Here is a quick little watercolour I did of my friend riding a cow in a tornado! This is to commemorate my good friend Emily taking a little excursion to America to go tornado chasing! She is one adrenaline junkie! I hope she has a great time, and doesn't get as close to a tornado as she does in my picture!
Ridin' a Tornado by ~Naffynaff on deviantART
Thursday, May 17
Thursday, May 10
Famous People
Hey ho!
I'm finally getting round to posting some piccy wics of the big project I've had the privilege to work on for the 6 (or so months)! Last year, Splinter Design got commissioned to design and create a set of interactive games for the BBC, that would teach young people about famous people that have shaped the world we live in. As part of the Splinter team, I had the good fortune to create one of the design styles that would be used through half of these online games. The other half being done in the style of another illustrator, a man we like to call Ste Woods! Then, the fantastically scary job of putting it all together (with snazzy ActionScript and such) was carried out by my colleagues Jon Raffe and Adam Irwin! (I also stupidly forget to mention that there was lots of brainstorming, scripting and voice recording, which was managed by the Splinter boss, Chris Beer and the educational expert we had with us, Jacqui!)
Needless to say I was well chuffed to be involved on such a large project! I had much needed assistance with the large amount of illustration work by a certain lovely lady called Marie; whom without I would have been weeping in a corner throughout the duration of this project!
(Marie is a really cool graphic design lady, and people should check out her website full of awesome work by clicking the following linky link: Kochi Kochi.co.uk)
As well as illustration, I also got to make some rough storyboards and search for music/sound effects to fit all the games set in all their different time periods.
Before shoving all the pictures in your faces, I should explain that my style had a game show theme, and involved having each famous people playing the role as a contestant (set in their particular eras) and they have to play through 3 mini games; in which you will find out lots of information about this specific person! So now, on with the piccy wics!
This was called the main game container, as its in this section that the player would proceed through each of the 3 mini games. This is the main game container for Edward Jenner (the groovy guy that figured out a cure for smallpox!) It features the man himself, the quiz show host (a milk maid) and a game board that acts as a pathway to each mini game.
This was called a 'Fill in the Gap' game, in this game, the player is faced with a sentence with a missing word - the player must choose the right word to make the sentence correct. In this particular version of a Fill in the Gap game, the player also received help by images being presented to them as clues!
Next up is a 'Match the Shape' game - in which the player is presented with a silhouette (or in this case a technical drawing) and the player must find the corresponding shape within all the other objects. This picture features the workshop of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
This is a 'Spinning Plates' game, in this particular example, you are acting as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, handing his workers pick axes and lanterns to help him build the Thames Tunnel. The aim of a Spinning Plates game is to do a routine task, but in a specific order (such as in the game, when a worker turns up at your table you need to hand him a pick axe, then a lantern and sign him into a book, THEN once the worker has finished his shift, you need to click him to make room for another worker.), and as you progress you need to perform the tasks faster. If you fail to complete the task in time - a person will leave disgruntled and you will lose points. It sounds complicated, but its pretty simple once you start playing it!
This is another Match the Shape game, but this time for Charles Dickens!
The main game container for William Shakespeare. This one was set on the stage of the Globe Theatre, explaining why you have the quiz host dressed as a lady (the Globe Theatre didn't allow female actresses back then), and three children holding caskets (harking back to Shakespeare's 'Merchant of Venice' - the play I did at school! I carried the lead casket!)containing the links to each mini game.
This was called a 'Speed Observation' game, this was were the player is presented with three objects, and they must pick the correct one for the situation (for example in this game, you need to pick the correct items of clothing for different Shakespearian actor).
So there you go! These are just a snippet of some of the games we made! Here are the full list of people that me and Marie illustrated:
John Logie Baird
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Charles Dickens
Mary Queen of Scots
Tanni-Grey Thompson
William Shakespeare
Edward Jenner
Elizabeth Fry
Nelson Mandela
Dylan Thomas
You can check out all the games that Splinter made by visiting here: Famous People Website
I'm proud of all the games we made, so if you have time you should try to check them all out! You would be surprised about how much you can learn about people you thought you knew about! And then you can impress your friends and family with your new found knowledge! Thats what I've been doing, I tell ya!
