I Want One


Can't get it at Pet Smart, tho:

The "snake" appeared to be about 6 feet long. Covered by fabric in military camouflage colors, it slithered along the ground and climbed rocks, its segments connected with joints that flexed in several different directions. Channel 2 said military researchers studied real snakes to copy their movements.

Good afternoon, friends. Haven't written in awhile since it's taken me a week to recover from last weekend, plus I've got caught up in the game Everlong again, making the mistake of starting again from the beginning since I couldn't remember what I'd been doing when I played last time. One of the best (if not THE best) old-school RPG free games out there -- and a superlative way to waste frustrating DAYS and DAYS of time.

As to my own "everlong" game (alas, no robotic snake in mine), I will work on it again, I really really will -- and I'm not waiting for the full body animation software/hardware to solve my problems, either. Am at a point in the story line where I have to do a whole bunch to just reach a pausing point so I can release it. Please be patient. I know the one-year anniversary of the last release is rapidly approaching, but Everlong doesn't play itself, you know.

Labels: Darkdevil County, games, robots

- posted by Cynthia @ 4:00 PM | | | Link |

 
Monster Imposter
Finished it, with 20 minutes to spare before they kicked me out of the building: The evidence:



A good thing I always have my handy camera with me.

Here they are:



Infreekingcredible, if I do say so myself, tho maybe my color choices weren't the best. May use same image for another small edition. Had printed it with a double drop and in 2 colors, with different text as a sample, and really liked it, but for this exchange, was too difficult to do consistently in time I had available.

Of course, if I'd started work on it earlier...

The alert reader may note that the body of the monster (or the imposter) seems to be that of Kyle, a character from my Darkdevil County game -- and they would be correct. The head is that of another character you haven't seen yet named Galahad, who is indeed a monster, if you call a clone of bits and pieces of animals and people (plus some pinot noir) thrown in a monster.

One more project (plus taxes) to do, then will get back to the game. I mean it this time.

Labels: art, clones, Darkdevil County, etching, printmaking

- posted by Cynthia @ 3:28 PM | | | Link |

 
SGC Exchange Prints: Gnomish Hills

"Gnomish Hills," by Cynthia King

Finally getting around to documenting the edition of 12 plus about 5 proofs and a few paper tests. One of the proofs is going to the Evanston Art Center benefit, so if you want one and didn't get it in your pack, that's the first place to look. (I'll do a second series of this plate at some point, as long as the aquatint holds up -- it's a zinc plate after all).

Here's the original mockup:



I reversed and rescaled the original drawing, printed it out, and worked out the tones with charcoal (yes, actual dirty-finger charcoal, not the computer stuff). For you non-printmakers, I had to reverse it, since you have to work with a reversed image on the etching plate itself.

It went in and out of the acid bath probably 6 times, stopping out at intervals from about 5 seconds to the final one (the doorways) about 4 minutes total.

For comparison, here's the original drawing as sucked into my Darkdevil County demo. (I'll probably go back into it with color at some point):



And here's the line etch. For some reason I added an extra mountain:



I copied the drawing at Kinkos and transfered it to the plate using a gum transfer, supplemented with graphite where the image was too light. All this manipulation skewed the image this way and that way a bit. Luckily, I'm not being graded on it.

Here it is at the show, top right on the 2nd display wall from the left (click to enlarge):



Here's the whole edition:



And what I looked like after finishing it. Oops, forgot the apron.

Labels: art, Darkdevil County, etching, printmaking, SGC, writing

- posted by Cynthia @ 10:39 AM | | | Link |

 
Darkdevil County News


More here. My own cloning experiments don't produce such waspish results, however. (You must click on the link for the full experience). HT blogads at Daily Kos, where the ad has already cycled away.

Now that the SGC is over, will be devoting my time to game development again (with time out for 2 more print exchanges plus a show or 2 and and and...). Have cut off development on this part of the Darkdevil County demo and will try to get it cleaned up before the first anniversary passes (sometime around now, actually).

I know, you guys have been so patient, but it's just me doing stuff and I'm not very good at it either. And once again, sorry you Mac folks. It's for the PC only.

Still have pix to upload from the SGC. Later.

