Previously I have briefly discussed my beginnings as a standard avi and my rapid progression to a mesh body and eventually a mesh head. We all know that only fools rush in, so naturally I first tried several bodies and could see the merits and downsides in all of them. I picked the one which appealed to me the most at that point and was quite happy with the TMP Deluxe body for a while. Recently there have been quite some developments in the offer of male mesh bodies and partly to keep my Flickr page looking fresh but also because I was feeling whimsical, I treated myself to some shiny new toys. Enter on scene: the Signature Gianni bento mesh body and head.
On the left you can see the body and head worn with the shape that comes with it. The applied skin is one of 12 skin tones you will find in the styling hud for this head. There are also four beard options and eyebrow styles. You can mix and match and play with the shape till you achieve something that looks quite different from the box version without having to buy any extras. On the right you can see my result of working on the shape and using an Omega skin applier from Stray Dog which had been sitting in my inventory for a while. The original ears have been hidden in favour of a pair of separate mesh ears by Mandala. Not only do these look sharper, they also allowed me to make the ears stick out a little to add character to my avatar.
As you can see from these pictures, dramatically different shapes can be created with this body. Again, on the left you are seeing Signature’s original shape and on the right the result of having loads of fun with the shape sliders.
When you are working on your shape it’s important to look at your body from different angles after every change you make, before moving on to the next slider. What looks good in full frontal view, can look very odd from the side, but whatever you do, never forget to check out the rear view! 😉
Make a copy of the original shape before you start working on it, so you always have something to return to in case you feel you’ve “meshed up”. Have a look around for an interesting skin to make your avatar look more unique. The head and body are both Omega ready, so you can easily use any Omega applier. I have to admit that I’m rather chuffed with my cheeky chappy, but who knows what other looks I’ll come up with next.
Billy Beaverhausen 
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