Crimson Feather

Doodle Debate

2012-01-08T15:47:00.001Z

As practice for something else I have in mind, I cropped a segment of my Podcast and added some stills to visualise the discussion.

-Adam.

Two Thousand And Twelve.

2012-01-02T15:22:00.008Z

So it's 2012 and with that comes an optimistic look at the year ahead with steely eyed determination to do better than we all did last year. 2011 won't be a hard year to beat as I stumbled a lot more than I gracefully flew over the past twelve months. It's with that in mind that I want to lay some of my personal goals on the table for the new year.

1) Firstly addressing the obvious- Felicity has been put on ice for the last couple of months. I went into a great bit of detail on it just before that. Summarizing; I have to rebuild my confidence on it and approach it with belief that I can 'do it justice'. My issues with Felicity are mainly routed in my frustrations with my own artwork- never quite delivering the results I want on the book. Curiously, these are issues that seem exclusive to Felicity, which I feel may be because I created Felicity alongside re-writing my artistic identity, I have had to rebuild each element to match my current artstyle.

I think it's time to completely rebuild those elements and do it thoroughly. I aim to release another chapter of the story. I can't say it will be in the first half of the year unless my problems are solved quicker than I expect. Who knows though, I might be able to kill my gremlins on this one.

2) Secondly, The Journey- my short story has been put on ice as well. Although this is for entirely different reasons, I completed my goal of a December deadline for Chapter One but I have since come to realisation that there is a far better direction I can take this story. I will be rebuilding it as a higher priority book than my other 'Free-time' stuff. Ultimately, I've managed to create something more special than I initially thought and I don't want it brought down by my lack of experience in areas where it needs to SING.

3) Thirdly, Magpie will be getting a debut Issue late this year as I'm currently scouting for a writer to collaborate with, it's not a high priority for me compared to my other stuff but the demand amongst the folks who have loyally supported my work is certainly high(more so than any of my other work) and I can definitely say I will have one Magpie book completed by years end.

4) Lastly, although most probably the first piece of work I'll produce this year; Scoundrels is a new mini-comic that I've just detailed in the previous post. My contribution will be one of hopefully a few from many artists and will be a piece of a bigger puzzle. While I may only do one book for this in 2012, I'm hoping by years end, there will be a lot of books to read.

That about does it for the Artistic ventures I alone can control, I do of course have some work in between to involve myself with and which I'm sure I'll continue to enjoy. Hopefully some of that stuff can come to the surface this year, will have to see. Fingers crossed!

-Adam

Takes All Sorts

2012-01-02T15:01:00.004Z

Scoundrels is a collaborative comics project.

An idea to build something alongside artists/writers and at the same time work some of those story-telling muscles. It also isn't going to break the time-bank.

The idea is to let several to dozens of comic artists and/or writers collaborate to create individual stories set around the same premise and characters- to explain;

Each Artist or Artist and Writer team would be tasked with creating a short six to ten page comic that stars a character or characters of their own creation. This would involve character concept and design, right through to realising them in a story-driven context, whelter that be through colour or black and white.

There are little to no limits on what the artist or writer can do outside of the following requirements;

-All stories are required to end with a pre-estasblished narrative element- which would tie each characters stories together. (That element being that co-ordinates for a legendary artifact of rumoured immense value and power have been discovered. How that information reaches a creators character is up to them, but it must reach them by stories end. It's also entirely possible for a writer to skew this information, perhaps have it reach their character through misunderstood words or myth- ultimately driving them to a goal that is different to another characters understanding.)

-All character stories must revolve around or directly involve Pirates, smugglers or otherwise questionable individuals. Whilst it is entirely possible to have a character that combats against pirates, the end-story tying all characters together is very much going to be a pirate-centric element so they would require a reason to want to be involved.

-Set in a world with a Science Fiction/SteamPunk/Retro futuristic vibe. (Attire is very much in the style of 18th Century Pirates with Science Fiction twists.) Aliens are present and accepted as part of a galaxy wide culture, stories can take place on any planet with any number of unique additions to the lore welcome.

The overall idea being that several characters would come together in one place, having all come from individual and unique backgrounds. A later, larger collaborative project involving all characters together would then be an interesting possibility.

Ultimately, this is a chance to allow artists/writers to get involved and muck in to create something together, for purely the end result of having something interesting and fun to read and share.

There will be no 'leader' as I myself just want to simply be one artist out of group that decide to create a character and add a story to the lore. As such there isn't any right or wrong outside of what's been described above. If you want to have a story about a robot who escapes the belly of a beast to rejoin his crew then that's fine, infact, that's badass- why aren't you starting work on that?

Any one interested, drop me a comment here or contact me on twitter. Or go ahead and create a character and let me know when you've got a story together, each story would be featured on the website and credit the creators involved.

-Adam

Elephant Graveyard.

2011-12-14T20:18:00.004Z

I was doodling Magpie for an upcoming blogpost and when I realized how the expression came out, everything got a bit Lion-Kingy.

-Adam.

Issuo Tree

2011-12-04T16:36:00.014Z

Was going to type a lot of guff here but no one needs to read that. Here is a bunch of old Issue 3 stuff, it doesn't matter if I show it now. Given I've been working on various incarnations of Issue 3 since like 2008 or something mad- the age of this work varies as does the progression obviously, some are rough some are close to finished.

The very top image here is not from Issue 3 but pre-Issue 1. I just like to compare the end result to my initial ideas.

If you didn't catch the latest about Felicity, Issue 3 is to be a black and white comic now as I can't really justify spending as much time as I want on it. It's also due sometime next year as I've yet to begin working on it. My confidence is knocked severely with Felicity, I miss working on it something fierce but I won't be going back until I feel ready.

-Adam.

Doodle Dump The Third.

2011-12-03T02:42:00.009Z

-Adam

Shiny.

2011-11-21T00:29:00.004Z

I've always had an annoying tendency to tweak designs over the years, one aspect of Magpies design that has changed quite a lot is those extended, now intentionally-pointed shoulder pads, starting out as just a desire to bend the rules of my anatomy within my style and ending up a costume edit.

-Adam

One hour with Skyward Sword.

2011-11-17T20:12:00.006Z

When I meet a new friend who isn't familiar with the Legend Of Zelda I always explain what it is the exact same way. I tell them that Zelda is adventure. They sometimes ask me, so it's like Fable or Elder Scrolls? I twist my lips and move my shoulders alittle; uncomfortable with the comparison, I eventually agree to some extent but elaborate. Adventure, as in, you start off small and you end up big. It's all about that Journey. They usually ask me at this point- what the game part of the game is actually like, not the story. I tell them again. Adventure, the game intertwines itself with the story to create the grand pilgrim of a hero; it blurs the lines, your experiences while in control are as memorable as your experiences watching 'the story'. No games take you on an adventure like Zelda. That's why it's so special, it's not breaking the boundries of gaming, it's not pushing the limits of our expectations. It's taking us by the hand and pointing at the evil around us, giving us a sword and telling us only we can change the fate of the universe, only we have that power. That's Zelda.

That's not to say they're perfect, even as a devoted son of the Triforce, I will make no claims to each Zelda being flawless gems of delight. There is an impression in my mind that tells me, historically, Nintendo have never really tried that hard with presenting their stories in Zelda games but also that it hasn't ever mattered- their sweeping masterstrokes speak for themselves and resinate through what has mostly been poorly animated characters with Gerry Anderson puppet-mouths.

Skyward Sword is a Phoenix Wright OBJECTION to that, showcasing what I cannot express enough, is by far amoungst the best looking Zelda games ever made. The care in the animation is unmatched by any entry in the franchise; everything from ear-rings to individual feathers move and react as the lavishly, lovingly animated characters come to life before our eyes. Not only that but character designs that are memorable and envy-enducingly perfect, locations that ooze with years of presence, life and personality. If Miyazaki made a Zelda game, this is it.

As I previously mentioned, the animation is a personal delight for me, from rolling pots to stretching with a yawn; every part of this world animates in a frenzy of colour, so alive and vivid.

It came to a head for me when Link and Zelda communicated as convincing a romance as I've ever seen in games, and they did so without ever outrightly expressing it. This is huge, I mean huge.

I'm someone who is fascinated with body language and expression, trying to learn and improve my own understanding. I tell stories with pictures and to be able to convey emotions in characters I need to be able to translate the language of the body into my art. Mastering subtle emotions is nothing short of astonishing and certainly something I've yet to come close to. Skyward Sword has done it, not only capturing the tiniest of quirks, winks and smiles but a very real emotion between what is essentially two masses of polygons on your television screen.

In ten to maybe twenty minutes, it could not be any more convincing. When coupled with the most serene scores making an entrance at precisely the right moment, it doesn't just impress to see the two on screen but invokes memories of school days, of seeing someone you liked everyday and never being able to express whatever it was you felt inside. It invokes the true feeling of love, how it makes you feel. It was incredibly powerful to me to see such a display of storytelling. I was blown away. It's so commendable to see on screen emotion be as brave to let us get what we want from it, to not have it arbitrarily forced on us with the confirmation that 'These two love eachother so you should care about that'.

It's no secret that you fly a bird in this game. It might not seem immediately obvious but I'm personally a great admirer of birds, I have bird iconography throughout a lot of my personal artwork and characters. Link not only gets a bird in this game but it's a Crimson one, not only my favourite colour but a word that has grown to have some importance in my life. I realise that won't count as much for many people but that feels like Nintendo have rolled out the red carpet just for me.

An hour into Skyward Sword and it's very fair to say I haven't scratched the surface, maybe even fair to say I've barely played the game but first impressions matter when it comes to Zelda and I'm ready to commit to whatever the game has in store.

It's really the finer details that impress me, details that I'm sure aren't vastly important to many gamers but I came away stunned by the effort and skill on display, there's a huge adventure ahead across the horizon and I'm ready and willing to face whatever evil is ahead. Already, this is Zelda. This is Adventure.

-Adam

Journeys Start

2011-10-30T00:33:00.002+01:00

"The Journey" is an upcoming short story which will be available online starting this December. Meet Eli! Our stories hero. Really looking forward to going full steam ahead with this, it'll teach me a lot.

-Adam.

Why Sonic Generations is a Big deal.

2011-10-16T23:39:00.004+01:00

If you're a gamer, possibly in your Twenties- you'll be aware of Sonic The Hedgehog. You might also be aware of Sonic Generations- the latest game that is hitting stores early in November. You might not be planning on buying it though and who could blame you- Sonic has had more bad eggs than any other video game character imaginable, to the point where it begs the question "Why is he still around and relevant today?"

Well the answer is because he deserves to be. Sonic games still come out because he deserves one last Hurrah. So let's begin with a quick history recap-

The Nineties in video games was a very different world to the console-fanboy invested, DLC plagued, graphics race of gaming today.

In the Nineties the world of Gaming had given birth to two of its greatest Icons. One of which had quite the head start in the eighties; debuting with a smash hit and going on to be more recognisable world-wide than Micky Mouse. The other, was his competition- and he was everything the plump plumber wasn't. In this case, Sega really did DO what NintenDON'T- and if Mario was famous for his Jumping, Sonic The Hedgehog was famous for his Speed.

Sonic was designed to embody everything cool in the Nineties, he had a sassy attitude, he didn't take no guff from anybody and he was a rebel who had the freedom to make his own choices. And for many years- he was exactly what he was destined to be. He was cool.

Going head to head with Mario was taking on Goliath but Sonic had the edge to share the spotlight and soon became the established mascot for SEGA, selling system after system on the promise of a mind-bendingly crazy roller-coaster ride as the furry blue git.

As a Gamer you made your choice; SEGA or Nintendo. Sonic or Mario. You chose a side. And for the Era of 2D in gaming, Sonic and Mario were the undisputed champions.

Until everything changed.

In 1994 Sony revealed their new Disc-based system; the Playstation- a force not to be reckoned with and a legacy that would continue to burn brighter as time marched on. With it was the concept of moving through fully realised 3d spaces and in 1996 everything changed when Sonics rival- made the leap to that new found land in Super Mario 64.

Hailed today as one of the finest games ever created and one of the 'Pillars' of Modern Gaming, Mario could not have made a better effort, his place in the new age of gaming was forever solidified. But what of his competition?

Unfortunately for Sonic, his introductions into the world of 3D were to be just the start of a long struggle. After a string of bizarrely disastrous games on various failed SEGA consoles, The SEGA Dreamcast launched in 1998 and with it; Sonics salvation, his 'Super Mario 64'. Sonic Adventure.

It boasted blistering speeds, the best graphics ever seen on a home console at the time and a scale and presentation not yet matched. However, it was plagued with problems, falling victim to the now demanding expectation of Gamers, it had been too long since the dawn of 3D for Sonic to get away with mistakes now addressed in many rival games.

Ultimately, the game did well but criticism spread and cut deep, governing over opinions and choices for games to follow. Sonic Adventure 2 released in 2001 and sought to improve on the many problems of its predecessor. In many fans opinions it was the last good attempt at 3D for Sonic and fondly remembered as his adventures that followed only spiralled deeper into bizarre attempts to stand out.

