Absence note.

I havent been on SL lately...its been a while. Truth be told I cant stand being in it for more then a few minutes at a time. I think Im burnt out, burnt out from people...burnt out creatively in SL. I just feel every time I get on with the specific WANT to finish a design or outfit my desire quickly fades. The fun factor from SL seems to have disappeared. I love SL I really do, its just right now I need a break. A period to rejuvenate and think clearly. Im sure I'll bounce back stronger and can finally put out the designs I want. For now, I will be coming on every so often to check note cards and fix any customer problems.

Peace out cool cats.

Don

Lion 52 Racing outfit.

Hey guys!
I know, I havent been on regular these days and my blog has suffered. My apologies. Some exciting stuff has been happening in my real life that took priority for a little while. I got a new job which is actually pretty awesome. I work as a 2D animator and graphic designer at a London based firm. Its all very exciting, my office is in Covent Garden so its RIGHT in the center of everything. Ive been getting settled so have been using my spare time to finish off my SL projects. One of them was a biker outfit which Im proud to say I have finally finished. Its pretty involved with various prim accessories and I hope fans and customers will enjoy the attention to detail I have put in.
Theres a lot of pictures in this post, bare with me.










All the accessories come ready to wear for most average male avatars. But are flexible enough to resize. The helmet comes with a hair and non-hair option. I should be getting it out hopefully sometime this evening. The outfit comes with - The Jacket and prim collar, the leather pants, the elbow and knee pads, the gloves and its prim padding, the boots and the belt. And dont worry girls, I havent forgotten about the female alternative. :P

Peace out pretty kitties.

Don

New Biker boots!

Just finished some new biker boots. Still unnamed but Im quite happy with them. They are based loosely on 'Kings' boots from Tekken 5. I still have a few more accessories to finish before Im done with my biker outfits. But watch this space. :D




Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

GearShift Academy!

So, I started texturing my main store. Its been well overdue. Its been sitting there half built for months now. Broder and Snippy decided to help so I dragged them along and they fixed unaligned prims and built some new bits. While I textured and pulled things together. Its starting to take shape...Im sooo fucking ready to release my fucking uniforms already. XD





I never forgot about my Rival Skoolz project. It just got put on the back burner for a lil while.

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

GearShift Riders!

Hey guys!
Heres a sneak peek at an outfit Im working on. So far Ive finished the leather racing jacket template. Its turned out really well I think. The full outfit will contain ALOT of prim accessories, including boots, elbow and kneepads and helmet. Im considering a Ghost Rider version to continue the comic inspired apparel Ive been releasing. I love Ghost Rider, shame about the movie. >_<;




Its not a strictly guy outfit however. You guys may remember a lil sketch I had in my 'Donny Sketch Party 4!' post. Yep, its an outfit that Im making too, so girls will have a fun variant for themselves to wear. :D



Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Guitar Zero!

Hey guys!
Was super bored so decided to play some songs and record myself. Just played a couple of songs for fun. So get ready to cringe to my amateur guitar playing, with all its buzzing and lame strum patterns. I included all the takes because its funny when I fuck up...you guys can laugh at my skitzoid cursing!

These are all done on an acoustic guitar with a lame mic. I dont have a professional set up or anything. XD

Always your way This is a song I totally adore. Its by a London band called My Vitriol!

New shoes A lil bit of a new song Ive been learning. Its by Paolo Nutini and its kinda bluesy, if you dig that stuff. And its about shoes! HAWT!


The next lot are takes of me playing Basket Case by Green Day. Im still kinda learning the song. I get so angry when I dont get things right and turn into a skitzoid sailor apparently.
Take 1 : Im so lame!
Take 2 : fucking balls!
Take 3 : Basketfuck

Enjoy the madness!

Don

Donny Sketch Party 5!

The other day I did a sketch while chatting with Saeya. After I finished it I started looking through some of my artwork and noticed I might possibly be obsessed with smoking artistically. *laugh* I fucking hate smoking in real life, its pretty much a habit Im not going to take up. I made a weird little pact with some friends when I was 13, we all promised we would never be like the poser 6th formers in my school and that we would not smoke. 11 years later and Im the only one left in that lil group who kept those principles. I just find it funny that Ive been so attached to it visually, not only in my art but my avatar is now pretty much a heavy chain smoker. I'll post some art from my lil archive, some art is as old as 2002 so expect varying artistic ability.






