CTRL+ALT+SHIFT

"Shift" is a really novel / fun board game [link]

Last night some friends from work and I managed to set it up finally. We got together to play an interesting board game that my friend Rebecca Kubla had discovered awhile back. It's a pretty cool game once you open yourself up to it and once you figure out the rules and get the flow. What I found most interesting about it was that with most any other game you have objectives, this one had the tired and true goal of reaching the end, but along the way across the game board you must divest your(self) game piece of these little rings which represent sorta like mental/emotional roadblocks. There's all kinds of squares to land on and it's a very social game meaning that it didn't get boring at all cause it keeps you engaged. I must admit that when I played it I wasn't in the right-mind as I had been tearing through bottles of Werewolf all night - still I was able to glean something from the game (as did others in attendance) and I can attest to actually feeling / experiencing the vaunted / fabled "shift" that is the games' namesake.

The game makes mention and references "A Course in Miracles" (ACIM) which is something of an interest to several of my friends. In and around work my friend Krystal has brought in the book and though I've only skimmed through a few pages I can tell that it does indeed have a lot of good ideas. Incidentally those friends who've embraced some of the thought-system have surely seen some amazing changes in their lives - as an outside observer looking in; it's pretty interesting seeing the changes in people and seeing the success / gains that have come their way.

SmudgeGuard2®

The modern world is full of amazing gadgets gimmicks and blitzkrieg. Turning on the television at night you see all the infomercials - with Montel now up in that game - where they sell you on the next "must have" device. If it's anything humans' possess it's ingenuity and that gives rise to all that adaptational badassery. We're always finding better ways to improve on and interact with the technology thats being birthed/regurgitated at such a prodigious rate.

[as]Advertised being: "something you can't live without." ..who knew?

counting coup 

SmudgeGuard2® is such a product. Looking into buying one after hearing some rave reviews of the product from some people on DeviantART. On a sympathetic-tip I was sold after learning it's a lefty-inspired invention; being south-paw myself (least in regards to writing / drawing) this appealed to me. Gotta say it's super-handy [drop//rock the pun] when working on the Wacom tablet. It happens all the time but it's (of course) more of a problem in the summer-heat, when working on the tablet my hand starts picking up all the oil and grime on the surface as my hand heats up. I've tried to correct this problem on my own, everything from fashioning my own sequin glove to draw with - and going the other route and actually taping a piece of typing paper over top the wacom surface. Nothing cuts to the heart of the matter with as much elegance as SmudgeGuard2. I've now had it for awhile and have wanted to express how much it's helped me with my workflow here at home. It's comfortable to wear. Seems to be made from good long-lasting material(s). I predict it'll end up being the new fall sensation [j/k] and eventually end up in many an artist's arsenal. Though I don't own a Cintiq it's just as good on a wacom tablet cause much of the same principles and procedures apply, yeh?

This guy's video basically tells the whole story...

G-fUnk 0DYS53Y

"the Marquis" Fan-Artæ

Bringing it back to base; back on task and accomplishing much with all the time on my hands. So much time spent sitting at the computer working and you'd think I'd have more to show (which I do) but much of what I'm working on seems to be in a constant (re)flux. That is to say, I'm working on a handful of things at once which I don't think is very productive but I've fallen into this routine and rather than fight against the current I'm deciding to go with the flow (water just get warmer?) for better or worse. Suppose then this is a product of the "digital workflow" I've adopted now and feel comfortable with. Currently I've been finding myself unleashing my inner George Lucas in the way of taking older works and re-doing / reconstructing them entirely in Photoshop.

Yea, sure... it might seem counter productive but with my latest batch of re-worked chipboard pieces I've A.) learned a great deal, 2.) it never hurts to put time in on the Wacom, and C.) I've been able to salvage pieces that I would've otherwise have just cast off unfinished. Then again maybe somethings are best left unsaid/unfinished. Still, with the halloween holiday coming up I feel I've stumbled into a happy accident. Many of the chipboard pieces I'm re-working happen to be themed for the fall season. One of the more enjoyable parts to the process I've found has been delving into the creation of my own textures for use in toning or as a surface / background behind the illustration. Having some experience in the past with StrataVision 3D 4.0 has helped me figure it all out again. In high school when I used Strata's texture mapper I'd always tweak-out some of the surfaces in it's library by importing the image files into Photoshop (3.0) and going to town on them. I guess why this appeals to me is cause it feels like whimsey; I'm going for an organic-looking product in the end - organic usually involves a lot of experimentation. When I first got the idea to start re-working some of my older pieces I hit on the idea of doing them with canvas backgrounds - in a vain attempt to ape pretension - so many artists like to paint and draw on wooden blocks/slats or faux-canvas and mock-fresco. I've often thought this looked rather sporting but have never had the inclination to paint (a whole 'nother animal) my art on something like that. The next best thing I've found is simply creating weird textures and surfaces to draw on in Photoshop. It's fun just trying different effects and patterns and laying them up against some high rez images of canvas and even different stocks of paper.

