slynyrd

Wreckage Discovery

Almost forgot to post this here. This was for the pixel_dailies theme, 'wreckage.' Love creating these moody scenes in desolate alien landscapes.   

Thyrian Defenders - 7

After another daring dash through hyperspace our heroes gain access to the exotic worlds of the Ether system. First stop, the planet sized robot colony, Krillis.

Briefing -

The Krillians are a peaceful robotic species focused on data collection. It is said all knowledge in the Thyrian Galaxy is stored inside their enormous colony. Entire histories of worlds will be lost if we don’t stop the Exodon’s destruction!

The enemy has hijacked the colonies’ laser array defen...

December Schedule 2018

Hey everybody! Can’t believe 2018 is already winding down. But it’s not over yet, there’s still one more month of pixel goodies to look forward to before completing another orbit around the sun. 

The pixelweeklies slot on Fridays will continue to feature Thyrian Defenders content. Hopefully I’ll finally get into cutscene artwork this month. Regardless, I will be sharing whatever interesting art I’m working on for the game, and other updates about the game on Fridays. 

Thyrian Defenders - 6

Our heroes have managed to liberate another system from the the Exodon, but distressing reports from the Ether system indicate the war is far from over. Looks like another risky trip through Hyperspace is the only option.

Briefing -

Reports indicate the Exodon invasion has reached the worlds of the Ether system. The only way to get there in time is taking a dangerous route through Hyperspace Beta. Strap in tight!

The space debris problem seems to be getting worse. Now there ...

Thyrian Defenders - 5

We've reached the 5th world in the game and things are really heating up!

Briefing -

Legend has it the first dragons in the galaxy were born from the molten depths of this fiery hell of a planet. To this day, Pyrex is worshipped by dragons and made pilgrimage to for spiritual rejuvenation. We cannot let the backbone of their culture fall to the Exodon!  

Lava might make a nice bath for a dragon but the Titan can only handle so much heat. Avoid flying over lava as much a...

Tutorial - 23 - Sky Lighting

Lighting totally changes the mood of a scene. Bright blue skies gives both an energetic and relaxing feeling. The warm hues of dawn create a contemplative mood, while a fiery sunset can speak of romance. Let’s get creative and explore the expressive qualities of the sky.

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Tutorial - 22 - Landscape

A break down of how I often approach background landscapes. Might have to watch a few times to absorb everything.

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Tutorial - 21 - Clouds

Here’s a simple approach I often use to make clouds. This is just one style of cloud, but this basic technique can be used to make all kinds of clouds. Try various shapes and light conditions.

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Pixelblog - 11 - Landscape `Pixeling

Let’s explore the joy of pixeling landscapes. Follow along as I show you techniques to create clouds and natural scenes with depth.

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Prairie Churches Assets Pack

9 top-down church sprites from my Pixelminis series. Each made at 64x64px, these detailed structures can be put to good use in your pixel art studies or personal game dev projects.

Download

Thyrian Defenders - 4

After passing through Hyperspace Alpha our heroes reach the Vulcan system, wherein lies the planet, Draconia. This is where the majority of the galaxies' dragons reside.

Briefing -

Thousands of floating continents drift across this gaseous planet inhabited by several dragon species. We aim to protect their beautiful world and forge an alliance with these powerful beasts. Keep a look out for any locals in need of help.

As if this place wasn't windy enough. The enemy is using ...

Thyrian Defenders - 3

Our heroes must make several daring trips through hyperspace in order to reach other systems affected by the Exodon invasion. The first leg is Hyperspace Alpha, and sure enough this route is clogged with baddies.

Briefing-

Hyperspace is the fastest way to get across the galaxy, and the most dangerous. Full of debris from space wrecks it’s a risky operation on a good day. Now, with those Exodon creeps in there it’s borderline suicide. 

Dreaded Hyperworms also inhabit Hype...

Departure

Static version of Pixelmotion 11

Pixelmotion - 11

Departure

A sentimental goodbye. So many feels in here.

96 Frames
42 colors (mondo)
240x160(3x)
Made in Photoshop

Dragon's Loft

Did the pixel dailies theme today, which is 'castle'.  Architecture is always an enticing subject for me, as it suits my style well.

