bigbywolfe

Verrrrrry carefully?
 
 
It actually looks like it was built on three separate ledges, rising like stairs. The resulting structures are connected, upper level of one to lower level of the next.

Gott in Himmel!
 
After many abortive attempts to get my wife to game -- to engage in any hobby that doesn't involve a book, really -- I gave up. And, honestly, with the two years I've had, whose had time? But, over the past year I've watched my family and myself settle back into who we are at heart. With that has come a return to Jewish tradition and practice. It is, no matter who or what we try to be, what and who were are. But, in Seattle, Shabbat can stretch until 10pm at high summer -- and unless you are living in a Jewish community and much socialization, which we won't be for another year or two, what is there to do? Kids get bored. Parents get bored.
 
We started with Ninja Burger, which is amusing but only goes so far. Then Marvel Legenday. Fun enough. My wife plays and shrugs. But then, I'm at the game-store with the girls, and the young man asks if we want a Magic demo. Now, you have to understand -- I am not a Magic guy. I am not a card game guy. I am not a board game guy. When Magic came out I ignored it. I am an old school pen and paper gamer. I like what I like. Maybe I'm a stick in the mud, but the only thing I remember about magic coming out was that it became harder to get a good old fashioned RPG together.
 
But -- after learning a chapter of tanakh with commentaries, a page of talmud with commentaries, and reviewing parts of a hassidic discourse follwoing shabbat lunch -- my brain has Saturday afternoon mush. Something must be done, and the family must be entertained. So, I say yes. Oldest daughter likes it -- and gets a devious and covetous look on her face when she discovers the hierarchy of card rarity. And youngest daughter turns out to be stoked. Me? Its not an RPG, but I enjoyed it enough to do it for a an hour or two on Saturday afternoon.
 
So, I invest in just enough after the the free gimme packs for demos (the first taste of crack) for us all to sit down and game. Wife sighs, says she'll try it, and half way through the game lights up like a menora that was lit underneath a Christmas tree. I mean, she is hot and bothered about Magic. She sat down after Shabbat and took notes on the rules and her cards. She's spent two days researching Magic and cards and whatnot online. Her birthday is coming up and -- wife who never wants anything -- bounced up and down like a girl saying "please, please can I have Magic cards for my birthday?"
 
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.
 
Magic? After years of "I'd be too embarrassed to do anything so geeky..." Magic?! Really?!
 
*Sigh*
 
She openly said "I don't know whether to be grateful to you for introducing me to this, or mortified that I like it." Well, if this is her gateway geek, and she can come to accept that she likes it -- and is a geek -- then maybe hope can spring eternal. Just maybe, one day, she will roll zeh dice....

To be fair nobody wants to share a border with Serbia

My sons were watching an episode of little House on the Prairie. Pa was helping a young widow with home repairs in exchange for her unneeded china. This was to be a surprise. However, the girls saw him at her house, and Pa was very evasive.
 
One of the girls described her (after Pa left) as "a Black Widow."
 
My youngest said, "Natasha!"

Do women in zebra print get nervous around women in leopard print?

At last it can be revealed!
 
At last it can be revealed! I took advantage of some free time in ace artist Eric Lofgren's schedule earlier this year to get him to create a beautiful piece of art that I currently intend to use as the cover of Mythic Hero. He took my idea and executed it superbly.

I don't have a finished book. I don't have any specific idea for how I'll publish the book when it is finished. But man, do I have a kick-ass cover.
 

Almost as fun as Lady Gaga's meat dress and a shark tank would be!

It probably didn't have a functioning chain on it.  He was just revving the engine.  Still, it's kind of too bad he didn't get shot and end up in the Stupid Criminal thread instead...

So, do we go with Groucho as Batman, with Chico as the joker and Harpo (in drag) as Harley Quinn, or Groucho as the Joker, Chico as Batman, and Harpo as Robin? (Either way, Zeppo is Commissioner Gordon, and Margret Dumont is Catwoman.)

Energy blasts are a super power.   Marksmanship is a skill.  

Rented Thor: The Dark World. 
 
Takeaways: i) it was okay.
ii) Natalie Portman sure is good looking!
iii) Darcy needs her own movie.

So I started a new character on Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and am playing a rogue. Usually I track down some vampires so I can become infected with Vampiris Sanguinis and can eventually become a child of the night as the powers mesh well with Theives and Assassins. I decided not to this time for the simple fact that I didn't want to mess around with the need to feed or daylight Nerfs to HP and Stamina.
 