In the meantime, SEGA fell apart- forced to abandon attempts to create competitive hardware and becoming a software developer- publishing games on existing platforms. It paved the way for the least likely thought ever imaginable in the early Nineties- a Sonic game on a Nintendo platform. Not only that but a Sonic game WITH Mario in it.

Even in this new age for SEGA, Sonic continued to suffer with each new game tarnishing his reputation. Seemingly unaware of the problems with 3D Sonic games at their core, Sonic Team(The group formed and responsible for all the games)continued to try new gimmicks with Sonic to freshen the forumla. They tried making more characters, they tried complicated stories, they gave him a sword(!?), all the while ignoring the glaring basic problems with how the games functioned.

He was a Werehog. That's how bad it got.

However, with no game fully without merit and with the whiniest fan-base imaginable, demands for a classic outing not wrapped in the pretence of a complicated real-world story, or bundled with a pointless stand-out gimmick were HEARD.

No doubt inspired by Sonics new found alliance with his old Rival, Sonic Team created Sonic Colours in 2010. To thunderous applause. Here was a Sonic game with the same spirit as that cheeky scamp we first fell in love with in 1991.

It had no endless sea of annoying characters, it had no stupidly over-done story, it had no stand out gimmicks. Just speed, fun and some platforming for good measure. It was the Super Mario 64 that Sonic Adventure should have been and it was the natural evolution of gameplay to welcome Sonic, arms open, into the world of 3D.

And now, we have different expectations of Sonic Generations- a game that promises to build purely on the merits of Sonic Colours(of which there were many)whilst at the same time, paying tribute to the long turbulent history of the SEGA Mascot.

So why should you care?

Maybe you didn't play Sonic Colours- maybe you still think there's no such thing as a strong 3D Sonic game but I'd ask you to remember the admiration and fond memories you have of what a GOOD Sonic game is.

And to think of the downfall of a Hero who meant a great deal to so many. This story is the story of a Heroes retribution- the fanfare of the Heroes return. Taking his rightful place amoung legends with an adventure that does him justice.

Because crappy games or not- Sonic is an icon of gaming, a symbol forever associated with the hobby that we spend huge fractions of our lives on and if he's to die- let him die with honour. Sonic Generations is such a big deal because this is his return to form, this is putting him back on the map. And that's well overdue and well deserved.

Welcome back old friend!

-Adam.

The Fate of Felicity.

2011-10-14T16:47:00.010+01:00

Felicity was supposed to have seen a third Issue as early as Summer '09 and yet here we are, closing the year '11 and no sign of the elusive third part to the ongoing adventures of Team Crimson.

So where is it?

Well I'll tell you! It's a long tale of what I hope has been evolution and learning.

To begin with the simplest answer- Issue 3 is right here on the computer I type this on, in a folder, labelled FELICITY ISSUE 3. It's a complete comic, coming in at 105 pages. Those pages are inconsistent in terms of polish and attention- some in black and white, some in colour. Some are as old as January 2010, some are newish- with my hand having revisited them in June of this year but overall it's a totally readable- complete visual representation of my Issue 3 script.

So why isn't it online? Because it isn't finished. Issue 1 and 2 are full colour adventures, coming in at a fraction of the scale but never-the-less a complete 'polished' outing. I'm a stickler for consisentancy and reason one for Issue 3 not seeing the light of day just yet is that it isn't finished to the same degree.

Reason two is the kicker- Over the past two years I have begun to really involve myself in the world I wish to go into, career wise. I've taken on more Freelance work and explored more options open to me than I have in my life previously. What this boils down to is a lack of free-time. And Felicity exists because of Free-time- my choice to spend my time off to create and tell a story. Now, I still have free-time but when you're working Freelance jobs between working in a go-out-the-door job for half of your week, sometimes your free-time needs to be exactly that, free time.

Reason three is my standards. In 2009 I finished Issue 1 of Felicity, which was the first comic I've ever made. That wasn't a long time ago- and the amount of learning I've had to do since then has been astonishing. Comics is a craft whose many intricacies go deeper and deeper- as soon as you think you understand what you're doing you realise there's a whole other world you're suddenly involved in- and guess what? You've no idea where to go. There's no rule book to comics but there is also a million things you can do wrong.

Since creating Issue 1 I have studied the craft of comics in many different areas, from basics like timing and story-telling, to how far you can push the boundries of layout and composition. Really addressing the flaws in my own work for Issue 3- laser focusing on what I've done wrong and working to fix it with my next effort. And while this is a natural thing that all craftsmen and artists go through(learning and evolving)it's also a process that takes a lot of time and patience- it's a process that creates tension and stress. It's a process of building walls that we eventually need to smash through and sometimes our journey to get to those walls are creatively draining and test the very limits of what we are capable of. That in of itself isn't good fuel for a comic journey- and can seriously hinder your progress(That said though, it isn't what I'd call Artists Block, it's more so a coming of higher standard, and feeling that your work no longer reaches it.)

My standards have been raised considerably from when I first started out on Felicity, I know I'm a better artist than I was back then so I want to make sure that my work now reflects that- what that means for production on Issue 3 is a self-critique of each page and each panel, which upon reflection can sometimes seem completely uncalled for but mostly is a necessary part of getting better.

Reason Four is time. Relating somewhat to what I've said previously on why Free-time is involved, time itself is an issue. I've reached the point now where I have to carefully manage my time to allow me access to various things I deem important in my life. I need to prioritise work I'm going to be paid for over work I'm not, that's basic common sense. But what it means for personal projects like Felicity is a queue for my time and my attention- despite the fact I may not want it that way, that's the way it is beginning to be and that is the way it will now continue to be. There is only so much time in a day and I need more than a day to really make any progress on Felicity.

HOWEVER!

Time and thought has presented a solution.

Felicity Issue 3 will be released, and it was never an intention to cancel it. I admit that I have been idiotic with my tight-lipped approach to its fate, having now pretty much destroyed the following I worked really hard to build. I trust that there are some folks who can understand that life gets in the way of these things and who believe I really have done everything I can to get as far as I have without going mad in the process.

So the solution?

It won't be a colour comic.

It'll be purely black and white and available in exactly the same format as its older sisters- online in a flash-flip book. Which leads me to the last point concerning it. Felicity will also be released as an APP on iOS devices sometime in the new year- aswell as that; shorter iOS device only stories set in the same universe are due to come in the next year. That's an exciting prospect that I really look forward to seeing realized with the help of my friends.

And on that note I want to thank a few people-

Firstly Paul J Holden who has mentored me on many of the aspects of being a comic artist, earlier in the year called me on Skype to be frank about his concerns with me and the directions I was taking with my art. He raised some difficult points to hear about whether or not it was really worth my time to be working on a comic that has no publisher, no money and not a great deal of a following when I could(and should)be working for money, on all kinds of books that are going places with writers who can help push me up the ladder.

At time I found it offensive and disappointing, something I've come to realise is the exact reason why I need to take a step back from Felicity. There are a whole host of reasons I could(and don't worry, won't)go into as to why I created the comic and continue to draw it, some of which I feel are hugely key to me being where I am with my current ability. But these kinds of things are what they are; personal stories. And no matter what your grand ideal is for said personal stories- the reality is that they aren't going to be understood or accepted in the same way you understand or accept them. That the reality is, you shouldn't get too attached or you'll not have the perspective to understand where next to go and potentially, as PJ highlighted to me, be caught in a inward spiral of just creating story after story for 'yourself' and never achieving anything in the process with your talent.

I could list PJ as one of the reasons Issue 3 isn't online(as his comments put me off my stride on it for a good few months)but ultimately I have to thank him for helping me get my head screwed on about things, working on Felicity is a labour of love and it can always continue to be that but I can't expect it to solve my problems of being stuck in a dead end job that has nothing to do with my abilities.

Secondly Sonira, a friend and huge supporter of Felicity, I probably owe more to her than she realises. She's behind the Character selection sprites you see on the Felicity Website. She also made and mailed me a 99 Plush, which sits proudly on my desk as a reminder of the support behind me when I can't seem to get the standard I want. She has done countless fanart to voice her support and excitement for further installments and has even created a parody comic 'FALICKITY' which above all else makes me feel like I can't ever let her down by slacking on Felicity.

It is an immensely powerful force when someone takes time to create something in tribute to you or your work, out of the blue, out of the nowhere a hand signalling that someone out there loves what's happening and has got your back. I thank her for that, I'm not sure I ever properly have. Her continuing fanfare for all things Felicity doesn't go unnoticed and is certainly the voice of encouragement when I feel alone with where I'm headed.

There are so many supporters on DeviantART who question the whereabouts of this next Issue, who are the folks I feel like I've let down the most with this delay- it's a hugely amazing thing for me to have anyone read my comic and want to read more, you tend to expect the worst and folks have been extremely accepting and kind to what I've created. Also I've been so lucky to have received more-than-I-should amounts of Fan-art and been able to see so many takes on my characters through art-trades. Anyone who has ever drawn one of my characters is so to blame for me caring so much about these books and I need to thank them as well.

Lastly to thank Tracy Deines and Darryl Walker- two people the closest to my heart who have shared in so much of my struggle to complete Issue 3. Darryl is solely responsible for the fact Felicity has an on line presence at all, taking my designs and making them work on anyones computer screen- he also sprinkles the magic dust that turns my pages into a digital comic book that readers can flick through and browse. Thats a huge weight off me, it's also an impossible barrier that alone I couldn't achieve- to know that when I finish a comic, I can pass it to him and have that magical moment of seeing it 'finished' without it being spoilt is something I look forward to. Tracy by comparison has been around since the beginning and is one of the earliest voices of support- her voice now literally being the loudest. She knows what she has done for Felicity and how she continues to help it to rock on. Before this blogpost gets any LONGER or Smuushy, I wanna end on my plan for 2011.

You might have seen in previous blogposts that I've been working on a short story(Don't worry, this one is ACTUALLY short, and PJ- it has a start middle and an END!)called THE JOURNEY. Ideally, I want it to release sometime around Christmas Eve. MID to late December.

That's a goal I don't really want to compromise, so I doubt Issue 3 will see a 2011 release, which makes me feel abit pathedic actually, however! With the new black and white goal kicking off, I can rest assured that I'm not only halfing my production time but probably shaving 2/3 of the time per page(Colours takes me forever)so I can expect to finish it to a polished standard very early in the new year.

As for the fate of Felicity beyond that, we'll have to see. I need to take my time away from it for awhile after I complete Issue 3, there are things I need to get out of my system and goals I need to achieve, I will not stop with Felicity until I finish the story- I just might take a lot longer to get there.

-Adam.

James Rogers

2011-09-02T21:02:00.000+01:00

Some of the reference work I did of big ol'Mounty for Issue 3.

-T

The Journey Character Chart

2011-08-12T21:47:00.001+01:00

I'm really excited to do this story, having a lot of fun with character designs under the 'Wind Waker' inspiration banner.

-T

Lost In Migration.

2011-08-09T15:02:00.005+01:00

Ending in June, DC Thompson ran a competition called The Tartan Bucket Prize. Which was essentially tasking any unpublished artist to create a humorous short story to be published by DC Thompson in the same vein as their previous stuff but freshly in-tune to a 21st century audience.

A couple of limitations were in place, firstly that it had to pretty much be violence free/child friendly, secondly that it could only be two pages long and thirdly- I only had 4 hours to do the entire thing (as I came to know about the competition very late on to its announcement.)

My idea was essentially- Planes Trains And Automobiles, only starring Simon from PSTP and about Birds trying to make it on time for Migration(which I translated in this context to pretty much be a 'Bird holiday.')

Simon was a character I created by complete accident when having to draw the heroes of PSTP doing various poses to support the original title banner on the site- Having a free arm to fill in this particular pose I drew the crude essence of a Parrot giving the thumbs up. Eventually he came to be a star character, even having his own catchphrase.

On deadline day, I had to work a full 10-6 shift and got home around 7, So from then on I sat down to write, pencil and ink the comic and all somehow before midnight- I did it with about five minutes to spare.

I really don't expect to win and unfortunately I've no idea when the winners are going to be announced but I did at least get confirmation that my entry made it on time and will be considered.

And also, at the very least I found that the core idea was strong enough to have legs for an ongoing series, one I may actually look into. There are many ideas for the antics of Ainsley and Simon.

The hardest part for this challenge was trying to communicate my basic idea in the harsh limit of Two Pages(normally for a scene like this, setting things up, I'd take atleast three times that.) And also having to end it in a humorous conclusion was tricky, given these characters needed to meet. I'm obsessed with pacing in comics and this doesn't do much for me in that department but at the end of the day, it is what it is, I think it gets enough of a point across. I just know that if Lost In Migration gets its own mini-webcomic series, the introduction of the characters will be spread over alot more than two pages!

-T

Pokeymons

2011-08-09T14:44:00.003+01:00

As an exercise in Character Design, I want to someday design an entire Pokedex of my own Pokemon(Meaning- 151 of them) It's not exactly a pressing need (nor entirely useful to my career goals) but I found myself forming some ideas quite easily so I'm looking forward to possibly taking a week out when I finish my ongoing projects and just seeing what I can do.

