Bye bye, Fall...

Here in the Midwest, winter weather is here! Time to stay indoors and draw!

Been on Mars

 

 

Well, not really. But I've been out for awhile. New medicines, new challenges, but things may be looking up!

Anyway, I've been reading "Warriors of the Red Planet", and my mind has been on Mars ever since. Maybe I might even get a game off the ground; who knows?

Errantry

There was a merry passenger, a messenger a mariner:

Fafnir & Sigurd

Thinking about dragons yesterday, and so we revisit Fafnir, one of the oldest dragon stories around.

The Tripod Advances...

 

 

The Tripod, as well as other new stuff, available on my Society 6 store! And, hey! Get free shipping on your order when you use this link! http://society6.com/SteveZieser?promo=327df2



Cafe Lad Hits Tumblr!

 

First Adventures of Cafe Lad starting on Tumblr now! Check it out!

Cafe Lad back on duty!

New Cafe Lad shirts and prints available now at Society 6! Shirts ordered by this Monday are $5 off and get shipped anywhere on Earth for free!  Keep an eye open for this little guy in the future!

Troll Season begins in July

It begins! In July, the first of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition physical products (Or D&D Next) start releasing, starting with a Starter Set.

 

And, of course, the interwebs are abuzz with comments how this new version will save/destroy the tabletop gaming industry. Ahh, fandom....

 

I, for one, am hopeful for this new ruleset. Having been in on the playtest, I liked a lot of what I saw in those rules. Definitely a de-emphasis on miniatures and more on exploration and roleplay. I noticed in the description for the starter set no mention of maps or counters being included, so it seems this has continued into the final product.

 

I am intrigued, however, by the titling of this line. "D&D" is the prominent title on the box/books, with the actual words "Dungeons & Dragons" in much smaller print farther down the cover image. I imagine some sort of market research is in play here, possibly with "D&D" generating more nostalgia than the full title. Anyone with real info willing to share?

Feeling Spacey...

After the weekend's art show, which was very well put together, I got a hankering to do some more space paintings. This is in kind of a middle state, so we'll see where this goes.

New Shirt for Con season!

I'm really happy with this one! Show your pedigree and get yours here! 

God with the Bowl submissions are going up!

 

And I finally get mine done too! Check them out at http://godwiththebowl.tumblr.com/!  Want to contribute still? I'm still taking submissions to add to what we have at trampiertribute@gmail.com. No free pdfs for those submissions, however. Go over and it out!

Robots, Monsters & Heroes!

I very rarely get to show anything locally, since there usually aren't a lot of "sci fi fantasy monster" type of art shows in my area. Cedar Rapids Groundswell is doing one, though, called "Robots, Monsters & Heroes!" and it opens next weekend! I haven't gone to a gallery opening for something I was in since college, so I'm happy. I'll be showing "Tales of Science"here, which you can get for free shipping this weekend here!

Michael and the Dragon

 

Another product of our Mexico trip. We saw a lot of folk art, and I kept seeing paintings of the Archangel Michael. It really rang in my head, so I let it bounce around and this is what came out. A little blunt, yes, but some things need to be. Available at my Society 6 shop!

Grrrr....

Warm up sketch for today: Owlbear!

Back home and a God with the Bowl extension!

Got back from our Mexico trip last night! A very nice time filled with food and cool images to swipe, I mean, incorporate into my visual vocabulary.

I have received some VERY cool things for the God in the Bowl tribute, but I haven't gotten mine done yet, and it's always cooler to have more stuff, so the deadline for the tribute is extended to April 30th!

So get me that art! Follow the link for details, and if you know me via other social media, do NOT send your entries via them but to trampiertribute@gmail.com, otherwise they may get mislaid!

Cracklin Rosie

By request, my Kirby style thing now has the famed Kirby Krackle added, though there is evidence that inker Joe Sinnot was the actual creator of it. Tom Sciloli certainly seems to have it well in hand.

Are we working?

A week in to April, and I have 2 entries the God with the Bowl Tribute. Hopefully, everyone is busy getting theirs ready! Above is what I've got so far, but who knows what it will turn into! Big thanks to Veronica Blessing from The Games the Thing podcast for mentioning this tribute on their blog! Deadline is April 15th, so get scribblin!

Alien on Sale!

If you live on the Planet Earth, you can get free shipping & $5 off your purchase from my Society 6 store! Woot! Follow the promo link to get a sweet deal! http://society6.com/SteveZieser?promo=327df2

Obey!

 

New design available at my Society 6 store!

God with the Bowl Update!

Exciting Update for the God with the Bowl tribute! Dan Proctor from Goblinoid Games has generously offered a free Goblinoid Games pdf of your choice from their vast library of awesome if you contribute a piece to this project! How cool is that? Spread the word, folks!

The God with the Bowl : An April Art Challenge

 

Today I read the news that David Trampier, famed for his work with Dungeons & Dragons and his much loved comic strip, Wormy, had passed away after a long illness. I make no secret that I worshiped at the altar of Trampier in my younger days, relentlessly studying and copying his work. His colors, his ink work; he was a masterful artist that affected so many of us around the world. And his most famous and referenced piece has to be above: The "Idol" cover of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook.

So, I want to propose that May 3rd be "The God with the Bowl" Memoriam for Dave.  To celebrate it, I reach out to you, fellow gamers and artists. I propose we create a tribute by each of us creating our own take on that classic cover. You are welcome to use whatever medium you like, as long as you are not merely modifying a photograph of the actual original cover image. Also, try to keep things tasteful and all ages appropriate.  Then, come the 3rd, we post the images.

This is not a contest, so there are no prizes or judging of the entries. Also, the artist submitting retains all rights to the image they submit. This celebration is all these images will be used for, and there will be no money earned by this project.

 Dan Proctor from Goblinoid Games has generously offered a free Goblinoid Games pdf of your choice from their vast library of awesome if you contribute a piece to this project! How cool is that?

So, who's with me? Images need to be in .jpeg format and at a resolution of 72 dpi. Submit your work to trampiertribute@gmail.com by April 30th. Include the image, how you want us to present your name, the title of the image and any other information you want included in the caption under the work (your website, blog, or just something you want to say about the image) After we receive your entry, you will be emailed with instructions on how to get your free Goblinoid Games pdf.

Alright, get scribblin!

Denizens of the Deep

Who lurks deep in the sewers below?

Hail to the King

Space Sunday this week gives us a journey to the ninth moon of Kirby, to an interesting piece of xeno-archaeology known as "the King's Altar". This strange edifice might be a throne, a religious site, an ancient piece of technology: who knows?

Also, it lets me draw Jack Kirby style thingamabobs, which is always lots of fun!

Hanging Around...

About a year ago, I was off work due to my cancer treatments for a while and got relatively little drawing done in that interval. Part of that was from surgical recovery and the complications thereafter.

 

Well, I'm once again off work due to treatments, but this time more so because chemotherapy is just plain tiring and wearing in the long term. Many will tell you the treatment is worse than the disease, but I disagree. I would have been dead many years ago if not for these treatments, so I'm on the side of science on this point.

 

This time, however, I want to concentrate on making art and expanding my horizons. It's not often life gives you official permission to stay home and doodle. I'm going to make the most of it!

 

Today's doodle is Raven, the most deadly assassin in whatever fantasy city you want to stick him in. Posing as a blind street beggar by day, at night he is a sinister enforcer for the city's underworld. What few know is that he really is blind, and maybe all the deadlier because of that.

Space Sunday

 

Spent the day today drawing and watching the reruns of Cosmos that were running all day. Add the fact that Jenn and I are headed to Mexico at the end of the month, shake, and you get this. Not sure if I'm done messing with this one or not, but I like it so far...

March is for Modok.

 

Welcome to March, which means March Modok Madness!  Oh, I love the holidays...

Happy Ragnorak!



Dune Druug: Creature for X-Plorers/ Rogue Space

 

The iridescent green world of Xanthis VI is as harsh as it is beautiful from orbit. On the ground, however, it is a desolate looking whirlwind of emerald sands and bleak plateaus.  Despite a breathable atmosphere, Xanthis has received only a cursory look by science and scout teams. It has been, however, a hot spot for pirate bases and smuggling rendezvouses. 

 

Those who venture out onto the dunes may encounter the mysterious Dune Druug.  These slow moving, generally humanoid giants stand well over 2 1/2 meters and are believed to weigh tons.  Usually seen in groups of 6 to 8,  they solemnly and silently march in a wedge formation, and always into the raging wind. While it is unknown whether the Druug is intelligent, they neither seek out nor avoid contact, but ignore those they do. While there have never been reports of them attacking, they look like they would be tough customers. Their bodies appear to be mineral based and seem they would endure harsh punishment.

 

X-Plorers:  AC: 16  HD: 4d6  THB: +3 ATT: 2/2D6 ST: 11+  MV: 3  XP: 120

 

Rogue Space:  DRM: +1 TP: U  SZ: R  AR: X  DM: V  HP: 6

Coming along

Middle panel in it's middle state.

About time!

Holy delayed project, Batman!  In the summer of 2010, I started on a personal project: a three panel, landscape game screen for my own use.  That year I got exactly one panel done.

 

This one.

 



In fact, in the years since I posted this image, I've seen it used in several DIY screens, and I'm flattered and happy that most folks intuited what it was for. But, I've always had a hankering to finish it. Now I'm going to.

 

Or, at least, I'll get a second panel done. At this rate, though, it won't be ready to put together until 2018! Let's try to make it a little speedier!

Star Spawn

I was channeling Wayne Barlowe a bit here, I think.  So much so, that I had to double check to make sure I wasn't unconsciously copying something of his.  I think I'm safe, though. 

Reading Rogue Space

Spent yesterday afternoon reading C.R. Brandon's "Rogue Space: The Dark Frontier" and I really enjoyed the heck out of it and am jazzed to play it.  I really enjoy the simplicity of it, yet it is full of options that really expand it greatly from it's initial pocketmod format.

 

Written to be generic and untied to any particular sci fi universe, Rogue Space still oozes with it's own special flavor and unique take. Want to run a Traveller-esque game of interstellar commerce? You can do it. Want one of those crates in the cargo hold to contain a Star Spawn of Cthuhlu bent on stealing the crew's sanity? Go ahead! Want Flash Riprock, Space Adventurer, to come to the rescue? Why not!  Rogue Space does the heavy lifting here without breaking a sweat.

 

Plus, you get a race of intelligent apes right there in the ruleset, which makes me envision this sprawling simian star empire, bent on the destruction of the much hated human race. Now that's the stuff of adventure!

 

Well written and illustrated, Rogue Space is well worthy of your attention.  Go get it, Space Chimps!

Savvy Squatch

 

Okay, I will admit it. I love Bigfoot.  Or, at least, the idea of him.  I read an article in Flying Buffalo's long since extinct Sorcerers Apprentice magazine about modern day monsters, and I think Ken St. Andre himself wrote it.  What stuck in my mind from that article was the line that Bigfoot was "one of the few monsters left on active duty in the world", and I always liked that.

 

I will admit to enjoying Animal Planet's "Finding Bigfoot", but I tried watching "$10 Million Bigfoot Bounty" this morning and could not get through five minutes of it. Ugh.

Happy Warthogs Day!

The Warthog is mad this year and will not come out of his sty. Therefore Spring will be unaffected, since it's a season and the Warthog is just a pig.

The Ancient

 

Temple of the World Tortise

 

Following up with more robo critters...

This is from a spitpaint challenge this morning, where the subject was "tiny beetle".  Couldn't resist doing something that yesterday's robofrog might enjoy as a snack.

Robo Frog!

Aqua Dino!

Dat Thark....

I've had a Thark bouncing around in my skull, apparently.  The top doodle is from December and the other is from yesterday. I only remembered the first one when I went to save the file and saw the filename was already in use.  I like the newer one better, but might go back and lengthen the tusks.

Trolling...

Teensy post

A wee leprechaun for you today.

Dungeons & Dragons turns 40...

 

40 years ago this month, Dungeons & Dragons emerged from the basements of Gygax and Arneson and thrust itself upon the world.  I was six, and living in the middle of rural Iowa, so it would be a few years yet before I grew aware of a game that, in a lot of ways, would change my life.  Kind of weird to say, maybe, but true. 

 

So, Happy Birthday to the Grand Old Man of Gaming!  So, does this make the next edition of D&D sort of a midlife crisis for the game?  I suggest either a hairpiece or a convertible. 

Getting ahead...

Skull study.  My bone structure was getting sloppy.

The Bird is the Word

Today, a fictitious bird.

Old School Super

Blue Bolt: One of my better Champions characters.  He was a speedster with electrical powers whose costume ripped off Blue Beetle rather mightily. Still, he was pretty cool in my book...

Way behind! And The Value of Doodling.

And so you get three today!  Chemotherapy put me out for the past few days, and so we have to catch up.

 

You might notice that I haven't exactly stayed on topic around here lately. I mean, it is "Curmudgeons & DRAGONS", not elephants or bunnies. But, there is some method to my mindlessness. 

 

For a while, you'll notice, that I wasn't drawing anything. Oh, I might do a job here or there for someone, but for the most part I was being very passive. A lot of my spark felt gone.  What had happened!

 

Easy. I had stopped doodling. Just fooling around with a pen and seeing what showed up. Everytime I sat down to draw, it was with PURPOSE, and not just letting my hand and mind go where they willed. I find that making line to make line is just as important to my psyche as a recognizable image.  Sometimes, more so. Plus, it gave me my whimsy back, which has been on hiatus as well.

 

So, occasionally you are going to see elephant train conductors in addition to elves and dwarves.  And can that really be a bad thing!