Riffing on Bingham

I was yakking online with fellow OSR artist extraordinaire Johnathan Bingham this weekend, and it made me go back through stuff of his I really like, which is most all of it!  I was rereading Delve! #1, and it still strikes me as just an awesomely cool product.  If you don't have it, you need it!  I often tinker with the idea of doing something like this, but Johnathon is out there doing it!  This is why the OSR is still such an awesome thing.  And so, I rip off a Bingham with today's offering: a Contagion Guard from Delve!

Living with the Serpent

I've had some health issues come up recently, so I thought I'd just give everybody at the Curmudgeon an update.

As some of you are aware, I have stage 4 metastatic colon cancer residing in my lung.  Over the past eight years, I've had various surgeries, procedures and chemotherapies.  A few weeks ago, I had another scan after my wife and I had assumed we might be done with all this.  But, alas, the cancer was still there.

So, we will be starting a new set of treatments soon.  For a week or so, I was crushed and felt defeated.

But here's the thing:  Over the past year, my wife and I have felt great.  We've been doing kettlebell workouts five days a week and watching what we eat.  I've lost 30 pounds and am in the best shape of my life.  And, during all of this progress, I've been living with this cancer.  Sometimes, I have pictured it like a coiled serpent living in my rib cage.

Recently, I was challenged to what in life I want to focus on:  all the awesome progress and happiness in life my wife and I have or the serpent.  Everything in life versus one bad thing.  I chose to focus on life.

So, I'm going to continue to work out, eat right, take my meds, work, travel and live awesomely.  That includes making more art for cool game products that we all enjoy.  I'm not going anywhere, folks!  

My RPG Person Profile

This is a meme running around the bloggosphere that I like, so I'm hopping on board!

My RPG Person Profile


I'm currently running (at home): Sadly, nothing.

Tabletop RPGs I'm currently playing (at home) include: Also, sadly, nothing.

I'm currently running (online): See a pattern here?

Tabletop RPGs I'm currently playing (online) include: It's sad, I know

I would especially like to play/run: X-Plorers, Delving Deeper, B/X D&D/Labyrinth Lord, Risus and Savage Worlds.

...but would also try: Hackmaster, Fate Accelerated

I live in: Cedar Rapids, Iowa

2 or 3 well-known RPG products other people made that I like: Hackmaster, Delving Deeper and Risus.

2 or 3 novels I like: Lord of the Rings, Ringworld and Foundation.

2 or 3 movies I like: Star Wars, Captain America and The Incredibles

Best place to find me on-line: Facebook or G+

I will read almost anything on tabletop RPGs if it's: About supers

I really do not want to hear about: Zombies. Enough, already!

Banner Year

It's been a great year here at the Curmudgeon.  Been busy with projects, had great vacations and recently   I've lost a lot of weight and really started getting into shape.  All in all, good things!

I recently did a web banner for a customer, and the above was the pitch drawing for it.  He liked it, and the final ended up very similar.  Note the obligatory Cthulhu reference.

You Tube, the Final Frontier....

Did this little number over the weekend to use as my cover image on Facebook.  You can also watch my process with a time lapse video of the painting at:  http://youtu.be/HFE8IkTdv_c

In the Long Lost Valley...

So, I'm online today and see a blog ticker with my entry from February 11th, which was a looooong time ago!  So I thought I'd best let folks know that I'm still around!  

I've been busy doing lots of things here and there for lots of different folks.  Above is a draft for a future color piece that I'm monkeying with.  Also gearing up for some actual gaming via Google +!  Excitement!

Hope everyone's having a great day!

Back on Patrol

Finally getting back to getting some drawing and painting done.  Still about a month out from getting to go back to my day job,  so I'm making time to draw each day, which you think would be second nature.   This one is kind of a dress rehearsal for some upcoming sci fi work.