In the meantime- I did some rough sketches of what I might have as a starter Trio, this is probably as far as this exercise will ever go. All I can say is- PIRATE BOAT BIRD. Yeah, yeah exactly.

-T

Valley Of The Flood Linkette Cosplay

2011-08-04T19:10:00.005+01:00

My rather warmly received concept of a Female Hero for a never-to-exist Zelda title has in the past been lovingly crafted into three dimensions by my good friend Nils, now it has been brought to life for real, as crafted and worn here by Nsomniacartist.

She has some record of production over at her blog, which makes for an interesting read- especially when it comes to the crafting of the props like the Master Sword. So interesting to see her break down my design elements into an actual working costume and I found it really inspiring to see how seemingly simple it is to craft such cool looking props.

There's something... therapeutic from a character design point of view to have knowledge that you 'did good' on your concepts and created something that works in 3D. Having had the pleasure of seeing a few of my designs in three-dimesions I do get quite overexcited when the process validates my design choices and translates well. I'm sure there was lots of tweaking involved to get this design to work in reality but never the less it feels really cool to see it look as good as it does.

-T

Visual Thought

2011-08-01T15:15:00.010+01:00

I'm beginning the visual thinking on a short story I'm doing upon completing Issue 3, I'm a ways off finishing that but I want to arrive at a strong conclusion for my visual elements on this story as it'll be brief- I want it to be memorable.

For this project I decided it might be worth my while rendering my ideas in 'realism' atleast, realism compared to what my work has become. I'm still learning to understand the economy of lines and the magic of simplistic stylised art- and it's been something of a focus for me in the last year. For my work on this short story- I felt that maybe I should work with more detail- give myself more room and THEN translate my design to my eventual presentation. It's been an interesting approach to my character design and depending on how all of my concepts go, one I may use more often down the line.

These are early designs. She's a Pirate and a Scroundel who gets tangled into the main characters story and hopefully by time I'm done, she'll clearly be giving "Female Han Solo" vibes.

-T

Beyond Good and Evalz.

2011-07-25T19:55:00.003+01:00

Over at the Super Sketch Squad blog, the theme for this week is Ubisofts 'Beyond Good & Evil'. A game I'd describe as a marriage of The Legend Of Zelda : The Windwaker and Pokemon Snap.

This is just one of my warmups for the final sketch which you can see up on the blog tomorrow!

-T

Wookie Wonder

2011-07-12T22:08:00.000+01:00

-T

Allo!

2011-06-25T22:43:00.001+01:00

-T

Return Of The Dailys

2011-06-21T15:55:00.006+01:00

-T

Issue 3 Promo

2011-05-31T22:28:00.001+01:00

-T

Oodles of Doodles

2011-05-21T00:17:00.006+01:00

Another collection of doodles and warmups.

-T

Who Opener Script

2011-05-20T19:58:00.007+01:00

DOCTOR WHO
The Planet Of Nowhere.

By Adam Law.

//INT-TARDIS//

We open with a wide shot of the interior Tardis, the camera creeping up from the lower levels, finding a foot twisting impatiently, it belongs to AMY. Who is propped against a railing, almost swaying with excitement, clearly waiting for a chance to speak. THE DOCTOR steps infront of her, tending to the console, she leans in to clutch his arm.

AMY

So what's next?
Can we go to that dinosaur place? Didn't you say there was a dinosaur place?

DOCTOR

Musical Dinosaurs. Saving that one up. We're re-fuelling.

AMY

What? Shutup.

DOCTOR

Better safe than sorry.

AMY

But it's a time machine, it's not a Ford Fiesta.

She scoffs-

How can it run out of fuel?

DOCTOR

Yes! Ofcourse, Amy. Because a Time Machine wouldn't need any thing to fuel it.

He playfully knocks her forehead with a fist-

It just runs off air.

He paces past her to the control panel opposite-

AMY

Oi, Smartie pants. This isn't exactly normal territory for me.

Just doesn't seem right that something so...

Amy looks around at the TARDIS, inhaling-

...extraordinary, is really just so...

Her eyes fall to the Doctor, on his knees working at a control panel, looking like a mechanic or plumber-

...ordinary.

The Doctor swings a panel free to tamper with various contraptions beneath, he wears a stethoscope, pressing it to a beating pulse-

DOCTOR

We're loosing the link to the Artron Energy, going to need to replace the Zeiton crystals.

AMY

Cheerfully-

Oh there we go.

The Doctor stands, swinging towards Amy, inspecting her face-

DOCTOR

What?

AMY

Nothing, everything is just back the way it was.

Amy pulls the ear pieces of his Stethoscope, snapping them back into his head with a sharp smack. He flinches, tightening his lips to scornfully point- met immediately with her playful smirk, he paces by, tossing the stethoscope-

DOCTOR

We might just have enough left to make the pitstop.

He punches into the monitor, Amy watches over the console-

Ah, here we are.
You'll like this one, Amelia.

AMY

Annoyed, through teeth-

-Amy-

DOCTOR

No, Planet Amelia.
It borders the Helios system, busy little hamlet- quite a bit like Mars I suppose, minus all those.... traffic wardens.

AMY

Wait, We're going to a planet called Amelia?

DOCTOR

Yes but not for fun, we don't have much time so strictly in and out.

AMY

Not even five minutes?

DOCTOR

Not even five minutes.

He pulls a lever up as the TARDIS begins to shake-

AMY

So what's it like on Amelia, are there humans?

DOCTOR

No.

AMY

Ooooh, robots?

DOCTOR

You'll see.

AMY

Dogs! Dog robots! Oh please tell me there's dog robots.

DOCTOR

Not on Amelia. But you ar-

The TARDIS shakes violently, throwing Amy against the railing as The Doctor clings to the console-

Hey now. Hey!

he rushes to the other side of the control panel, slamming onto the keys-

What are you doing? Where are you going?

The TARDIS bellows as the lights flicker-

AMY-

Doctor?!

DOCTOR-

Ah. Yes. It's okay Amy, we're just going to make a slight...
emergency landing.

AMY

Emergency?!

DOCTOR

Try to focus on the LANDING part of the sentence. LANDING. It's a brilliant word!

The doctor flips several switches as the TARDIS Twirls violently, coming to a tremendous thump, lights cutting to pitch black, slowing humming back to life.

DOCTOR
See.

Landing.

Amy readjusts herself and pulls her hair back from her face as she stands-

DOCTOR

Ooh.

He flips his sonic screwdriver after scanning the console briefly-

Funny that.

AMY

Funny?

The Doctor pockets his Sonic and ignores Amy, heading to another control panel, tapping at keys-

AMY

What happened?

A low buzzing is heard, followed by three shrieking bleeps, sporatic in pitch- looping endlessly-

AMY

Repulsed, clutching ears-

What is that?

DOCTOR

What is what?

He wrestles with a control panel-

AMY

That! That noise?!

DOCTOR

Oh. I'm extending the TARDIS land-mass to lifeform locater. It'll scan the planet for all signs of life, existance, how far we are from anything.

AMY

OK. And it makes this noise, why?

DOCTOR

Don't...know.
Thought it was a good idea, never thought I'd need to use it to be honest. Should of went with something more tuneful. With abit more... bounce.

AMY

Well my head is sure bouncing.

The Doctor clasps his hands on Amys head and stares to her sternly-

DOCTOR

Wait. Amy.
Do you hear that?

Amy looks to him with sarcasm-

AMY
What, other than the sound of a Dalek Choir?!

DOCTOR

No, noooo,
NO!

He clasps her head from the top with a 'spider' like grip, twisting her head in place much to Amys silent confusion-

LISTEN,
There's a wibbly noise now.

Amy listens, watching his face in confusion-

DOCTOR

Oh. A really wibbly noise.
That's not a good noise.

AMY

What? What does the wibbly noise mean?

He darts from console to console, slamming hands over buttons-

AMY
Doctor?

He pulls the monitor to his face, looking defeated-

DOCTOR

We're alone.

AMY

Alone? You mean the TARDIS didn't find anything here?

DOCTOR

There's nothing TO find Amy.

There's nothing left.

AMY

How?

The Doctor paces towards the door and turns to face Amy-

DOCTOR

There should be life here.

He kicks the door ajar and pushes it open slowly, Amy flinches as bright light hits their eyes, The Doctor squints, the light calming to reveal a scorched expanse of dusty earth stretching off into the distance, seemingly nothing for miles.

DOCTOR

So where is it?

-Cue Song titles-

I wrote a short 'Opener' Scene alittle while ago to test out a few things, firstly being my intention to storyboard and do an animatic of an original WHO scene. This was the scene I created, set somewhere early in Series Five of Doctor Who, one of the earlier adventures with Amy Pond.

-T

Journey

2011-05-15T22:52:00.002+01:00

Finishing Issue 3 is going to mean a lot more to me than another notch on the Felicity belt. It's become something of a manifestation of all my past failures and the only proof to myself that I'm capable of overcoming the odds.

It's common advice to 'keep your chin up' 'stay postive' and to 'Keep on trucking' and it's also the best advice you can be given, if you actually take it on board and don't dismiss it as shallow and naive.

Staying postive is pretty easy when you try but a domino effect of missteps, disappointments or failures can soon turn something easy into a real struggle. Unfortunately for me I'm not a lucky person and I've had a long string of disappointments for quite a while now.

Sometimes there are people in life who make the impossible seem close enough to touch and I have those people in my life. It's their support that helps push me through what is now a worn-down will to win.

And I'm starting to realise I don't care about the lack of any audience I have for Felicity. I never started it to sell books or gain a large following. I did it to tell stories and it's going to mean so much to me that I can't give up on finishing it. I feel like I can't progress as an artist, I can't improve or blossom until I finish it.

And I will.

-T

King Of Fools

2011-05-09T19:02:00.002+01:00

Todays warm up!

-T

2010 vs 2011

2011-05-05T01:04:00.006+01:00

Credit to Tumblr for the image.

Just some thoughts on 2011 Doctor vs 2010 Doctor. Character design wise!

Doctor Who Series 5 was a big deal for me.

Matt Smith exploded onto screens as this barmy, bandy-legged oddball. His appearance somehow communicated everything so bizarre and alien and yet all at the same time; welcoming, familiar and iconic.

In much the same way that the actor has a talent to look both old and young, the costume designers gave layers to his appearence and created a wonderful compliment to the new Doctor.

In Series Six, they've changed some things.

You may think it absurd that a minor costume change and a newer 'slicked and groomed' hairstyle is cause for concern but I think there's simply so much lost in doing so.

The Doctor in season five had clothes that didn't quite fit him, hair that defied gravity and he looked something like a school teacher who had fell through the sky into an Oxfam shop. This uncomfortable, deshevled look was so excellent at double barrelling his performance, in pushing the Doctors Iconic appearance and in telling us so much about Eleven.

His puffy, wild and downright weird hair was perfectly suited. It was a literal representation of his personality, having established himself as a confident guy- who believes rather uncool things to infact be cool. Why would he comb his hair? It's cool.

In contrast, we see that in Series 6 he now wears more form fitting attire, a swanky jacket replacing his tweed and trousers that fit him quite well. His hair, which I've just previously mentioned is now neatly cut and pruned, slicked to one side with stylist precison.

Now, Here's my issue with hair-

By slicking his hair and combing every strand-neatly in place we are losing so much of that literal represention of Barmy-ness. It doesn't make sense to me, from a story perspective, that Eleven has suddenly developed a rather human-like sense of vanity. What made him so endearing was his naive nature when approached on such topics as appearence, his insistence that Bowties were cool was brilliant because they weren't cool, he's just made them cool.

On a further note, to tie in his newer appearence with the writing-

What I find baffling is the 'sexualisation' of the Doctor in the current series. Now, I'm not a prude! But what I found fascinating was the moment when Amys lust for the Doctor came to a head, early on in Series five. She throws herself at him to be denied, the Doctor showing a reluctance not only to be involved on any romantic level with Amy but in any sense at all.

This added a wonderful layer to Eleven, this kind of pure and alien essence. Sexual desire is natural, it's natural part of life and existance so I do not feel the Doctor should be void of it entirely- I just find it unnecessary and strange to show those sides of the Doctor to us. Particularly Eleven.

Series 5(Amongst others) proved that you don't need it to have great Doctor Who stories, so I just find it strange that two episodes in to Series 6 and we have almost a complete turn around, with flirting and innuendos appearing quite frequently aswell as a rather obvious attempt by the Doctor to groom himself.

Maybe it's his mating season! Who knows.

I'm enjoying Series 6 and I'm still a proud fan of the show of course!

It's just as someone who studies, practices and wants to better understand character design; I wanted to log my complaints against what the talented team at the BBC have decided to go with.

I understand there are other reasons behind the hair(Tennants hair by the time he left had developed into a neat and well defined cut but to add to that; Tennants Doctor was always vain, it made sense for him to care about his appearance so much)and that updating the costume was neccessary! I'm not saying it wasn't.

I feel like work that went into Series 5 was exceptional, from a character design point of view. And as an extenson, I just feel a little disappointed they decided to change alot of those excellent ideas for the next series. And I stress, these are minor personal niggles.

I look forward to the rest of the Series perhaps changing my mind.