You can also check out other work that Splinter has been involved in by going to our website:Splinter Design (we are currently going through the process of a rebrand, so the look of our website should be changing in the near future!)
AND, Splinter has also got a big old blog post about the whole process that we went through in the Famous People design, which is written much more eloquently than I could ever put it, so you can check that how here: Behind the Scenes of BBC Famous People
Finally, just to sign off, here is our showreel showcasing the Famous People games (which I edited! Look Ma! I'm an editor now!):
I'm finally getting round to posting some piccy wics of the big project I've had the privilege to work on for the 6 (or so months)! Last year, Splinter Design got commissioned to design and create a set of interactive games for the BBC, that would teach young people about famous people that have shaped the world we live in. As part of the Splinter team, I had the good fortune to create one of the design styles that would be used through half of these online games. The other half being done in the style of another illustrator, a man we like to call Ste Woods! Then, the fantastically scary job of putting it all together (with snazzy ActionScript and such) was carried out by my colleagues Jon Raffe and Adam Irwin! (I also stupidly forget to mention that there was lots of brainstorming, scripting and voice recording, which was managed by the Splinter boss, Chris Beer and the educational expert we had with us, Jacqui!)
Needless to say I was well chuffed to be involved on such a large project! I had much needed assistance with the large amount of illustration work by a certain lovely lady called Marie; whom without I would have been weeping in a corner throughout the duration of this project!
(Marie is a really cool graphic design lady, and people should check out her website full of awesome work by clicking the following linky link: Kochi Kochi.co.uk)
As well as illustration, I also got to make some rough storyboards and search for music/sound effects to fit all the games set in all their different time periods.
Before shoving all the pictures in your faces, I should explain that my style had a game show theme, and involved having each famous people playing the role as a contestant (set in their particular eras) and they have to play through 3 mini games; in which you will find out lots of information about this specific person! So now, on with the piccy wics!
So there you go! These are just a snippet of some of the games we made! Here are the full list of people that me and Marie illustrated:
John Logie Baird
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Charles Dickens
Mary Queen of Scots
Tanni-Grey Thompson
William Shakespeare
Edward Jenner
Elizabeth Fry
Nelson Mandela
Dylan Thomas
You can check out all the games that Splinter made by visiting here: Famous People Website
I'm proud of all the games we made, so if you have time you should try to check them all out! You would be surprised about how much you can learn about people you thought you knew about! And then you can impress your friends and family with your new found knowledge! Thats what I've been doing, I tell ya!
You can also check out other work that Splinter has been involved in by going to our website:Splinter Design (we are currently going through the process of a rebrand, so the look of our website should be changing in the near future!)
AND, Splinter has also got a big old blog post about the whole process that we went through in the Famous People design, which is written much more eloquently than I could ever put it, so you can check that how here: Behind the Scenes of BBC Famous People
Finally, just to sign off, here is our showreel showcasing the Famous People games (which I edited! Look Ma! I'm an editor now!):
Sunday, April 29
HTML & CSS
Hello! I thought I'd take a little time to plug this book I bought recently called: 'HTML & CSS' by Jon Duckett.
I bought it to help me design a new website (either on my own or through something like WordPress). Its an immaculately designed instruction manual to teach others how to implement HTML and CSS. Check out some of the clear but engaging spreads here:
I have been working through it over this weekend and have found it really easy and fun to read! A lot of these instruction books can be pure text and can turn into a bit of a nightmare to read and understand. But this books explains the code in little nuggets, with accompanying on screen examples. I've found it very enjoyable to go through!
So far I am learning about HTML, which I knew a couple of the basics about already - although I haven't used HTML in many years now! And I've already learnt a whole new bunch of stuff over a few hours! (Like how to make tables, how to optimise images for the web, how to makes forms etc etc!) I'm looking forward to learning about CSS, as I've never tinkered with that language before and it'll be really useful to know!
