Bobby: Facial Expressions

Here's some facial expressions for Bobby and I'm extremely pleased with the results. 

These are based on a Tom & Jerry expressions sheet I found on Pinterest (I loved Tom and Jerry as a kid), and practicing expressions has really shaped Bobby's design and helped me to think about how the little things project the emotions of a character.

For example the tired expression on the far-right of the above image; Bobby's extended tongue helps him to look out of breath and panting, but I also made the tuft of hair on his head lank and fallen to help him look truly knackered. 

When I continued experimenting with different expressions I began to notice how other artists design their characters to help to bring out their emotions. The folds above a characters eyes make them much more dynamic, and because of Bobby's large beak obstructing the majority of his face, I found adding some extra detail to his eyes helped to make the emotion easier to understand.

Artwork created and owned by Andrew Gardner © 2014

Bobby Sleeping

I wanted to practice drawing characters in different poses and situations, so here's Bobby asleep against a wall with a drink in hand.

I like the way his belly follows ahead of the rest of him, and I think he really suits those sandals.

Artwork created and owned by Andrew Gardner © 2014

Day 60 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Age of Empires II The Age of Kings

As Microsoft release a new Age of Empires game for mobile devices, or as Kotaku put it 'digging up the corpse of Age of Empires'. I thought I would cover what is arguably the best game in the series, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings.

For the uninitiated Age of Empires was a popular historical strategy series where players would develop civilisations and achieve victory by meeting certain objectives. Age of Empires 2 brought the series into the medieval age allowing for grand castles and other technological advancements, beautifully detailed maps and units, and such a vast range of features that made the struggle for supremacy all the more exciting.

In the Deathmatch mode you could achieve victory via conquest, constructing/defending a wonder, or by capturing/defending relics scattered about the map, and you could fine tune the settings to construct your own game modes as well. There was also a campaign mode following the tales of key figures from history, for instance Joan of Arc and William Wallace.   

One of the finest features of AoE II however, was the map editor. It allowed users to create beautiful maps to explore along with pre-prepared units to crush your unwitting foes (if you were a dirty cheater). I remember painstakingly creating my own neighbourhood down to the finest detail, allowing for street brawls and skirmishes.

I also remember when my high school decided it would be a good idea to install AoE II on classroom computers. I'm not really sure why they thought it was a good idea, it kept some kids out of trouble by allowing us the chance to play during lunch, but for those needing computers for school work they had a tough time finding an available machine.

Microsoft have tried, and failed, over the last few years to revive the magic of the Age of Empires franchise. I don't hold out much hope for the new mobile release, but let's pray Microsoft will eventually see sense and create a brand new Age of Empires game. One that's even better than the Age of Kings, delivering the intuitive gameplay and glorious scale the series was once known for. 

Day 59 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike

After the brilliant Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, I had extremely high hopes when I heard there was going to be a follow up; Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike. I was then ridiculously excited when I discovered a co-op version of Rogue Leader was going to be included on the disk with it! The force certainly seemed strong with this one.

When I got the game home I couldn't believe what I was playing, it was awful. It was so awful I was in fits of laughter at how terribly horrendous it was.  I played the game with friends...and we all ended up laughing at how terribly horrendous it was.

Rebel Strike didn't just have the usual aerial combat the Rogue Squadron series is known for, it also had some really confusing on-foot sections with awkward camera angles and bad gun play. The aerial combat wasn't so bad but it didn't have the same immersive impact it's predecessor had, and in fact the whole experience was pretty bland and didn't leave a lasting impression.

So Rebel Strike may have stank, but did this mean the co-op version of Rogue Leader had also fallen to the Dark Side. Oh, hell yes!

Two memories stick out in my mind, both of which occur during the Battle of Endor...