Okay, Im also obsessed with drawing boys. ^_^;

Well peace out pretty kitties.
Im out for a fag break. :P
Don

BlockParty 5!

Hey guys!
Wanted to thank everyone for showing up at the party this past Saturday. I had so much fun. As always, it wasnt without its problems in the beginning. I completely spaced on giving Jonny the stream information the night before. So, with some quick thinking and help from Zab we cooked up a little banner which could load the stream OUTSIDE of SL. Jonny did show up later to fix the stream in world so it eventually worked out. In my experience however, The Block parties are never without their teething problems at the beginning but they always manage to finish strong.
This was definately the biggest party I believe we have had for the Block. Just the amount of people in one place was just so exciting. We managed high traffic through out before crashing the sim at 96 nearing the end. Whats a block party without a crash or two?
I think the live music went down well, I'll be sure to play some more songs next time round. And I'll do my best NOT to drop my guitar pick during a song. And... >.> sorry for the mic breathing. *laugh* But apparently some people liked it? 0_o
I was also REALLY excited to have tracks from Elec Tone which went down a treat when I played them for the crowd. All in all it was a great experience and I am so looking forward to the next one. Lets hope it is sooner, rather then later.





Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

The adventures of Penis power!

I got the second poster finished yesterday night. You would not believe how hard it is a task to get a hold of some of the designers, even for just a moment. Everyone has either been super busy or stressing with pressures from RL. But thankfully I was able to scrounge up some popular Block regulars for a few minutes.

You'll have probably started noticing the posters throughout The Block. And I have been whoring them like crazy. For those that are willing, I'll be sending out a LM-giver prim with both posters in some group notices this evening. So if you were feeling generous you could maybe put them up at your establishment/home/area of interest.

Last night was actually pretty interesting. Trying to think of something new for a Block party I wanted to book some live musicians for the event. I remember a friend telling me that the owner of a live music venue was a big fan of my store. So I thought it would be interesting to inquire about having a musician play for us. The owner 'Lucius' was very sweet and extremely helpful. He managed to organise a demo with one of their regular performers. Apparently he has quite the following so I was excited to hear what the big hubbub was about. I invited Vas, Devo, DT and Posy and we listened to him play two live songs for us. The performer was EXTREMELY talented and I was excited to have him play this Saturday, he has a great voice and I thought his style of music would of gone down well.

However, the performers ego was HUGE. After TPing him to The Block things just started to break down in conversation. DT was there and like a professional was very delicate and diplomatic with his responces...I was so greatful for that because I was just in shock by the things I was hearing. The performer wanted to strike up a kind of deal with us and The Block, have him wear our clothing exclusively so he could promote us. Though he didnt spit it out properly, he basically wanted us to PAY him so he could wear our clothes. You have got to laugh at that sort of mentality folks...thats one of the funniest things Ive had proposed to me in SL. Heres me thinking I was doing pretty well as a business in SL. I didnt realise what I needed to improve sales was have a bedroom singer wear my shit.
After talking with Zab about it later that evening he told me to nix him. The Block has a pretty chilled vibe, so for someone to climb on mic and potentially bombard the audience with ramblings about HOW GOOD he is between songs...well, that probably wouldnt go down too well. So although I wanted to introduce something NEW to the block party...The Block itself needs to be the priority.

I dont quite think he realises how big hes fucked up. The Block Parties have always been pretty popular and this opportunity could of been very good for him...not only in what I was paying him, but his tips for that day and the potential notoriety he could of achieved from playing The Block . Oh well, I'll see what I can do about bringing something fresh this weekend. If anything, at least you guys are safe from having to hear someone tell you that they are sorry they have to leave...but someones screaming for some hot loving. *shudder* Cheese like that is stab worthy. God bless you Mr. Egotistical Performer!

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Block Party 5 is coming!

So the Block party is happening this weekend. For those that were disappointed that things didnt go down LAST weekend. Well, just be cool. Its getting sorted for this Saturday and its going to ROCK so hard. So rejoice block kids, its happening.



Ive been putting together some posters for the event. Following on from Noams great movie themed poster from a previous party. Can you guess which movie this poster is inspired by?