The book also has an accompanying website that lets you have a look at the book before you purchase, or even check out all the code that is used throughout it!
You can check out the website here: HTML & CSS: Design and Build Websites
Anyways, thats enough of my waffling, I recommend this book a lot! Its been pretty darn cool so far!
I bought it to help me design a new website (either on my own or through something like WordPress). Its an immaculately designed instruction manual to teach others how to implement HTML and CSS. Check out some of the clear but engaging spreads here:
I have been working through it over this weekend and have found it really easy and fun to read! A lot of these instruction books can be pure text and can turn into a bit of a nightmare to read and understand. But this books explains the code in little nuggets, with accompanying on screen examples. I've found it very enjoyable to go through!
So far I am learning about HTML, which I knew a couple of the basics about already - although I haven't used HTML in many years now! And I've already learnt a whole new bunch of stuff over a few hours! (Like how to make tables, how to optimise images for the web, how to makes forms etc etc!) I'm looking forward to learning about CSS, as I've never tinkered with that language before and it'll be really useful to know!
The book also has an accompanying website that lets you have a look at the book before you purchase, or even check out all the code that is used throughout it!
You can check out the website here: HTML & CSS: Design and Build Websites
Anyways, thats enough of my waffling, I recommend this book a lot! Its been pretty darn cool so far!
Monday, April 23
Robots and Avatars
Thats right, I've been to ANOTHER exhibition recently as well!
This time at the FACT up on Wood Street to see 'Robots and Avatars'. An interactive exhibition, all the pieces encourage the viewer to get involved and explore our own presence in the digital world - how we represent ourselves and how this could evolve in the future (this is how I took it to be anyhows...)
Alastair Eilbeck and James Bailey - MeYouAndUs
Probably my favourite pieces were by Alastair Eilbeck and James Bailey, situated on the first floor of the gallery/cinema place. Entitled 'MeYouAndUs', these were a series of three artworks which enticed the viewer to act/pose in front of an unseen camera, and their actions would then be displayed on large screens but partially distorted. Such as, your recorded image being sped up and repeated several times creating a strange sort of drug-like fantasy (and making me jump up and down like a loon - I have decided I want one in my millionaire's mansion when I eventually get round to buying it).
Karina Smigla-Bobinski - ADA
There was an interesting piece called 'ADA', created by artist Karina Smigla-Bobinski, in which there was a large inflated ball with a number of pieces of charcoal (I think) attached all over it. Viewers were then asked to throw the ball around the white, bare room in which it was placed, consequently producing a large array of marks all over the room. I'm not sure what this has to do with a digital presence, but it sure looked like fun! (Unfortunately I was not allowed to play with it when I was at FACT due to the ball having a puncture :( Oh well - I could still appreciate the idea of it!)
Michael Takeo Magruder - Visions of Our Communal Dreams
This installation was pretty snazzy, as it involved multiple interactive spaces set up throughout the gallery. I think the main premise of the piece was to guide an avatar through a rather tranquil/eerie island (reminded me of the game Myst - which I played ever so briefly a long while back)), and other viewers within the gallery could watch the progress of the avatar through the various interactive portals set up about the place. I'm afraid I didn't fully understand the whole piece - I think it could have worked better if the whole gallery had been set up for this one piece of work, and then I could have felt more immersed in the experience and may have come away with a deeper understanding of it. But STILL, I liked the piece anyhows!
Lawrence Malstaf - Compass
Unfortunately this piece was Out of Order when we arrived at the gallery (I think we came on a bad day for FACT :s), but there was a large video demonstrating this large gizmo; which a person wore around their waist. The machine would then control which direction the person walked in. What was interesting was you could either let the machine guide you through an invisble map (programmed into it) or you could fight against it! It looked super cool - although if it had been working I think I may have been a bit too scared to wear the gadget myself - you don't know where itcould take you!
Matthieu Cherubini - Rep.licants.org.
