Bored -- Bog Overlord Emerges

I loved Zangramarsh.
I haven't played World of Warcraft in over 2 years - and still sometimes think about that nifty bio-luminescent region in Outlands. The mushrooms glow, the trees glow, even the bees glow! It was definitely one of my favorite areas in the whole game.
I was a bit bored today, and decided to sit and sketch out one of the inhabitants. The Bog Overlords were these massive mossy beings, partially furled wood and detritus material over glowy wrinkly fat skin. The Overlords weren't very fast but I remember them being incredibly obnoxious when trying to save the poor little baby Sporlings of the area.
They also threw mushrooms, hilarious green smoking mushrooms. These would burst eventually, dealing what I remember to be some pretty heavy damage (which was generally not as hilarious).


This afternoon I set out to make quick sketch honoring my old foe. I used an old calender page as a reference, and exaggerated the growths just a tad. Eventually I'll go back in with color, lighting up his rotting undergrowth and making him super glow-tastic, as to fit in with the rest of the residents of the area.


How do you not love this place?

The Creepy Basement Troll, is not so Creepy

He just wants to share his tea!

I did this quick painting this afternoon, after talking to my sister about the farmhouse she is currently occupying. Apparently the basement is pretty dark and creepy and has an especially dark and creepy door which is barred from the outside. My first thought (being the older sister) was to make a remark about some unearthly being inhabiting the space, waiting and watching for some curious soul to open the door.

Instead I saw a quick vision of a kindly little troll.
He is very lonely, never having the pleasure of a visitor to entertain in his humble hovel in the basement.

He takes comfort in his tea and only leaves the basement to steal a bit of sugar from the kitchen for his herbal brews. That is until one day, when a brave tenant of the farmhouse enough decides to knock. The little troll is overcome with excitement, puts a kettle on and timidly opens the door to his long-awaited, very first guest.

Its a bit rough, and definitely a work in progress - but I hope my sister will get a kick out of it. And also not be afraid of the dark basement. (But seriously don't knock on the door Hayley... it may not be a nice troll living in there afterall!)

Unpacking Reveals Ultimate Plasticware Surprise!

I have no use for cold weather clothes now that we are back from San Francisco and thus, have neglected unpacking for quite a long time now. I got tired of the exploding suitcase wallowing in the corner of the bedroom today - and finally emptied it. A few layers of clothing in, I found a small plastic package and remembered the neato plasticware I swiped from the Google IO lunchroom. Oh the excitement!

This plasticware was awesome. It was so different then any other tableware I have ever seen, that I felt the need to grab a *few* packs. The picture doesn't do it justice at all.
They are heavy, well balanced and nearly pearlescent. The scoop of the spoon is delightfully shallow and yet I feel like I could dig through the manliest of ice cream sundays with this tool. The plastic is smooth and very nice to hold. No hard edges or trailing nubbies from the production line.

I also love that the handle is designed in a manner that doesn't rely on a filled in center and hopefully saves materials. The other great feature of the entire set (which isn't visible in the image) is the text on each piece "COMPOSTABLE". Whether it really is or not, it's a nice change from the blindingly white stiff plastic forks and knives of yesterday. This is the plasticware of the future!

And of course, we find it at Google IO.

Dragon Age Awakening Sketch

I finally broke down and purchased the expansion for BioWare's epic, DragonAge: Origins this weekend. I was holding off purchasing the game, as I love the original so much and really don't want to "finish" the game. Ever.

However I had this weekend free and was aching for something to play. It was a long week, and it would be nice to mash some darkspawn into oblivion for a bit.

I opened a bottle of wine and set off to Vigils' Keep, excited to wander about Ferelden again.

I didn't get very far before I decided to take a quick sketch break, moved by Alistair's decision to stay at court at Denerim while I (the freaking Queen!) had to go keep the new breed of darkspawn at bay. I had an inkling he wouldn't play a huge part in this expansion- but I am still a tad disappointed that I won't get to hear his hilarious side discussions whilst beheading baddies.

I drew this quick sketch, trying to capture my rogue's reaction when she hears Alistair's soldiers making their way to the keep. I would have imagined her to be excited but as Commander and Queen, cannot really show that vulnerability to her forces.

Regardless of the characters present (and not-present) in the expansion, I look forward to playing more of Awakening -- the soundtrack alone will keep me coming back. (Tavern song when Oghren enters? Perfect!)

ChickenBrick Studios heads to Google IO!

“The coldest winter I ever experienced, was in San Francisco”

- apparently a very common saying, which I swear I have never heard.

ChickenBrick Studios made our way to San Francisco last week for Google IO and had a phenomenal (however extremely COLD) time in the sessions, meeting other devs and playing with all the neato gadgetry available to the attendees. It was an excellent chance to finally meet up with people we have been in communications with for months, and we were thrilled to be able to randomly meet a few fans as well! I only wish I had packed a few more sweaters….

I spent most of the conference in super note-taking mode, and tried to make my way back to the gummyworms stand as often as possible. ( That’s right - free unlimited gummyworms!) and was able to sketch in the corner every now and then. The atmosphere was great - all kinds of interesting people doing interesting things, endless coffee, pool tables and a HUGE GoogleEarth set-up. One couldn’t help but be inspired by all the creativity.

This was all topped, during the keynote of the second day. We were already in surprise-mode, and sat holding our breath for whatever was in store for the morning. I’m pretty sure I can safely say most (if not all) of us were completely surprised and equally blown away when they announced the HTC EVO as a gift to the attendees. The whole audience seemed to do a collective bounce in their chairs before attempting to be the first to tweet the news (despite the shoddy wireless connections). It was awesome.

We stayed a few extra days in the city to sight-see and meet up with friends and had an absolute blast. Next year however, I will bring gloves. And a scarf. And perhaps a parka.