Kickstarter and other Games

I've begun preparing for a new Kickstarter to launch in November, a game called Colour Wheel. You can actually play it right now at , by downloading the Print and Play version. It's a fun little game to reinforce color theory concepts. The goal is to raise $200 to buy a developer license for mobile device app distribution (I've developing this game into an app game), with the heavily encouraged secondary goal to raise $5,000 for a physical copy run. Highly do-able.


Over this last week, I made rules for another card game, that uses standard deck of cards. Go to this site to see the rule-set. Sometime down the line, I'd want to publish a deck of cards that would go along with the theme, name, and rules, but it's not absolutely necessary, so I'll settle for a regular poker/bridge deck of cards.


I've also been making a game called King of Koi. It's a Dutch Auction game using koi fish. There's other rules to it, but so far, just the nature of a Dutch Auction has been working by itself! (a Dutch Auction starts with the highest price and goes down gradually. The winner is the first person to break and accept the price it's at! Well, that's about all that's going on so far. I've been job hunting (and my current job knows it and is fine with this, knowing when I was hired that I was actively looking for a job that better suits my education and skill set), and that's been going interestingly as I've also taken on occasional freelance. More details as they arrive! TTYL!

House cleaning the website, and Bobiam

I've been renovating my website recently, as well as attempting to figure out how to include Instagram into my routine. It occurred to me that my portfolio might look thin in terms of recent work, but realized that much of it was due to big-picture projects and ambitions. Hopefully, it won't come off poorly.


Currently, I've been preparing for Gen Con, which is nearly two weeks away from today! Above is a prop label for the LARP I'm running. Sharp-eyed individuals might recognized the Zorn Corporation logo on the bottom. I've been such a huge fan of Pangaea Station, and after getting permission for the creators (college friends Taylor Baldry, Jp Pollard, and Shea Bartel), I've written what I think could be described as a fan-fictional derivative: darker and expanded, like a Star Wars Expanded Universe fan. (which reminds me: check out Jp's podcast- it's a blast!)
I'll attempt to post photos from Gen Con a few days when I return.


Next week is my last week at Bobiam. It's been a lot of fun, and the company's going into some really, REALLY neat places. I don't think I'll be hired as a PT/FT, but I'm making myself someone to rely on for interesting perspectives and illustration…
And once again, this animation. I'm super proud of this little guy!


TTYL!

Bōbiam App Animation

My internship at Bōbiam is approaching its end, and the big project I've been involved in right now there is animating the sprites for the character for a mobile device game that Bōbiam is releasing later this summer. It's been a blast! Orc-Magnon is almost done. Hopefully I can put it up by the end of this month! Well, there's a lot to get done before Gen Con, which looms closer then ever before… TTYL!

New Opportunities

Howdy Hoo! It's been more than a month. So much for daily updates, huh? Well, I have some pretty good excuses:

Last month, I parted ways with Wet Paint. There's no bad blood or anything, but the time came. I spent the better part of nearly 4 and a half years there, and the biggest adjustment is no longer saying "we carry that," and instead "Wet Paint carries that." It's startling how often I slip into old habits.

But fear not! I am not unemployed! I gained part-time at Bachman Printing, just off Marquette and 7th Street, next to the IDS Tower in Downtown Minneapolis! I just finished my first week there, and it's been a fun learning curve, discovering what I need to do there, and more importantly, the production and binding side of the industry. The guys there are awesome, and more importantly...

... accommodate an internship I applied and received at Bobiam, a design and apparel company, that uses children's art as the primary elements for teeshirts, mugs, cell phone covers, and water bottles. It's pretty effing rad so far!

Bobiam's located in Uptown Minneapolis, right on Lagoon and Hennepin. It's a great environment, and an easy bus ride!

Finally, I'm getting ready for Spring Con, later in May. This little comic is part of a bigger mini-comic, one that I'm developing a simple war and tactics simulation game for. Aiming for a Vaughn Bode flavor... Well, it's late, so I'll try to get back on track this week! TTYL

The start of regular updates! (fffffaaaaaammmous laaaaaast wooooordssss...)

Hello! I'm trying to get back into regular updates from here on out. It's my goal to update at least once a week, so here's to a new leaf.

