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Thyrian Defenders - 62

Hey folks! In this update I want to share some recent revisions we've been making to the VR mode. This is an additional mode with procedurally generated levels. Previously we had a time limit and the challenge was to destroy enough enemies in the given time. The randomness of each play through made success or failure feel arbitrary and it just wasn't fun. Therefore, we decided to drop the time limit and make the enemies progressively become stronger and faster so it eventually becomes impossi...

Our System - 6 - Phobos and Deimos

Did you know there are a couple space potatoes orbiting around Mars? Well, it apparently seems so. Named after the sons of the Greek god of war Ares, Deimos means dread and Phobos means fear. But these lumpy natural satellites do little to instill fear and dread in one. It's not known exactly how these moons came to be. It's very plausible they were captured objects from the Asteroid Belt, but another theory suggests they could have been formed from a large collision and come from Mars itself...

Terrestrial Planets

I organized the planets I've made so far into a little gallery. Within our Solar System these four inner planets closest to the sun are known as terrestrial planets. Terrestrial also refers to the rocky make up of the planet, as opposed to gaseous planets.

Once I make all the planets in the Solar System I will make a complete gallery, which will include moons too.  

Golden Sky Mountain process

Now for a little insight into my latest piece. Lately I've been exploring photorealism with my landscapes. My work usually puts an emphasis on imagination, as simply observing and depicting reality can be a bit dry for me. However, the practice is fundamental to learn how to capture accurate form and light. Furthermore, it provides the fuel for the imagination. But this isn't mere practice for me, I'm greatly enjoying the process and creating personally meaningful art.

First, it starts...

Golden Sky Mountain

Whoo, new original piece! I breakdown the process and give creative insight in this exclusive post.

144x196px
36 colors
Photoshop 

Prints & Merch 

Thyrian Defenders - 61

Hey! Back on some TD work these days. I completely reorganized my animation project with a different frame rate and resolution. I was working in HD, 60fps but it was overkill for the purpose, and made rendering sluggish. Now I'm working in the native game resolution of 640x360px, and I cut the frame rate in half. I think 30 fps meshes better with the animations created in Photoshop. I also cleaned up the organization of the timeline by breaking things into more separate compositions, as to no...

Pledging in Euros (€), British Pounds (£) or U.S. Dollars ($)

Hey folks. Just passing along some info about a new feature that allows you to pay your pledge in different currencies.

Everyone in the UK, EU and U.S. can now pledge my Patreon in their local currency of Euros (€), British Pounds (£) or U.S. Dollars ($). This will help prevent you paying extra conversion fees from your bank or card when pledging in a currency that’s not your own. 

Any new visitors to my page will see my tiers priced in their local currency of €, £, o...

Our System - 5 - Mars

The fourth planet in the Solar System. Named after the Roman god of war, this blood red planet holds great interest to humanity. Due to the near proximity to Earth and relatively hospitable conditions, Mars has been extensively studied with probes and rovers missions with the aim of eventually sending manned missions. With a diameter only about half that of Earth’s, Mars is the second smallest planet behind Mercury. Somehow I always thought it was bigger than that. 

64x64px (128x...

August Schedule 2020

Greetings. Another solid year of pixels has been put in the books, as August is my Patreon anniversary! 3 years ago I launched on this platform. I thank every one who's supported me on this journey and allowed me to grow to this point. Here's hoping we can keep it up for years to come. Onward, to glorious pixel dreams!

This month I'm trying an even mix of Thyrian Defenders and original art content. Also trying a little bit different flow with release dates. Notice I have a couple myste...

Tutorial - 77 - Anime Hair

It’s all about the luscious locks baby. Explanation and more tutorials in full feature.

Full feature 

Tutorial - 76 - Anime Face (side view)

Fictional characters seen from the profile. Explanation and more tutorials in full feature.

Full feature 

Tutorial - 75 - Anime Face (front view)

Elegant doll like faces peering directly at you. Explanation and more tutorials in full feature.

Full feature 

Anime Faces and Hair Source Files

Download the original Photoshop source files of Tutorial 77 - 79 and see exactly how I set up my projects.

Download 

Anime Faces and Hair Asset Pack

This resource download includes all the assets included in Pixelblog 29. Have fun creating your own custom face combinations! 

Download 

Pixelblog - 29 - Anime Faces and Hair

Ease into the anime style with a detailed breakdown of a variety of facial features and hair styles.

Full feature 

Schedule notice

Hello fine pixel friends! Just wanted to give a heads up on the timeline for the next pixelblog release. I originally scheduled it for this Tuesday, but it may come a day or two later. Things are going quite well, just need a little more time to finish up the assets and write the article. I actually intended to schedule it for later this week but ended up putting it on a Tuesday out of habit.

The topic of study is anime faces. While I already made a general anatomy lesson with 2020-07-27 18:54:16 +0000 UTC View Post

Our System - 4 - Moon

We've reached the first moon in the solar system, THE Moon. By far the largest natural satellite in the Solar System relative to the size of the planet it orbits, Moon's gravity and reflective sunlight play a major role in the eco systems of Earth. Seen through the atmosphere from the surface of Earth, it takes on many colors and moods as the direction of the Sun's light shape its form. Such a delicate balance and beautiful theater is not to be taken for granted.