Im trying to get some of the other designers to make a secondary poster with the colours inverted. Then I'll put the images of them on shirts and tank tops which you can get at the party ABSOLUTELY free! Coupled with the great limiteds that will be available people are sure to come away with some top quality fashion booty!

Im not 100% on the time of the party, which is why its not on this version of the poster. But I imagine it will start at 12PM SLT... or there abouts. As usual I'll be spinning the tracks so be sure to come down and chill with the rest of us.

Just be cool.

Don

Get your fresh issues at GearShift!

Been a lil hectic this past week. Ive had to actually buckle down and finish three new stores. I used to love getting a new place when I first started out as a designer, but now setting up new stores is probably one of my LEAST favourite things about the designer experience. Dont get me wrong, I understand its importance and will put some effort into my store set ups. But, I do sometimes leave it till that last minute.

There are two sims opening to the public this weekend, Downtown and the NEW Block. Im actually kinda psyched about my stores there. I put a little more thought into their conception than usual. They are both themed as comic book stores which I thought was amusing. Im probably a lil more partial to my Block store as I built it from the ground up. Though, they are both at such nice locations its hard not to love them equally. Definately fun for the whole family!




This comic rack was built by the awesome Posy, a testament to how much she rocks!


Ahhhh...refreshing! Im now Geared up for the rest of the day! GearShift cola, now with extra GEEK!

Both sims will be celebrating with a party I believe. Im still a little cloudy about the time of the Block party opening, but rest assured I'll be there kicking it with the mad tunes. The Downtown sim will be rawking out with their party starting from 12 SLT. I'll be grabbing the mic at around 4SLT so be sure to come down and support the sims. Good times!

Peace out pretty kitties!

"Whooooooooo... PARTY!"

Don

Geared Up!

Did you ever hear the one about the 3 people at the bus stop?






Peace out pretty kitties.

Don

Donny Sketch Party 4!

Hey gang!
Its that time again. :D


Awww, Yay! She loves me. :D



Painting I did of my granny. Ive done a few paintings and doodles of her during my life. This one I did when she died in Ferbuary. Love you gran.



This one was a group pic with Artemis. Shes so very talented. I had fun, it was done sometime last year. Artemis said the guy I drew was a jerk. OMG, he is isnt he? I want some candy too. But Id share with everyone... I WOULD! >.>

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Polo flavour.

Im a little annoyed this afternoon as my web server seems to have gone down and I cant get a hold of the admins. Gahh! I can see the avalanche of screaming people wondering why their website went down. 0_o; Well, at least this time I can actually use the server going down as a legitimate excuse. Rather then using techno-babble to cover my lazy ass for having not done/finished things. - So if your reading through this blog and are wondering why images are missing. Well, now you know why. ^^;

Anyway, so I havent gotten out my guy releases. Im sorry, I was hoping to get things out before the weekend. But I didnt finish some polos that I had ideas for... But having got the chance to play with them this weekend Im hoping to get them out sometime today. They are comic inspired, cuz well if you didnt already know I am just a huge geek. Yup, thats how I roll yo! Venom and Punisher love for the masses!



I think the Venom top is one of my favourites. The logo wraps right around, just like it does on his suit. XD *squeeee* The polos are gonna come with optional prim ties. Ive finished the build on the ties, just gotta work on the textures for them.

And I STILL have to finish a bunch of stores. I suck so bad, Im definately gonna have to buckle down and finish them. One of the stores Ive been building is going to be themed as a comic book store. :) Its looking pretty snazzy, just gotta finish texturing bits and build my shelves for my clothes etc.



So thats it from me. Im gonna go see if I can get my servers running. *cries*

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Tanks and kicks!

Things are getting a lil hectic reaching this weekend. I have quite a few stores I have to set up. SL wasnt entirely friendly to me last night, I couldnt log into SL at all or the website. It wasnt until about 12pm today when things were able to roll for me again, so thats set me back a little. But Im sure I shall have things sorted for an exciting block weekend.

Im SOOOOO behind on so many things. I have a back log of shit Ive made but havent released. My Ryu hair, my uniforms, more tracksuits and some polos. And my mainstore STILL isnt finished. I'll release the goodies little by little, Im sure once these shopping sims are open I'll have time to work and build on my store again.