During the assault on the second Death Star; one player controls the X-Wing of Wedge Antilles, and the other the Millennium Falcon. Now when you play the game solo the AI makes sure the other ships are kept out of your way, but in co-op mode it's a totally different story. You have to keep up with each other, and because the Millennium Falcon is so bloody big, you end up crashing into the walls, oncoming Tie Fighters, your mates and everything else. It took about 8 hours, and a lot of pop and snacks, to choreograph the perfect performance to spell the end of the Death Star.

The other memory is from the battle above Endor; between the Rebel Alliance and the Star Destroyers. In this fight Lando Calrissian kindly reminds us we must buy more time to allow the band of Rebels on the planet below to break the shield protecting the Death Star. The only problem is, he won't stop reminding us...

WE GOTTA BUY MORE TIME!!!
WE GOTTA BUY MORE TIME!!!
WE GOTTA BUY MORE TIME!!!

Imagine hearing this consecutively for 10 minutes straight, we tried to gun down the Falcon just to get it to stop.

Now you're probably wondering, why is this on my 100 Happy Gaming Days list?

Despite Rebel Strike's (many) flaws, it still holds some great memories. It made us laugh for all the wrong reasons, but it still made us laugh, and taking down the Death Star with a mate totally kicked ass.

It would also be a stepping stone to the brilliant Star Wars Battlefront that arrived a year later, and many other great Star Wars games that followed from there.  The Star Wars universe is bursting with anticipation to see what EA will eventually bring to the table.

Will it be a Rogue Leader? Or will it be a Rebel Strike? I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Day 58 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Super Mario 64

I still remember the first time I saw Super Mario 64. It was in Game Newcastle where they had a demo unit set up for the unveiling of the brand new Nintendo 64 console. Super Mario 64 was naturally the game of choice for demonstrating the possibilities of the new system, and my jaw dropped at the sight of Mario in a beautifully crafted 3D universe.

It looked incredible, Mario had a plethora of amazon moves and abilities that could be executed with ease, the music and sound effects were absolutely phenomenal, and leaping through paintings to reveal a wide variety of worlds was too exciting for my little 10 year old brain to comprehend. Even what is now the simple action of a character opening a door seemed like the most amazing thing ever, this was a true step into the next generation. And with a total of 120 stars to collect throughout the journey it was the biggest Mario game to date. 

The biggest draw for myself however, was Bowser who was also sculpted into glorious 3D. He looked bigger and badder than ever before, and this Bowser wasn't going to be defeated by simply chopping down a bridge. He had to be outwitted and swung into explosives by his tail, brilliant stuff!

Super Mario 64 is possibly the finest platform game of its generation and I still find myself returning to it almost 20 years later. It's a timeless classic, and if you haven't played it; find it, play it and we'll see you 120 stars later.

Doodles: Bobby and Jules

I've got quite a lot going on at the moment so just a quick 'blerg' for today.

This is an early doodle of Bobby and Jules from a couple of years ago, they don't have tails but the main aspects of their now current designs are there. I love the innocent smile on Jules's face as he's blissfully unaware Bobby's giving him an evil stare.

I'm hoping to put together a comic starring Bobby and Jules in the near future, but I think I'll save the details for a future post. ^_^

Artwork created and owned by Andrew Gardner © 2014

If you're happy and you know it clap your...

I've been gradually getting back into drawing these last couple of weeks and one of the things I've always had trouble drawing was hands. They would always end up looking disproportionate and leaving a lot to be desired.

So this morning I had a look for some tutorials on Youtube and a video from Mark Crilley appeared, my wife had recommended his videos to me before and I have to say it was fantastic. I followed his instructions and I was really happy with the results, it was certainly an improvement.

The image above is the one I drew this morning and the drawing below was done on my break at work, I had just enough time to apply the ink. Here's a link to Mark Crilley's 'How to Draw Hands' video too.

  

Day 57 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Cartridges

The days of good old cartridge gaming may be long gone, but here's 3 reasons why cartridges are better than discs.

1. They're robust- Parents! How many £40-£50 games has your child destroyed because the game was on a disc? I bet there's at least one and that's why cartridges were so much better. Cartridges were able to withstand whatever a sprog could throw at them, not like those puny discs who cannot even cope with a teeny-weeny scratch!

