All entries written in June, 2007
June 27, 2007 at 9:01 am · Filed under Extras, Interactive, Production Art
First things first: as promised, here is an edited version of the image at the center of last week’s contest. The secret location was Sunnyside, Queens, and there were a couple of clues to help you figure it out. The three biggest hints were:
(1) - The presence of the number 7 train (I’ve also enlarged the little “7″ I drew on the side).
(2) - The fact that the train was on a stone archway characteristic of Sunnyside.
(3) - The visage of Manhattan in the distance (right down Queens Boulevard, for those of you who know or may visit the area).
Here’s the picture again, with all three of these hints highlighted:
And because I said I wouldn’t let today’s update end there…I won’t. Here are pencil sketches of Donovan, Nick, and a 2-D cityscape I was going to use as a backdrop somewhere. Hope you like them!
June 25, 2007 at 8:12 pm · Filed under Announcements
Well, I guess no one got it right. Too bad…now you have to wait until Wednesday to see the solution. I’ll post a new version of the image with several telling clues highlighted. I’ll also look for some more art to post, because, well, the conclusion to a contest that ended two days ago hardly constitutes enough of an update. In the meantime, feel free to tell me what you thought of this attempt at interactivity: whether or not you liked it, what I can do better next time, what sort of prizes I should have given out, anything.
By the way, there are only 5 more chapters left in The Gauntlet! If you haven’t already gotten on board or stayed caught up, now is the time to do it…the climax of the first School Kids SG story is at hand.
June 25, 2007 at 9:03 am · Filed under Reviews, Thoughts
If you haven’t heard of it, that’s okay…I could be mistaken, but I think Hotel Dusk is a pretty obscure game. I only saw new copies in one store, and they both sat there for a month until I went back to buy the game myself. It’s certainly not everybody’s cup of tea–not quite even an adventure game, Hotel Dusk is a self-proclaimed “interactive mystery novel,” and I think that classification fits.
Holding your DS sideways so it looks sort of like a book, you follow former NYPD detective Kyle Hyde on his quest to find his ex-partner, Brian Bradley, who turned traitor during an undercover assignment. He hasn’t been seen since, but Kyle is convinced Bradley is still alive, and searches for clues to his whereabouts while working as a traveling salesman. At the beginning of the game, Kyle checks into Hotel Dusk as part of his latest “sales” assignment, and after meeting a group of interesting and very secretive characters, the story begins.
Keep reading….
June 23, 2007 at 11:13 am · Filed under Announcements
Hey, everybody. Don’t forget–you’ve only got until midnight on Sunday (well, I guess technically that would be midnight on Monday) to try and guess where this drawing takes place! The winner, if there is one, gets the pride of being recognized in Monday’s post, plus perhaps some physical prize once I have a School Kids SG-related item worth giving away. I’m always open to ideas about what that could be, incidentally.
Anyway, give it a shot! What have you got to lose? Here’s the direct link to the full-size file again if you don’t want to scroll down the page. And please post your guesses as comments rather than emailing them to me! I want everyone to see the progression of this contest…who knows? It might take a couple of guesses building on one another to reach the closest one.
June 20, 2007 at 9:07 am · Filed under Downloads, Extras
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A Little History - “Lookout” was the first-ever School Kids SG desktop wallpaper…I’ve been drawing them for my own use for years, and now that I have this website, I plan to share them. I’ve probably redrawn this one five times in as many years, and I still think I can do better, but this version holds a special place in my heart. So, it gets to go out into the world first. Enjoy!
June 18, 2007 at 9:05 am · Filed under Extras, Interactive
Well, sort of. It’s more like a “random reader challenge,” really. In any case–below, I have posted an unfinished concept sketch that I was working on yesterday. It’s a long way from being done and just as far from being released, but I think we can still have some fun with it in its current form.
So here’s the challenge: can anybody tell me where this sketch takes place? Be as specific as you can, and leave your answers as comments. You have until 10:30 PM on Sunday, June 24th to make your guesses…depending on whether or not anyone comes close to getting it right, there will be a follow-up posted Monday the 25th. The winner will get…something! Possibly just a sense of self-satisfaction, but don’t hold me to that!
Don’t worry about the character in the foreground–he’s irrelevent for the purposes of this contest. In fact, I’ll give him the Hard Copy treatment!
June 13, 2007 at 9:07 am · Filed under Misc, Thoughts
Hey, everybody! I’m sick this week, so in honor of my addled mind, I’m posting a link to something that will blow your mind once it’s released. It’s a game called Braid, and it’s being designed (graphically, anyway) by the artist from A Lesson Is Learned. Enjoy!
(And don’t worry, the next chapter of The Gaunlet will appear on schedule, this Friday).
June 11, 2007 at 9:06 am · Filed under On My Influences, Thoughts
I may review some of these in-depth at a later time, but for the moment, I just wanted to post a list of comics I read or have read, all of which I think are great and many of which have inspired or influenced me in some way. Any of these would be worth your time to check out. Enjoy!
Roomies!/It’s Walky! and Shortpacked! by David Willis - This is a continuity I’ve been following since junior high school (!). It’s my favorite webcomic of all time, and arguably one of my biggest creative influences. I plan to review this one sooner than any of the others on this list, so I’d better not say anything else now.
Melonpool by Steve Troop - As I understand it, Melonpool is one of the oldest webcomics out there, and it’s got archives going all the way back to 1996. Regrettably, it seems to be on permanent hiatus now…it was going to be reborn in a really promising graphic novel format, but it seems the writer/artist eventually lost interest because he didn’t feel very many people were reading, and that’s really sad, because Melonpool is one of the only comics that genuinely makes me laugh. It’s also got the most satisfying and complex time travel writing I’ve ever seen anywhere, period.
Keep reading….
June 6, 2007 at 9:09 am · Filed under Extras, Production Art
This is a sketch I did last Sunday…it’s basically concept art for something I’m going to put up on the site in the not-too-distant future. Consider it a preview. I also think this unfinished drawing shows a little bit of my process, in case anyone’s interested in that. I started out wanting to take it seriously, approaching it as step-one pencil art instead of mere experimentation, but I abandoned that pretty quickly once I realized the image wasn’t quite ready in my head yet. See if you can pinpoint the various stages of my increasing speed and disengagement (remaining guidelines, lighter pencil work, missing feet, etc.)
June 4, 2007 at 9:02 am · Filed under Cast, Groups
Known Members: Lyle, Flint, Mark
Additional Info: The Gauntlet, Prologue