Labels: clones, Darkdevil County, games

- posted by Cynthia @ 9:34 AM | | | Link |

 
Gnomish Hills


This is the village (black & white version) of Gnomish Hills from my game, Darkdevil County. It was actually one of the first sections I programmed (about 8 months ago now, YIKES), but was never satisfied with it. I compressed the mountain and foreground areas substantially (since there wasn't a whole lot going on, and moved the house with the bush in closer as well. Still probably too wide, since when my character appears against this background she's quite small (tho still too tall to actually fit thru the doors -- we just have to pretend that there's a shrink pad on each sidewalk).

Just thought I'd show you I haven't been a complete slacker this past week while I watch my savings and retirement funds disappear. The good thing is that the expenses for last month on the credit card were 3.72 -- only because I really really needed a Starbucks and a scone and left the house with no money. We'll have to remedy that.

Labels: AGS, art, Darkdevil County

- posted by Cynthia @ 3:26 PM | | | Link |

 
Happy 5th Anniversary
to me.

Well, missed it by a few days, which is odd, in its way, to miss such a milestone.

Maybe with Obama firmly in charge, one of my original impulses to blog has lessened (but we must never ever drop the ball again. Not ever, else they will creep back in with their evil ways.)

The blogosphere has changed, consolidating around Facebook and/or My Space, so that individual blogs seem almost beside the point.

I'm not doing as much artwork as I was 5 years ago -- or it seems different -- or it's not painting -- or something.

I haven't been knitting in awhile -- 2 sweaters I started still need to be sewn together.

Mostly have been cooking and watching the market and my savings collapse, sometimes at the same time.

For example, am making my famous chicken leg 'n' thigh soup (roast 2 or 3 of 'em for about an hour at 375, then strip the good meat, dump bones and skin and weird meat, add rosemary, salt, pepper, a couple of carrots, celery, a half bay leaf into your favorite microwave bowl, cover with water and pan fat, nuke at 60 percent for about 45 minutes. There you have it -- strain and separate out the stock so you can refrigerate and skim the fat off -- but save it for sauteing).

And, of course, still scripting and doing artwork for my never-ending game, Darkdevil County. Next installment is nearly ready. I mean it this time.

Labels: AGS, art, computers, cooking, Darkdevil County, GOP incompetence, obama, robots

- posted by Cynthia @ 5:27 PM | | | Link |

 
Robot With Sneakers


This is Duo, the robot I talked about below. He (or she) is no longer barefoot and has been reassembled.

He (or she) is one of the robots in my computer game Darkdevil County. If you go to the Ox-Bow benefit tonight, you'll have the opportunity to buy a different robot -- but a really good one, framed and everything.

Is so cold, but I really should get myself going if I want to get down there (I don't, not really, even with the full cash bar and fabulous food). Have been programming like mad all today and yesterday. Want to FINISH this latest version, because there's tons of GOOD STUFF in it -- not just more rooms to explore, but a the story line has gone a bit deeper and the animations are gradually getting better.

Also, am definitely looking to pick up a contract programming/part time/ maintenance/Excel/Access/lite development gig, if anyone knows of something. I can program any of the Visual Studio languages, tho the C family and Visual Basic are my key strengths -- and gaming languages, of course. I've done SQL Server work, but not using a recent implementation (does anyone remember pre-7.0??).

And yes, this is because my savings have been all but wiped out. Thank you, 8 years of failed GOP policies. Thank you very much.

Labels: AGS, art, computers, Darkdevil County, games, robots

- posted by Cynthia @ 4:10 PM | | | Link |

 
How About Appointing a Freeking Democrat
...for a change?

Gregg withdraws as nominee for Commerce

He cited "irresolvable conflicts" with Obama's handling of the economic stimulus and 2010 census.

Yeah, like he's a freeking REPUBLICAN!! Who hates to spend a nickel on the little guy!!

Good afternoon, friends. Have been programming the new scenario busily all afternoon, led astray by an uninitialized variable that was causing (as they tend to) weird effects, but this in the color I was trying to tint a room. Was about to report it as a bug in the new version of AGS until I dumped a bunch of stuff and discovered, what do you know, it was my problem.

Kind of like Gregg. He's one of the bugs in the Obama code. We fix it, and move on.

Labels: AGS, computers, Darkdevil County, games, politics

- posted by Cynthia @ 6:02 PM | | | Link |

 
Broken Robot


This is Duo, a robot experiment with human feet. He (or perhaps she) was dumped in an animal burrow as medical waste. Our Darkdevil County heroine (as always seems to be the case) finds him or her and is charged with a good deed.

