Gaming Tip #45603
A general rule of thumb when playing a halfling...stay out of rat pits.

Movin' on UP
Soaring gas prices and a lousy housing market are even effecting animated characters. Looks like Carl Fredricksen just found a cheaper form of transit and a way to improve his real estate!

AfterWorks Preview II
The dinosaurs cometh.

EN GARDE!
I recently completed a stage combat course at Pixar (don't get excited, it's not research for a film or anything). I've got to say, swordplay is extremely fun and exhausting and I highly recommend it, particularly for any of you actors looking to take your skills to the next level. Our instructors, Dave Maier and Kristen Matia, had us perform the Mercutio/Tibalt duel in Act III of Romeo and Juliet at the end of the course. We altered the choreography from the Zeffirelli version that I have linked, but the clip gives a good sense of the two characters' personalities. I played Mercutio, which was a gas because he's a very jovial and arrogant swordsman. Plus he's got a fantastic death scene (spoiler alert!) where he curses both Romeo and Tybalt, "A plague o' both your houses!" Great stuff!
So if you ever attempt to sneak into Pixar, beware...we've got a team of vicious thespians guarding the compound.

"I feel a great swell of pity for the poor soul who comes to that school looking for trouble."

--Charles Xavier

From left to right: Alden Chiew, Ross Dickinson, Dave Maier, Bruce Wayne, Tara Hernandez, Kristen Matia, Jose Ignacio, Erick Tryzelaar

Commissioned by a friend at the Bridge Theatre Company.
8x10, watercolor and ink

If you think arm-wrestling bugs is random, check out the Cute-Off.

AFTERWORKS III
Coming soon...

cover by Lou Romano

Forbes Fictional 15

I discovered a great list on wikipedia that archives the world's Top 15 Wealthiest Fictional Characters. Scrooge McDuck tops the list, which is complete bs. Santa Claus manages a workshop with enough employees to supply gifts to all of the capitalist children of the world. What's the average cost of a toy? And how many people are on earth? Assuming 2 billion folks celebrate Christmas, and get an average gift of fifty dollars--that's 100 BILLION dollars of annual net output! Enough to make Dr. Evil raise an eyebrow.

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.