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Hello!  It's been a while, hasn't it :)
I was finishing up a painting (my first in a long time), when I decided to do some more extensive corrections on her right hand.  And while I'm at it, I'd like any other suggestions and crit you might have to improve it.  Thanks very much!

I've got some gradient maps and such on, so feel free to comment on the colour levels.  I think it might be slightly too saturated.

[The Hatmaker's Tale]

The Hatmaker's Tale

Tom Clifton is a just a shy squidget living in the peaceful kingdom of Slimenia, toiling in his uncle’s boring bookstore while dreaming of a more exciting life… but little does he know a special book delivery to the royal castle will start an adventure he never imagined!

Follow the development blog! http://crabshackgallery.com/

General info:
- 320x200 resolution
- 32-bit colour
- Medium to fullish length
- Completion goal: sometime in 2010


Team:
- Story, art, scripting: MashPotato
- Miscellaneous consultation: Lemmy & Binky

- AGS: Chris Jones
- AGS resources used (so far): SCUMM verbcoin GUI template (Electroshokker); GUI Portrait module (SSH)

* * * * * * *

Some of you might possibly recall I announced a project of the same name a couple of years back... is this the same project?  Yes and no ;)  This a complete revamp of the original--so much so that I consider it pretty much entirely new--and, I think, definitely for the better!  Hopefully second time's the charm ;)

If you're interested, updates will be more frequent in my development blog :)

[Carrion Re-Animating!]

AGSers Lemmy101 and Captain Binky seem to be too bashful to do it, so I'm doing it for them ... may I present for your gaming pleasure, their latest effort...

Carrion Re-Animating!

Made for the Lovecraftian TIGs competition!
Take on the role of famed re-animator Herbert West, as he attempts to hide his latest dark experiments from his neighbours by reanimating the corpses of their loved ones!  Be careful, send the wrong zombie to the door, and you may just have another zombie on your hands...


Features include:

• Fully 3D graphics!
• Original music by Nikolas Sideris!
• Voiceovers!
• Wholesome zombie-reanimating fun!

Some screenshots, click to make larger:

>DOWNLOAD HERE and have some spoooOOOOOooky fun!<

Just finishing up a sketch for a painting I'm planning to do, based on a pixel I made a while ago, but I increased the deer characteristics a bit.  I'm hoping to make this a nice detailed painting, so any crit you can give in these early stages would be much appreciated

I was picturing her to be quite tall, but do the fawns look too small in comparison?



(as you may be able to tell, some things were scribbled in just now )

and here's the old picture:


Thanks!

I'm currently trying to make walkcycles in the NE, SE, SW, NW angles for this little sluggy guy
Here is the side walkcycle so far:
  2X
He doesn't have the usual alternating arm/"leg" movement because I thought a waddle would be more appropriate

Crit appreciated, thanks!

[Beauties and Beasts]

Beauties and Beasts

You must win a beauty pageant at ANY COST... this may get a little ugly.

DOWNLOAD: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1046

An entry for the 2008 OROW competition .  This version is exactly as it was for the competition (warts and all) except that credits have been added.  I hope you enjoy!

Art, Story, Scripting - MashPotato
Testing - CaptainBinky & Nickenstien
Music - ripped from The Ventures (Telestar) & DeVotchKa (Reprise)
Special Thanks - Buloght & Lemmy101
AGS Engine - Chris Jones

This started out as a doodle to try to break out of an art slump, but I liked it enough to try and finish it up
The balance seems a bit off to me, and I've tried to edit the man's position a few times but I still feel like he's pulling away from the woman.

The first is the version I'm working with, the second is with some very quick colour added to see how it looked.
All crit appreciated, thanks!

     

Hello!  Wow, it's been a while since I posted something in the CL
Anyway, here's a painting I've started of a mermaid swimming with eels; nothing particularly spectacular, I was just in the mood to do something hi-res (TFE is a demanding mistress (or would that be master?  anyway )).  I know it's very early, but all criticism is appreciated
Thanks!

Notes:
-that pink smudge in the background is her farther arm
-background colour will be changed to a more darker, bluish-purple to pink tone

I was working on a complete overhaul of my site today, and when I came to the link page I realized that AGS doesn't have any link banners (unless I just couldn't find 'em--entirely possible ).  Anyway, I whipped up a quick pixelly one, and thought I'd post it here in case anyone else wants it

A plain one...


