News
September 5th, 2011
Oh, Kaga. You're so fun to mess with...
Not much news going on at this site so I'll share some news from my friend, Ran. She draws the slick, sci-fi comic, The End. This month is Scandalous September for The End characters as she will expose all of them in their underwear as vote incentives. The few characters I've seen are more adorable than scandalous in my opinion, but still totally worth a vote. Support Ran's comic and try to collect all of her characters!
News
August 29th, 2011
Back from my first ever PAX! I'm so glad I went and was able to meet up with Dave and Evan, two good friends from Open Fire! I also got to see my cousins and meet other cool gamers. And of course, I wouldn't have had nearly as much fun without the company of my handsome husband, Andrew. :3
But let's talk about games! I was overwhelmed by options and pretty art so I probably missed a lot but here are the games that stood out most to me:
Fez
I am totally in love with this game even though I only got to play it for five minutes or so. The main gameplay mechanic is rotating a three-dimensional space to make two-dimensional platform levels. The characters are adorable, squishy tofu things and the vibrant levels are teeming with life and intriguing details. For example, in the starting level, the villagers mostly occupy one side of their floating island and the other side is full of rats and abandoned houses. What does it all meeeean? I'm extremely bummed it's only coming out on the Xbox.
Small World Underground
In this colorful tabletop game, players use fantasy races with random special abilities to conquer caverns. The fun comes in deciding which races to recruit to your side. Are Thieving Lizardmen better than Mystic Cultists? You also have to anticipate when your active race becomes useless so you can recruit a new one. I'm not familiar with the original game but evidently the new features are powerful NPC guarded relics and places. They add a fun additional layer but the game can also be played without those mechanics.
Trine 2
I didn't actually get a chance to try playing this game but I really enjoyed watching other people play it. A knight, an archer, and a wizard travel through this side-scrolling platformer solving puzzles and helping each other with their unique talents. I was fascinated by how each character solved the same puzzle differently. The knight brute forcing his way through with his shield, the archer nimbly flying about with her grappling hook, and the wizard moving objects around with his magic. The environments were gorgeous and the animation smooth and believable. I love cooperative games and look forward to learning more about this one.
Other games that I enjoyed at PAX: Wakfu, Munchkin Axecop, Pajaggle, Rayman Origins, Rhythm Heaven Wii, and an introductory game of Dungeons and Dragons.
Enjoy some random photographs from the convention. Regular comic updates begin next week!
News
August 22nd, 2011
So many fun comments on last week's page! Thank you everyone, it's such a huge difference to know other people are reading and enjoying my work.
This week I'm out of town with family and then attending my first ever PAX show. Next week's update will be a new seasonal gallery piece instead of the usual page. So far it's turning out really cute so I hope it'll be an enjoyable substitute.
News
August 15th, 2011
Thanks to everyone who came by our humble launch party! It feels great having this project finally launched. You can look forward to all sorts of excellent content on the Open Fire! home page. Dave starts us off with a thought provoking post about women in mainstream comics. Go check it out!
News
August 15th, 2011
I survived my annual day of exercise, Portland's Bridge Pedal! The city closes lanes on all ten of its bridges crossing the Willamette River and then allows thousands of cyclists to ride up and party on them. There are three possible routes and I challenged myself to complete the shortest: the six bridge route. Considering the last time I rode my bike was last year's Bridge Pedal, I think I did pretty good.
What I love most about the ride is how we can meet and admire the personalities of our bridges better than when zipping around in cars. We started on the claustrophobic Hawthorne; then tackled the humorless Ross Island; I-5's Marquam was proud and unforgiving; next was the flat and easy Broadway; the utilitarian Burnside; and finally my favorite Portland Bridge, the cathedral-like Fremont.
What biking events have you been to? Have you ever noticed personalities in bridges before?
News
August 8th, 2011
Remember those papercraft dolls of Sweet and Sour Grapes characters I designed way back when? Well Jim Anderson of the delightful comic, Ellie on Planet X, used my pattern as a starting point to make a papercraft of his adorable character, Ellie! Even if you don't have time to put together a papercraft right now you should head over to Jim's comic and bookmark it. It is beautifully made and a joy to read.
News
August 8th, 2011
BIG NEWS!
I'm excited to finally share with you all the comic collective that I helped found: Open Fire! The other members are dear friends of mine and they have excellent comics that some of you may already be familiar with. Ran and Cory Brown's The End, Dan Potter's Walking the Lethe, and David Emerson's Underling to name a few.
We're having a launch party on Saturday, August 13th, from 9PM to 11 PM Eastern, 6 PM to 8 PM Pacific. It will be held in Tinychat (the password is "omgcomics"). Come cheer on the talented creators, watch us draw goofy things, and meet other fans.
News
August 1st, 2011
During my family reunion trip this last weekend, I met my cousin's charming goats. They had such funny personalities! I had no idea goats were so social and loving, they had always been classified as boring livestock in my mind. Now they are firmly in the pet category for me as well. Pictured above are my cousin's three, slightly more shy Cashmere goats that she got from a rescue. She also has two LaMancha goats that were so affectionate and attached to my hip that I couldn't hold my camera far away enough to get a clear picture.
Being a fan of pet rats, I'm usually on the other side of the conversation. I try to share my love of the animal with people who may have already categorized it as something negative. So it was really refreshing being the person taught to appreciate something new. I hope some of the people I talk to about my pet rats enjoy it as much as I enjoyed learning about goats.
Just for kicks, here are some recent pics of my own darling pets:
News
July 25th, 2011
Wheee! Another prismatic vision! These are so fun to draw. XD
Cutting dairy out of my life about six or seven years ago was one of the best decisions I made. Not only did it save me from numerous stomach problems (I have moderate lactose intolerance) but it also forced me to pay more attention to what I eat. It helped me lose weight and tossed me out of my comfort zone as I searched for recipes and cuisines to replace my previously, very cheesy diet. I've grown to like lots of foods that I wouldn't have touched during my college years.
But I did have one regret: ice cream. Especially on hot summer days with a bit of fresh fruit or floating in root beer while watching late-night movies. Sherbet and smoothies are ok substitutes but just not the same.
Then this summer, my aunt clued me in on Breyer's Lactose-Free Vanilla Ice Cream. I tried it with some apprehension but there were no dire consequences. I will still be careful and enjoy this in moderation but I'm just so happy I can indulge in ice cream again without clearing out my schedule for the next 24 hours. I am REGRET-FREE and totally having a root beer float RIGHT NOW.
News
July 18th, 2011
When I was younger, gifts were the best part of birthdays. But now I treasure the well wishes and attention (and all the delicious food). Growing older may eventually become distressing but right now it's still fun and full of discovery.
In other news, I've boarded the Google+ bus and would love to connect with people there. If you have an account, add me!