I Won A Contest! (Shameless Self Promotion)

... and I cannot stop bragging about it! Here is the original setup for the contest, from Topless Robot:

Okay, so...earlier today, we found written descriptions of what, supposedly, the new movie Ninja Turtles, April, Splinter and Shredder will look like. But no pictures.

MAKE ME THE PICTURES... You can draw up a movie poster, a scene from the movie, a rendering of the potential toys in package...it just has to include at least one of the characters as described in that article.

 Having just pulled my original Raphael figure out of storage, I knew what I had to do... and did it:

... and I won! Click the link above to see the other great entries, and click here to see Winner #1 (I was #2, and have no problem with that).

Fix That Top

Not as good as a big red dinosaur, but it's still something I got to color at work AND it helped the kindergarteners learn their spelling words, so I'm counting it as a "win." And that means I'm gonna post it.

Your Inner Light Is All That Sates Their Dark Hunger

I have no idea why, but these illustrations from the kindergarten reading workbooks creep me out. Maybe it's the mutant children. Maybe it's all the talk of figs, or the animals' dead-eyed stares:

 

...

... AND THE FIG IS YOUR SOUL

Mohawks are Manly, Right?

Another attempt to redesign and revitalize a character I've been drawing for over a decade now. I like the ridiculousness of it, which I think fits the over-the-top-ness of the character... it also retains the general profile and the triangular motif.

Plus, there's that mohawk.

So Much For Future Enlightenment

So, as part of my never-ending mission to complete duty rosters while playing Star Trek Online, I decided to let some of my junior officers enjoy a friendly game of poker...

... and of course this happened:

In case you missed all that: five of my officers were enjoying a poker game when one was accused of cheating, and EVERYBODY got into a brawl. My lizard-man "entertainer" was even sent to sickbay. I guess I'm just lucky it wasn't my Emergency Medical Hologram getting injured again.

Halloween in April

I actually did draw this back in October, around Halloween time, but I had not entered into one of my "THIS-time-I'm-going-to-keep-on-top-of-my-blog-FOR-REALZ" periods. I'm currently riding one out, so I'll take advantage and post this (delayed) image of Frankenstein's monster, another of my go-to subjects.

The Horde Are Filthy Animals

... but orcs are sure fun to draw.

Fun With Redesigns

Lately I've been thinking of things to do with Commander X and crew, and one of the big issues I want to address is their appearance. I still like the "classic" feel I've been using for years, but I want to punch things up and add a little more detail. I'd also like to say the characters are becoming more distinct, but I don't think a loud Hawaiian shirt is really doing that yet. We shall see, I suppose; it's fun to play around and see what I can add/change at any rate.

This Ain't Your Daddy's "Clifford"

... actually, his name probably isn't Clifford at all, so it's really Nobody's "Clifford?" I dunno. It's a dinosaur that I drew as part of a kindergarten language arts lesson, because now kindergarten is my favorite?

It's nice to get to color at work, is what I'm tryin' to say here.

For The Childrens

I have been shocked recently by how much I'm enjoying working with kindergarten students! I've always seen myself as an upper-grade teacher/tutor, but lately I've been having a blast (and, I think, really doing good work) with the little ones. Maybe part of that is having a little one myself, I don't know.

Of course, it could also be that the Kindergarten Work Book just innocently walks right into these sorts of drawings, too... which the kids love. Except for the little boy who is going to grow up to be a comic book purist, who was yelling that...

... BATMAN CAN'T BE FAT! BATMAN CAN'T BE FAT!

New Year, New Sk... Art Day Four: Super Tumblestock Bros.

... except there's only one brother, and he's only "super" in his own mind. You do get to fly his helicopter in the Bonus Levels, though, complete with Mode 7 Graphics technology straight outta 1992!

Not a sketch, but I never officially posted the rules of this challenge I've set for myself, so I'm taking some liberties. Hopefully we can still count this as a "creative exercise..." and the sketches will continue.

New Year, New Sketches Day Three: Crazy Robot

... someday I may draw something that isn't just-plain bizarre, but that's starting to look about as likely as me actually starting a drawing before 11pm. Which is to say "not very."

