Is This Real Life? Or Just Fantasy?

Real life has been kicking my ass, hard. My hours got slashed, and while one might think that would leave more time for creative projects, such thoughts run aground against the rocky shores financial hard times. Don't expect a sudden rush of projects any time soon.

Most of my recent projects have been edible in nature.  As fitting in the recent heat, we've been trying out various different flavors of Ice Cream.

Jalapeno Ice Cream was good in small doses, but don't expect to eat a big bowl full like you might do with chocolate or vanilla. Kalen and I were the only ones brave enough to eat it.

Sea Salt Ice Cream is a favorite for you Kingdom Hearts fans, and went over quite well with the entire Studio.

Red Bull Ice Cream was okay, but never got a very creamy texture.

Monster Ice Cream was much like Red Bull, but turned out much creamier and more of a proper Ice Cream texture.

Chai Ice Cream was a hit with everyone but Jareth, who promptly insisted it we had created feet ice cream. This did not stop him from eating it anyway.

Cookies with Heart!

So me and some friends got together and created some cookies based on Legend of Zelda heart containers.
They are sugar cookies, with food coloring. They turned out delicious. I just thought I'd share a couple of pictures.

 We just rolled them out, cut out large hearts, then cut out their center with the smaller heart shaped cookie cutter. After that we cut small red hearts out, cut them to the appropriate fraction and stuck them in the middle of the larger hearts.

Now With Extra QR Code!

I decided to use one of the many random online QR Code generators to many a code for this blog. Lets me advertise on image boards and such. I'm also looking to slap it onto my business card. Figure it's a decent way to advertise.

I support QR codes. I make a point to scan any I find, and I believe it's a field of technology that is only going to get more popular with time as smart phones start dominating the market.

Real update will come as soon as I can get the pictures from Jareth.

Casting in Resin, a Guide For the Poor

So, I has some people express interest in how I cast my miniatures. The original are usually green stuff or gray stuff, and I sell resin casts of those.

The method I use for resin casting is very, very simple, and it comes from a guide a friend of mine sent to me. Apparently this guide is getting passed around the tabletop war-gaming crowd as a way to flesh out an army. From what I know, there it's a bit questionable legally when used for Warhammer 40K,  Warmahordes, or any other licensed, copyrighted miniature, but I know it's perfectly legal when casting original sculpts.

That's okay with me though, cause I'm just casting my own creations. The guide, which can be found here, has several tips and tricks you can use to cheaply, and easily cast  your own gaming army.

I personally use the silicone trick, and cast the miniatures in a fast curing, white casting resin acquired from my local Hobby Lobby. The detail has always come out great, although I've had purist insult my technique for not using RTV silicone for my models.

I find that a drop of acrylic hobby paint for every table spoon of pure silicone caulk will cure fast and strong, and using Vaseline thinned with mineral spirits provides an excellent mold release. I use injecting molding to make the casts, and usually find myself with minimal flashing to clean.

It's an easy process, and I highly recommend anyone with an interest in the hobby try it out sometime.

Coming Attractions

So, I don't have anything new to show off currently. Right now most of our projects are works in progress and I don't really have a good enough camera to take shots in the middle of things.

But I can tell you about all the nifty things we've been working on!

Jareth is been focusing on his chainmaile plushies. He's been getting lots of interest and good feedback from them, and it's his current focus.

Kalen is working on plushies of her own. These are made of more traditional cloth materials. The subjects, how ever more then make up for the mundane nature of the the building material.
This is in addition to work she is doing on Pokemon Badges.

I have been working on custom gaming miniatures. Once I get them were I like them, I'll be making molds and selling resin casts to anyone interested.

And the current group project is the Custom Power Coins I mentioned last post. Currently we've go a lion and a hammerhead shark in the works, but Jareth needs approximately 25 customs coins for his fan movie. So this is a big project that's taking up the focus of a lot of the studio.