64x64px (128x128px fra...

Pixemotion - 27

Rural Connection

The wind is a major element of the Kansas countryside, but I find it difficult to capture its energy in a realistic manner. In this experimental animation I applied ripple and wave distortion effects in After Effects to multiple layers. I varied the speed and wave lengths of the layers to convey depth and create a convincing rhythm. If you stare at it long enough it looks a bit strange, but I think the impression of wind is immediate and affective. Definitely easier to...

Rural Connection

Hundreds of miles from any coast, the ghosts of an ancient sea still whisper in the wind.

This is the static version of Pixelmotion 27.

196x148px
31 colors
Photoshop

Prints & Merch 

Thyrian Defenders - 60

Here's a look at some more assets coming together for the intro scene. It's a close up of a launch pod of the seeker drones. The drone will launch out of the cell and be framed in another cell with a moving background. This will be preceded by another view of the hand on the control stick, but pressing the missile button this time. Well, that's the rough plan. I hope it's clear you are looking at missile launcher under the wing of the Titan. The second image is just for more context of what I...

Our System - 3 - Earth

Oh precious blue pearl hanging in the black abyss. What words can I use to articulate my humble gratitude for this miracle world? As far as we know, it's the only place in the universe to support life. Most importantly, it's home, and should be treated with respect.

64x64px (128x128px frame)
18 colors
Photoshop

Thyrian Defenders - 59

Hey folks! Back with some more TD action. I've mostly been cracking at the intro scene again this past week. These are assorted assets and scenes that are under construction.

The first animation is going to be one of the final scenes, which shows a seeker drone creeping up on the final invader. BOOM! Title screen appears. This rough layout of the scene doesn't yet include the motion of the sprites. Also, the smoke trail is a rough concept that needs more tweaking. I made it with an ef...

July Schedule 2020

Whoa, the year is already half over. It's been a wild ride, and it only looks like things are getting weirder. I think people have become deranged by social media, and now I see insanity pervading all our institutions, even the arts. All art and expression is now susceptible to censorship for reasons I can't make sense of. It seems anything can be offensive to someone, including not expressing yourself at all. Maybe I'm overreacting, but it sure looks like we're on a slippery slope, and I don...

Our System - 2 - Venus

The second planet from the sun. Venus is similar to Earth in size and mass, but that doesn’t make it a welcoming habitat. With an average surface temperature of 462 ºC, it’s the hottest planet in the solar system. This can be attributed to the dense atmosphere made of 96.5 percent carbon dioxide, which causes a greenhouse effect and traps in extreme heat. The dense atmosphere also boasts atmospheric pressure 92 times greater than on Earth. If you were suddenly teleported to the surface o...

Thyrian Defenders - 58

Okay, just about finished with these big boy sprites. Redwing still needs some work but the other ships are good. It will take me forever to make a flapping animation at this size. The sprite is about 200x150px. Therefore, I will make it appear to be gliding by wagging the tail and making the wings quiver. Hopefully that will be sufficient, as it will only appear in a couple short scenes.

I also updated the sprites used in gameplay to appear more like a dragon. The anatomy was more li...

Thyrian Defenders - 57

Here's a look at some work in progress on some large ship sprites. I'm sure you recognize the Titan from intro scenes I've been showing. Well, I decided to create all the ships/characters in this style for use in other cutscenes. The idea is to have a generic scenario where all and any combination of ships can appear, but the background can change based on the setting. The profiles pics and dialogue can overlay this scene. Anyway, I will mockup one of these scenes when I have more assets done...

Walker process

Now for a little creative insight. I made this post separate so I can keep it exclusive to you lovely patrons:)

It’s that time of year where I do a lot of country cruising, so I’m especially inspired to capture the natural landscape these days. Furthermore, this is a study from a single photograph I took just a couple weeks ago. Typically, I like to improvise and imagine my art, as I find simple observational studies a bit dry on a creative level. However, it’s an important pract...

Walker

A tiny community in western Kansas, most notable for Walker Airbase, which lies one mile northwest. During WW2 thousands were stationed there, mostly for training in operation of the B-29 bomber aircraft. However, since 1946 it’s been left to ruin and engulfed by the agricultural machine. Surrounded by crops, the landing strip has been almost completely reclaimed by nature, and should only be considered for emergency landings.  

188x128px
23 colors
Photoshop

2020-06-17 19:30:15 +0000 UTC View Post

Thyrian Defenders - 56

Heya! Time for another little dev update. I've been hard at work on the intro this week, as you can see I have some new scenes to show off. This is the continuation after the titan takes off, however, there is a short clip of the Titan flying from sideview just before this scene. Still needs a little tuning with timing but it's coming together nicely. The basic plan from this point is to show off some of the Titan's weapons as Taz destroys all the invaders. I'm trying to sync the animation to...

Our System - 1 - Mercury

Time to launch a new pixelminis series! The theme is our solar system, and it will feature all the main planets, and some patreon exclusive moons!

I'm starting from nearest to the sun with Mercury. This tiny planet is hardly bigger than our own moon, and at a glance it looks very similar. However, look closely and you'll discover this rocky gray surface has its own unique history of volcanic activity, seismic activity, and impact craters. The result is a tortured surface of overlappin...