slynyrd

Game Mockup - 3 (WIP1)

Welcome to Frontier Post. Rain or snow, It's your job to deliver the mail to the good folks in the most rural parts of the great prairie. As a new driver you will have to learn the roads by heart in these uncharted lands. Roads can get pretty rough in these parts too, so make sure you maintain your truck and always carry a spare tire.

I pixeled a farm scene with a truck about a year ago that got me thinking about a game where you deliver mail in a sparsely populated countryside very much ...

Inktober - 1

I'm sure most of you are familiar with inktober, the trend to create ink illustrations throughout October. I figured it's a good chance to share some traditional art without freaking people out.

Outside of thumbnails and rough doodles I do very little traditional illustration these days, and that's a little sad. I find the tactile feedback and high demand of focus gives me a spiritual rise. However, it can be very frustrating to feel your physical coordination can't keep up with your imag...

October Schedule 2018

Fall has arrived and the earth has begun to cool around these parts. For better or worse, change in season always stirs up emotions that can lead to inspired work. I'm not a fan of cold weather and I despise the ensuing winter holidays, but at least I can count on my anxiety to lead to genuine artistic expression. Making something I'm proud of always soothes the soul.

I've already got a general plan in mind for all of this month's content. For my next game mockup I'm sticking to an isomet...

Game Mockup - 2 (WIP4)

I'm treating you to yet another bonus WIP post this month! I started making the title screen but the idea was too complex and I didn't feel confident I could properly execute it in time. So you get a whole new scene to tease your imagination.

The island first appears like a typical tropical setting but its geography becomes quite diverse as you trek into the interior. Here we see a transition from the dry sandy area to a gentle forest, which will gradually become more dense and wild. Also...

Game Mockup - 2 (WIP3)

Putting that bone to use. Crabs usually mind there own business unless provoked, but the hunger in your stomach turns you into the aggressor. Juicy crab meat is sure to procure from your prey. 

Combat is pretty simply melee stuff. The depth comes in the variety of weapons and managing their wear. In desperate times you can always use your fists.

Slight change in schedule. Since I’m enjoying this project so much I decided to do an extra scene next week, which will most likely be a ...

Tutorial - 17 - Sword Attack

Introducing weapons brings in all kinds of possibilities of melee attacks. Let's start with a common sword slash.

More tutorials and explanation in Pixelblog - 9  

This variation emphasizes the anticipation and follow through to be a bit more re...

Tutorial - 16 - Basic Punches

Put up your dukes!

More tutorials and explanation in Pixelblog - 9 

Pixelblog - 9 - Melee Attacks

Learn to animate basic punches and a sword attack in this action packed tutorial! 

Game Mockup - 2 (WIP2)

Here's a look at another area and more ui elements. I imagine this area is accessed through the cave entrance in the previous scene. Speaking of which, I polished up the beach area and included the basic hud.

Not much change here but I did tone down the background gradient to better fit the scene and be a little easier on the eyes. I'll probably have to modify the life and food meters to ensure go...

Hangar Helpers

Here's the static version of Pixelmotion 9, if you're into that sort of thing. I never tire of designing aircraft. Maybe I can come up with a game mockup idea that incorporates my aircraft designs. In any case, I need to make more! 

Prints & Merch 

Pixelmotion - 9

Hangar Helpers

No doubt she'll be flying soon with this scrappy crew.

240 frames
Made in Photoshop

Prints & Merch 

Game Mockup - 2 (WIP1)

Okay guys, here is the first look at my next mockup. I'm calling it Lost Tropic; a sort of survival adventure game that takes place on a tropical island. While the graphics are isometric the game plays much like any top down action game with 8 directions of movement. There is no scrolling, as the world is made up of hundreds of interconnected landmasses like shown in the screenshot. Some areas are small and some areas fill the screen, but you always can see the whole area on one screen. This wil...

Blue Falcon

I made a pixel_Dailies today! The theme is F-zero. I have very fond memories of the first game. The Super Nintendo had just released in the United States but I actually wanted a Sega Genesis at the time. So when my older brothers came home with a SNES I was disappointed at first. Along with Super Mario Bros. they also picked up UN Squadron and F-Zero. From a technical standpoint I was most impressed with F-Zero. The mode-7 effect, the colors, the music; I had never been rocked so hard by a 16-bi...

September 2018 Schedule

Hey! Can't believe the summer is already coming to an end. One of these years I have to take a proper vacation. At least I can say it's been a productive season, and that always makes me feel good. 

This new streamlined schedule is working out just as planned. I've been able to manage some light freelance while putting extra focus into my content. I think my tutorials came out really sharp this month and I didn't even have to stay up all night before the deadline. Best of all, growth has ...