I have released some new tank tops for girls just recently. Its one of those things I get nagged a bit about. Are you doing more womens clothing? So I finally got off my lazy arse and put together some tank tops to appease the people. Im actually quite pleased with the template I got through. Im a sucker for detail, so heres hoping you guys enjoy them. Big thanks goes out to the awesome Leila who helped pose for my ads. ^_^

Ive gotten into this habit of just releasing a WHOLE bunch of stuff together at the same time. After chatting with Rosie I realised it might be better for the store if I stretch out my releases. It would keep people checking back at the store, and keep my name in the forums a lil longer. So, with this installment of my releases I got out 5 new tanks and the Relics Casual for girls. ^^; I have been meaning to get them out for a while, the textures have been done for a month or so. Well, better late then never eh?



So having taken care of the girls with that release I have some stuff coming up for the guys. Im getting out these polo and sweater combos, Ive been sitting on them for a little while and am actually pretty excited about them.
Ive been feeling a lot more confident about my designs. I dont think my designs are as cluttered and over-bearing as before. I think Ive always had a nice technical understanding of putting my templates together, but now I feel my designs are a lot more solid. Something that I feel Ive accomplished if anything in my time as a clothing designer here in SL is that my brand is pretty unique. I mean, my designs and the overall flavour of my items are my own. The GearShift identity is completely different from say FORM or Renegade. I think its important for every clothing designer to have their own flavour that sets them apart, the little quirks and character of your brand are all things that can see you have longevity and success...well, thats what I think anyway. *laugh*




The polo and sweater combos come with prim collars. The set can see you wear the sweater with the polo, or they are perfectly able to both stand on their own. I'll be getting them out with some more goodies for guys just before the weekend.
Well, I'll leave you with that kids.

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Check bottom for expiry date.

Ive been kind of out of action for a few weeks. More real life work getting the better of me. Im slowly trying to get back into the swing of things, but with my time off Ive felt Ive lost touch with some people. I have no idea when things started to turn sour with friends. Is it the time? The older you get in SL the more jaded you become? I dont know.
I havent been on top of other peoples drama, outside of reading cryptic emo blog entries I havent had the chance to talk and find out things. Just the other day my card was cut. Since I wasnt the only one to get the boot I could only guess it was their solution to a bigger problem... a dramatic answer to a problem? Maybe. I was left with a sour taste in my mouth, on one hand I was worried about what happened with my friend...but I also felt a little betrayed. Was I really that easily disposed of? Knowing all the time we've spent together? Only they know.
But that got me looking at my friends list and I started thinking about who I actually talk to. Its kind of sad, Im supposedly out-going and talkative...yet I could count all the people who will say hello to me on one hand. I felt lonely, Posy told me everyone goes through it in SL.

When did SL become a job? Thats what Ive been thinking about. Even before I disappeared for my break all I tended to do was check how much money I was getting in. Log on to check IMs and make sure I was cashing out. I Really dont want to become that jaded hermit designer who sees SL as just another income point. I do like chatting to people, I like those weird geeky conversations. Like trying to remember the lyrics to old cartoon theme songs. - Like 'The Raccoons' ^_^; Discussing who would be best suited to play Kratos in a possible God of War movie...or if anyone saw the last Gekirangers episode.

People move on, thats the nature of SL. Time does move fast here and that speeds up the process of everything. Relationships, friends and fads. I just hope the next set of close friends I make dont have weird secret issues or have the flair for being a diva. Oh Oh... I also hope they have longer expiry dates.

/end emo-ish rant

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Wataaaaaaaaaaaah!

Hey guys!
So its been a lil while since my last post. Ive had a busy couple of weeks. Alot of things happening in the Real World that Ive had to deal with...A death in the family saw me become quite the little hermit. It also saw me become VERY hyper active with my releases. Alot of people didnt know, mostly because I dont like bringing people down like that. And well, its my shit I have to deal with. Theres not really alot anyone else can do about it - so I took on the mentality that just getting on with it would be best. Ive been continuing my creative streak and have finished a few new offerings for you all.

