Blood, Sweat and Jeers!!

Let's face it! Sometimes in Illustration, you just have to take matters into your own hands. Costumes, props, a tripod, a digital camera, what can I say? It's an expensive hobby, but as one of my illustration teachers quoth: 

"You're only as good as your photo scrap." 

Right now I don't feel very good, 🤣 but I know I've made imagery I posed for with a timed camera work before. 

These sixteen black and white thumbnails, modest and in most cases hilarious they may be, are a tiny portion of the result of about and hour and a half's worth of effort. 

These I'm confident I can work with, because it's not about competing with the photo itself, but what you can make it look like, or some sh*t like that. It was the first thing that popped in my head. 

I think I like the one with the blue frame the best!! Thanks for reading. And viewing. And guffawing. 

😂

SLiM

Progress is Progress

At this point I can honestly say I feel I've got a good chance of getting at least a remarkable chunk of this done, if not the whole thing. The goal here is to complete everything that one would require to learn, play and run the game: character sheets, maps, classes, races, weapons, armor, player rules, GM rules, adventures, dungeons, maps, dice, the works! So kind of like a basic starter set.

Strangely, however, the hard part has been all the artwork that is needed. I mean, you'd think that would be the easy part for me but lately I've really been dreading all the character designs, creature designs and so forth required. I mean I literally need artwork on almost every single page. That's a lot, but it has to be done. 

I've set a deadline for my birthday in July, just to see how much I could get done, though I think I may have a better chance of project completion  by the end of the year!!!! 

If you are wondering something along the lines of "dude, why don't you just get a Kickstarter or GoFundMe" the answer is that money is not really the issue on this particular project and I'm kind of into getting there on my own steam. Nothing against those that do start one of these accounts. 

Anyway, this checklist (below) represents the bulk of this project, though the item titled Character Sheet Item Descriptions should be under Writing, not Artwork. Sorry about that. Oh, and it should read Weapons and Armor Art at the bottom. I can't type!  🤣 Thanks for playing!!

^ . ^

SLiM

Steak n Shake Sketching with Foray Rollerball

So just last week, I found myself in the Steak -n- Shake on Kendall drive, Miami Florida not once but twice. I stop by there periodically with my family and friends, and usually for milkshakes. 

Sigh... 

Anyway, last week we happened by and on both occasions I made a cool little sketch on the back of my place-mat. Y'know, that little sheet of paper they sit in front of you that has some nasty looking new 'flavor' of milkshake on it? Lately I think it's...Strawberry cheesecake, or something??!? 

Hey. Each to their own and all that but that new stuff does NOT look appetizing to yours truly, though lately I've been getting a half and half Reese's brand peanut butter & vanilla, and it is just divine! Or at least I think so, but different strokes for different folks! Life is far too short to spend squabbling about how the whole world should see things your way! 😉

Moving on. The following sketches are an improvement for me. Usually I just stare blankly at the back of my place-mat, wondering what to draw. But on both occasions, I thought of an object, and the drawing evolved from there!!

So I wanted to do a take off the ol' scarecrow thang, but as a birdhouse. To begin with, I was actually thinking 'wooden robot,' and the rest just happened. A friend that was sitting with us asked how that idea of all ideas popped in my head. I was more than happy to tell her exactly what I've just told you. It's not often I get to brag about what I do, not that you should brag.

On this one, I was thinking of one of those radios from the 1930s. The ones with the wooden cabinet, and still semi in the style of Art Nouveau. Why does everything gotta be streamlined? I like retro. Hell, I like rustic. Just because the insides are state of the art doesn't mean it's outside have to match!! Live a little, people!!!! I guess this little guy's head is pretty much the radio I was thinking of. I gooned the body. And all of this was done with a blue Foray Rolle Rollerball ink pen. The rest is mostly just making my scan look like something. Cool, huh?? Thanks for reading!!

^ . ^

SLiM