This is... er, wait... was GOING to be my entry for the IRTC. I've never 
entered before - and which the quality of this image, you can clearly 
see why.

Featuring:
* Possibly the least believable wood texture *ever*. o__O
* A pretty pathetic marble texture.
* Ice crystals that look NOTHING LIKE ice.
* Snow that looks like rock.
* A pittiful non-attempt at a flame.

Not content with all that, it took just under FOUR HOURS to render.


When my sister walked past and saw this, she said to me "hey, why did 
you draw a giant lump of poo on a stick?" (!!)


  * * *


The idea for this image (not that you'd know it!) was something I saw in 
a shop. They were selling candles that look for all the world like 
they're made of snow. In fact, if they still have some, I think I'll 
photo it, because it was just so amazing. When you get close, you 
realise that the candle isn't snow at all; it's lumpy wax that's been 
strayed with glitter. (The green and purple refracting stuff.) Extremely 
effective unless viewed from very near to.

The idea was to put a snow candle in a box encrusted with ice, with a 
tiny flame on the wick lighting the whole box.


But I drew this instead.


I think I'll have to make the flame blue. Then at least the thing might 
look icy. The balance of the image was basicually supposed to be that 
the ice was almost "winning", with a tiny little flame just hanging on. 
But the yellow colour of the flame, echoed by the orange wood, makes the 
whole thing look far too warm...


The extreme render time is due to the multiple isosurfaces, area lights, 
the craze "snow" texture, and the use of radiosity. (Very low settings, 
obviously.)

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