Oh and I'm also aware, Matt Smith wears his hair in real life as he does in Series 6, could be the only reason for the hair change!

Geronimo!

-T

Daily Warm-Ups

2011-05-01T12:22:00.006+01:00

I spend an hour a day, usually before(but not always)I start on Felicity to ease me in. Just dumping some of them here, I find myself craving to draw more Dynamic poses lately; hence the completely inexplicable Felicity image which I've come to call "The Totem Pole of Unnecessary Action"

-T

Mascot

2011-04-09T02:20:00.019+01:00

Broken Falcon was my bigtime comic-project before I created Felicity. It's my oldest story and has seen the most evolution and growth, it's an ongoing project that I'm happy to continue working on. Crimson Feather Studios is a name originating from Broken Falcons Crimson feathered protagonist- Red.

I may repeat some uploads here but largely stuff I've not posted before. All my Broken Falcon stuff is concept, it's rough and ready- I just don't do much with any of it! So I figured I should atleast bunch together the images I'd chose to upload to various spots about my net-haunts.

So- ranging from years to months old, and in no sensible order- art dump away!

Broken Falcon centres around an alien planet and as such sports all kinds of weird and wonderful creatures within. While it has established history and a set number of 'local' species; it houses many bizarre races from all over the unexplored world and presents a different kind of challenge when designing characters. I enjoy concepting for this world so much because it really requires imagination, that is to say the sky is the limit. There's a great freedom in concepting a creature with personality.

Colours and shapes were playing a part for me when I started to define Carrison, the planet the story takes place. I had a big bunch of landscape concept art that brought me to my conclusive palette, this is a real early test, I will have to dig up the many concepts that followed this one.

The latest additions to the story came when I fleshed out the childhood of the hero, previously it had played little part in the eventual cause and effect besides a few key events scattered early in the time line. I found myself able to create reason for many traits, effects, characters and plot lines by almost creating an entirely new story in his earliest years. Young Red allows me to fully explore and explain his tribal upbringing which strengthens the ties his race have to Carrison and going back even further to before his birth- exploring his heritage and folklore was a joy.

Reds race is that of the Carinians; A bird like-species that are the first known to have lived among Carrison. The story divides at a point into very stark opposites(actually demonstrated quite well below!)and as do the Carinians. Although their history dictates certain restrictions I wanted the heroes species to be as diverse as humans, setting myself only limits of similarity such as feet, eyes, head-tufts and gender-specific traits like tail shape. Trying ultimately to create extremely unique side-characters that are still easily identifiable as Carinians and not any kind of similar race. One aspect I debated 'locking' for all of Carinians was beak-shape, ultimately deciding not to as we humans have extremely diverse nose-shapes, allowing for extremely different looks and I wanted to echo that. Instead I enforced only that Male Carinians would have sharp, often longer beaks while the females had short and smoother beaks.

The first ever established point in the story was that the death of love. Loosing his life 'breaks' him and what follows is the downward spiral of a hero, amoungst the rise of a tyrant and a brutal war. It's the key theme that is shown throughout with decisions and choices affecting how a life can turn out. This particular piece is MIGHTY rough but it demonstrated my ideas of how to best reflect the story, I used a similar theme/tagline in the poster above the last. It's important to the entire story, at the centre of it all. And the story has always been a Love Story.

I did this to demonstrate how I colour, I think! It shows an important late-entry to the story however, Snow! Ironside was originally a very orange/black/steamy/industrial/hot/dry environment. My evolutions brought that to a complete opposite establishing that the enemy race could only thrive in cold conditions, while the heroes race die in cold conditions. It threw up alot of cool possibilities for the story and was an evolution that only came about as I began to think about the limitations of the environment to its locals and about why certain boundries had never been crossed until conflict.

If I recall, this is an early concept for Widow, a slaver town on the outskirts of Ironside;the enemies land.

Tests for in-comic quality. For the longest time I was evolving my style of drawing(I still am)so I have a horrible tendency to have inconsistent work; it is one of the many reasons a comic of Broken Falcon hasn't seen the light of day, during these tests however I was trying to find a balance between time and effort, that would of allowed me to make a comic. It didn't work!

Just an old rough thumbnail for a comic page, there are old elements of the story that still remain in its current state, I tried to not alter too much of my original intentions and instead tried to re-enforce and strengthen the story-reasons why they happen. At this point in the story we see pre-war Red(Two eyes!)and Sunro.

Early ideas for the newer scripts revolved around picking up Reds story much later on into his life, one such idea involved a hanging where he was introduced to the audience as a lawbreaker and considered anything but a Hero.

Broken Falcons debut story is called Crossroads, I had intended to create and release the issue in a collected volume but my focus with the project shifted to different areas and I just put it on the backburner.

The major characters in the first ever story were originally Sonic Fan-characters, hence why they all follow an animal-esque appearance. As I evolved the characters and shifted them into an original universe, where I built my story around them- I tried to maintain my design 'roots' but at the same time try to create something more alien than animal.

Originally the Aragnos character in the story was a just a Spider character and the only one at that- when designing the races of Broken Falcon much later on I wanted to allow myself the room to expand on the character and flesh out the many different looks and builds available to the second largest species in the story. Their expanded role demanded much variation in a very similar way to the heroes species.

-T

Last Who post for a while!

2011-04-07T02:35:00.001+01:00

They'll stop. I promise.

-T

You'll Not Feel'Benefit

2011-03-09T00:36:00.002Z

Doodle of 11 with his new coat. Coats are cool.

-T

Bounty Huntin'

2011-03-06T23:54:00.002Z

Star Wars expanded universe character and The Clone Wars stand out; Aurra Sing. Let me also make a record here of how much Season Two of The Clone Wars is worth anyones time.

This was the piece I did for the Eclectic Micks Birthday, which only went and let any old Irish artist get a spot on their blog. Way cool guys over that way, way cooler art.

-T

What's Up Doc?

2011-03-01T22:57:00.002Z

Arch Nemesis of The Magpie, Lil'Rabbit! Hadn't done an updated colour reference of him for quite a while. More to say if I weren't so tired, may edit later.

-T

Elevensy

2011-02-16T18:52:00.001Z

Snippet of a work in progress. It's unfinished but I farted around with contrast and liked the crop as a separate image.

-T

My Top Five Games

2011-02-14T22:26:00.016Z

In no particular order.

Super Mario 64.

Nintendo 64/Remake on DS.

For me it's as simple as this; Super Mario 64 is the greatest achievement in gaming, ever. It defined a standard that barely any game has come close to perfecting since, including its own sequels.

I don't know what I admire more about this game- the fact that it is Nintendos first attempt to bring Mario to 3d or that it's the first of its kind. Period. Three dimensonal space was a new horizon to explore in the 90's. Mario 64, with its HUB based structure and large expansive worlds set an industry standard, copied and mimicked countless times over.

What I find key to the success of Mario 64 and will try to emulate to the best of my ability should I ever be given the chance to create games myself is the fun found in simply controlling Mario. Hours can be spent in Princess Peaches garden simply backflipping, sliding, swimming, running, punching, kicking and crawling- without even 'starting' the game. There is an attention to momentum and generous control given that creates a great sense of achievement when perfecting the many moves Mario has to master.

There is adventure crammed between 120 odd stars and a mammoth collection of worlds to explore. Sparking my imagination in ways never thought possible- I find to this day, with generations of gaming having come in its wake, that Super Mario 64 still floors me as a near-flawless piece of game design and the best possible debut for a Nintendo console that I'll probably ever see.

Mass Effect Series.

Xbox 360/PC/PS3.

Mass Effect is just simply my kind of game. I'm a 23 year old now. My tastes have altered as I've grown older and I don't find myself drawn to games in the same ways I used to be. So I find it quite a feat for a game(any game!)to hold my attention quite so tightly as Mass Effect or Mass Effect 2.

I want to tell stories and these games are the best examples of how video games are a tremendous tool for doing exactly that. BioWare are masterful storytellers with some of the best in the business working on their games- with ME1 and ME2 you're getting more than your moneys worth. You're treated as a smart, logical, brilliant individual and you're rewarded for thinking through situations, talking your way out- there's guns yeah but it's rare for any game to not simply assume you're only here to shoot things.

Mass Effect is a rich, deep, gloriously rewarding experience- the kind of game that makes me proud to own it. I bought an N7 hoodie from the BioWare store and wear it with that very same pride. This is a special trilogy of games- I say that confident in the knowledge that the yet-to-be-released finale will only blow the other two out of the water. I respect BioWare immensely and can't measure the quality of their games- it's just above and beyond.

Pokemon Series (SoulSilver)

Gameboy/Gameboy Color/ Gameboy Advance/ DS.

Pokemon has a special place in my heart. Catching monsters that are essentially super powered pets, going all around the place battling gym leaders to earn your right to face up to the best of the best-collecting all your favourite little gits along the way. It's a magical formula, one that agreed a thousand times over with my 10 year old brain.

I don't list it here for the memories however- Pokemon is still going! And I'm still agreeing with that formula a thousand times over. You can pick countless reasons out to explain why I love Pokemon- it really doesn't matter which. These games are simply exceptionally well made. The quality has only risen with each new generation adding new features, gizmos, gadgets and pokes along the way. I think I can say that playing Pokemon 'takes me back' and reminds me of a simplertime, that nostalgic kick is evident yeah but I also think the part of me that simply appreciates craftsmanship, good artwork and brilliant game design admires Pokemon and always will.

Phantasy Star Online. (Episodes I & II)

Dreamcast/ PC/ Xbox/ Gamecube.

Something just clicks with me on this one. Boy does it click. Phantasy Star Online or PSO as it's referred to was the first ever massively multiplayer online console title and it debuted on the Sega Dreamcast. It involves making a custom character and 'beaming' down to several areas of a hostile planet to clear out room after room of hideous creatures to level up and hope to find rare weapons.

The beauty of PSO is in that simplicity. Games can be complicated affairs but like Pokemon- PSO was simple. If you wanted to get way into it and learn the secrets, you'd find a surprisingly deep well of complexity, if you didn't- you could still enjoy it. Levelling up with friends, finding red boxes and learning all the tricks to defeat each monster was a compelling joy.

The Legend Of Zelda : The Wind Waker / The Ocarina Of Time.

Nintendo 64/Gamecube/Remake coming to 3DS.

Zelda = Adventure games at their best. From Link to the Past through to Spirit Tracks I've walked miles and miles in Links boots and battled countless evil to protect the kingdom of Hyrule and beyond. Zelda is fantasy adventure but not in any way similar to what the words fantasy adventure might conjure up in your mind. It's unique- both in its play style and world of fiction and it's a fascinating piece of game design, regardless of which installment.

I chose to highlight two games from the series in particular. Both of which I've talked about before. The Ocarina Of Time was the Mario 64 of Zelda titles, pioneering the 'template' for Zeldas to come and transitioning a wildly popular top-down 2D game into full three dimensions. And what more can I really say about Ocarina? It's hailed by many a critic as the finest game ever made and among many Zelda fans- a favorite. The Wind Waker however causes quite a divide among fans and critics, with many turned off by its 'childish cartoony looks' and 'lack of dungeons'. These two reasons however are exactly why I love Wind Waker. It is the black sheep of the Zelda series and it stands higher than any of them in my eyes, I find new things to admire with each play through and have to question Nintendos decision to listen to fan demand when they created something so utterly magnificent in Wind Waker.

Special mention to-

Halo : Combat Evolved/Halo 3 : ODST.

Xbox/PC/Xbox 360/Remake coming to Xbox 360.

What draws me to Halo is that Stormtrooper affection I have. I'm a sucker for a good set of futuristic armour and a cool looking helmet. I love that Sci-Fi Army stuff because realism bores me- I love a fictional twist to things. Halo is a tremendous example of not only finely crafted gaming but flawless marriage of art and game design. What do I mean?

Well look at the Covenant weaponry, they're iconic yet functional. Believable, recognisable as a weapons yet so incredibly alien. Not only that but they each follow the same rough 'template' or shape giving the impression they were all made by the same race. That's not easy to pull off! Or the enemies, each unique, each providing set roles, each weak in certain areas by certain weapons, some invulnerable to methods- these are choices ruled by game design, highlighted and made obvious by strong art direction and excellent because they layer the fiction to a depth that is rich and rewarding.

I list ODST because it brings a very different experience to the Halo table, one that tests that marriage I talk about to a harsher extreme and I can't let mention of it go by without highlighting that music. Man.

Sonic Colours.

Wii.

Imagine a Sonic game that was made by Nintendo. That is to say imagine a Sonic game that somehow had all the slick stylish flair of a current generation platformer but contained within it; classic, retro elements. Elements that perfectly blend with those golden memories of being sat infront of the Sega Megadrive after school. Sonic Colours is that game and I whole heartedly stand by it as proof that there's a place for the blue hedgehog, it is perhaps the Mario 64 of Sonic games.

-T

Runs In The Family

2011-02-12T23:45:00.001Z

What happens when your little brother finds out who you really are? Quick doodle!

-T

Keep on truckin'

2011-02-03T23:55:00.001Z

To remind myself at those times when I struggle to appreciate my progress that I'm not as crap as I think. To keep improving!