As it's been said, I've had a little bit of time on my hands. Hours at my day-job had basically dried up but I'll be picking up some this weekend - thankfully. It's been nice not having to go into a casino for an extended period of time. Nice not having to hear the loud never-ending din throughout the entire place, is sweet not seeing people flushing their money down a toilet and even better not having to deal with rude and/or drunken guests. I've been doing it for a number of years now and if it's one thing I've learned about myself is that while I can bare down (like any sensible person) and do the job - it ain't what I should be doing. There's people I've talked to at work who deal even more in aggravation with the public than I do; namely the people who work in the players club. Notice sometimes too that it takes a certain type of person to deal with folks like that all day, surely someone with more patience than I'm able to muster. Waking up today I decided to embark on a "G-Funk musical odyssey" via Youtube. Simply typing in "g-funk instrumentals" gave me hours and hours of melodic enjoyment, kicking it all off with Warren G & Nate Dog and finally capping off the day with a heady dose of Dre. Often times I work only to instrumentals for the reason that when I hear lyrics, even familiar ones, I tend to pause and think about them. With instrumentals I get into a groove and just work - all the better when one must get shit done, yeh? Hip-hop instrumentals are especially good cause they help me find a rhythm and I'm able to keep time and my productivity seems to ebb and flow with the beats.. least I feel it in my lazy bones.

"I know you're bobbin your head. Cause I can see you"

Las Vegas Comic Expo

So this weekend (Sept 29-30) here in Vegas we had the first ever Las Vegas Comic Expo [link] at the Riviera Hotel on the strip. It was a great event and from what I saw it was a smashing success; I hope that means we'll be getting another one next year. They had some really BIG names come out to this first ever convention and I think that lent a good deal of legitimacy to the event. In years past we've had comic conventions here in Vegas but for some reason none have ever really taken off. I can remember back in the 90's during the IMAGE Comics boom we had a couple of good ones @ the Sands Expo Centre and of course who can forget the great collector cons the old Showboat casino had going down on Boulder Hwy? The last "big one" I believe came sometime back in '04 or '05 when someone tried (and ultimately failed) to create a HUGE comic/anime/gaming convention inside the Mandalay Bay convention centre. I remember that one being around the same time I released my first self-published comic and having a table there along with the Barebones Studios guys.

Dan (LEFT) and Jay (RIGHT)
sketching @ our booth T-13

The Comic Expo this past weekend was great. I shared a table with my friends / fellow artists Justin "Jay" Newberry and Daniel Blodgett where we were selling our comics prints and such. We also did sketches and created little "mini sketch books" just for this event. I worked pretty hard right up to the buzzer getting my prints and sketch book finished in time. Originally this convention was going to be @ the Alexis Park Resort but the great deluge (2012) flooded their convention space causing the whole thing to move to a bigger/better location @ the Riviera Hotel. This was a true boon to us since apparently it opened up even more space. Saturday drew HUGE attendance and Sunday was just as packed it seemed, we had good foot-traffic through our area in Artists Alley. My bear print [link] sold really well - people always seem to react well to it especially kids. I also ended up moving a good number (more than I expected) of Mini Sketch Books for only $1.00. In the end though I think I gave away more of them to friends at the expo and to anyone who made a purchase of my prints. Still it was a great idea and they all came out looking real tight - Dan and Jay both had them as well so our table was reppin' pretty strong. It was also nice seeing the local (Vegas) talent having such a good turnout; from all the local artists/writers to all the locals who came out for the cosplay contest and the volunteers who kept the thing running smooth. I thought the whole thing was run pretty smooth considering all the little hiccups they had to go through with moving to another venue, in the end it was an even better deal cause the Riviera was excellent - colourful degenerate gamblers mixed rather well with all the costumed heros/villains running around.

"Enigmonkey"

Next up to fuck, we've got the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival [link] which is shaping up rather well. The Comic Festival is a portion of the larger whole, the festival is broken down into 3 (three) [link]. We've had tables at all of these so far that are hosted by the Vegas Library District and every year the festival gets bigger and bigger. My friend Jay is on the committee for this upcoming one so he's been trying to get more involved with the event since it's in our own backyard and's looking to grow. I'd look to get more involved myself but time is always a factor, plus I doubt they would like any of my ideas since most of them involve questionable promotional ideas. Last year we had a blast and it was the first time we used our new convention set-ups. By the looks of things this upcoming festival will be just as good as last year. Each year it seems to pick-up more steam and last year the "artist alley" area was jam-packed with local creators as well as some who traveled there from out of state. This festival is only one-day; Saturday, Nov. 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. inside and around the Clark County Library (1401 E. Flamingo Road)

© Eric Beymer Photography