And that's all the exciting things that I'm not showing you for now. Hopefully next week I can get some pictures up of all the nifty sparklies.

So Let's Try This Again, Eh?

Sorry about the large hiatus. I spent some rough months, but I've finally nailed down a solid, permanent job. It doesn't pay great, and it's only part time, but it should keep the internet on and a rough over my head.

So now I've got some time to put to this blog. As you saw from last weeks entry I'm still trying to keep it on the creations of our local artisan group. I'll post photos of what I can, but I don't have a digital camera anymore, and the one of my phone isn't worth the effort.

Still there should be some nice projects coming down the line soon for me to show off. You should see some very nice custom Power Coins from the old Power Rangers being created soon. And Kalen is working on some Pokemon Badges for resin casting that we should be selling soon.

See you guys next update.

Animals of Chain

I've spoke of the works of Jareth Valentine before. How he makes chainmaile. Well, recently he's been knitting those chains into something very interesting and highly unique. He's been making plushies. Out of chainmaile.

Interesting, eh? I don't know of anyone making such creations. Well, a quick and dirty web search found me a couple of chainmaile teddy bears. And a lot of bears wearing chainmaile armor.

These critters are surprisingly soft and cuddly. Made from aluminum links, and stuffed with standard poly-fill, the end result is huggable, yet durable.

They are limited editions, as well. Mr. Valentine has sworn to never produce two of the same animal, so if there is one you want, I suggest contacting him soon. So far, he has only produced the Cat, the Rabbit, the Frog, and the Snake. A Wolf has been commission already. His email is Stellar_raven@hotmail.com. Or you can email me, and I can relay orders.

As you can see from the pictures a variety of colors are available, as well as the bright aluminum. He can also produce these in a limited range of other metals. These include brass, bronze, copper, steel, and titanium.

And yes, the snake has a rattler. I understand it's crafted from polymer clay.

Random Time Travelers

Today I was a time traveler.

Specifically, I was dressed as a time traveler.
I had on an outfit including overcoat, opera cape, white gloves, top hat, vest, and to top it off, a gas mask.
I walked around the city, bursting into random places of business, where I'd rip off the mask, demand someone tell me the date, and then rush off.

It was awesome.

I do believe I greatly increased the weirdness quotient of a great many people's day.

Neglect

I've been neglecting you, I know. A full thirteen days of neglect.

I'm still looking for work. I was very close to ending up homeless for the month of March, but I lucked into almost enough to cover rent, and talked my landlord into letting the rest slide.

Honestly, don't expect regular updates until I'm no longer living out of luggage, wondering where my next meal comes from. You wouldn't be getting this many updates if I didn't own a ten year old laptop that's not worth pawning.

I had high hope for this blog, but they seems to be running aground on the rocky shores of reality.

Hunting that Rarest of Beasts

Gainful employment, that is.

Yeah, reason I haven't posted for most of the week is that I've been busy trying to find a new job. This being complicated due to not having a car anymore. So I've been walking and busing around town looking for a paying job.
I have  some excellent prospects, and even have interview in the morning. So maybe by this time next week I will be jobbed.

Till things work out, this blog might be a bit sparse. It's lower on my priorities then try to keep from being homeless at the end of the month.

Painted People by Kalen Morrin

Everyone loves body paints. Whether it's 'just for fun' style face painting at a fair or for Halloween, or full body works of intricate art, everyone loves a good paint job.

Well, here are some of the works by Kalen Morrin, another close friend of mine and highly talented artist. She is, as you can see, very fond of giving people wings. She often decorates those looking to stand out a little at a club or party. These designs are very beautiful and eye catching. These are a couple of her more complex pieces. And two of the best pictures I could find of her work.

 

You can check out a wider range of her work at: http://pixiewraith.deviantart.com

Unsecured WiFi for the Win!

So, I'm stealing some poor schmuck's unsecured WiFi to post this.