-T

Crossing A Style Line

2011-01-26T22:48:00.004Z

A friend and I discussed styles briefly the othernight- with a point aimed particularly at an artist we'd both been following and admiring becoming a Bryan Lee O'Malley clone- to our despair!

Let me first of all lay down the fact that I personally love O'Malley's work and I'm in no way attacking him or his artstyle. I've been an avid fan of the freedom his Scott Pilgrim books contain within their loose stylish lines. Let me also point out that so do a lot of other people, it's pretty hard not to admire the artstyle in some shape or form. As an artist trying to learn and understand simplicity and stylisation it's like magic to me- it's incredible to behold.

However! Our point was realized as despair because a great, unique artist had now became(to their knowledge or not)a really good Bryan Lee O'Malley impersonator. We felt that to go so far is such a shame when we considered the artwork they'd previously been producing. Although, It got me thinking- perhaps that's not such a bad thing?

For me- being individual or having your own stamp on things is an essential goal to aspire to, you're never gona' be better than the real deal so don't try to copy them. But I'm not so naive that I don't understand there's knowledge to be garnered in imitation. I'm also no stranger to it- I've been inspired from countless sources. I have learnt through observation to incorporate elements into my own style and approach to drawing- one that is very young and still growing.

I'm aware however of the 'invisible line' drawn to separate inspiration from imitation and that the relationship between the two flutters and twists, never passing too far beyond the threshold.

It's tricky to balance and there's room for overstepping on both sides- but when it becomes fullblown imitation; leaving behind all previous traits of style and now claimed to be the artists own work, is there any pride left in it?

I did a 'Matt Groening' Style image of my Felicity characters(As both an exercise and tribute to a massive inspiration) and I must admit- whenever my attempts got closer to a legit looking piece I did feel accomplished but would I ever pursue the style and claim it or any slight variation of it as my own? Perhaps we all think differently and don't share the guilt I'd feel in doing so. Perhaps the artist is going through a Scott Pilgrim Phase? Perhaps they'll learn from 'Walking a mile in another man's shoes' and then use that knowledge to strengthen their own style? Perhaps like a lot of artists I'm too focused on trying to find something 'unique'?

I just thought it interesting that there was an unwritten rule about 'going too far' for both of us(Both learning and growing artists) and that we recognised a great shame in seeing a great artist(and like I said still is, only now a great impersonator)letting inspiration become all out imitation.

I'm also willing to accept that this unwritten rule is perhaps nonsense and I've yet to see the real potential in fully exploring our deepest inspirations.

-T

Ouch

2011-01-26T22:36:00.000Z

A Cover Idea I had inked a while back.

-T

Where Do You Want To Start?

2011-01-23T11:41:00.005Z

I wish I had the power to force the BBC to let me try and do a one off animated episode.

Evil laugh and twisty finger dance aside, really. Would be an epic challenge composed of so much fun, my head would almost certainly explode.

Now that I'm done dreaming! A fanart piece will suffice.

-T

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-13T17:35:00.000Z

My 2010 Christmas Card, have a good one!

-T

Why People need to cut Peter Molyneux some slack.

2010-10-24T16:33:00.006+01:00

Games are a funny thing, they are often linear; leading us down a predetermined path despite all the tempting distractions laid in place to make us think otherwise. Yet even with that destination so firmly in place, how we arrive there and how we feel during that journey is within the eye of the beholder.

What one person would claim is the greatest game they've ever played is rarely what another claims. This inability to really measure and anticipate reception is arguably a developers only curse and as games evolve and develop, along with how that reception is monitored- some games choose to re-invent and some game developers choose to learn.

Developers often struggle to draw a line between what they intend to achieve from their game and what people expect them to, some games suffer terribly from fan-demand as opposed to united developer vision(see; what has happened to Sonic in the last ten years.) On the other hand, some developers choose to completely ignore critical reception in favour of barrelling forward, in some extreme cases to simply chase more money(Guitar Hero Franchise.)

Lionhead Studios 'Fable' Franchise is an incredible set of games to consider- I personally can't point out a set of games that have evolved and progressed from eachother as much.(Atleast within the span of just three games.) And yet I grow weary of the attitude of the majority of gamers over this brave franchise- Gamers who cry wolf and choose to believe it's 'never going to live up to the hype'.

We get it, Peter Molyneux(Creative Director on the Fable franchise) over-hypes games and he needs to shut-up yadda' yadda' yadda'.

Well you know what, no. He really doesn't.

While he's not my favorite person in the world(I've never met the man!)I've come only to respect him because of what it is that makes him unique.

Here is a man that is in an incredible position of power when we consider how far he has now come within the Microsoft family- Yet he bleeds creativity. That alone is a rare feat and he should be recognised right alongside the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto as creative visionaries evolving interactive media for the better.

Peter Molyneux loves games, he gets excited about the brilliant games his team create, he talks about them with passion and belief as ANYONE SHOULD OF THEIR CREATIONS. And he doesn't stop there. He looks at his past achievements and he says of their faults; no, that's not good enough. Next time it needs to be like this, next time it needs to be better, next time it needs to meet my ambition.

This isn't laziness, or deliberately holding back as most gamers would have you believe and I won't even get into the restraints and deadlines of developer-production and how that hinders vision on ambition. It's entirely possible to reach farther than you're currently able to go. That applies to the realm of creativity in its entirety. My first comic was far and away behind what I'm capable of but I had ambition, I had a dream to make it a reality and with the foundations in place with my first attempt, I grow and learn from that. Molyneux understands he sometimes misses the mark but should he be criticised for trying? Or for later making sure he does? Really? Is that what we should be doing as his audience?

If Molyneux refused to evolve the franchise from its roots and bring it closer to his vision then yes, by all means, I would support the cries and insults towards him as a game developer. But in reality, he does exactly what he is meant to and does so with more passion and enthusiasm than any other public figurehead in the gaming world. So he's proud of his work and you don't like it? That gives you grounds to bitch and moan when you know already you'll still buy the game. It's childish.

What is even more staggering to me- is the innovation within the Fable franchise is forever present and in little ways help bring, sometimes; entirely new gaming experiences to the table. If it were any other game under any other developer- somehow I think the whiners would praise to high heavens the brilliant attempts to bring us an entertaining experience. I am a huge Legend Of Zelda fan, yet in the entire history of that franchise it is outweighed several times by the innovation and re-invention present in just three Fable games. And yet the cries continue.

We gamers are a sorry lot, we get too passionate sometimes ourselves and perhaps for some of us the pain of Molyneuxs boyish enthusiam not delivering is still too much to take, like an ex-girlfriend leaving us behind, we hold some kind of grudge and wonder 'What could have been'.

To those gamers I ask them to remember Molyneux isn't just a developer but a gamer just like us. While he listens to what we have to say of his games- ultimately he has the vision and passion to carry them forward and create better experiences how he wants to. I am so thankful that a developer such as Lionhead exist in an industry I will forever want to be involved with, he is few and far between and whilst nay-sayers may forever slam Fable, I will continue to play and love these games. It's that simple. No one is going to influence my perception or experience with a game and with this franchise constantly throwing new experiences at me, I'd be foolish not to want in on that.

If you don't enjoy Fable games, fair enough- different strokes for different folks but please stop blaming it on Peter Molyneux. Shigsy made Wii-Music for crying out loud and how fast did we all forget about that?

-T

Hamma'Time

2010-08-25T01:30:00.000+01:00

-T

Lockdown still going, a quick artdump!

2010-08-15T00:34:00.009+01:00

Sunnyside Comics Podcast was quite recently one year old, I did a quick doodle of Yo-Yo and Kid Yo-Yo to celebrate(It's the rather incredible creation from the childhood of comic artist PJ Holden and I based the designs off the fantastic work WJC has done.)

My half of a sketchtrade, Catwoman was requested! Meow.

Quick colour questing for a few major elements in Issue 3. Tried alot of different colour combos, eventually arriving at these. Tidbit! Mountys outfit is meant to be abit of a nod towards Faith from DICEs game, Mirrors Edge- trying to layer some of my fandom! 99s is a reference to a one off image I did a long time ago(actually the header to my blog) where she sported a loose vest.

Lastly, Issue 3 continues- sneak peek at the 'pencils' folder. Where a colour I don't particularly love, is ruling the roost. Issue 3 clocks at ninty one pages, I do not expect to get it anywhere near completed by August, I do however expect September!

Geronimo!

-T

See you in August!

2010-07-23T17:27:00.008+01:00

Just a final update here before my Lockdown on Issue 3 begins. Basically, Lockdown means, I'll be neglecting all aspects of my internet hotspots (besides vital elements like email) aswell as no longer taking time out to play games or indulge in any of my recreational habits- instead devoting all my freetime to working on Issue 3.

I always find doing this so very tricky at the beginning, especially when I feel I'm not performing so well but it's always a vital part of each issue as it teaches me to better my understanding of constraints and limitations. Ofcourse once I get through the first week- the ball is rolling and the progress I make the following weeks just can't maintain momentum with any distractions coming to play. Issue 3 has been plagued with brand new problems previous Issues haven't suffered from- mainly my lack of confidence as an artist and in the previous work I was producing for it. It's because of that, I feel the August release date may be too optimistic but I'm still shooting for it. I got Issue 2 done in a similar timeframe and that was with even less knowledge that I have now. I know atleast that the problem of confidence is no longer apparent- certainly not to the same degree, I'll be approaching Issue 3 with no such critical eyes on my work.

At any rate! It's go time. I won't be drawing anything other than Felicity content for the next month straight, with my part-time soul-draining job being the only exception. So I thought I'd just throw down some work-

Broken Falcon has been going smoothly behind the scenes as I slowly connect the dots. I have a game-plan for its long overdue debut that will begin strong once Issue 3 is out the door. Broken Falcon debut will be a digital-only comic(Will never be in Print)and as such will be presented in a new way from Felicity.

Well, I'm off to drink tea and be merry, Lockdown officially begins on Saturday!

-T

Cover Me

2010-07-17T19:19:00.004+01:00

Just dropping the roughs-inks for the first variant cover for FELICITY:ISSUE 3.

This cover, in full colour will be on the online version of the comic, the print copy will have an all new cover which I'll post up whenever I'm that far down the line.

-T

Sky

2010-07-13T18:39:00.002+01:00

'The Magpie' cast lineup(in this case supporting characters of family and friend over at the far right there). Inking practice to ease me into my lockdown for Issue 3.

-T

It's cool.

2010-07-10T18:41:00.000+01:00

-T

W W W dot

2010-06-12T13:36:00.008+01:00

Webdesign is the best example I can give relating to my own experience of over-ambition. Webdesign is hard. That is to say, designing a website isn't hard but designing a good website is. What's tricky about designing a website, more than anything, is getting the balance right. And that balance can be any number of things, from features/content, Form/Function, Colour/Weight.

Now, I'm no webdesigner, I've only gathered this experience from working on and completing around six of my own webdesigns. So I don't claim to speak from a position of knowledge, I'm speaking from what I've learnt from exploring my own ideas.

To get back to over-ambition, another aspect of Webdesign I find so frustrating is limitations. When I put pencil to paper, I can do whatever I feel like- fulfilling and finishing that notion is my only challenge. With Webdesign, there is concept and reality and often sacrifices between.

As example- http://99reasonstowin, the homepage of FELICITY underwent a massive overhaul not long ago. V1 served a purpose, hosting my comic on its own two legs and allowing readers to come, read the comic and experience what it had to offer. I had no reason to redesign the website, outside of my own personal perspective on it- I felt like it wasn't as good as it could be- dozens of reasons really.

Didn't reflect the character of the comic, the concept, the feel, the colours, the humour, it wasn't 'homely'. Black- a colour that the old design had in abundance is a terrible terrible colour to have on a website and I really hesitated to settle on it after failing to design a site without it prior to V1. Black is a dull lifeless colour void of bounce or reflection, exaggerating only a little- it's depressing to spend alot of time looking at. And I'm not some crazy hippy! There is a science to colours and the effects they have on our eyes and our bodies, colours are vastly important and therefore slapping alot of black around is a good way to loose attention from your audience. And that's another point, interesting to consider, I'm rambling I know but working on a piece of art- our concept of colour and ideas for using it are controlled by our intentions. We'll use certain colours in a comic panel for example to try to invoke a desired reaction or emotion. Websites take this concept of desired effect and multiply it because we aren't thinking about that one time the reader sees a panel, we're trying to think 'How can we encourage the reader to come back or hang about or enjoy it while they're here'.

And perhaps you may read this and think 'He's reading way to much into this' but that is my point! Colour affects us subconsciously and it's an easy way to influence, if we get it right.

Anyways!

When first brainstorming ideas for 99reasons V2 I had a First Person perspective idea, a cockpit, from inside the head of 99, our main character. Below is my first initial concept.

Firstly you can notice my concept is governed by LINES. Horrible lines of RULE. These lines obviously indicating the rough ideas I have in my mind of how the website can actually be constructed, which is the governing thought to design. You can see through my design pretty easily, I'm basically trying to make a piece of art into a website. And that leads me to the next part.

Form over Function, or Function over Form.

