TONI ZOVA

So, we have all seen our fair share of manipulated photographs and in all honesty, after a while they all start to seem the same. How many of you remember the first jumping ‘liquid’ dude manipulation spun into an ‘invisible’ dude manipulation then whatever else they could think of, most of these mind you are tutorials people play with.

After starting the jero design community it has slowly started to pick up pace though honestly I have yet to make it public other than that link up in the nav. Amazing content, work, threads have already gone up showing some truly creative talents, and I figured why go to other blogs and feature other designers when there are tons of creatives right here on jero.

So this week, I want to feature someone whos style, technique and work is just outstanding, one of those people who have some manipulation pieces to their name that one can really be proud of, unique, one of a kind really and executed with great precision and quality. (everything below this point is 3ncryptabl3_lick’s work and discriptions etc.)

Featured Designer: 3ncryptabl3_lick

headFan:

HeadFan took a couple of days. I wanted the effect to be as clean as possible since the whole shot is right in your face and not subject to any type of shadowing or obfuscation. All the details would be clearly visible and it was important to be careful how far I took them so they didn’t come off as too fake, like the tattooing for instance. I think it worked out well enough, though could definitely still be tweaked.

NicFit and PunchIn

NicFit and PunchIn where shot within a few hours of each other for the ‘Faceless’ series. Over all, PunchIn took the most time to shoot and to build, probably a day or so with the merging of half a dozen images elements into the one - so lots of cutting and lots of post work like the dark masses from the hands, skin blending etc.

More from 3ncryptabl3_lick:
The devil is indeed in the details. I think each piece has to have that one detail that places the content or concept within it’s environment.

With HeadFan, I think its the plug. With NicFit, its the blood on the chest, with PunchIn, its the hand stuff - the black root’like stuff, the blood smudges. While none of those are the focus, they tie into the concept and root them into the environment.

I’m not sure where my inspiration came from - I can say that I don’t spend a lot of time looking for inspiration. I figure if I can at least come up with one idea, not necessarily a good one, I can at least ‘amp’ it up somehow. So I guess it’s really just about taking what’s already been done and twisting it a little to make it my own.
NicFit

NicFit was really just about composting three main elements, the base body, the new face (which is the back of my head) and the arms with the cigarette and lighter - then blending - to get all the elements to match (or at least match closely enough)

To follow the photo manipulation thread check out his thread, Couple of manips in the jero design forum.

One of the single most talented guys I have had the pleasure of meeting online, a friend, a designer, an artist…Jay is truly a multi-talented fleshling that deserves mentioning and showcasing. I’ll cut the intro short and get right onto interviewing him for all of you to better understand what makes this complex orgasm tick!

First off, Jay, I want you to start by introducing yourself to the lucky humanoids reading this epic interview. Who are you? What do you do? How long have you plagued the interweb? and, if possible, fill us in on what your favorite sex position is?!
My name is Jay. Some people might know me as 3ncryptabl3_lick, a name I’m still unsure why I selected. I’m a super-mega-happy-always-choking-never-toking-high-frequency-digital-soundproof-mouth and I do about as much.

I’ve been online, officially, since 1998. I say officially because I think it makes me sound smart and gives the impression of having gone through some type of prerequisite exam and passing with high marks to hit the ‘connect now’ button on the DSL login.

My favorite sexual position is sitting at the computer with one hand on the mouse with a 20mbs fiber-optic connection.

So let’s tap into the design side of your brain. Where did you learn what you know in terms of art/design etc?
That’s one of those questions I keep asking myself.

I tried Art college. I spent my first semester on acid and got bored so I quit. I’m not quite sure if I really ‘learned’ anything. I mean, I’ve always been artistic - even my mother said I never drew stick figures - I just started one day.