Colors come from mondo 

Prints & Merch  

Thyrian Defenders - 2

Now we move on to the second location in the game, Crypto. Here is a truly alien world featuring mushroom fields, indigo cliffs, luminescent swamps, and dank caverns. This ecosystem provides the perfect spawning grounds for the Space Kraken, and it's widely believed to be the origin of these precious creatures. Without the by products of the Kraken, plasma energy could not exist. Therefore, their preservation is paramount. 

2018-11-12 21:30:57 +0000 UTC View Post

Thyrian Defenders - 1

Welcome to the Thyrian Galaxy! I'm excited to start showing a more detailed look at the art and design going into Thyrian Defenders. Specifically, I want to take this opportunity to share the story and cutscenes as I develop them. We actually want to keep the story light, but the world building is very important to us. Therefore, I thought it best to first establish the universe and the locations featured in the game.

Currently, I'm creating thumbnail images of every location and some int...

November 2018 Schedule

Hi everybody! Getting prepared for another month of pixel action here. November’s schedule follows the same structure as usual but I have some new surprise content. Instead of creating another game mockup I’m going to share my progress as I work on story segments for Thyrian Defenders. In addition to an intro and ending scene, we want to include a handful of short cinematic scenes with simple animation. I’m going to give you an inside look as I develop the story and create these scenes. Yo...

Halloween 2018

Happy Halloween! Here's a little something I made for the spirit of the season. Hope you like it^^

Made in Photoshop
160 frames

Floating City of 5000

The Slynyrd colony has been expanding! This is my floating city concept, which represents my following on social media. I recently hit 5k followers on twitter, nearly 6k on instagram, and 1.5k on facebook. The naming scheme and updates revolve around my twitter growth simply because that's where I first started sharing my art and building this thing. But my extra special thanks goes out to my patrons. Thanks so much for helping my keep this thing afloat!

If you missed the last update, che...

Game Mockup - 3

Frontier Post. A game about delivering mail in a remote countryside.

I decided to invest my time in the details and treat this screenshot as more of a piece of art than a functioning game mockup. While it sure looks nice, creating custom graphics like this for the entire game is not very feasible. However, I could pull off a similar look with a tile system, or just keep the game area small and recycle some textures.

Also, some on screen ui elements would be critical for gameplay...

Tutorial - 20 - Water Reflection

A simple but effective water reflection technique using Adobe After Effects.

More tutorials and explanation in Pixelblog 10 

Tutorial - 19 - Waterfalls

A breakdown of Murdock's Sea Tower to help illustrate simple waterfall animations. 

More tutorials and explanation in Pixelblog 10 

Tutorial - 18 - Wave Motion

The constant rolling motion of a wave can provide the base for many pleasing animations, including water effects but not limited to.

More tutorials and explanation in Pixelblog 10 

Pixelblog - 10 - Water in Motion

An assortment of tutorials on flowing animations inspired by water. Please enjoy! 

Palette - Lucky Sevens

Introducing Lucky Sevens, a 140 color palette I originally created for my Xenaqua mockup. While it was created with a vivid sci-fi aesthetic in mind, it’s proven to be a very useful general purpose palette. I have to say the value transition across the ramps is very well-balanced and it’s easy to navigate despite the large number of colors.

The download includes...

.aco file can be loaded into the swatch panel in Photoshop.

.ase file can be loaded into Aseprite, Illustra...

Game Mockup - 3 (WIP2)

Welcome back to the world of Frontier Post. The image is progressing well and I've thought some more about the concept.

The setting is inspired by rural mid-west America during the great depression. Times are tough but the mail must still be delivered. As a new driver you must memorize routes with uncharted roads. You only have a partial map at the start and will have to rely on old-fashioned word of mouth from the locals to know the way sometimes. For example, 'take a right after hangman...

Sky Temple

Here's the static version of Pixelmotion 10, so you can really soak up those warm pink hues.

Prints & Merch 

Pixelmotion - 10

Sky Temple

The sacred teachings are secure within this flying fortress. Over 75% of the structure is dedicated to levitation and stability, while only the top portion houses a few thousand residents. With such limited real estate, only the most faithful have an opportunity to achieve a post in the Sky Temple.

200 frames
Made in Photoshop

Prints &...

Mega Man

The Mega Man theme pops up on Pixel Dailies at least once a year and I have to participate. As a small kid, the NES versions brought me to tears in frustration, but also showed me the ecstasy of a gamer high.

Last year I did a charge shot animation with a similar sprite. So how about a run cycle this year.