slynyrd

Devlog - 33

The story continues! Taz dozes back off, and we get to see some memories that give some insight into his motivations and behavior. Also, Trex makes an appearance, finally placing the 3 most prominent characters in the game together in a room. But, I haven't forgotten Redwing and Thexter. The whole team will assemble in the final page. Probably coming next month, as I must get back to some pixel art before I forget how to do it. On to the next mission!  

ps. black and white version...

Devlog - 32

Hey hey! Got another page done, and process breakdown from sketch to final color. I continue to gain competency in the methods, especially with the coloring and lighting. This will be the first time Taz has appeared in any official materials with his helmet off. He's just a normal looking dude, but it's still exciting to get up and close with the characters. While there's quite a bit of dialogue in the game, the characters interactions are limited by the fact they are always in their individu...

Devlog - 31

Here I am just working along, so absorbed I almost forgot to post an update. Needless to say, I've been having a lot of fun with this comic. Got another page done and I'm beginning to vectorize page 3. Seems like each page gets better as I become more competent in the process. By the time I'm done I might be able to decently draw and ink something  completely by hand. But, I'll be sticking with vector for this, and I'm grateful for it. The infinite scalability of the vector information w...

October Schedule 2023

Hey folks! We've entered the spooky month, a time where people begin to show an obnoxious amount of passion for fall and winter festivities. With the weather still rather warm here, I haven't much enthusiasm for the macabre at the moment. But, as the leaves begin to change and the candy bowel is filled, my spirit may yet be possessed by nostalgia.

Currently, my top priorities revolve around the Hyper Echelon physical release. Furthermore, I will be continuing work on the comic book, a...

Tutorial - 130 - Natural Scenery

Through past and future, nature's beauty reigns.

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Tutorial - 129 - Marble Architecture

Slabs, slopes, cylinders and such.
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Tutorial - 128 - Hovercrafts

The sensation of gliding on air at reckless speeds is worth the risk.

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Anti-Gravity Racers Source Files

This download includes tutorials 128-130, and the AG Racers parallax animation. All files are psd.
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Anti-Gravity Racers Assets Pack

The download includes all the assets featured in the tutorials of Pixelblog 46.

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Pixelblog - 46 - Anti-Gravity Racers

An expression of pure art for the love of ag racing. Hit the starting block>>>

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Devlog - 30

Hey folks! Making steady progress on the comic. I hoped to have another page complete for this update, but I've been getting hung up on the story. With the goal of only 5 pages, I want to make every frame count. While it's not enough content to develop an epic plot, there's opportunity for fun characterization and world building. Furthermore, I've already made several iterations to the story plan. For example, I initially was going to have the tutorial boss come out of the wormhole. It's a bi...

Devlog - 29

Hey folks! I'm excited to share another side of my art in this update. If all goes to plan, a physical release of Hyper Echelon for Switch and PS4 should go into production early 2024, via 1st Press Games. In addition to the game itself, there will be several collectibles offered, which includes a mini comic within the game booklet. Although it's not pixel art, I've taken on the challenge to try and draw it myself. Thankfully, I still remember how to draw, and the joy of it.

Thruth is,...

September Schedule 2023

Hey folks! Time to check in and fill you in on the next content cycle. The calendar may appear a little light, but I assure you the content is heavy duty. For the devlogs I'm going to be sharing a comic book I'm making for the Hyper Echelon physical release. This involves hand drawing and creating the final art in vector. My traditional drawing skills are quite rusty from all the pixeling over the years, so it will be a big challenge to get back into the groove. Hope it will be a refreshing a...

Crash Site

Hey folks. I decided to make Pixelcast releases available to the public day 1, because I think it's more fun for everyone if the larger community can experience it all together. While this nullifies early access privilege, Patrons are still privy to exclusive sketches and insight about the process. Things move pretty fast in the video, so I always try to supplement some
explanation.

As usual, I started this process by making thumbnail hand sketches to work out a concept. I like to k...

Pixelcast - 46

After a long hiatus Pixelcast returns with a deluxe extended episode containing 3 original music tracks. The art is pretty cool too, but I don't want to spoil everything. Experience the creative journey and watch the video.