And how old where you then?
I don’t know. But the earliest memory of my art is reminiscent of Napoleon Dynamite’s Liger - you know, everything is in profile, even the feet. All the muscles are bulging oddly. Lot’s of puffy hair. There’s boobage. Something like that. I probably made a Liger at some point too.

Do you still draw “boobage”?
Naw. I’ve never really been very good with the female form. They’d probably be bulging oddly and in perma-profile.

And with puffy hair?
Ya. Who wants to see oddly bulging hairy boobs?

…
…

So what do you work on these days, if not oddly bulging hairy boobs?
Well, a little of this, a little of that.

I try to make money with web design and logo’s but that’s few and far between and I’ve never really been all that great at it to begin with. I mean, sure, I can monetize the skill but have you seen some of the stuff being pumped out for $5 or $10? Man, I could never compete with that so I don’t.

Lately, that is to say, in the last 5 years or so I’ve been focusing on 3d and writing/video and photography.

Tell those of us that know you pretty well, something we don’t know about ‘Jay’ the dude in real life.
My penis was bigger 10 years ago, I swear it. Does it shrink?!

So, there’s no doubting your talent or abilities, fill us in on your 3d work, self taught?
Ya, 3d is where I’ve been at lately. Although I’d like to add that I do enjoy mixing both 3d and 2d. So 2d is not lost on me. It’s a huge part of what I’ve been working on.

I started my foray into 3d with some 10 years ago. Only in the last few years have I started coming into my own with modeling, UVmapping and animating.

3d has a huge learning curve no matter how and where you start. How deep that rabbit hole goes is a measure of how much you want to learn. Some people are happy with the likes of Poser or Bryce or Vue, while others look for more.

I was one of the ones looking for more. Once you cross that threshold and persevere, there’s always going to be that one little tid-bit of knowledge that opens up a whole area of exploration. That kept happening with me. Every time I kicked up 3dsMax, I learned something new and over the course of a few years, that adds up.

I’ve seen a couple pieces and I’ve been blown away, seriously, that Bonsai design you did for the Nvidia ION mod contest, man oh man, you got mentioned in the CPU mag for that didn’t you?
Ya, that was pretty exciting. I entered the Bonsai ION Mod and it made it into the top 5. So it’s going to be built by a pro modder. I think I spent, easily, a week modeling and specking out my idea - whether that’s exactly what they build or not, I don’t know. But it sure was fun doing it.

(check out the Bonsai Design in all it’s glory here at modders-inc)

Where does the motivation come for all that creative mojo man?
My motivation is wanting to make shit that I could stand to look at and keep my name attached to, 10 years later. While at the same time, learning what I need to learn to make the big dirty. The culmination of all my skills. The thing that defines me, as an artist, and carries me happily for the rest of my life.

Man, if I don’t do it, someone else will. You know, ideas are out there, in the universe. The instant one hits you, 14 other people got hit with it elsewhere in the world. So if it’s going to get done, it might as well be by you.

Wow, sounds big.
Make it big, make a point. That’s my motto.

How are your 3 wives doing?
Dude I haven’t been laid in like, three years. I think you actually have to meet women for that. Or, well, you know, for me - women.

Tell us a bit about some projects you’re working on, no doubt you’ve got some hot stuff up your sleeve right?
While I can’t get into any specific details about the project’s I’m involved in I can say that I’m really excited about them. They should be making their marks soon and I’ll be sure to hit you up when things go live.

So if people want to stalk you online, much like I do, where can they find you?
Twitter, Facebook, V7N - Googling 3ncryptabl3_lick should net any prospective stalker some decent places to start.

Any final words before I pull the plug and publish this interview which will probably ruin your career by doing so?
I am an ashtray-carp.

There you have it, this guy is honestly a genius, if you’ve not had the pleasure of meeting him, working with him, or sleeping with him, then you’ve missed out on the better half of your worthless fucking life. I mean that. What an epic interview, if I do say so myself.

Now go stalk him you lousy good for nothing sons of rabid corn dogs.

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