HOME | DD

Description
Carastariel rarely talks publicly about her personal life, so I was pleasantly surprised when she agreed to be interviewed about what she likes to do for fun, rather than her latest architectural project. But I couldn’t have imagined how many more surprises she would have in store for me.
   The first was when she asked to meet me in an obscure exurb of New York City (which she made me promise not to reveal). The address she texted me turned out to be a playground, and if she hadn’t already been there waiting for me, I would have assumed I had the wrong place.
   The next surprise was her outfit. Of course, one understands on some theoretical level that Carastariel doesn’t actually wear a blazer twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and she’s not obligated to dress like a fashion plate just to meet with me. But I’ve never seen her in person without a blazer even once, despite interviewing her dozens of times over the years. That is, until now, when she greeted me in a pink cropped t-shirt and ripped jeans. If she weren’t a six-foot-three elf with naturally green hair, I would never have recognized her from a distance. I had heard rumors that Carastariel has a secret fascination with pink that she chooses not to indulge in her professional life. But this was still just about the least likely outfit I could have ever imagined her wearing (unless she had paired it with a blazer, of course).
   But the biggest surprise of the day was when she handed me a helmet and a skateboard, and told me, her glittery golden eyes sparkling with mischief, that today was the day I was going to learn to skate.
   Um, what?
   “Oh, don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I’ve never been particularly athletic, either. And now that I sit in front of a computer most of the time, I’m not as fit as I used to be when I was a model. So if I can do it, so can you!”
   She must have forgotten her midriff was bare, because her toned abs visibly contradicted the dubious claim that our physical capabilities were somehow comparable. And after I repeatedly demonstrated the importance of wearing head protection when skateboarding (and elbow protection, and knee protection, and . . .), even the notoriously persistent and perpetually optimistic Carastariel knew when it was time to throw in the towel. She gracefully (and graciously) transitioned from would-be coach to performer, agreeing to show off some of her skills before we proceeded with the interview.
   But what made Carastariel take up skateboarding, of all things?
   “A human friend of mine lives nearby, and she shared her love of skating with me here. Well, it was just a playground then, there was no skatepark yet. Anyway, I can’t quite put into words why I love it or how it makes me feel, exactly, but I’d start by saying that it’s both energizing and liberating. And it’s a wonderful way to meet new people that I wouldn’t otherwise. I don’t really do any spectacular tricks, just the basics. Well, I pulled off an ollie 540 once after Tony insisted I try it, when I was more serious about vert skating. But regardless of what I’m doing, make sure you emphasize in your article that I always wear my brain bucket when I ride. I have to set a good example for the kids.”
   Putting aside the casual name-drop of a world-renowned skater, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk with the local personal friend Carastariel mentioned. So I asked if she would be willing to join us.
   “Well, she hasn’t really been able to skate for a while now, especially after her second hip surgery. She just turned sixty-two, and isn’t in the best of health.” Carastariel looked away for a moment. “She understandably has mixed emotions about coming over here just to watch me skate. But we still get together and do other things when I’m in town.”
   Is it true that being so tall is a disadvantage for skateboarding?
   “Well, it does pose some challenges. It took me a while to adjust and learn to get lower, and I took a lot of hard falls early on. But with work, dedication, and practice, you can overcome anything. Tall humans learning to skate might want to invest in some really good protective gear, though.”
    This is Carastariel we’re talking about, so I had to ask: has she ever considered working with a manufacturer to create skateboard designs or a line of related clothing?
   “Ha, absolutely not. I’ve promised myself not to turn one of my few casual hobbies into yet another job. And honestly, I don’t have the street cred for that, I’d definitely look like a poser.”

Daz Studio -> Iray -> Photoshop.

Criticism and comments are always welcome, and greatly appreciated!

The ripped jean effect was created using freebie “Ripped Jeans” Photoshop brushes by Obsidian Dawn . The brushes are fantastic, and even though I’m no Photoshop wizard this worked out better than I expected. It required modifying the diffuse, cutout opacity, and normal textures of these jeans, and was an interesting learning process.

This was one of those posts where the story was more of an afterthought. This reporter is a bit wordy, self-involved, and pretentious, but I think it came out okay. The real reason this render exists is because I’d been wanting to render a generic skateboarding elf for a while, but only recently realized that this concept would also be a good excuse to dress Carastariel in a t-shirt and baggy jeans. Once that happened, this image became inevitable. No regrets.