2. Labels- Cartridge labels are so much more appealing than crappy disc prints. A cartridge at least has some class and provides excellent artwork, unlike discs where you might get a bland looking shot of the games protagonist (if you're lucky).

3.  When the box goes missing they still look good- It's always a shame when a box/case goes missing but at least cartridges still look great lined up along a shelf. A disc will either need to go into a plastic pouch or a dedicated binder to save it from all those nasty scratches, and it doesn't look anywhere near as good as a glorious collection of cartridges standing tall in your living room.

Cartridges kick ass.

Day 56 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Pikmin 3

FINALLY managed to get my hands on a copy of Pikmin 3 this past weekend. Seriously, this has to be one of the most hard-to-find games on the Wii U. I placed an order with Amazon at the beginning of July, the stock was supposed to replenished at the beginning of August, but it was never dispatched.

When starting Pikmin 3 it's easy to see why the game is so desirable. It's easily the most beautiful looking game on Wii U with the Pikmin universe leaping from your television screen in gorgeous high-definition splendour.

This time we journey to the Pikmin world with 3 brave adventurers from planet Koppai, a fruit-mad society that's running short of grub, so they travel to the world of the Pikmin to see if they can russle up something for lunch. Upon arriving however, their ship malfunctions and our 3 explorers end being scattered across the planet. Isolated from one another they must enlist the help of the Pikmin in order to reunite and press on with their mission to restore Koppai's food supply.

There's a slight learning curve when using the gamepad to control your Pikmin, but I've now been playing for about 20 in-game days and I think I've got the hang of it. It's proven to be an invaluable device as it helps immerse you in the Pikmin universe by offering a real-time map, data log and acting as a communication device between characters.

Pikmin 3 is probably my number one game on Wii U at the moment; I've become so addicted to it this post nearly didn't materialise. It's a must have for Wii U owners, and for those that don't know whether to pick up a Wii U, give Pikmin 3 a try because you might just change your mind.

Day 55 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Metal Gear Rising Revengeance Poster

What's so special about a poster? Well, I'll tell you.

I got this by going to Play Expo a couple of years ago where Konami were demoing MGR: Revengeance. We stood in a queue for what seemed like forever where Konami had about 15 PS3's set up with a 10-15 minute demo. Konami were apparently demoing Zone of the Enders as well but I don't remember seeing it...

Anyway they had a tutorial mode involving the carving of watermelons, which was fun for a couple minutes, but I wanted to see the mission mode that Konami had brought with them. It was awesome dashing around slicing up bad guys and demolishing mechanical monsters, I had to restart at one point when I got shot to pieces, but I managed to finish the demo with only seconds to spare and one of the reps gave me this holographic poster.

It may not seem like much but getting to play a game months before it's released is fantastic, and getting a little something to take home with you makes it even more awesome. Can't wait for Play Expo 2014. ^_^

Jules the Penguin

And here's Jules, the happiest penguin in the southern hemisphere.

I'm really pleased with the way Jules turned out, but I still need some more practice on poses and proportions. I also want to make it look as though his scarf is fluttering in the wind, it looks a bit stiff in this picture. So far so good though. ^_^

Artwork created and owned by Andrew Gardner © 2014

Bobby the Penguin

This is Bobby the Penguin, the most short-tempered penguin in the southern hemisphere.

I picked up some sketching and colouring pencils as I got a bit tired of using the copic pens for everything, plus I always like the effect of using pencil (it's much more relaxed). The only problem was I couldn't get the sharp outlines I like, so I used a fineliner for those and I'm quite pleased with the result.

I've also been watching 'How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way' (it's on Youtube), so I constructed Bobby using their methods and I'm really happy with the outcome. I was able to get a much more natural pose but I still need to work on my proportions (Bobby's arms look a little thin). 