It's easy to argue that FUNCTION should always be paramount in design. Infact, I'm not going to argue against that, that'd be dumb. I would argue that context is important to the question, sometimes function can take a back seat to form depending on what it is your trying to convey. In this case, the order so far is FORM over Function- a bad fit. And I'll get into that abit later on.

Important to note now that I do not BUILD my websites. My input is the entire design, graphics and finish. However, everything 'under the bonnet' (The really hard bit as I call it) is done by my good friend Darryl Walker over at Icarus Wish. So by this stage, I've passed my initial concept(above)to him for input on what is actually possible within the previously mentioned limitations. That leads to a revised concept, below-

The limitations this design idea are pretty staggering. To begin, the white box you see center of the image is the intended visual cut off area, ideally for me I didn't want the viewer to see much more outside of that box. That of course is ignoring the possible viewer coming to my website on a large resolution, or similarly, a vistor coming on a small resolution. Without distorting, warping or pain stakingly piecing together, the intended background image cannot exist purely in that cut off point. HENCE! Extended image. Which was a nice idea but it would have caused further issues.

One of which being my content box idea, 99 holding a datapad, my idea being an independent content navigation. Meaning simply that the 'cockpit' image stays static, or locked, while you scroll the content in her datapad. This is problem because firstly, it's too small. Secondly it's too low, some users would log on and not even see the top of the datapad, and thirdly it's going to cause problems being independent from the whole window.

These are all issues that can be resolved using clever code or design skills- I'm aware of that. Flash for instance is one such way to make this design a reality, but when problems occur so readily and do not have an obvious solution- you begin to realise that FORM should not be taking priority of FUNCTION and that if you are causing problems for yourself designing it, how is anyone going to navigate it?

However at this stage in design, my affection for the concept caused me to push on, trying to patch over the holes caused by previous concepts-

In this concept you can see the perspective from the initial design has altered quite significantly, allowing a larger and higher up content box, as well as a wider more 'roomy' cockpit image. Despite glaring issues with the idea I did somehow get as far as even rendering part of this in the intended fashion, seen below. It's when I got this far though that I realised I was reaching too far.

And that is because, this entire concept so far has only covered the Homepage of the website, how could it incorporate the Comic page, how would you read the comic? Would it have the same image for all pages with different datapads? Different arms holding the datapad? How does the user get home or navigate from pages other than the homepage. It becomes a nightmare because one piece of the puzzle has taken so long to get nowhere. And that's where I want to point back to the fact that designing websites is hard. And to ignore even, the previous statement of quality is hard, the actual physical elements of creating each individual part, designing each individual page, the content, the flow, the navigation- it's a TREMENDOUS amount of work to follow through on an entire design ethos.

So, keep it simple.

Red White and Black are FELICITYS colours, the team wear the colours between them, the ship sports them, the theme of Crimson runs through my work. These colours are so obvious as representation of Felicity and yet they weren't present in the webdesign, not in abundance. Keeping it simple, I birthed the idea below-

2010 saw the rebranding of Felicity, I had redesigned the logo, tightened the style, explored artistically to resolve questions I had begun to answer and I took all of that on board when approaching a new look for the website. I wanted it to show character, stand out and communicate Felicity but over all else I wanted it to be-

Neat, Tidy, Clean, Approachable and most of all Easy to Navigate. Simplicity goes leaps and bounds because all of us can connect to it, some read farther than others but all are welcome. And it's an obvious thing- often ignored. Think about when you visit a website COVERED in links and boxes, content- mess of words. You don't ease into that site, often you'll simply just leave to gather your information elsewhere.

On alot of my goals for V2 I feel I succeeded, in the sense atleast that I feel I have a homepage for my comic that is an extension of the comic itself not just a website where you can read it. I feel like it's easy, it's simple. Of course the process of getting it there wasn't! But when you've forced your friend to sit up to 1 am on a work night so you can see the pieces of your design become reality it is an awesome feeling. He may hate you with a burning passion but isn't that what friends are for? Hurrhurr.

http://99reasonstowin.com

-T

A note to myself

2010-05-27T00:30:00.001+01:00

There are no excuses.

Expressing yourself is never easy but always necessary.

Freedom is always present to do what you can with inspiration.

Stop wasting it.

Creativity is a gift and should be shared.

Never doubt your own ability to express and perform.

Art is what the beholder makes of it.

Art is your language, our language.

Always tell a story, even if that story is a bad one.

Never ever stop.

And stop holding yourself back.

-T

99reasonstowin V2

2010-05-18T01:46:00.003+01:00

Today Felicitys website http://99reasonstowin.com relaunched with a complete overhaul. It's the result of a lot of work and I'm so pleased to have the website reflect the spirit of the comic now. I'm planning on doing a few indepth blogposts exploring the design and concepts prior that I decided against and really just cover my own thoughts on webdesign.

-T

Lines video

2010-05-07T19:55:00.000+01:00

Doctor Who

2010-04-18T00:36:00.003+01:00

My leg is really hurting for no reason, so I shan't stay for explanation! Doctor Who- my first proper attempt. This is basic lines and color, I might go ahead and give it some proper treatment later.

-T

Thinking out loud- The Do-better Conflict.

2010-03-28T13:28:00.003+01:00

Over the last year I've surrounded myself with more and more artists that far surpass my own abilities, that I admire, that I want to learn from. Part of this comes in the form of simply watching them on Deviantart; constantly being subjected to their updates, their journals- it's very easy to be connected to an artist through that community- to be inspired. Twitter is another huge contributor, allowing me to share in not only an artists expression; but their own mind, thoughts and direct advice.

It has however caused something of a conflict-

As my own creative thoughts and processes become torn between two trains of thought.

One tells me what I should and shouldn't do, it's one that speaks from experience- one that reflects success and a wealth of practical skill. These are the people who are professionals, who are talented, who aren't talking about when they're GOING to be a success, they're talking about why they're already a success(and I should stress, with a few exceptions, they don't do so with an ego.) In a funny way, having all these rules of success put a real limit on creativity, these DOS AND DONTS making mistakes feel like they shouldn't ever be made and I'm really not sure that's good advice.

Ofcourse, before explaining the other side of the coin- I know that this 'assumption' of rules is just that, an assumption- while some artists do indeed come across as DO THIS and DONT DO THIS, it's really just advice; a guideline. Hey pal, if you want to succeed in this business? You gotta start doing more of this and fixing more of this and stop doing this.

The other train of thought is that of optimistic adventure- it's the train I've rode my whole life- the freedom to express myself however I see fit, it's the train that got me to the Felicity station. I've arrived where I am so far, as an artist, through my own self discovery and passion for what I love, I've gotten here through my own hard work and stupidly large amounts of dedication(much to the annoyance of many sociable friends I've lost in the process.)

The conflict therefore is the pressure to grow and get better, seeing more work from people beyond me- making me feel like I need to try harder. Rather than go at my own pace. This ofcourse, is no bad thing- it's the equivalent to me stepping on the gas, to evolve faster than I have so far. It is however a double edged sword as the feelings of frustration associated with it- cause distress at the non-standard I'm currently at.

One side of me wants to succeed; ofcourse! but another wants to tell stories and keep doing what I love. I guess if you want to be blunt about it you could say, do you wanna draw as a hobby or professionally? I'm not sure it's so black and white. We live in a day and age where anything can happen thanks to the internet- Scott Pilgrim is an easy-to-go-to example. But I'm not comparing my work to that, I'm not saying it has that potentional- I just know that I don't need to play by rules to succeed, do I?

I think all artists need to ask themselves why they spend so much time hunched infront of a computer. For me it's the same as it's always been, to express myself, to tell stories. When I was on the Sunnyside Podcast(A local comic-themed podcast)I was asked what my plan was for Felicity as a book, interms of printing and selling- interms of it outside of being just a story.

I was staggered by the question, I didn't know how to answer it because I honestly never thought as far as that- I never thought, hey- I can sell this story.

My lifestyle as now, holds barely a commitment, so it's easy for me to say 'Oh I draw for the expression man, not the money!' but I don't have endless bills to pay and a family to feed. When I get older and I gain the burdens of adult life heavier on each shoulder perhaps that spirit of expression will change. Or perhaps it never will, I'll just realize that if I want to keep drawing I need to focus on making it a success and not just a personal satisfaction.

To put it in context, I scrapped what I had done on Felicity Issue 3(about half of the issue)through the conflict caused by the pressure to do better. On one hand, I can't say that this is a bad move, obviously it's going to strengthen the comic as I come back at it with newer ideas for how I go about it. But at the same time- it's something that I fought hard with in order to get 1 and 2 done.

The feeling of 'IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH YET, SCRAP IT' is what stops 99% of independent comic creators ever making a comic and I think I can say that with confidence. Sure, I hate Issue 1 and 2s art looking back now but the point is I got it done, so is the fact I stopped thinking that way for Issue 3, is that a bad road to go down?

I see improvements in my work and I feel like my return to Issue 3 will be stronger for it. I just still wonder is it right for creativity to be governed by 'rules of success' or should it be an animal, free to run wild until someone realizes it just needs to be tamed?

Harrrum.

-T

Old Skool Felicity

2010-02-26T18:56:00.007Z

I was inspired by some vintage covers and I think subconsciously for a long time, the work of Matt Kaufenberg over at (http://skutterfly.deviantart.com) has been inspiring me to do this one off retro-vision of Felicity, a bit like I did with the fake NES game cover.

I pulled out some of the oldest comic covers I could find, curious most of all what a retro Felicity might look like, I looked primarily at old artwork and designs of the Batmobile. Essentially I wanted to make a version of the ship that looked way old but still recognizable. An easy way to do that was to turn that 'Cool' dial all the way down, haha- Yikes it's ugly! For T-gate I figured even though it'd be a futuristic story, a retro version wouldn't quite be ready for a holo-head and as the robot designs I researched contained re-occuring domes and curves I decided on a 'Light' Bulb type head- fitting ofcourse as 99 nicknames him Lightbulb.

I threw colours on the inks making sure to try and limit my palette and go over the lines now and again(for that authentic retro-look!) I also made the choice to 'down-grade' 99s goggles, seemed it might look out of place to be the 'hovering' Neon orange of her actual design. A cool little thing was that the goggles she sports here are the actual original goggles, that were a design element for a long time during the characters initial conception.

Lastly I applied visual effects like textures, grain, stains, dot-pattern. The 'child scrawling' is of course a nod to past ventures but primarly inspired by the previously mentioned Skutterbug, plus it just adds a cool, real aspect to it.

-T

Suit Up

2010-02-22T01:22:00.004Z

More Magpie, continuing off from the previous post!

Beta Suit.

Like more than a few Supers, Elliot chose her crime-fighting ways, she simply didn't choose her powers. I always liked it when there was a 'Home-made' effort to a symbol or costume. A crappy 'Trial' version outfit before the Super-suit comes into the mix. Magpie is no different- even sporting a metallic baseball cap with 'Lady Luck' scrawled on it, a nickname soon associated with the hero during her first year 'on the beat'. The theme of 'Magpie' is established story-wise so the colours she wears still reflect that. A younger less experienced Ellie sports the suit, body language suggesting more storm than calm, less elegance and experience.

Super Suit.

The Super-suit itself hasn't changed considerably from the original designs. Elements like the belt(complete with shiny keys and locks, to further suggest the theme) have been removed in favour of flexibility(was unable to pose her in the very 'acrobatic' manner I want her to move.) And flared trousers too, trimmed to support the acrobatic feats. Also, to contradict earlier designs- the black on her suit is of a Matte surface, not a shiny 'glossy' one. Also for no real reason, her tail coats seem to get even longer each time I draw her.

-T

Who me?

2010-02-21T19:28:00.002Z

Ellie (Magpie unmasked) -

I wanna talk some about designs and suchlike but I'm actually suffering the cold right as we speak! So instead I'll upload the images and talk about them when I'm done. I'm looking forward to actually properly using my blog again.

-T

Wait a minute...

2010-02-07T23:14:00.002Z

-T

Silhouette

2010-01-26T00:27:00.001Z

Just threw blacks over when I was done, Pretty interesting silhouettes here and there!

-T

Inkin' and Thinkin' (While recording)

2010-01-14T17:38:00.001Z

-T

Emblem It Up!

2010-01-09T19:05:00.003Z

Team Crimsons 'Small' emblem and some of the variations I've provided myself with.

The 'Mascot' for Crimson has always been a Red Eagle/Bird which was a clear nod towards my protagonist of Broken Falcon, Zepher. I've went this long without designing the smaller logo(only long landscaped Logos exist prior)that you'd find in score tables, somewhere on the ship or as part of the merchandise available at the Mort Racing stalls!

-T

Robotzors

2010-01-03T18:03:00.000Z

-T

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T23:43:00.000Z

-T

Respawn in 5

2009-11-15T15:42:00.005Z

Annoyed at myself for the major blog neglect. Have had to do way more hours than I'd like at my parttime job, been abit ill on and off for a little while and been making some edits to the preview pages of Felicity before they go up, aswell as some other work *Breathes in* so I've just been too tired or busy.