Good evening, friends. Have been working rather hard on the game again, and the new burrow room and quest is nearly complete, with dripping water and distant river sounds and everything.

Does anyone know when Soundsnap.com started charging for sounds? It was a shock going back to my favorite sound site and discovering you can only download 5 a month with a free subscription now. I can easily download 5 a minute then decide I don't want to use any of them after all, and go back for more. Luckily freesound.org is still free, with Creative Commons sampling licensing. And they handily remember all your downloads which makes it easy to add the sound artist names to credits.

Labels: AGS, Darkdevil County, games, robots

- posted by Cynthia @ 11:39 PM | | | Link |

 
No! NO! Freshpaint Isn't Ending!
Several people saw the title of my last blogging and worried that it was a Freshpaint signoff. NOT! I may be twittering and livejournalling and facebooking and AGS foruming and whatnot a lot these days, but I'm still here, and will continue to be.

Will be celebrating the 5th anniversary at the end of the month, after all. And I want to see if spring will ever come this year, and post the first sign of it.

Have been working feverishly (for a change) on a new room for Darkdevil County, this one a burrow with another damaged robot in it. The plot is evolving in new directions, and I'm just flowing with it.

I know I said last August or September that I'd be posting a new version of the game "soon," and I apologize. Hideously cold weather and nothing to watch on TV have been good for game development, however, as has a computer that actually works.

So, once again, I predict I'll be posting more "soon."

Labels: AGS, Darkdevil County

- posted by Cynthia @ 10:05 AM | | | Link |

 
Somewhat Fresh


Not sure whether this animates for you, or whether you can refresh to see it again -- it's an animated gif. The program I have creates gifs and avis -- and does something funky with the avis. And blogger doesn't let you upload an animated gif to video.

Anyway, am sure there's a widget for doing all this. Is just so tiring not having good software to do the stuff you want to do. Want to add sound effects (the apple drop, chirping birds, the roll, etc.), but have to transfer the animation into a 3rd program to add sounds. And the default windows movie maker doesn't support .ogg files, which most of my sound effects are.

This started out as a simple Pencil animation (I really like Pencil's simplicity). Think Pencil will add sound, so may throw it back in and see what happens.

Anyway, it's the beginning of a possible Darkdevil County game opening splash screen. Not sure I like the color of the final position of the apple at the end -- looks too much like a tomato. Will perhaps fix and reupload.

But thought you'd like to see what I've been up to when I haven't been shovelling or slacking off.

Labels: art, Darkdevil County, games

- posted by Cynthia @ 4:55 PM | | | Link |

 
Darkdevil County Back in Production
Here's a preview of new artwork for Darkdevil County:



One variation, at least. Is so easy to add layers and layers, tweak colors forever, never know where or when to stop, or whether it's what I want anyway.

This is one (possible) frame from the opening sequence I'm planning -- a little more comic book-y than draw-y. I don't have very good tools for image manipulation (or animation) and can't afford better. This is where our heroine, Magwyn Urban-dweller, lives, and it's still night. Soon the sky will lighten as I tell some of the background of the story (rather than have you read it in a readme.txt file). We may see a few robots on their way to work, maybe some distant cannon fire.

Or not.

Since it seems as though most of the serious issues with the latest version of AGS have been resolved (we're now up to 3.1.2), it seems safe to continue onwards.

It's taking me a long time to get back into the program/game and pick up from where I'd been. Computer is working extremely well, so am tempted to go into debt and get a Wacom tablet and more memory.

We'll see.

Have told myself that before I even turn the computer on in the morning will do at least one drawing. This is the first.

Labels: AGS, art, Darkdevil County, games

- posted by Cynthia @ 12:02 PM | | | Link |

 
Tragedy
If you've been following me on Twitter, you'll know that I spilled much of the wonderful beef stew I made yesterday -- saved the expensive meat, but my kitchen floor is not clean enough to lick the gravy off of. Let this be a lesson to me.

And you'll note that another day has passed and I still haven't boxed up the laptop and returned it for repair. It's 8 freeking degrees out there and slippery. Yeah, I know, not a really good excuse, but it's my latest excuse.

Think I have to take it over during the day. Have to do more xeroxes for xerox transfers anyway. Here's one I'm still working on:



And another:


This last one was done from a very bad xerox -- very light -- as part of an ink test, but I kind of like the result. A little Conte crayon-ish. Will probably work with it more.

