The latest issue of Computer Gaming World (November, #268) is the final issue. The world's foremost computer gaming magazine over the last quarter century is getting an identity make-over and going away.
Now it will be called Games For Windows.

Seems like a big step down to me, but whatever works for them. Either way, it'll seem strange not having CGW around. They were there from the beginning. Good luck with GFW - a whole new rep to forge. It can be fun.

Anyway...

I picked up the issue for the first time in a while just by chance, and it sat here unread for a week or so. Then I finally got a chance to start to look through it. There's an article on the first 25 Years Of Computer Gaming. It starts on page 74.

Page 76 is the first with graphics, part of a two-page spread dedicated to the first decade of computer gaming. The upper half of the pages are a hex-gridded montage of images and covers from the time period, including a handful of game screens. Lots of greys on dark for much of it, but on the bottom right of the image grid for page 76, making it center focus of the two-page spread, is a vibrant blue figure that catches the eye.
(Aided in no small part by a bright yellow patch above - pathways from Marble Madness, perhaps?)

It took a moment to register properly, that I was looking at some of my early artwork - the figure of Case from Neuromancer, one of my all-time favorite projects.

It was a great time to be an artist in the industry. One artist could do everything for a game. Hell, one artist had to do everything for a game. It was a double edged sword, no doubt. But there's a different kind of feeling when it's "your" game, art-wise. These days it would be impossible to have been the sole artist on every platform version of a game.

There is, of course, a separate creator's joy to having been part of a much more epic project than we could ever have dreamed of back in those days. But it's a shame having to trade one for the other.

Funny how much nostalgia a simple little image like than can trigger.

One day soon I'll ramble on a bit about what it was like working on some of those early platforms, and some of the limitations in graphics we used to have to struggle with while trying to create our images and animations.

For the curious, the image used in the article is from the Amiga version of the game. Sadly, not the best version of Neuromancer, but it had the best graphics engine.
A big tip of the hat I was wearing in the Neuromancer team pic to the gang at CGW for choosing some of my stuff to help represent that period of gaming history

You knew it was coming - now it's here!

The Art Of -3- Online Store is open. There's not much of a selection yet, just a bunch of shirts with the Jesus Saves! design (see previous posting) and a few other items. But expect it to grow fairly quickly.
And hopefully it'll give me incentive to create more designs. It worked once - the Jesus Saves! pic was created with a t-shirt in mind. That's a first, but I suspect not a last.

I've had a couple of images printed up as posters using these people - like the Spirit Of Stonehenge poster currently available - and I was very pleased with the results. I'll let you know what I think of their work on t-shirts when my Jesus Saves! shirt arrives. It was just ordered today - so I'll let you know how long it takes to get here, too.

You can visit the store from the link on most pages of this website, or just click here.

Yesterday was my birthday, so I made you all a present.
This weekend should see the opening of the Art Of -3- store, and the first custom offering designed for the store is a t-shirt bearing this design on the front:

The back will read "...and He keeps archived back-ups!"

For a limited time, I'm making a print-at-home mini-poster available here on The Third Road. This is a 300dpi image that will print at 10" height on a standard printer.
The file size is a bit under 400K.
Limited Time is an indeterminate period based upon mood more than anything else.
But at least through the end of the month.

The file is available here.

With the recent additions to the site, it's time for a partial redesign. Just to clean things up and make things work a bit better.

Well, that's the intention, anyway.

The Welcome & What's New page will be merging into the blog, and The Third Road will be the new home page for the website.
So if a few things are hard to find over the next couple days, or things suddenly move around on you, don't be surprised nor perturbed. It's just the workers banging things into shape. Hopefully you'll like the changes to the look and feel of the site.

Added a new feature to the site today. (My today - the calendar's yesterday)

Art Of -3- now has forums.
Since I get to sound off here, it seemed only right you all get to sound off somewhere, too. Sure, you can comment here, but the forums will give you the oppurtunity to start up your own topics of discussion.

Currently there are three boards (oh, what a surprise!) set up on the forum.
A General Discussion area for whatever suits your mind
A 24 Hour Comments section to act as a letters page for the 24 Hour Comic, Chasing His Tale
and A Show Me Gallery forum for sharing your artwork with us.

You can register to reserve a name if you like, but no registration is required to view or post in the forums.

It was a heck of a job, and I don't know that I'd do it again next year.
Maybe just getting too danged old.
(Using the word "danged" is probably a good indicator of that)

But it was a heck of a lot of fun, too. And it worked out better than I really expected.

Of course, I may have had low expectations...

Judge for yourself. Chasing His Tale is posted here.

And if I get some feedback, I'll probably add a cover and letters page to the comic later.
(No, that's not a hint. Why would you think such a thing?)

24 Hour Comics Day went well - in some respects better than I'd hoped, but due to outside interference it got started about 12 hours later than anticipated. It didn't begin until 11pm on the 7th.
After the around the clock session, I woke up quite late on the 9th with much to do and little time to do it.
So resizing and formatting for the web hasn't happened yet. And it won't happen here on the work system. Tomorrow afternoon I'll get Chasing His Tale posted. (Yes, that's the title of the 24 Hour Comic)

Sorry for the delay, I hope you'll enjoy the effort when it's online.

Tomorrow is the big challenge - 24 hours to create a 24 page comic.
We'll see how it goes - I'm stockpiling lots of pepsi and foods easy to eat with one hand.

Meanwhile, the practice is paying off
Here's my second try at the same Jolie/Croft portrait.

New clocked time, 8 minutes, 53 seconds.
cut about 3 1/2 minutes off the previous time.

Now if I can just get plenty of sleep before hand.

Here's the second timed run:

Saturday, 7 Oct, 2006, is 24 Hour Comic Day. 24 hours to create a 24 page comic.
They say it can be done, so I'm going to give it a try.
I've been doing speed sprints for a couple hours every day, training to get my digital brush faster and cleaner. Will it help? Who knows. We'll find out.
In the meantime, here's a quick portrait of Angelina Jolie/Lara Croft that resulted from the sprints.
Time from stylus touching tablet to finished inks: 12 minutes, 38 seconds.

To celebrate the roll-out of the new Art Of -3- website, Big Head Press (publishers of The Probability Broach graphic novel and A Drug War Carol) will begin serializing TPB on their website. For the first time, the full graphic novel will be available online for free to all comers.

Okay - maybe they're not doing it to celebrate the new Art Of -3- website. But the timing works out well.

If you haven't already stopped by to check out their other serialized comic offerings, you most certainly should. And now you'll be able to view some of my color art, too. The Probability Broach was a labor of love for all involved, and it's great to see it getting further exposure. L. Neil Smith's award winning novel, adapted by himself and Scott Bieser to graphic format, with colors digitally painted by me, who's also batting clean-up on the lettering.

It starts today, October 3rd - new chapters appear every wednesday.

Go! Check it out!