I recently just finished a new full outfit that is currently for sale at my store at the block. Its obvious where my inspiration originates, I always thought the original jumpsuit was just SOOO kickass and sexy! Well, I did my own little variation on the outfit. Mine being a trendier take as it comes in a tracksuit form. A few people who have seen me roaming the streets with it have mistaken it for the bride's outfit in KillBill. GET IT RIGHT PEOPLE, I was looking at the ORIGINAL inspiration of Bruce Lee from Game of Death...NOT KillBill. Mr Tarantino obviously has great taste!

Well, the outfit comes with quite a few extras. Both clean and dirty versions of the tracksuit. (The Dirty version coming complete with HUGE footprint across the chest) The sporty yellow kicks and is topped off with a prim zipped collar. Also in the package for fun, I included two Bruce Lee gestures.



Ive also finished some new Relic Casuals. They come in a few different colours, black, white, red, blue and green. These Relics are much more in tune with Pumas or Adidas trainers with the sporty lines. I still think the casual shoes in SL are still heavily dominated by sneakers. I dont have anything against them of course, but I personally dont wear them very often in my casual attire when Im out and about. I hope these offerings will put a smile on the faces of those people who like wearing fitted Diesel shoes. I know Im probably going to get moaned at for not having girls sizes available yet, but please bare with me. They will be coming.



I recently hung out with Nex, he asked about how things were going with my 'Rival Skoolz' uniforms. Im sure he was convinced I had given up on the project. Which I told him wasnt the case. I HAVE been hard at work on my mainstore which is taking shape and the uniforms are going to be available upon the Grand opening of my store. Ive been enjoying creating things on a short tangent to help increase my stores inventory. The store and the Rival Skoolz project are going to be a main priority across the coming weeks. I know its been a long time coming, but if you know anything about me by now...you should know that I always work VERY hard to produce high quality goods. May take me a lil longer sometimes, but I always try and keep things very professional. That goes for my store and the project too.
Im sorry, no pictures just yet. I know I promised them... But SL sure is being stupid right now. I cant TP anywhere and things rezzing seems to be an impossibility right now. But to those who HAVE seen the build have had alot of nice things to say about it. You know, next to comments on how BIG it is. (Its a School damn it, of course its gonna be big!)

I really want to get out my shoes, but like I said. SL is being just impossible for me right now. But I will try and have them out and available sometime tonight...that is if SL decides to be a little kinder.

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Hadoken!

I dont think Ive ever been as productive in SL as I have been lately. Ive been dealing with a few personal things in RL that have got me down. And creating things seems to be the perfect escape for me, the busier I am...the less my mind has to wander.

Recently Ive been on a huge nostalgia trip. Playing old games, listening to old cartoon show themes and my new creation is indeed a nod to an old obsession. Man, in 1992 I was soooo hardcore for StreetFighter 2. I think everyone was... I still enjoy the occassional rumble on it with friends on one of its many incarnations. I bought the whole first series of Udons StreetFighter comics and in my first couple of days I read all 400+ pages. Alvin Lee's artwork is beautiful...not only did it inspire me to listen to a whole load of SF remixes...but it inspired me to make new hair. Noam told me that someone did indeed make a Ryu hairstyle already. But, Im hoping mine is better :P

Theres still a few things I want to perfect on it. Im not really happy about the strap texture... I rushed it just to see how the whole thing would work together. So, I'll definately fix that. Also, I guess I could get out a few different colours and designs. It would be more work for me... but I like to give customers options. ^^;





I dont know how many people would want Ryus hair. But... I think its cool anyway. XD

Ive also started building my mainstore. Wooooooo! Im excited, Ive never actually built anything big so its another first for me. :D Still a bit to go, but Im working hard to make it JUST right. Its a school...Im hoping to maybe allow for possible RP to go on with my Rival Skoolz gear so Im making it pretty detailed. XD I'll post some screenies of it in my next post.

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don

Punch Drunk!

Hey guys!
As you know, Ive been pretty busy lately. Been doing my best to release a few new things. Ive been putting the finishing touches on another new accessory. If you've ever played Tekken you'll recognise them straight away. They come in a variety of styles and colours including black, red, electric blue and pink. I'll be getting them out sometime tomorrow. Id rave on about them more but I dont feel like writing an essay right now XD

So for now... enjoy the pretty pictures.






Theres quite a few adverts Ive gotta make for them. But I imagine they'll be done sometime tomorrow...maybe. >.>

Peace out pretty kitties!

Don