New Year, New Sketches Day Two: Outlaw

This guy's black hat says it all: he doesn't like to shop for clothes, so they never fit him well, sometimes with very negative results... obscuring his vision in this case. Also, he has terrible dental hygiene and should quit smoking.

... he makes bad decisions, this guy.

New Year, New Sketches Day One: Commander X

A new year, and a new sketch. I won't say too much about it now, other than it (A) feels good to be drawing again and (B) is extremely clear just how out-of-practice I am. Yowza. Gonna have to try to get some more sketching done...

The End of an Era (Good-bye City of Heroes)

Tonight I fought my way through an alien invader's mighty defenses and struck at the heart of their stronghold on Earth. I traveled back to ancient Rome to defeat time-traveling Nazis from launching an all-out assault on history itself. I stopped a mugging. I flew through a donut. And I shared it all with a group of strangers who, collectively, make up the greatest online gaming community I have ever known. I'll never do any of these things again, and it makes me sad... but also glad. Tonight was an amazing end to a fantastic gaming experience. Thank you to everyone who worked with me tonight or in the past; thank you especially to dear friends, whom I miss all the more tonight.

"We built this city... we built this city..."

Back to Base X

I want to share another City of Heroes story: One of my most cherished memories of CoH was working with my (small but tight-knit) super group to create a (small but functional) super group base that we could all be proud of, and enjoy hanging out in. As a lapsed player stuck at free status for these final months, I've been incredibly disappointed that I would never be able to see the base again... my friends are long gone from the game, and I had no way to pay the rent.

I should have known better, though! Tonight I logged in and asked in Help Chat if anyone could help, and I was almost immediately flooded with replies from friendly VIPs. I had access to my base again in minutes, with a new friend running over from across the city to join my Super Group and pay the rent for me. It might have seemed like a small thing to that person, or to any of the MANY other people who quickly offered to help, but it means so much to me. THIS is what I will miss most about CoH, this community of fun-loving, helpful, heroic people. Sure, it was a small thing, but it was indicative of the experience I've only been able to find in the City of Heroes.

Expectations Be DARNED

 Today's XKCD comic hit my brain like a TRUCK. Every once in awhile the creator, Randall Munroe, experiments with different storytelling styles or far-out ideas, but today's "Click and Drag" really surprised me. Reminiscent of the Infinite Canvas described by Scott McCloud, today's comic went on... well, nigh-infinitely, it seemed to me. I spent quite a long time exploring and letting my mind wander as I marveled at the sheer scale of what he'd done. I thought to myself:

• How long did this take? He must've been working on this (in addition to the regular strips) for MONTHS
• Does it end? Does it loop? How many directions does it travel off into?
•  Is there a perfect way to "read" this, to see everything in one sweep?
• Is this a commentary on life, and how there is no single, ideal linear progression? Just opportunities to explore and discover?
• Are those Warp Pipes?

If that all sounds ridiculous and heavy, well... XKCD frequently is. Today's was extra special, though (as even Comics Alliance noted) so I had to share. Be sure you click and drag it.

Is This The End of Paragon City?

On this, the One Year Anniversary of the last time I properly updated this blog, I thought I'd write about something that's been hitting me a lot harder than maybe it ought to: the end of City of Heroes. For those who are unfamiliar, CoH is a super hero themed MMORPG, and the first online game of its type that I ever explored. The characters I created, the friends I made, and the adventures I had still mean so much to me... more than some of the other nonsense I've played since. Back when I was actually properly updating this blog, I did a sketch or two of my favorite characters (and my friends'). Wozar still appears in the banner for this blog.

Federation Follies

A few months ago, a good friend of mine launched TrekNews.net, a great site for Star Trek news, trivia, and fun. I've had the pleasure of writing a few humor pieces for the "Federation Follies" feature each Friday (*phew*) and my latest went up today. Check out one insane writer's pitch for a new Star Trek series here... if you dare.

Rollin' Down a Rooftop

This is a character design I did as a commission, but the client didn't end up using it so I'm going to post it here. I'll be doing other work for them (which, with their permission, I may also eventually post) but for now I'll stick with what didn't quite suit their needs (click for a larger view):





The color scheme I picked was a little muted, but otherwise I like this design. I'm trying to experiment with different looks and styles, to try to find some that still look like my work while being unique and unusual. As always, it's an ongoing process.