Dungeons and Shenanigans, Part II

Still going strong with the 4th edition, which I really don't recommend to gamers. Our party is lucky enough to have an awesome DM, who makes the dumbed-down rules enjoyable. One of the players has compiled our sketches into The Seasoned Adventurer's Sketchbook. The drawings chronicled below were done by Emma and myself. I'm not going to tell you which ones she did because, frankly, I think they're funnier than mine, so I'm going to claim that they were all a team effort.
Make sure to also check out Dungeons & Shenanigans. Game on!

Why not to tie two dwarves to a dragon-born.

Bemdrock, the wizard, learns not to blow his daily power so early in the game.

Remember, adventurers, the point of the game isn't to win the skirmish, it's to have fun. Right guys? Right?

Chades Challenge XVI: Touchy-Feely College

"That's right, don't be afraid to really feel the form."

I'll leave the blind contour puns to you folks. I had a tough time composing this one, and I still think it could be a bit clearer/funnier/less creepy. Below is the original composition. James helped me clarify the gag a bit.

CHADES CHALLENGE XVI: TOUCHY-FEELY COLLEGE
Oh lord.

Sly Orange: The O-dyssey
Just got back from the O-dyssey tour through Portland and Seattle. I highly recommend the Space Needle and Experience The Music Project in Seattle and Powell's in Portland. Unfortunately our gig in Olympia was canceled, I don't think the Olympians are interested in a Sly Orange without our bass player, Ben Michaels. Hopefully he comes back for the next album; I'm not sure if my new invention "bass-scatting" is quite as good as the real thing.

Pat feeling the blues backstage before the Seattle show

Oregon and Washington were absolutely beautiful. I'm pretty jealous of our drummer, Vi, who lives in Portland since it's basically Berkeley without the transients. We had a gig at PG&E park on the fourth to watch some baseball and fireworks--y'know, really soak in the America. I've got to say, any sport that needs audience clapping games, Top 40 sound bites, rehearsed mascot routines, raffles, or the wave every five minutes is just not entertaining enough. If they really want to keep the fans interested, they should but a basketball court in the outfield.

The fireworks were great, though, and the rest of the tour was a blast. Our keyboardist, Pat, designed a top-notch tattoo for me, and our lead guitarist, Amalia, really slayed during our cover of Purple Haze. The goal of the tour, aside from rocking our fans' collective socks off, was to get a cup of joe at the original Starbucks at the Seattle market. I did, and I must say, it was worth the trip! Is it just me, or is the quality of java directly proportional to the cuteness of the barista?

To sum up: Portland and Seattle are awesome, Sly Orange still knows how to rock, and someone should put baseball out of its misery.

Speaking of rock'n'roll legends...
The Rock'n'Poll has officially come to a close. I'm sure forty-six votes are enough to speak for the entire populous, so I am officially declaring Bohemian Rhapsody is the Greatest Rock'n'Roll Song of All-Time!! They are the champions, my friend.

Chades Challenge XV: Nightmarish Construction Workers

It's great to live in a country where you're free to join the walking dead if you like. Happy Independence Day folks!

More nightmares:
Leo "Managing Goreman" Matsuda
Rob "Manual Labhorror" Thompson

OPENING DAY

As most of you know from the trailer, this film has been over ten years in the making. I'm sorry I could only have worked on the last year of production, because as some of you may know I'm a bit of a sci-fi nut, and early in production Wall-E was already one of my favorites. The entire crew was phenomenal, but the man whose work really shines is Ben Burtt, the sound designer and voice of Wall-E. As animators, we didn't get very many dialogue tracks, but Ben's sympathetic motors and humorous metallic whirs gave each robot a voice of their own, and made animating on this film a truly unique experience.
My hometown morning show, Good Day Sacramento, stopped by the studio yesterday and their jocose entertainment reporter, Mark S. Allen, interviewed Ben and myself. Talking with Mark was a blast because I pretty much grew up on that show and his movie reviews, so being on the other side of the camera with him was a real trip. You can catch Ben's interview here and mine here.
Anyway, hope you all enjoy Wall-E as much as I enjoyed working on it! In summary, go see Wall-E!

You'll believe a robot can fly.

ROCK'N' POLL CHAMPIONSHIP

It's been seven weeks since the genesis of the Rock'n'Poll tournament. Songs from twenty rock genres have contended, and at last the finalists have emerged from the smoke and wreckage of rock-combat. Which song will become the champion? Which tune will rock the choruses off of the other contenders? Which ballad is truly worthy to be deemed Greatest Rock'n'Roll Song of All Time? As Captain Planet once said, "The power is yours!" Now rock that flippin' vote.


In other news, the new Chades Challenge is NIGHTMARISH CONSTRUCTION WORKERS. Sketch greatly!

Arny vs. Sly
I saw this on Aintitcool and just had to share. Color correction works wonders.

Dungeons and Shenanigans, Part I

Story sketches from the latest DnD campaign. The first two of the halfling and kobold were drawn by Ms. Coats. Check for weekly updates at Dungeons and Shenanigans. Let the mocking begin.

Stan Winston (April 7, 1946-June 15, 2008)

In much sadder Jurassic Park-related news, Oscar award-winning makeup and special effects wizard Stan Winston passed away yesterday from complications due to multiple myeloma. Stan was one of my earliest artistic influences whether I realized it or not. Whether his work was as mind-blowing as Terminator and Predator, or as melancholy as Edward Scissorhands and Batman Returns, he never failed to transport me to another world populated by bizarre characters. His work lended as much atmosphere as the music or the cinematography, and was often more iconic. This is a tragic loss for the filmmaking community, but we will always have his characters, his art, and his inspiration.