I've just moved to a new place in a new city, and I've had to do a lot of job hunting, leaving little time for blogging. Like I mentioned yesterday, internet won't be hooked up here for a few days, so blogging will be sporadic.

I've been working on Eldritch Adventures. First town is mostly done. Mostly. There are a couple of NPCs that need some tweaking. I'll get an update on MediaFire as soon as I can.

Till next time.

Posting From a Coffee Shop

So I'm in a coffee shop, posting from a public computer. This is the first time I've been online since I left yesterday.

The place I'm staying won't have internet till later this month. I'll try to update from public access spots when I can.

Till then, I'll keep working on Eldritch Adventures, but I don't know when I'll be able to upload the updates.

Unexpected Road Trip

So, you aren't getting much of a post today. Cause I'm taking a unexpected roadtrip across the state.

It's not totally unexpected, but I had thought it was going to happen next Monday. I woke up today, and get a message boiling down to "O Hi! Can have Roadtrip now?" Anyway, I'm scrambling to pack up, and be ready by the time my ride gets here.

Tomorrow will either be an update to Eldritch Adventures, or spotlighting another associated artist. Maybe both!

The Chains of Ravangel Ringworks

Today I'm going to talk about and show off some of the works my good friend and roommate. He goes by Jareth Valentine. (Seriously. He answers to it in Real Life. He gets mail by that name.) He makes chainmaile. Well, he does a whole lot more then that, but chainmaile is what I'm here to talk about.

Here is some of his necklaces. These are some of his smaller items, but they are his more popular works and sell very well. This is just a small sample. He uses a wide variety of styles and materials with his chains, and an even wider variety with his charms. He makes some of the charms, spends a lot of time hunting down unique ones at thrift stores and flea markets, and others he trades with other artists for. I myself own a very nice choker he made. It's all brass with a hand cast brass dragon charm. It's a personal favorite.

These are his bracelets. Mostly without charms, these are very popular, and he always keeps a stock available. Here you can also see his business card. That is his valid email address: Stellar_raven@hotmail.com. That email is the best way to contact his for commission information or just general questions about his work.

But maybe this isn't what you are interested in. Maybe you don't wear bracelets and don't want a necklace or choker. You want armor! When you here chainmaile you think guys in chain tunics and girls in skimpy metal bikinis. Well, you are in luck. Because he does though to. Here is a picture of one of his chainmaile halter tops. This was a custom order for the girl in question.

All of his work comes with a lifetime warranty. If it breaks, he will fix it. If you outgrow it, he will modify it so it fits again. I own a very nice scalemaile vest he made for me. Prices for larger pieces vary widely based on amount of materials needed, complexity of the piece, and what material you want it made of.

These are the works of Jareth B. Valentine, owner of Ravangel Ringworks.

Quick Screen Shot

Figured I might as well show a quick screen shot of game play from Eldritch Adventures. As you can see, it's all text based. Someone asked about a youtube video, but I don't see the point with a text based game.

Eldritch Adventures 0.02

I've recently been working on a flash based text game. It's designed to call back images of the old classics like Zork and MUDs.
It's barely more then character creation right now. I've pretty much had to teach myself ActionScript 3 as I go. I've made it using a copy of Adobe Flash Professional CS5. It's been an excellent chance to learn a new language.

You choose one of five races, each with their own traits and factions. The game will eventually have a large open ended story and allow a great deal of sandbox play. But right now it's pretty much just the character creation, and the beginnings of the starting town.

I'll post updates as I complete them. Right now goals include finishing the first town and the starting dungeon. For now here is the current version hosted on MediaFire.

Eldritch Adventures V.0.02

A Wild Blog Appears

This is the blog for Brass Dragons Studios of Media, a collection of artists and writers, forming a company that doesn't quite exist yet. It will include news of the various works of the members, along with news of the world and it's wonders.

Look forward to sculpture, paintings, props, and all sorts of writings.