Artwork created and owned by Andrew Gardner © 2014

Day 54 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Project Zero II Crimson Butterfly

I finished Project Zero II (also known as Fatal Frame II) over the weekend and I have to say this game scared the bejeezus out of me. I found It much more terrifying than Silent Hill or Resident Evil.

The story revolves around twin sisters (Mio and Mayu) who return to a forest from their childhood, days before it's due to be destroyed with the construction of a new dam. While they reminisce Mayu is spirited away by a strange crimson butterfly so Mio goes after her. They're eventually led to a village that appears to have been abandoned; but the sisters soon discover the village is crawling with the tortured souls of the past who have brought the twins to the village for a terrifying purpose.

The game revolves around exorcising ghosts using the Camera Obscura, a device that allows the photographer to see and defend themselves against spirits. It's quite a unique mechanic and it makes a change from the standard pistol/shotgun/machine gun etc routine often found in survival horror titles. The camera can also be used to solve puzzles; for instance you may encounter a door that's been sealed shut, but photographing the door will reveal an objective that you need accomplish before proceeding.

I feel the key to a successful horror game is the audio, and clearly the developer has the same philosophy, as Project Zero II has some of the most chilling effects I've ever heard. When your camera locates a ghost for example, a distorted noise will wail about you and amplify when the spirit gets closer. I imagined I would find it annoying after a while, but even after 8 hours of playing I was still sufficiently freaked out.

I don't want to give too much away for those who haven't played this before, but for those looking for a  classic survival horror title they should certainly check out Project Zero II. The game was released for a number of systems, I played the Directors Cut version for the original Xbox (it also runs on 360), but it was also released on the Wii with all of the features from the Directors Cut version along with an extra ending. All in all it's exciting, terrifying and it gives you nightmares, exactly what a good horror game should do.

Bowser

I had a late shift at work so just a quick post for today.

Here is a drawing of Bowser copied from the manual for Super Mario World. 

I drew this about a week ago as I wanted to practice my colouring, and I also wanted to fix the colouring of the tail as it's green in the manual for some reason.

I don't think I did too bad, the proportions are a little funny in places but it was fun to experiment with the copic markers, and also the copic glitter pens I used to outline Bowsers hair.

Day 53 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis

Throughout the nineties there was a wealth of great educational games being made for kids on PC, and they often included some wonderful animation and storytelling. And the most memorable game for me from this era has to be the Logical Journey of the Zoombinis.

The Zoombinis are cute little creatures who have fled their homeland as it's been taken over by the nasty Bloats, so you must guide them through numerous puzzles until you find a new place for the Zoombini's to settle down. 

The puzzles are geared towards helping children improve their mathematics and thinking skills. There's 4 different paths of varying difficulty with a total of 18 levels to complete. My favourite is the Pizza Pass level where the Zoombini's have to figure out which toppings the 3 monsters would like on their Pizzas, if you get it wrong the monsters beat up your Zoombinis.

When the Zoombinis eventually make it to their new home they'll construct a different building depending on which route you've taken. Some examples include a swimming pool, library and even a stage where they can chill out and listen to some music.

Apparently the Logical Journey of the Zoombinis is being remade for iOS and Android with a planned release for 2014, here's a link to the Facebook page if you want to check it out. It's a fantastic game with an undeniable charm...I might see if I can get my original big box version working on my PC this weekend. ^_^

Mitch: Bubble Bobble Cosplay

Here is Mitch in Bubble Bobble cosplay.

I thought Mitch would be better as a younger character, hence the design change, which I think is an improvement.

Now that I look at the picture it doesn't seem that Mitch is in an outfit, it appears that Bub has eaten him, so if I draw another full body costume I might try and add some sewing seams to make it look like he's made it himself.

Thanks to my Missus for helping me with the colouring! ^_^ I always struggle to get the colour even so she's shown some techniques I can use with the copic markers. 

Bubble Bobble is owned by Taito.

Artwork created and owned by Andrew Gardner © 2014 

Day 52 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Awesome Pikmin Birthday Card

Here is the amazing handmade Pikmin birthday card I received from my wife! The Pikmin even swings from side to side!!! 

Special thanks to my lovely talented missus. ^_^

Here's a link to her deviantart page as well. http://spiraxdracowolf.deviantart.com/

Special Moves!

Sailor Mitch's special move; Sailor Quake!

A simple belly flop combined with the sacred art of breaking wind can have devastating consequences.

As you can see, Sailor Mitch is hurdling towards his foes at an alarming speed however, he also produces delightfully gaseous hearts and moons to fill up the midnight sky. Enchanting.

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi and others.
Artwork created and owned by Andrew Gardner © 2014 

Day 51 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Sonic & Knuckles

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was apparently such a big game it had to be split into two, the latter half was Sonic & Knuckles.

Owning S&K not only allowed you to play a brand new adventure as either Sonic or Knuckles, it also expanded the adventure in Sonic 3 and allowed you to play as Knuckles in Sonic 2. This was achieved by plugging either Sonic 2 or 3 into the top of the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge.

This is the only Mega Drive/Genesis game that I know of that doesn't come in the standard plastic box, it comes in a horrible cardboard box, meaning this is possibly the most difficult Mega Drive game to find in good condition.

Sonic & Knuckles was still brilliant; the additional content was certainly worth the additional cost and playing as Knuckles was a refreshing change to playing as Sonic. He was able to reach areas Sonic couldn't get to thanks to his ability to climb walls and glide through the air.

Special thanks to my sister for getting me Sonic and Knuckles for my birthday. ^_^

Sailor Mitch

Here is the start of something beautiful.

Meet Mitch, professional cosplayer, in his wonderful Sailor Moon costume.

I hadn't drawn anything for quite a while and when my wife and all of her friends were getting excited for the new Sailor Moon series, I thought it would be fun to draw a dude cosplaying as a Sailor Scout.

I sketched the whole thing in pencil, it still looks a little grubby (; _ ;)  then I inked the outlines and coloured it all in with copic markers. 

Click this link to check out the picture on my new deviantart page. ^_^

Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi and others.

Artwork created and owned by Andrew Gardner © 2014 

Day 50 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Cuddly Toys

We're fifty days into our 100 Happy Gaming Days Challenge, so let's celebrate hitting the halfway mark with some gaming cuddly toys! \ (^ o ^) /

Day 49 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Super Mario World

After losing poor Snezzy I can't help but feel sad as my Super Nintendo collection slowly gathers dust. Still I can reminisce about gaming days gone by...

Super Mario World was a huge step up from Super Mario Bros 3. It had a huge map to explore with no shortage of secrets to discover, a whopping 96 levels, plenty of power-ups and best of all, Yoshi! A loveable dinosaur who could gobble up enemies, fly, and shoot fireballs from his mouth, the perfect ally for rescuing princesses.

The game takes place after Super Mario Bros 3 with the Mario brothers and Princess Toadstool (Peach) taking a holiday to Dinosaur Land. The Princess inevitably goes missing, so Mario and Luigi start searching until they come across a giant egg. Suddenly the egg hatches to reveal Yoshi, who informs the Italian Plumbers that he was imprisoned in the egg by a group of monstrous turtles! Mario and Luigi both agree tht this must be the work of Bowser and set off on a brand new adventure.

I think I got Super Mario World with the SNES in Christmas 1992, alongside Super Mario All-Stars, and it was fantastic. I think I spent the whole day in front of the TV glued to Super Mario games.

Super Mario World literally went all out to show off the power of the SNES. The game is beautifully designed with big colourful sprites and delightful animation. The variety of enemies in the series also grew from just a handful to absolutely hundreds, I like the football players the most. I also enjoyed wandering around the map and watching Dinosaur Land transform as I unlocked new areas.

There was even a version of Super Mario All Stars that included Super Mario World, as if the bundle couldn't have gotten any better! Super Mario World has also been released on GBA and Virtual Console, so if you've never gotten around to playing one of Mario's greatest adventures, give it a try because you won't be disappointed.