... and one with Pumaman's suggestion for an AGS slogan

Hello, feels like I haven't been here in a while

I'm pixelling a picture of an alkonost and--what's this...?!  Evil JPEGs?!     Yup, I'm not far along enough to get critique on the actual pixels yet, but I'm at a kind of a crossroads concerning the layout, so I shrunk the pictures down so they'd be easier to get an overall impression.  I'd appreciate some quick opinions about which layout seems to work better, or if there are aspects you like in one versus the other that could be mixed.

Thanks!

   or   

Ah, just noticed the right side of the background seems a little empty in the one on the left... try to overlook that for now

Post your requests for hints/tips here

[A Cure for the Common Cold]

A Cure for the Common Cold

After spending years as a starving artist, you've managed to catch the eye of a influential gallery director.  The problem: he wants to see some new work, and you've got a terrible cold that is draining your creativity.
You'd better find a cure for the common cold--and fast!

Download: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=839




This is my first game; it is rather small, but I hope if you have some time you'll have a play and leave me some feedback ^_^

PS: -there is (ripped) music and sound effects, so turn your speakers on
-an Italian translation is now available

Hints/tips thread: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=29766.0


***

Credits:
Mash Potato: concept, graphics, code
Strange Visitor: dialogue, testing

Special thanks to: Chris Jones (AGS), RatRacer (template), Buloght (additional GUI assistance)

This seems like a silly question, but is there a way to automatically format the script such that bracket blocks have different indentations?  I searched and saw it mentioned that there is, but it didn't say how to do it, so I'm not sure if I misunderstood.  I know I can format manually with the tab button, but I was just wondering if there was a quicker way.
Thanks ^_^

Hello!
I've been working on this picture of a French aristocrat being dressed by fairies (yes it's extremely girly ^_^), and while I'm not finished yet, something seems a bit off to me... I'd like some second opinions as I continue to work on it.  Is there just not enough contrast?  Boring colours?
I was also trying to make her skin very fair with made-up pink cheeks, but does it just look creepy/ugly?  Does her face look strange in general?
Should the little fairies be stay naked, or would clothing be better?
All crit/suggestions are appreciated ^_^

(PS: background suggestions are welcome, the one I had planned was pretty darn ugly...)

[absolutely, astoundingly amazing]

You are walking in a park one day and encounter a rather humdrum little slug, slugging its way along its sluggy day... but all of a sudden, it does something absolutely, astoundingly amazing!!!

Animate that amazing event!

Photoshopping isn't drawing a completely new image -- It's editing images to create a new image, such as editing one image or combining several images.  Also, you don't have to specifically use Photoshop -- Paint Shop Pro, MSPaint, or any other programs can be used. Please make sure your image doesn't exceed the width of the screen.

Right ^_^.  So here's the topic for this week:

Supermodel Mishaps

[/color][/size][/b]

(it doesn't really have to be a "supermodel", any model will do just fine ^_^)
Feel free to ask if you have any questions, and have fun!

I think this is going to be one of those annoying questions, because I've got no clue what the problem exactly is, and so I will have to be vague at first

I am using the Broken Sword template, but modified it the inventory GUI such that I got rid of the scrolling buttons, changed the width/height, and put it on the bottom of the screen.  I also got rid of the the label that followed the mouse cursor, and added a hotspot label GUI at the bottom.  I don't believe I changed any of the GUI script itself (at least, not intentionally).

My problem is that while I can add items to the inventory, I can't take them out.  In the original template you click on the inventory item, the cursor changes into that inventory item, and you can move it around the screen.  I'm not sure what changed, but in my game when you click on the item, it changes into the inventory item momentarily (if at all), and might move slightly with the mouse, but then snaps back into position and the cursor returns to normal.