Description
Carastariel rarely talks publicly about her personal life, so I was pleasantly surprised when she agreed to be interviewed about what she likes to do for fun, rather than her latest architectural project. But I couldn’t have imagined how many more surprises she would have in store for me.
   The first was when she asked to meet me in an obscure exurb of New York City (which she made me promise not to reveal). The address she texted me turned out to be a playground, and if she hadn’t already been there waiting for me, I would have assumed I had the wrong place.
   The next surprise was her outfit. Of course, one understands on some theoretical level that Carastariel doesn’t actually wear a blazer twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and she’s not obligated to dress like a fashion plate just to meet with me. But I’ve never seen her in person without a blazer even once, despite interviewing her dozens of times over the years. That is, until now, when she greeted me in a pink cropped t-shirt and ripped jeans. If she weren’t a six-foot-three elf with naturally green hair, I would never have recognized her from a distance. I had heard rumors that Carastariel has a secret fascination with pink that she chooses not to indulge in her professional life. But this was still just about the least likely outfit I could have ever imagined her wearing (unless she had paired it with a blazer, of course).
   But the biggest surprise of the day was when she handed me a helmet and a skateboard, and told me, her glittery golden eyes sparkling with mischief, that today was the day I was going to learn to skate.
   Um, what?
   “Oh, don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I’ve never been particularly athletic, either. And now that I sit in front of a computer most of the time, I’m not as fit as I used to be when I was a model. So if I can do it, so can you!”
   She must have forgotten her midriff was bare, because her toned abs visibly contradicted the dubious claim that our physical capabilities were somehow comparable. And after I repeatedly demonstrated the importance of wearing head protection when skateboarding (and elbow protection, and knee protection, and . . .), even the notoriously persistent and perpetually optimistic Carastariel knew when it was time to throw in the towel. She gracefully (and graciously) transitioned from would-be coach to performer, agreeing to show off some of her skills before we proceeded with the interview.
   But what made Carastariel take up skateboarding, of all things?
   “A human friend of mine lives nearby, and she shared her love of skating with me here. Well, it was just a playground then, there was no skatepark yet. Anyway, I can’t quite put into words why I love it or how it makes me feel, exactly, but I’d start by saying that it’s both energizing and liberating. And it’s a wonderful way to meet new people that I wouldn’t otherwise. I don’t really do any spectacular tricks, just the basics. Well, I pulled off an ollie 540 once after Tony insisted I try it, when I was more serious about vert skating. But regardless of what I’m doing, make sure you emphasize in your article that I always wear my brain bucket when I ride. I have to set a good example for the kids.”
   Putting aside the casual name-drop of a world-renowned skater, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk with the local personal friend Carastariel mentioned. So I asked if she would be willing to join us.
   “Well, she hasn’t really been able to skate for a while now, especially after her second hip surgery. She just turned sixty-two, and isn’t in the best of health.” Carastariel looked away for a moment. “She understandably has mixed emotions about coming over here just to watch me skate. But we still get together and do other things when I’m in town.”
   Is it true that being so tall is a disadvantage for skateboarding?
   “Well, it does pose some challenges. It took me a while to adjust and learn to get lower, and I took a lot of hard falls early on. But with work, dedication, and practice, you can overcome anything. Tall humans learning to skate might want to invest in some really good protective gear, though.”
    This is Carastariel we’re talking about, so I had to ask: has she ever considered working with a manufacturer to create skateboard designs or a line of related clothing?
   “Ha, absolutely not. I’ve promised myself not to turn one of my few casual hobbies into yet another job. And honestly, I don’t have the street cred for that, I’d definitely look like a poser.”

Daz Studio -> Iray -> Photoshop.

Criticism and comments are always welcome, and greatly appreciated!

The ripped jean effect was created using freebie “Ripped Jeans” Photoshop brushes by Obsidian Dawn . The brushes are fantastic, and even though I’m no Photoshop wizard this worked out better than I expected. It required modifying the diffuse, cutout opacity, and normal textures of these jeans, and was an interesting learning process.

This was one of those posts where the story was more of an afterthought. This reporter is a bit wordy, self-involved, and pretentious, but I think it came out okay. The real reason this render exists is because I’d been wanting to render a generic skateboarding elf for a while, but only recently realized that this concept would also be a good excuse to dress Carastariel in a t-shirt and baggy jeans. Once that happened, this image became inevitable. No regrets.