These are all from notebook scribble drawings -- something I do if I can't think of anything else to do. They're vaguely Darkdevil-ish. I think I know where I might be able to use some of the scribbles in the game.

Now that they're scanned into the computer, can do stuff to them without going outside into the cold.

Oh, wait. I won't have a computer soon, and the library doesn't have a decent graphics program on their hard drive -- just MS paint (I think) -- and I'm not allowed to install anything.

Guess I'll have to work on this stuff Old School -- like with a pencil or something.

Labels: art, Darkdevil County, printmaking

- posted by Cynthia @ 5:52 PM | | | Link |

 
Yes, My Friends, There Will Be Robots
... in the Spudnik Press show.

Have presented a few of them here already. Have run out of time for this show to get the complicated layering I really like to do, so, unless I get a whole bunch of energy and inspiration, I'm sticking to simple prints.

Would like to get some really small prints done too, maybe in time to bring over for the opening. Robot trading cards for a couple of bucks each!

Don't have enough energy to upload either the slaughered elm tree or the new Darkdevil County Demo. Barely enough energy to sling a chicken into the oven for dinner, which is pretty pitiful.

Perhaps we will talk later.

Labels: art, Darkdevil County, printmaking, robots

- posted by Cynthia @ 5:28 PM | | | Link |

 
Decompression Day


Can only burn white hot for so long. Have mentioned before that I'm sick and tired of hating, sick and tired of intensity of political feeling. I want to be one of the "low-information" voters for a change, just coasting along, voting the way my mom votes, or just blowing it off this time.

So I give you a few robots this evening. I know, you're all getting seriously concerned about someone who goes from Michelle Obama's dresses to robots to politics to banana bread.

I'm ok, most likely. Don't expect all these robot drawings (except one) in this next version of the Darkdevil County demo. Will try to get it uploaded tomorrow, assuming the Apocalypse doesn't happen, or Palin quit the race, or the markets go hoo-hah, or McCain blows a gasket, or....

Labels: Darkdevil County, robots

- posted by Cynthia @ 10:29 PM | | | Link |

 
Before You Ask
... no, I don't have any of the t-shirts on the side for sale, so go away.

Working on Darkdevil County today -- blogging politics so much is hard to get back into it. Want to get this sucker OUT THE DOOR so that I can start in on the next part, which will be EVEN FUNNER.

I have a new robot, but I'm not going to show it to you. Maybe this evening, if I ever finish watching the Heroes tape.

Labels: Darkdevil County

- posted by Cynthia @ 12:37 PM | | | Link |

 
I Love Them Too


A Dress A Day: Robots! Robots! Robots!

Definitely would make an awesome dress.

I have a few more things I still need to do before I upload the latest Darkdevil County demo update (have been spending WAY too much time on ahem other matters). If you're thinking about checking it out, you may want to wait a few days, since the save files from the old version won't be usable in the new. I realize I can zip through the thing in about an hour, but I know where everthing is and how to solve the little puzzles. And you don't.

I don't have a robot to leave you with, which is why I was delighted with the fabric, above.

Labels: Darkdevil County, robots

- posted by Cynthia @ 10:44 PM | | | Link |

 
Robot Twins


You don't want to mess with this pair. Am trying to figure out what to call their weapons. Twinklizers, is the best word I've come up with. Kind of like holiday sparklers, but much, much more intense.

The civilized world of Darkdevil County grabs power directly from the sky (using a combination of solar/wind etc. that can enhance minute traces from many sources into just the right amount of energy for the right job.

Sometimes the right job means killing you...

Update soon, I promise.

Labels: Darkdevil County, games, robots

- posted by Cynthia @ 2:27 PM | | | Link |

 
Patience, Darkdevil County Fans

An update is coming soon, and you will like it.

Until then, even robots can have unemployment problems.

Labels: Darkdevil County, games, robots

- posted by Cynthia @ 11:08 AM | | | Link |

 
This Is Not To Say
... that I will be ignoring other topics, such as exterminating the last few bugs from the next release of my adventure game, Darkdevil County (which will continue to be the working title for a long, long time).

But in a related note, I give you a pair of very very smelly sneakers:



If you look closely, you can see the official insignia of the Darkdevil County high school on the ankle.

Which means the game now has 100 percent more devils in it than before.

Labels: Darkdevil County

- posted by Cynthia @ 4:47 PM | | | Link |