I haven't done any complicated scripting, just a few functions using basic commands (cEGO.Say, cEGO.FaceLocation, etc.) and interactions, so I'm not sure what I did to screw things up.  I tried exporting the original GUI back into my game, but it has the same problem, so I don't think it's the modified GUI itself, but rather something that's in my game.  I was hoping someone might have some ideas as to what that something could be ^_^

Thanks for your time ^_^

[1. Drawing]

Since I was asked about making a tutorial, I decided to show my latest painting as I work on it, and explain the steps as I go. 
However, this isn't really a "tutorial" in the usual sense, because I'm not so much showing the right way to do something as much as I am demonstrating the process I usually use.  In addition, unlike other tutorials, I would appreciate crit on my picture, as well as on my techniques, from others as I go (alternative ways to do things, shortcuts, general advice, etc.). 

Remember, what I say in the title is just what I mean--I am a painting noob.  Hopefully as I learn from my mistakes, and show the process of that, others will too ^_^.  I also have my fingers crossed that this painting will turn out okay (I normally don't show my WIPs )...

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NOTES:

1.this is done in Adobe Photoshop CS2, but since everything I use is very basic, it should be applicable to all Photoshop versions, Painter, PSP, Photopaint, etc.  Not MS Paint, though--sorry ^_^
2. I use a wacom tablet.  Unless otherwise stated, pressure sensitivity is always set to opacity
3. If you want me to add actual screenshots, or want more detail in my descriptions, please ask ^_^


1. Drawing
I like playing cards, and have wanted to draw a picture inspired by the royal cards for a while.  There's not too much I can say at this point in terms of drawing... just practice ^_^.  It might be easier to clean up the sketch a bit more than I did before you scan, but I don't mind keeping it rough since I'm going to be taking out the pencil lines later anyway.
Here is the sketch of the Queen of Hearts and the King of Spades:



2. Colour Flatting
I then make a copy of the background layer (the sketch), and get rid of the original.  I now have a plain layer with the sketch on it.  In the layer mode, I set this layer to "Multiply".  This will make the white parts of the picture transparent, so I can keep the sketch on top while painting beneath it.

I'm not concerned with the background in this picture, so I just make the background a neutral shade (I will probably change it later).  Using the paintbrush (default setting, so max opacity and flow) I quickly block in the flat colours, each on a seperate layer.  I try to use a middle value (I should probably go dark and put in the lighting later, but I'm not accustomed to doing that yet).  It's very messy at this stage, but that's okay because I just want to get an idea of the general colour scheme.  I have eleven layers at this point.

Remember: layers are your friend.  It's annoying to keep changing layers and keep them organized, but it makes it much easier later, when you may want to adjust hues/saturation of only one part of the picture. 
Layers also make it easier to change colours: for example, if I want to change the colour of the dress, I can go to that layer and lock it... this will make it such that I can only paint in the areas I have already painted in, so I can just take a big brush with the new colours, and scribble it in, willy-nilly ^_^.

This is what it looks like so far:


That's all for now.  All crit and suggestions are appreciated! ^_^

I have been thinking of setting up an on-line store to try and sell stuff with my crab characters on them, and Cafepress seems to be one of the most popular sites for that sort of thing.  Before I do, I have some questions for anyone has had any experience buying/selling stuff on-line:

1) Is Cafepress an overall good choice, or do you have other sites to recommend?
2) Is the quality of merchandise generally good for the price?
3) Have you ever had any problems with receiving items from them?
4) For those selling, is the site easy to use and do you receive sufficient service/help?


And a question for everybody:

What kind of merchandise do you think these crabs would look good on?  (T-shirts, magnets, etc.)  Conversely, do you think anyone would buy them in the first place? (be honest!)

Thanks! ^_^

I'm entering a Blizzard fanart contest (I don't expect to win or anything, it's just for fun ^_^), so here is my take on the dryad unit from Warcraft 3.  I played up the plant aspect of the dryad, and tried to make the body look like it's composed of bark.  I'm completely focusing on the character in this picture, so while I might add a background, it will just be a pretty backdrop, and not part of the character's environment.

As you can tell, I'm not done yet, but I would like to work on improvements while I finish up the rest of the picture so I don't get tired of working on it.  So please make any suggestions you think of on the parts of the picture inside the red box (or outside as well, just keep in mind I'm not done those parts yet... and I know I need to fix up the tail) ^_^



(Btw, unlike what the pictures I have posted in the CL may indicate, I swear I do draw things other than half-naked fantasy creatures! ^_^)

Thanks!

EDIT:
Here is the newer version: