Fantasy Fair 2017 ~ Developing the Stores

Kae and I had spent an entire night hashing out ideas and even planning out the sim's layout before I ever set pen to paper. We pulled up inspiration pictures and really nailed the look we wanted for this sim. We even went to the point of making a mini prim model of where we wanted the stores to be that included a vague shape of what they should look like. I referenced that as I made the sketches and before I committed to the ideas I had to make sure that she was on board. She was.

She and I are both original mesh creators. There was no doubt in our minds that the buildings would be done in mesh. I love architecture and the buildings were already coming to life in my head so we decided that I would be creating them. I am also texturing them. Kae gets to bring the forest, paths, ravens, and roses to life. We knew one thing for certain: the atmosphere had to be almost muted. Faded.. like a dreamy memory. And there would be almost surreal pops of red throughout.

So Kae went shopping! And I created these:

Themed Store - Front

Themed Store - Back

Themed Stores - Front
These are two separate stores joined by architecture.

Themed Stores - Back
These are two separate stores joined by architecture.

Featured Creator Store - Front 

Featured Creator Store - Back 

Sponsor Store - Front

Sponsor Store - Back

Fantasy Fair 2017 ~ A Relay For Life Event in Second life

For years now I have had the opportunity to participate in this HUGE fair that spans many, many sims; all dedicated to the cause of raising L in the name of cancer research. It is a most wondrous event that can be emotional, fun, and so very exciting. I started attending the fair as a petite creator under the store name, "Decadent Courtesan" with my RL friend Kitty. We were hosted by our friend and creator of Petite skins, Cane.

That was more than a few years ago. Kitty has since developed Leukemia. She is fighting her battle one day at a time and now I Relay for her, friends I have lost along the way, and members of my family who have succumbed.

Every year that I participate in this fair I help to raise thousands of L which is converted into real money and then given to Relay for Life. It is a worthy cause that consumes me for about a third of the year.

Last year I helped my friend Kae Ember stay sane as she put together a sim for the fair, I did the physics for her stores and was a sounding board for her creative genius.This year we are collaborating on a sim design and together we are breathing life into 'Raven's Perch'.

From concept to digital reality, I aim to share with you the steps we have taken to bring this Gothic fairy tale to life in the Fairlands, See below for a glimpse into the earliest stages of development:

This is the Themed Store. While this is a rough sketch of what I envisioned, the finished building is very similar to it. The work has Gothic elements to it. The focal point of the store is the apse, or the rounded section at the back. This is seen from the over sized Gothic arch at the entrance

This is the Featured Creator Store. It has more height and depth than the themed stores. Gothic arched stained glass windows top the walls on either side but the focal point is the stage and circular stained glass window on the back wall. An over sized Gothic arch provides the entrance to this building. 

This is the Sponsor Store. It is very grand with two floors. The focal point is the stairs with the stained glass window above it. Gothic arches line the nave that leads to the stairs and the ceiling soars to a point far above. An over sized Gothic arch framed by two towers provides the entrance to this building.