I had just finished telling Aventus Arentino that Grellod the Good (who is very evil) was dead when I stumbled right into a fricking Vampire Attack. I not only managed to get infected but accidently killed a village (it was dark. So sue me!). Got sent to jail, broke my lockpick trying to get out of my cell, and had to serve my sentence.
 
By the time I got out of prison, I was a mother-fracking-vampire.
 
*sigh* I can't win for losing. And I don't feel like doing the damned quest to get cured so it looks like I'm gonna be a vampire again.
 
At least my Thief/Assassin/Vampire doesn't sparkle.
 
Frack Stepanie Meyers and while we're at it, frack Anne Rice too!

I feel like playing the old Sesame Street game of "One of these things is not like the others". But I couldn't figure out which one.

Icles

Well folks.  I'm at that rare crossroads of not having much work.  My schedule is wide open.  So, if you have private commissions you've always wanted to have done... let me know.  Or if you are a publisher or art director and have projects that I would be use for, please contact me.  Storn.Cook@gmail.com
 
I just found out that I'm doing a follow up to John Wick's Wield cover.  So I am excited about that!
 
And I got some images together for another clip art portfolio for LPJ Designs.  Some of the artwork is from a passion project of mine of doing a really high quality art for a fantasy web comic.  So.  I've been exploring some media and techniques to be able to do quality, yet make it fast enough that I can justify playing and not making money on it.  The below is one example of water color pencils (once drawn, you can add water and smear it around) with a bit of watercolor (just grays) on top of it.  Then digitally colored.  Louis over at LPJ even picked it to be the cover of this particular clip art collection.  
 
It is a fun technique for me, something fresh, as opposed to just doing pencil, then digital...because it becomes a bit more about shape than just line.  Something I'm really interested in pushing, as my comic book past is so strong and the art is SO much about line.  
 
Anyhoo... here is the link to the Portfolio:  http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/130508/Image-Portfolio-Platinum-Edition-30-Storn-Cook?src=sub
 
And here is the art:  Tal on the Run!

Next up, Death Tribble was still interested in another Manta Ray, but this time, not a techno suit, but an organic monstrosity as villain.  Which was really cool to do a variant of something I had just done recently.  This was also watercolor pencils and watercolors plus digital...
Manta Ray 2

Next up are a couple of entries into TenTon Studios weekly challenge.  I thought this one was particularly clever.  "What IF Geiger had been the art director behind Star Wars?"  What a cool mash up.  So, here are my doodles imagining such a thing....
Princess Leia via Geiger

Boba Fett via Geiger

street fighter assassins fist

The way it works is this:
If you start up the game without ever having played before.. they tried to make the costume editor simpler so you wouldn't get swamped with the myriad of options. So your first char you have very limited options on the menus. Once you log in, do the tutorial (and maybe get your first char to 10th level - which is very easy) then you have access to the full menus for any subsequent costumes you create.
 
At that point, any costume that you could buy from their "C-Store" will be available in the editor (there is a check box to see or not see them).
Then you can make costumes in the editor and take a screen shot of it without every loggin in. I do this a lot because i don't "own" all the sets.
 
There are also many pieces you can only get in game through various methods (drops, purchase from Auction House, farm, etc). I have spent quite a bit of in game time buying and unlocking these other pieces but you can make tons of amazing things without that. In addition, in game there are now "auras" that allow your character to look like they have fiery eyes, or exude sparkles etc, which are great for making certain types of looks, but these can only be done in game not in the costume editor.
 
In summary.. I highly recommend downloading the game.. make a char.. and getting them to 10th level to unlock the whole editor. Then make all the amazing costumes you want and never log in again if you like.   I know the ability to create the characters/villains I have envisioned (and written up) adds a huge amount to my games. And certainly a ton to the enjoyment of reffing. Sometimes I design a villain then make the costume.. sometimes it's the other way around.

This one is special.
This is my 200th received commission piece.
http://www.deviantart.com/messages/#/art/B7-Troopers-439891341?_sid=307880a0

Today, the 17th of May, is Norway's National Day. It commemorates the day in 1814, when the modern Norwegian constitution was adopted at Eidsvoll -- they celebrate 200 years as a sovereign state.
 
Huzzas are in order!

spider-man1967
thunder rumble

saw this in Reddit today, it was titled: 
 
Time Travelling Supervillain spotted in Finland. 

Oh look, two hams and a turkey.

The three skilled combatants followed classic Fantasy Hero tactics against massed enemies--half move back and hold action, half move back and hold action.  It worked pretty well mainly because the unskilled combatants were playing to lose.  They kept holding back while their comrades engaged their foes in one-on-one combat, completely negating their numerical advantage.