DeepThroat said:
Well I didn't want to start making a bunch of demands about how it needs to be TOTALLY EXACTLY LIKE I WANT and leave no room for the modders creativity.
There's no need to shout.
Reference images are supposed to be an exact representation of what something looks like -- correct camera angle, correct lighting, correct color scheme, etc. Modders are often forced to
adapt the reference material (for example: stretching the bangs of a hairstyle to fit the SDT girl's forehead). Modders are sometimes forced to
interpolate or
improvise when the reference material is incomplete (for example: the shoulders and armpits of a costume are often obscured by the character's own arms).
Modders are
always free to creatively
alter or
embellish the original design. Providing a complete reference image does
not hinder them from doing so.
Providing a vague reference image simply forces the artist to do more work (for example: guessing at the gloss and reflection patterns on a latex garment, instead of just copying the shading details from the reference image). Please keep in mind that modding is volunteer work. It's motivated -- at least in part -- by the desire to make someone happy. Nobody wants to work on a vaguely-defined request, because you might sink five hours into the project and then deliver something which the client hates (
"wtf? Hooker boots? I wanted COMBAT boots!").
Should I just dig up as many images as I can find? I guess I'm not sure what a proper reference would be.
Emphatically
no. "As many images as I can find" will result in a huge amount of variation and little consistency. It would add confusion.
Find two or three images which show the type of leg that you want. The key thing here is to establish the lengths and proportions
(e.g. a tapered deer hoof vs a robust Tauren hoof; a slender leg vs a muscular leg). Color and shading are not very important, since we'll be focusing on the
outline of the leg. At least one of your images should show a crouching or kneeling posture; the others can show whatever (standing, running, leaping, sleeping, sitting, fighting, fucking, etc). They should all be side views.
Then find one or two images which show the boot design that you'd like. Please try to find images which are as
complete as possible. They should show the correct material, coloration, texture (if applicable), etc... The images should present a side view image of at least one boot. These images do
not need to show the correct leg/hoof shape; you could post a succubus boot image and then ask the modder to fit it into your My Little Pony leg. Nevertheless, it would be
helpful if the boot images depict a similar leg shape.
"Complete" does not necessarily mean "complicated" or "highly detailed."
Your first post included one image with thick corrugated rubber soles, a zipper along the inner sides, and straps/buckles along the outer sides. Your second image showed few structural or design elements. There are minor accordion-pleats at the joints, but no obvious means by which the boots could be removed. It's almost as if the character was simply dipped into a vat of purple latex :) Both of these designs are acceptable; you can choose whichever design suits your tastes. But please
don't post a very simple design and then ask the modder to
add visual details (such as shoelaces, platform heels, and a Nike swoosh) which are absent from the reference image.
Answered in the first one. I could take it either way.
This answer worries me, because it suggests that you don't really understand what you want ... or that you don't really care.
When a person posts a request thread, we expect that they'll have a mental image of what the finished product will look like. So far, it seems as if your vision is pretty much just the words
"knee-high hoof boots."
Please be more specific and assertive.