from the passion of creating a new home or scene but Alex enjoys both portions of his career equally! Alex explained, “I’ve had RL creative busi-
ness for many years so to be honest it’s quite easy for me to manage a single person virtual business. For me, the creative and business sides are inseparable. I probably wouldn’t build with such enthusiasm if I didn’t have such an encouraging and appreciative customer base. I love finishing a product and sending out an update to my mailing list. The process of create - build - sell is a logical ad rewarding process for me.” We did try to peek over his shoulder on what might be on his calendar for the
spring, but he caught us looking! Alex said, “I’ve always got new releases coming up! At the moment I’m concentrating on landscaping items and new texture sets. I do have an Antique & Retro furniture and bric-a-brac store at an embryonic stage. I’m afraid I just don’t have enough time to get through all the stuff I want to make but I’ll get there some day… maybe.” One quick visit and you will want to make sure to keep a watchful eye on the new items falling from the Skye……Studio that is!
behind closed doors There are many places to explore and discover in Second Life but this journey is not complete if you have not visited the beds! It is an experience to be had with your partner to hide behind closed doors and steal intimate moments especially if you both have an open mind! Early on in Second Life the bed was partner pose driven and as with all furniture in SL has evolved with beautiful designs, fun props and even poses to hang out with friends; that being said, even the partner menus have gotten better! Jewell and I took this project very seriously and made sure to test many beds and the features available! It is important to note when making your purchase that many designers will offer PG and Adult versions, as well as, copy and non-copy versions so if you are working with a budget and only want a visually pleasing bed select the PG edition! Shoppers seeking more then just a piece of decoration you know what to do! Here are our favorite beds of the moment:
No wonder th
Written by Ritchie Rich - Photographed by Jewell Munro
his article took so long... these two got engaged during the photoshoot! *wiggles eyebrows* - Gracie
Tribeca Bed by Colleen Desmoulins
The animations are great: cuddles/chillin/ intimate(sex)/group activities which are unique and well made. This bed has beautiful texture change pillows and sheet features, but please note the headboard is sold separately (900L with texture change colour features or 200L with no texture change features). No mod/no copy/no transfer - 3,850L The Loft Furniture - http://maps.secondlife. com/secondlife/The%20Loft/123/120/22
The Arizona Bed by Ria Ba
The best value hands down at only 469L for ation and texturing. It has great animations, texture changer and a modest selection of ha ers animations! More mesh bed styles are ava Bazar Furniture http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/L%20A Dreams/79/170/22
azar
top quality in creblanket and pillow angout, sleep and lovailable in-store.
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The LAQ Bed by Winter DiPrima
Pictured is the mesh LAQ Decor Bed Set (Adult Multi Color Pack) includes bedroom furniture and 52 great animations, as well as, texture changing options. Copy and modify version 1,249L (PGversion available for 999L) LAQ Decor http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LAQ%20Decor/139/65/28
TNT Exotica Bed by Torix Jameso
This beautifully textured mesh bed boasts 56 Menus, 271 Poses, 491 Anims, 48 rezzable objects and has an integrated cuff system feature - let the fun begin! No Copy Version - 4,950L TNT Modern Furniture http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Safari/38/161/25
LISP Chloe Bed by Pandora Popstar
Just an everyday cute girly mesh bed with pretty textures and adorable animations. PG animations for chillin with friends, cuddles, single animations with props like magazine reading, having breakfast and working on your laptop. It dispenses croissants and a hair brush, perfect for your teen daughters girly bedroom! Modify and copy, no transfer - 450L LISP Bazaar - http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LISP/204/139/30
Prime Mansion bed by Reven Rosca
Pictured is the mesh Diamond Edition = Adult 6999L - beautifully designed and contains many menu options in addition to the what is normally included: lovescene, gay and 3some animations. Also available: Ruby Edition - 4,999L which contains misc cuddles/girl-boy and some adult animations and the Sapphire Edition - 1,999L which contains PG miscellaneous cuddles only The beds are sold - mod/copy Visit Prime for many other bed style options as well as a huge selection of other gorgeous adult furniture. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find discounts and special offers in-store too. Prime - http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/PRIME%20II/44/206/26
Lovers PlayGround Bed
We chose to highlight this bed out of all the Lovers Playground beds because we liked the uniqueness of the fishtank for a headboard. It has many animation features and allows you to build your own lovescene on the fly, as well as, add your scenes to a favorite list for easy/quick access ;) No copy version - 6,300L 1,260 animations to chose from. texture/color change hud Xcite & Sensations compatible Lovers Playground - http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/A%20 Lovers%20PlayGround/130/251/22