Patreon Promo 2018

Hey everybody! I put together this animation to promote my Patreon on social networks. All stitched together in Photoshop frame animation, 435 total frames.

Game Mockup - 1

Xenaqua

A metroidvania that takes place on a massive research station located on an aquatic alien planet. Utilize the graceful agility and sure aim of your character Elona, as you fight through hordes of dark mutants emerging from the depths of the ocean. With less emphasis on back-tracking and more on tight...

Tutorial - 15 - Run Cycles

Breaking down an 8 frame cycle reveals the power of keyframes and the function of in-betweens.

More tutorials and explanation in Pixelblog 8

Tutorial - 14 - 3-frame Run Cycles

It only takes 3 poses to make a decent run cycle, but it's harder than it looks. Give it a try!

More tutorials and explanation in Pixelblog 8

Tutorial - 13 - Idle Cycles

A great place to start with animation.  

More tutorials and explanation in Pixelblog 8

Pixelblog - 8 - Intro to Animation

After many lessons in the basics it's finally time to bring our pixels to life with animation! Follow along as I ease you into pixel art animation with simple idle animations and run cycles. 

Game Mockup - 1 (WIP2)

Now the concept is really coming to life with the underwater environment. I also polished up and added more details to the previous screenshot. The biggest change is doing away with the cabinet projection for the ground tiles. It looked kind of neat but didn't match the perspective and is hard to precisely show where the collision areas are.

I always enjoy the mood in underwater levels, so I figured ...

Pixelmotion - 8

Elona Run Cycle

How about some Pixelmotion, Pixelweeklies crossover action! For this month's animated scene I decided to further develop my Xenaqua game mock-up and create a run cycle for the protagonist, who I've named Elona.

I studied several examples and ended up most heavily referencing the good ol' Animator's Survivor Kit. This is probably the most well known book for animation fundamentals. Definitely a must have resource for anyone interested in animation, no matter the medi...

Game Mockup - 1 (WIP1)

Here it is guys, my first game-mock up WIP! I had a bit of creative paralysis at the start due to the sheer number of ideas swimming through my head. But for this first game It felt appropriate to start with an industry staple and make a platformer. Also, I intend to approach all these mock-ups as plausible game designs that would be reasonable for a solo dev or small team to make. 

Introducing Xenaqua, a metroidvania that takes place on an aquatic alien planet. What makes this game uniqu...

Cruisin'

It's been a while, but I made a pixel_dailies today. The theme is 'vehicle.' Playing around with some new color palettes and designs to find a spark for my first Game Mock-Up piece. The vision for a sci-fi themed platformer with lots of vehicles has begun to take shape:) 

August 2018 Schedule

Hi everybody! I mentioned revising my content at the beginning of last month, and the changes are in. I've decided to suspend Pixelcast and Pixelminis until I receive more support. It's hard for me to pull back content, but I need to make myself available for more freelance work until Patreon can provide more income. Also, I need the time if I'm ever going to finish Thyrian Defenders. I've set up new reward goals you should be able to see in the rewards cell. Pixelcast will return at 75 patrons ...

Gonzo Building

Well, here's my completed Gonzo building. I went through several iterations before settling here. At first I tried putting it in a typical natural landscape with green grass and a blue sky, but the building is so unique it seemed out of place in such an ordinary setting. Once I found colors for the building I really liked I was able to come up with a minimalistic background that gives context but doesn't distract from the building design. The final touch was choosing the yellow colors for the...

Mondo - 4

Rush Hour Showdown

The city is abuzz with excitement. Looks like Mondo's jerky ways have transformed another innocent girl into Kaiju. Oh well, the citizens are thirsty for a good fight. But this is no timid bunny. Rabbid intends to make sashimi out of Mondo and serve a feast to her family.

This is based off one of the episodes from the original Mondo concept. If you recall the concept is about me dating some cooky characters and always mishandling relationships. My girlfriends eventuall...

Tutorial - 12 - Sideview Character Sprite Styles

Often the overall style of a game or artwork starts with the sprite design. When deciding on a style for a game it's most important to make sure it suits the gameplay. Large sprites look cool but can be clunky to control and also require much more time to animate. Let's look at some simple examples of side-view sprites.

Pixelblog - 7 - Developing Style

Allow me to give you some guidance on developing a style as I walk you through my early days of pixeling. I couldn't get the linked image I wanted so I'll just slap the link in here. Looks better this way anyway:)

Go to article

Palette - Bright Future

Got another palette for ya! Bright Future is a massive 200 color palette. It's similar to Planemo 8 but rebalanced with more colors. As for some examples, the Steam Lords palette and Murdock's Sea Fort are both derived...