I've been working on some projects to beef up the design-side of my portfolio. Clearly, this Big Bird isn't part of it, but I think you'd all get a kick out of it, and I've got an idea for a show proposal that would use it, and that'd be pretty kick-ass if I can make it work. We shall see...

My girlfriend works with senior citizens, and asked me to do a comic for a newsletter for the community group she volunteers for. It's probably not very clear what this is about, but it relates to a big art event that takes place in the part of Minneapolis we work in.

I recently completed this personal project called the ACGL, or the American Continental Gridiron League. It's a fictional football league that existed between 1986 and 1988. The premise is that EVERY state in the union got a football team. But as you read about the teams by clicking on a map, it becomes clear why the league didn't last. It's inspired by this episode of The Dork Forest with Jackie Kashian. It's a hoot of an episode!
(Incidentally, I was on this episode. I say "right" an awful lot, and inadvertently make a creepy response about Snapchat, but I do get to talk about Trans-Humanism, so that's pretty cool. She's awesome) Well, it's late, and I've got to get back to my design. Talk to you soon!

Steve Paint

Hello Gang- I've been poor about updating this blog. I've been busy! I've been working on some projects here and there, and this picture's a not-at-all-hidden peek at what one of them is: Until next time, here's a video of the Russian Army Choir singing "Skyfall." (the delicious irony of Russians singing a Bond theme...) TTFN!

The Kickstarter! It's LIVE!

Click on the Kickstarter logo above: it will take you to the Kickstarter page for Ad-Man!, where you are encouraged to make a pledge today!

It's been a blast so far. Here's some videos!

Getting Ready for Gen Con!

Hello! I'm going to Gen Con soon (less than three weeks away!), and getting props and plotting finished for the Live-Action Role-Playing (LARP) games I'm running/helping run there. I'm running the Ghostbusters LARP there, and seeing as I can't easily construct proton packs, I made buttons. I'll be sure to post pics when it's done! (Me, circa 1989 or 1990)

Mild little update...

A major re-haul of my website has been completed. In fact, I hope your reading this post FROM the newly re-designed website! Using a template that I began, but my great friend Alison fixed, and I've continued to tweak with what I learned from days of scouring the internet, I've redone www.steverobbinsart.com, www.comicartiststeve.com, and updated www.steverobbinsgames.com.

The big motivator was vanity and clarity, as the site is more attractive, I think, and much easier to navigate. It also allows for me to link to the other sites more effectively without having a "links" page.

So this blog will now act as a sort of a regular update as to what I'm doing professionally and personally, though I'll try to keep it the former than the latter.

What am I doing professionally right this minute? I'm illustrating a singling picture for a short story. I can't display it now, but I'm pleased how it's looking right now...

Just Checking In

Not a huge post today/tonight. Just checking in, and testing out something. I learned (pocketed) some very useful CSS this evening, and I've been tweaking it to fit my needs. That's right, I'm retooling my website, using lessons learned during my kickstarter. Speaking of which, it didn't make it, and I know why, and am going to try again later this summer. More on that later! TTFN!

Ad-Man! Card Game!

So what have I been doing for about a year? I've been making a card game called Ad-Man! Ad-Man! is about advertising characters/mascots. Playing the role of an advertising executive, you use mascots to gain the product accounts from clients to sell things like soda pop, baseball teams, and fabric detergent. A round has cumulative turns, so players add more and more mascots into the mix with the hopes of getting a high number, which will win the product. There are a lot of opportunities for creative decision-making. It is my goal to raise (at least) $8,000 to print one thousand decks of this game. And then, to put forth a quality, entertaining product with lots of replay-ability and balance. The majority of the monies raised through Kickstarter will be used for the printing costs, with additional money being used for things like covering the cost of copyright registry, leasing a UPC, and buying a full year of hosting for this site, which will be used to sell decks and promote other gaming concepts. The winner has the most Product cards at the end of the game. Product cards have a symbol, and only mascots with that same symbol are of use in winning the account for that product. Mascot cards have three symbols, each with a value: they’re best for some products, but can be used for others, where that mascot has some appeal. Players take turns playing mascots with the appropriate symbol, until no more can be played in that round. Depending on choices made, players either refresh their hands by 1 or 2 cards at the end of the round. There are many opportunties for creative decision making, and an unexpected level of balance- it is difficult to run away with a crushing lead! There are also additional rules for playing with children, extremely large groups, alone, 2-player, and in a college setting. "What Can I Do To Help?" Great question! with an easy answer. When the Kickstarter is live from May 1st through May 31st, go to the site, find my project, and pledge as little as $20. You can back more money if you want, and there are premium incentives to do so. After you pledge at least $20, tell your friends! Tell anyone you think would either enjoy helping out an independent artist or enjoy independent games, or both! As I say in the video, "the goal is so do-able. Let's make this happen... together!" ... SO! That's what I've been working on. Now here's some mascots. More coming soon! TTYL!