Watch on Youtube  

Devlog - 28

Hey folks. I want to take this devlog to fill you in on some updates going on with Hyper Echelon. First, a quick recap. In May 2022, my business partner and I signed a contract with Limited Run games for a physical release of Hyper Echelon on Switch and PS4. After a year of mostly radio silence, Limited Run suddenly terminated the deal, leaving our small team with little recourse. Having already done the tedious prep work for physical release we approached several other companies. Within week...

Devlog - 27

Trucking along squarely this past week, I'm nearly finished with this area minus some fine details. While my preplan guided the layout and basic architectural forms, much of the design is left to the imagination. Furthermore, I've thoroughly enjoying coming up with colors, motifs, and textures to adorn the structures with. There has also been a lot of fun challenges shading and lighting the various geometric forms. Took me a few attempts to render that silo.

Tried out a little night t...

Devlog - 26

Back on the grind. Made a little time lapse to show the most recent additions and changes. Mostly working on the the right hand farm area, but also rearranged some things around the school house for a better flow. I made rough versions of the remaining structures, so I can sort out the layout before going into more details. I also plan to add more variations to the crops. Thought I had more to say, but I'll let the pictures do the talking and get back to the construction site. 

Parallax Scrolling Assets Pack

I never made a proper assets pack for my Parallax scrolling lesson way back when. Now you can get all the layers for the pictured scenes in one quick download. Note, many assets need to be repeated to extend to desired length.

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Mecha #1

Hey, got some more random unscheduled art for you. I had a good thing going with mechs there for a while, but haven't dabbled much since I completed the Amatia series several months ago. Well, guess I can't neglect a staple of my passion for too long. I never tire of designing all the intricate details with satisfyingly simple geometry. Furthermore, I'm starting a generic numbering system so I can freely pop out a mech design whenever I get that urge, without the pressure of having to come up...

Rim Watch 359

Speaking of getting reacquainted with my style, I spent the last couple days staring at the monitor, starting up and scraping several concepts before I got a bite on this one. It had been a while since I made a one off original, and it took a good minute to get back in touch with the magic formula. A formula that involves precise details, but not too much detail as to keep the sense of wonder and interaction with the audience. How'd I do?

96x128px
28 colors
Photoshop

August Schedule 2023

Hey folks! Time to kick off another month. I'll mostly be keeping busy with gamedev, both for Beast Planet, and some exciting updates to Hyper Echelon. After creating the recent brick tutorials I've been very eager to get back to my own top down project and apply the sharpened skills.

Also, I've committed a Pixelcast to the schedule. Let's see If I remember how to produce those. First step is making the artwork. Due to my desire to explore and juggle various different projects, I some...

Tutorial - 127 - Dungeon Sprites

The life of the dungeon.

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Tutorial - 126 - Walls and Doors

So much more than floors, bring on the walls and doors.

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Tutorial - 125 - Brick Patterns

The substance of a many building. Honest, satisfying work.

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Brick Dungeon Source Files

This download includes tutorial 125-127 Photoshop files.

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Brick Dungeon Assets Pack

This download includes all the assets featured in Pixelblog 45, and may even include a few bonus variants not shown.

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Pixelblog - 45 - Bricks, Walls, Doors, and More

That's hype. What more do I need to say?

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Devlog - 25

The city of Haze continues to grow. Sticking to the western side of this area, I've been focused on filling in complete details before doing more on the east side. I varied the building colors and added more unique details to better distinguish each structure. I created a new decorative bush, and a playground. Somehow that slide sprite is satisfying to me. I like the idea of the people striving to carve out a bit of normalcy and peace in spite of the doomsday world that surrounds them. Furthe...

Devlog - 24

Happy weekend! Hope ya'll are doing great. It's time to show my homework again. First, a little catch up on the concept. This is the northern half of the hub town, which I've named Haze, and will refer to as such from now. North Haze is the residential area, thus containing private homes, farms, and the Adrix temple. The temple is the cultural heart of the community, offering a shred of hope in a bleak world. However, like with any position of power, the Maestros are vulnerable to corruption....