I'll be making more of an effort now though because I enjoy posting on my blog more than my other spots, gives me a chance to blab a bit about what I'm doing. Until I'm done with todays workload- thought I'd upload a little bit of quick concept art- an idea I've since realized isn't exactly in anyway practical. Still, sometimes you get an itch to explore an idea this far before you tweak that it's.... stupid.

Exploring this odd notion was a quick way to remind me how much I consider practicality in my designs by default(Sometimes without realizing). Upon putting the design in context(Superhero)I was reminded of the physical limitations having big(Albeit cool looking)wings would bring. Originally the only reason I went with the torn sleeves of the 'Final' design was to allow maxium manoeuvrability, a design element that seemed to come into effect by itself.

-T

A look at Felicity in Print

2009-10-10T18:18:00.000+01:00

-T

On da' way!

2009-10-06T19:23:00.003+01:00

Just wanted to drop a blog entry in to stop the lack of blog entries running any further. I've got some stuff I've set aside for the blog that I'll be uploading tomorrow. I've been neglecting to update of late because I have to use Chrome as my browser, as the latest version of Firefox seems to be completely crapola. Problem is when I upload an image to my blog via Chrome I can't dynamicly resize it(And it'd be too small to have a look at if I just made it blog-friendly-sized.) So basically I have to cut and paste code from previous blog entries and it's something I can't do unless I feel like I can be bothered(Which by the time I go to make blog entries, is almost never.) If there is anybody who happens to know how to fix this or knows why blogger suddenly stopped resizing images for me automatically then help a noob out please. There's Good Karma in it for you.

But yeah, I feel bad about not bothering, it's not like I haven't got loads of stuff to show. I has a fail.

-T

Growing Pains

2009-09-01T17:54:00.004+01:00

Cell-shading has always been a huge part of Felicity. It's always been there, from the projects earliest conception and it has evolved along with it. I've been struggling with some growing pains of late though and finding it difficult to decide whelter my artwork has actually outgrown the cell-shading method I apply to it. Let me explain-

The coloring method I use to render the characters(should be pointed out that vehicles/backgrounds are painted)is my own shoddy way of colouring that I first conjured up when doing Press Start To Play. I needed a colouring method that'd be easy on the eyes and create consistant results regardless of how wobbly my artwork might be(and would be).

Felicity adopted the colouring method for the exact same reason(albeit a far more advanced and evolved method). I built this method around the fact that I never used to be so good with my lines, I'm still a terribly messy drawer but compared to what I used to be, well it's night and day. I've cleaned up my act alot over the years and I'm feeling I don't have to 'hide' my lines so much anymore.

The method, whilst wielding the impressive visual look I wanted has always been riddled with downsides. The biggest of which has brought me to a point where I'm questioning its worth. To begin with, even back in the days of Press Start To Play(a comic that rarely if ever missed the update scedule before the eventual end)the method took BLOODY AGES. I do have to say though, doing nearly 100 PSTP strips, artwork in between and then a further 100 pages of Felicity(and all the other Felic stuff)took an effect and I found the time the method takes me now, it's not even half. So I got faster overtime- an interesting thing because I honestly wouldn't have believed prior to doing it for years that persistance would present knowledge and that knowledge would lead to shortcuts that not only made it easier and take less time but that made it more effective and prettier.

The biggest issue though, the one I want to bring up- is the 'Soul' factor as I'm calling it.

(Demo'd by the image above)

It happens with all kinds of digital art I've found(purely digital)from my own experience. Drawing a piece on a page is worlds different than drawing the same piece on a Cintiq, or a tablet. They both have their pros and cons but the drawing on paper will ALWAYS have more 'Soul' than the digital. On paper, the marks made can keep up with how fast you make them, on paper you can't fuss over one tiny element until it's pixel perfect, you have to go with your raw instinct. Paper is a far greater impression of you and your vision than digital can be. Now don't get me wrong- I'm not downsiding Digital(I am afterall a Digital Artist myself)but working in both mediums for so long I understand the problems. And one thing I didn't see happening was reaching a point where my lines(something I've built a colouring method around hiding)appealed to me more than my cells.

To avoid any confusion I want to lay down a quick rundown of what my Cell method actually is. I scan my artwork, I then simply take the layers above to 're-draw' the artwork in shapes bit by bit, tone by tone until it's complete. And yeah, it really is as tedious and long drawn as it sounds. Alot of my friends in the artworld are still baffled to this day that I ever colour like this. I can't deny that the thought of doing Issue 3 with cell shading sounds pretty damn depressing. It has always been a double edged sword of effort/result. Only now and ever since Issue 2 I've felt that there's too much of that 'Soul' Factor being lost in my Celling. For PSTP it didn't matter so much- it lent itself brilliantly to the zaney cartoon world, Early Felicity didn't suffer from it either, stylistically I had no idea what I was doing so the colouring helped elevate the sloppy artwork into a greater class it didn't deserve to be in.

Now, my actual raw lines, while messy- are what I want to show. Feel like I've got to the point where I need to rethink my colouring. The Cellshading is something that I'm not going to abandon or hault completely and certainly- whatever avenue I go down for the new colouring will be in tribute if not very similar to how it has always been.

I just need a way to evolve the artwork beyond what it is. It's been stuck like this for a long time now and all this time the linework and style has improved and the colouring, it's just holding it back now.

These are me'thoughts. Just spewing them out there. I want to run a few more experiments through the computer but I have to crack on and begin Issue 3 this month so I hope I can resolve the issue soon.

-T

Thinking it out

2009-08-26T19:43:00.008+01:00

Had tremendous bother trying to upload this for some godforsaken reason.

I've had alot of people asking me to share more of the process behind Felicity and the concepts and 'base' work. I'm trying my best to remember that, here I've scanned in a few rough sketches.

I usually take a pencil to a page and spend a few minutes jotting down ideas for compositions, poses, expressions. In this instance doing some early work fleshing out a few scenes in Issue 3. My poses, composition and everything else are usually always completely defined during the storyboarding phase, where I'll literally thumbnail the comic panel by panel, page by page. I find doing these kind of 'warm-ups' make for a good chance to try things on and visualize a scenairo.

Hugely rough and quick work but it qualifies for the process and I'm trying to share more of that.

-T

PS: This blog better format correctly or so help me God >:I

Deviant Art Seem To Really Like Harley/Joker

2009-08-17T21:33:00.002+01:00

Um... How the crap? Milestone for me, first time this has ever happened.

-T

Dum Da Dum

2009-08-17T19:24:00.001+01:00

Duno if this one will ever make it to DA. So it lives free here! Huzzah

-T

Wallpaper for 99reasonstowin.com

2009-08-09T21:49:00.000+01:00

A sneak peek!

Got two wallpapers lined up for the site.

-T

Why The Wind Waker might be the best Zelda ever

2009-08-08T13:45:00.006+01:00

As the years go on I find myself having more and more affection for The Legend Of Zelda: The WindWaker. It was summer 2003 whenever I first set sail on the Great Sea and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of WW. It felt like the game my expectation had built in my mind, it didn't disappoint. However, my overall affection for The Ocarina Of Time won over, with Windwaker always placing alittle behind.

While I'm not ready to say WW is better than OOT- I find it catches up alittle every year and each time I play it. Here's some of my thoughts as to why- in years to come, the WindWaker might actually be considered as much of a masterpiece as Ocarina is.

Twilight Princess helped me realize that Zelda is in danger of getting old, it's in danger of repeating itself and never breaking any boundries. WindWaker was exactly what Nintendo need now. It's fresh, unique and at the very least- its style would provide us with a current gen visual experience, helping Wii owners to forget they're playing with the least power. I feel it's actually quite amusing how Twilight Princess, the game everyone wanted Windwaker to be, has ultimately been the game that has revealed just how tired Zelda has become. So like I said right from day one- Long Live the Wind Waker.

The Style.

The Windwaker is beautiful. The goal to create a 'living cartoon' succeeds on every level.

It pays tribute to the franchises roots with clear inspiration showing through from earlier 2D games; it summarizes perfectly what Zelda is all about. Cleverly- the visual style not only presents Zelda in an all new way but it goes leaps and bounds beyond what we expect the Gamecube to be capable of, with seamless loading through the overworld and high resolution textures, first class animation and just sheer brilliant art design.

Thanks entirely to such a brave move concerning the Art direction, WW is ageless, looking newer now than any Zelda game since and easily one of the prettiest games Nintendo have ever made.

It stands the test of time.

While the WW arguebly does nothing to reshuffle the Zelda deck, the strong visual idenity does more to freshen the franchise than anything before or since. And on closer expection- elements we've seen again and again in Zelda titles aren't quite the same in WW.

For example, the Overworld is gone in this game, there is no vast stretch of land connecting the points of our adventure. Instead, for the first time ever, we're given an entire sea to play with. A brave move that ultimately could have backfired if Nintendo had not of created an 'Epona' that would completely change how we play Zelda.

The Boat in WW is something I feel a lot of people take forgranted, to craft a vast ocean and to have our hero sail across it, taking the wind into consideration, the speed, the waves, the weather and for it to feel natural and simple for the player- that is an incredible achievement. Far more challenging, from a design point, than giving us a horse and a field.

The combat is as well refined and polished as OOT first made it. Only now it combines brand new elements of parrying, dodging and acrobatics- making each fight an intense experience of speed and reaction. In addition- a curious element of note chimes climbing in pitch combined in relation to your strikes informs you just how much more damage your enemy can take. Tying in beautifully with the games Musical conductor theme and at the same time providing vital information about how close you are to success. Combat in WW is a unique, perfectly crafted system that is an absolute joy to execute.

The Story

WW has no prentences, it doesn't think it's any other Zelda- it's a brand new story. It hasn't got the problems most of the other 3D Zeldas have, which is the obvious burden of topping OOT. The WW has confidence in itself and it shows through the major design choices. There's a sense that this game is proud of how different it is and that the difference is what saves it from the OOT trap.

Ultimately at the core- it's the same game we've come to expect, that is why it works. But there are so many new layers to WW that people forget just how different it really was. It's about as different as any Zelda has been without breaking the forumla.

The story combines all the Zelda elements but all begins with a simple mission to save a little sister from harm. Innocently, Link becomes involved with a far larger picture and we discover each part of it with him, as we adventure across the ocean for answers. The Story in WW is an adventure, we feel the need to explore and hunt for the answers as much as Link does and I feel that is the key to the success of WWs story. We don't have some predetermined path of righteous justice, we don't have knowledge of the world we're venuturing into. We're just some little kid from a happy little island who ends up being the boy who saves the world. That's an adventure. That's Zelda.

No other Zelda like it.

The WW style hasn't died completely, it lives wild and free on the ever popular DS. Phantom Hourglass and the upcoming Spirit Tracks both lend themselves to the beautiful art direction composed for the WW. However, they aren't 3D Zelda games, they're a whole beast of their own, with excellent precision controls and the gameplay flow we've all come to expect from Zelda. As great as that is, it isn't the same as the experience had on Gamecubes WW and Fully 3D Zelda titles. This makes WW one of a kind and I wish it wasn't. I long for another fully 3D WW adventure but to be honest, I feel that the knowledge that I won't ever get one is what helps elevate WW even further in my mind.

When you set sail on the open Ocean in Windwaker, the waves crashing against your vessel, the seagulls racing along side you and the gloomy tower on the horizion lurching closer, this is an experience that no other Zelda has ever given us.

You can actually feel the wind in your face.

If you never played it, play it right now. If you did- go and replay it.

-T

Destructoid Feature

2009-08-08T13:18:00.006+01:00

Just a record that I got a surprise feature-

http://www.destructoid.com/art-attack-friday-twulf-143251

Got featured on Destructoid, a popular Gaming website. Really cool to be featured especially when you see some of the other artists featured before me. Curious choices for the gallery upload though! Some ancient artwork that sucks but then again, all my artwork sucks to me.

Thank you to whoever did it! Even though you probably don't know I have a blog and therefore won't read this. Thanks all the same!

-T

Loss

2009-07-29T20:53:00.002+01:00

I normally have rules about the standard of doodles I post but not only do I need to revise those rules but it's a long time before this story element is addressed in Felicity. So excuse the poor quality-

But I liked it.

-T

Fet Jorce Gemini

2009-07-28T19:46:00.001+01:00

A Digi-doodle-

God my head is sore right now. One of those all-day ones. Grr, arg.

-T

American Woman

2009-07-18T17:30:00.005+01:00

One of the first proper 99 pics I did and I think the first ever Mock Magazine Cover(Something of a Felicity tradition now.) Always liked something about the image, figured I'd update it to break in the new computer. Things are alittle less detailed than I could have made them but it's really just a quick warmup-

I put 'em side by side for the best comparison. I'm aware the text in the second is harder to read and what not but I was only really aiming to update the artwork. Skidoosh.

-T

W I and P

2009-07-04T16:28:00.002+01:00

A quick art dump. Been spreading my time between so many things recently, resulting in a huge amount of work unfinished, been hard to keep on top of things. A W.I.P for PD:S, hard to know if I'll even get to finish it-

And one of the 10 minute speed paints I've been doing for the last week or so-

-T

Coming soonz!

2009-06-06T21:53:00.002+01:00

Something is coming soonish. Coming right now though, a teaser poster! I wonder what it possibly could be...