Orange MAN!

This is one character that'll appear in my upcoming project, of which I hope to Kickstart very soon. I still need to get some prototypes printed, and of course protect what I've been working on for the better part of a year. But hopefully I'll be able to film the fundraising video soon, and get the ball rolling so I can start selling online without using my regular website.

Whew! It's been quite a fun little experience making this. A lot of great beta testers have helped me perfect this game, and I'm very grateful for their assistance!
Trust me, when this is ready to be unveiled, I'll be telling you so much more...

Snowman illustration

Merry Christmas! And a happy new year!



(even though I'm a day late, and about 2 months from my last post- so much for keeping on track with blogging...)

The little snowman above me here is a part of a card game I've been making. There's so much more involved, but I thought he'd make a cute little mark and establish a little bit of what I've been keeping in darkness...

TTFN!

Card!

Happy Halloween! Be safe!

Diagram and Pre-Halloween Nonsense

Nothing big to report. I did this diagram to explain how to set up a stick-your-head-in-here photo-op stand for the Harriet Alexander Nature Center, which used it for their annual Wild Rice Festival. Here's what it looks like:



Not my best work (I cringe when I see how poorly I did, and still do somewhat, with arms and hands), but it's a cute little thing to do while learning about wild rice harvesting, shopping craft tables, and taking in some Ojibwa dances.



I've been toying with writing a Ghostbusters RPG scenario ever since Gen Con this year. The movie had such an impact on how I look at pop culture, and I shudder to think it might be sequel-ized [poorly], or remade [also poorly]. But the possibilities are endless!



Halloween is coming up, so I thought I'd celebrate a little early with this little animatic from a (gosh) four years ago (?). I think it's pretty fun.



OH! How could I forget this?! I was asked to contribute to the MCAD: The Gathering card game, which was given out at the MCAD reunion party earlier this year. When I get a physical copy, I'll be posting it on my website.

TTFN!

Books for Sale! Buy my books!

I've been talking about this IRL for a while now, and now I've done it: I'm attacking my hoard of books! It's good for the soul, and good in the long run. How often am I actually reading these, for crying out loud?! Not often enough.

Click here to go to the page where I'm selling these to see what I've got to offer. In the mean time, take a gander at a small selection of what I've got to offer here:





























TTFN!

Once Again I Return

Hello! Jeez, it's been about a year, hasn't it since I last posted ANYthing. Much has happened, and most of it is on my new website. I guess that's the big thing- a new website! As opposed to this old one.

The shift from Comic Artist Steve to Steve Robbins Art was more practical, as for the last few years, I've moved more toward illustration and design. Right now, I've got a lot of little projects that I've been tinkering with when I'm not at Wet Paint or doing some related freelance. The list includes (in no particular order):

Fake pan-United States gridiron football league history

Non-collectable card game that involves advertising mascots

Pitch to revamp an educational computer game from my childhood (see above illustration!)

Another card game that doubles as an educational tool for college students

The CYOA that I've written about in previous entries

Alcohol label for a band I like and am personally invested in emotionally

Book spot illustrations for a sci-fi book I revere

So: I've got some work to do! Hopefully, I can keep things abreast with this blog once again now. There had been some issues with logging on, since I started using Blogger before Google bought it. But now I've transferred admin rights to my current email address, so that shouldn't be a problem now. Probably.

TTYL!