Digi-painted and a butt load of texture overlays.

-T

A Good Blaster By Your Side.

2009-06-01T21:14:00.003+01:00

Just a quick Digi-doodle of your man from that film, you know the one- it was really popular!

-T

Issue Two Online

2009-05-30T20:15:00.002+01:00

God, I feel like a broken record but yeah, Issue Two is online. Just incase a few of you find my blog and don't know about my DeviantArt.

-T

Hitchhiker

2009-04-23T20:37:00.002+01:00

Cleans for latest 99 ref. Two interesting things about her latest design updates- they're both old elements re-introduced. First being the surface to her body suit and the second being the streamlined boots with black banding the bottom. When I say old elements, I mean from like 2007, so we're talking waaay back.

-T

Lil' Rabbit

2009-03-29T20:03:00.002+01:00

I'm real short on words at the mo, or rather the effort to create them : (.
So, a doodle-

Lil'Rabbit!
Magpies Arch Nemesis! A color concept AT last. Time for some chillaxin' then back to Felicity.

-T

Words To Images

2009-03-15T15:28:00.003Z

Work on Issue 2 is in full swing. I've to begin work on a new scene after this post and I've got to admit- I'm really glad for a change of scenery, was just beginning to get a bit sick of that current scene.

I've never shown any of the process behind the creation of Felicity, atleast- the comic itself. Felicity is a 100% Digital comic, everything is drawn and enhanced on the computer, as opposed to any of my other work which is usually scanned from paper. The reason for this, was initially as an experiment to see if I could do it, how fast it would take, how much worse it'd look than if I'd drawn it on paper.

Now that I have a Cintiq the process of creating the lineart and backgrounds for the comic has sped up... quite abit. It's really quite staggering how much faster the whole process is now, although that could also be because of the experience I've earned from Issue 1.

Above is an example of how the storyboard looks directly opposed to the finished comic(Note that it is the full image cut 50/50 and not Uncolored/colored). Couple of things I want to share about the storyboarding process- first is how I do it. I use MS Paint, which is pretty hilarious but I have to stress that you should try it yourself if you're struggling to get a comic started.

MS Paint is limited in so many ways- it forces you to roll with your gut instinct, which in my experience is often the best. It forces you to look at the page as a whole and not as separate panels(a mistake I made a lot in comics I tested out long before Felicity). I think each page has to look like a full piece of art itself and something in the limitations of MS Paint(Especially the lack of zoom)really helps you to create the best overall guideline for your image.

What would follow story-boarding is rough dialog, often in-correct as I won't refer to the scriptword-for-word until I come to do the final text. Sometimes I change dialog at this stage if I feel it'll help the panel, often though this isn't a good idea so I try my best to avoid it. Then after that I work up the line-art in Photoshop(Essentially drawing the image properly from my MS Paint thumbnail guidelines.) After that the hard work begins with the coloring and backgrounds.The backgrounds are hand painted in Photoshop, sometimes I'll also include textures if it is supa-up-close.

That's a very basic overview of the process, I just think I should really share the fact that MS Paint is a great composition tool, atleast for when you're working completely digitally. I still maintain that paper and pencil is the best method for anything really but when going digi, I go paint for sure. Best of all, it's a program we all have by default!

Okay, time to get to work on the next scene. Oh actually, one more thing-

My brother got me an early birthday gift in the form of a 3D Bust of Mounty! It's totally rad, I can't really explain how amazed I am at the accuracy the sculptor achieved(accurate to the 3D Mounty I see in my head).

I don't know his name at the moment, so I can't thank him personally but I love it, makes me more curious than ever to see if the other cast members can exist in true 3D.

You can head on over to the Felicity Forums to have a look at a textured version of the bust, along with a few more camera angles.

-T

Phone Doodle

2009-02-23T02:36:00.003Z

Doodled this while on the phone the other night, kinda liked it so began to color it, nothing fancy at all but I figure I'll slap it up here.

Even superheroes have heroes! (Character here is Magpie, unmasked) and they daydream of those heroes... or something. I just wanted to draw floating stuff.

-T

99ReasonstoWin

2009-02-08T17:53:00.003Z

Today, about 2 hours ago actually, Felicity finally launched.

http://99reasonstowin.com

I'm going to make a cup of tea.
An AMAZING cup of tea.

Got some proper content to add to the blog abit later on. Just wanted to mark the launch.

-T

Sketch/Roughs/Randoms

2009-01-23T18:26:00.006Z

I've finished designing Felicitys website and created all the graphics to go with it. It's been built now and awaiting content, so it's actually going to be launching sometime within the next week or so. I'll be sure to shout loud when it does. You'll be sick of hearing about it.

Fingers aren't much in the mood to type- figured I'd update the blog though. Here's some random rough stuff from over the past month and abit.

I'm still a concept artist for the Perfect Dark Source mod, which incase anyone was wondering- is going to be back online very soon. They used alot of my old artwork on the site and I can't stand the sight of it now so I did a new piece. I drew the pose from photoreference and just painted it up in Photoshop(works best on a white background.)

'Fake' Felicity still, I just badly painted over an existing photo for abit of fun. Results quite nice-

Very rough sketch of Magpie-

Rough thumbnail for a possible Mirrors Edge fan-art I'm thinking of doing. I added basic color to help me define my composition and ideas-

I've got alot of Felicity guff still to do and I'm quite inspired tonight to do some superhero stuff- so expect some doodles.

Oh and Happy new year :D

-T

These aren't the droids we're looking for.

2008-12-12T23:00:00.004Z

Bit of a Pointless post-

99 faves and it's a pic of 99. Gettit? I found it funny D:

-T

StopnSwop

2008-12-09T18:44:00.004Z

A few days ago, did abit of a doodle-trade with my partner in lines(geddit?) T-Deines.
She asked me to switch the 'careers' of my Superhero; Magpie and my Race ace; 99.
It's all very silly but it was a really interesting way for me to really see the differences in the characters, if only for their visual design.

Long scarf is long.

-T

I just got to share this.

2008-12-01T22:02:00.005Z

http://www.kolbyjukes.com

A random google-image search pulled up a W.I.P shot from this guy. I had a further juke into his files and then eventually visited his main website. He works for Bioware now, which is one of the games companies I respect the most. His work? Incredible.

3D has always been magic to me, especially digital 3D. This stuff is just jaw dropping.

Check it out.

http://www.kolbyjukes.com

-T

Pencils

2008-11-25T22:49:00.004Z

I seem to have built the majority of my methods around covering up the fact that I have incredibly messy pencil work. Over the past while I've tried to tighten my pencils to define my lines more clearly, it makes the artwork harder to produce but I'd rather be able to have the option to be able to clean up my lines if needs be.
It's really hard for me because naturally I still sketch with 100 lines where there should be one, it's just the way I've always worked. I'll always maintain that method of production but I figure it's not good for me to never attempt to learn how to control that a bit more.

When it comes to the cell stage or color stage I know which lines to pick out because it's my own artwork. If I was to ever be in a situation where someone else had to carry the artwork to the next stage, I can't leave a confusing mess for them to decipher.

I'm very slowly approaching a clean pencil line with some of my artwork, I've noticed I spend alot more time defining that stage than I used to.

As a result it makes all my methods alot faster.

-T

Boo.

2008-11-08T22:13:00.009Z

Boo!
EDIT: I've no idea why this image is breaking the borders. It's annoying me : (
EDIT: Hooray, I've somehow fixed it.

-T

2 Years Old

2008-10-11T14:25:00.003+01:00

CAUTION: Long file is Long.

99- 'Felicity's main hero, has gone through a few design tweaks while my style itself has begun to evolve. I've uploaded just some of the Full color refs I've done since the characters conception, including the first ever design that I brought to coloring stage. You can see how I've gradually altered the design ever so slightly.

Funny how her hair has got droopier as it went along.
The Han Solo inspired red stripe down the pants was dropped in the 2007 designs(and isn't part of her design in Issue 001)I've since then brought it back, which you can see in the bottom picture.

One of the constant aspects in the design is her Crimson Scarf. Brought about by the unwritten rule that all cool characters have to have something that can flutter in the wind. Besides the inspiration I got from Aviation pilots when first designing her, there isn't any reason for the scarf.(She spends most of her time in a closed cockpit, why would she need a scarf?)

-T

Sketchsmack

2008-10-05T19:14:00.003+01:00

A couple of things to slap up, nothing finished or particularly polished.

I said in the description for my Harley Quinn pic' that I'd put the process up. It's nothing special at all, same methods as the Mirrors Edge pic' I'd done previously.

Here it be-

And then a random Halo doodle on the corner of a page.

I'll update tomorrow evening with news regarding Felicity, Issue One and Two.

-T

Big Blue.

2008-09-28T15:28:00.005+01:00

He needs no introduction. Just a decent new game.
A superbly quick doodle of Sonic. I've picked up his Bioware DS outing and so far.. mixed results. In some ways it's a brilliant game- I love the fact the characters have been given fleshed out personalities and actually seem different to one another- Love how it looks.

But I can't really say I'm a fan of some of the ideas behind the combat. It seems to me that it's just way too hard.
I've had special moves(which take pinpoint precision with the stylus to execute)miss or fail on me despite executing them correctly. It takes its random 'you missed even though there's no way to control that' liberty way past the line and I just can't find alot of fun in the combat.

As a kid though, I was a huge sonic fan (fandom that lasted up until Sonic Adventure 2, which in my opinion was the last good Sonic game) and I'd actually made a Sonic RPG myself with RPGtoolkit. I always loved the idea. So I think that's why I get an extra kick out of this.

I'll tell you something- It's the only Sonic game I've played in years that actually makes me remember why I like Sonic. That is an amazing feat.

-T

Hack

2008-09-23T16:27:00.002+01:00

I just finished writing Issue 2 of Felicity.
I'm pretty happy with the fact I hit no snags in the road with this one. I've had ideas floating around my head since beginning work on Issue 1 and I'm kind of surprised they all came together to form a pretty solid issue. Probably one of my favorites out of the 6 more or so to come.

Right now it's a pretty long script, I don't know how many pages I can comfortably storyboard it onto until I try. Hopefully it won't be too much under or over the usual 45 page mark- It'd be nice to have a consistency with the Issue lengths. Although I know Issue 3 and 4 will have to be extended.

My job now is to tidy up the script quickly, just change any dodgy dialogue and bold and italic stuff. Then I'm going to put some effort into design ideas for Felicitys website and contact some people whose help I'm going to need.

Might swing another post up here later today.

-T

99? In my Rockband?

2008-09-19T20:26:00.002+01:00

It's more likely than you think.

99, lead character of my comic Felicity, totally playable in Rockband thanks to the create-a-rocker. I've had to put her in 'Civis', going mainly with her 'Volume 325' outfit.

I also totally have the greatest guitar ever. No, your eyes don't decieve you, that really is a Pikachu guitar. I'm just that AWESOME*

It really is awesome though, rockin' out as my own character.
I never bought Rockband because I didn't see the point when I heard Guitar Hero:World Tour would feature the same variation in instruments. Eventually though, the wait and the temptation finally succeeded and I caved in.

I don't regret it, I think it's actually miles better than GH, the style is ace and it's just so much fun to play. Which is something so few games seem to succeed in doing these days. To actually create fun.

*Sad, very very sad individual.

-T

Sketch Sneeze.

2008-09-14T17:22:00.003+01:00

Another Sketch-dump. It seems September is the silent month. I never seem to have alot to say this month.

Just a rough 99 doodle. Testing various hairstyles.

I'm planning on playing as a Rogueish, more to the evil side of the scale, Pirate in the upcoming Fable 2. I did a bunch of doodles on what I'll aim to make her look like.

This was for my brothers birthday, which just passed.

Ololol off to try and get Issue Ones presentation problems sorted.

-T

Speed sketches.

2008-09-06T00:09:00.002+01:00

More real quick Samus Aran doodles.

Quick colors on sketch, trying to record ideas.
Too distracted to write words, will do later.

*Thirsty*

-T

Pew Pew Pew

2008-08-23T23:50:00.005+01:00

I did this back in April/May. For whatever reason I never uploaded it to my Deviant Art, so just before it becomes too old- I'll throw it up on here.

No 'theme' to this piece. It was an exercise in pose and weight and also a chance to explore 2500s NYC fashion. The future is bright, the future certainly is orange.

Why orange? Besides her whites and reds, Chase seems to suit oranges the best. I tried alot of different colors(not on this outfit but in general experiments)and she always came out best in orange. I'm told that your hair color, tone of skin and even face structure can determine what colors look best on you- so perhaps that's why it works.

*Shrugs*

Gotta be one of the only times I've drawn her without a belt. Interesting.

The comic is like, pretty much finished. I've got one last day to give a final push of victoryz.
It's taken longer to finish it than I had expected(Obviously since I haven't yet said so) but I am getting there.

I'll tell you what though- I can't wait to start Issue 2, I can't see myself taking much of a break before I do so.

-T

Oh and...

2008-08-23T00:39:00.001+01:00

For the Lulz...

Face your Manga.
If you've got time to waste.

Like I did.

Shut-up.

-T