And finally, here was a strange program which you could install into either your Facebook or Twitter account, and let it do the socialising for you! By inputting your likes and dislikes (and various other bits of data) the program will try to be you - by posting up anything it finds on the internet that matches up with the data you entered earlier! Scary stuff, but even more frightening was that it could even have a conversation with your friends (or attempt to, I think your friends may be weirded out by the new way you talk - as obviously it can't replicate how you communicate with other; although soon, who knows?) I'm afraid I just couldn't trust my accounts to the little robots, but if you're intrigued and would like a little robot to take over your Twitter or Facebook account, you can download the little critter here: Rep.licants.org
If you would like to see the website for this exhibition you can take a gander at these places:
FACT website
Robots and Avatars website
The Robots and Avatars exhibition will be residing in FACT until 27th May, and its definitely worth a look!
This time at the FACT up on Wood Street to see 'Robots and Avatars'. An interactive exhibition, all the pieces encourage the viewer to get involved and explore our own presence in the digital world - how we represent ourselves and how this could evolve in the future (this is how I took it to be anyhows...)
Alastair Eilbeck and James Bailey - MeYouAndUs
Probably my favourite pieces were by Alastair Eilbeck and James Bailey, situated on the first floor of the gallery/cinema place. Entitled 'MeYouAndUs', these were a series of three artworks which enticed the viewer to act/pose in front of an unseen camera, and their actions would then be displayed on large screens but partially distorted. Such as, your recorded image being sped up and repeated several times creating a strange sort of drug-like fantasy (and making me jump up and down like a loon - I have decided I want one in my millionaire's mansion when I eventually get round to buying it).
Karina Smigla-Bobinski - ADA
There was an interesting piece called 'ADA', created by artist Karina Smigla-Bobinski, in which there was a large inflated ball with a number of pieces of charcoal (I think) attached all over it. Viewers were then asked to throw the ball around the white, bare room in which it was placed, consequently producing a large array of marks all over the room. I'm not sure what this has to do with a digital presence, but it sure looked like fun! (Unfortunately I was not allowed to play with it when I was at FACT due to the ball having a puncture :( Oh well - I could still appreciate the idea of it!)
Michael Takeo Magruder - Visions of Our Communal Dreams
This installation was pretty snazzy, as it involved multiple interactive spaces set up throughout the gallery. I think the main premise of the piece was to guide an avatar through a rather tranquil/eerie island (reminded me of the game Myst - which I played ever so briefly a long while back)), and other viewers within the gallery could watch the progress of the avatar through the various interactive portals set up about the place. I'm afraid I didn't fully understand the whole piece - I think it could have worked better if the whole gallery had been set up for this one piece of work, and then I could have felt more immersed in the experience and may have come away with a deeper understanding of it. But STILL, I liked the piece anyhows!
Lawrence Malstaf - Compass
Unfortunately this piece was Out of Order when we arrived at the gallery (I think we came on a bad day for FACT :s), but there was a large video demonstrating this large gizmo; which a person wore around their waist. The machine would then control which direction the person walked in. What was interesting was you could either let the machine guide you through an invisble map (programmed into it) or you could fight against it! It looked super cool - although if it had been working I think I may have been a bit too scared to wear the gadget myself - you don't know where itcould take you!
Matthieu Cherubini - Rep.licants.org.
And finally, here was a strange program which you could install into either your Facebook or Twitter account, and let it do the socialising for you! By inputting your likes and dislikes (and various other bits of data) the program will try to be you - by posting up anything it finds on the internet that matches up with the data you entered earlier! Scary stuff, but even more frightening was that it could even have a conversation with your friends (or attempt to, I think your friends may be weirded out by the new way you talk - as obviously it can't replicate how you communicate with other; although soon, who knows?) I'm afraid I just couldn't trust my accounts to the little robots, but if you're intrigued and would like a little robot to take over your Twitter or Facebook account, you can download the little critter here: Rep.licants.org
If you would like to see the website for this exhibition you can take a gander at these places:
FACT website
Robots and Avatars website
The Robots and Avatars exhibition will be residing in FACT until 27th May, and its definitely worth a look!
Sunday, April 22
Liverpool Giants
Hey ho blog-erinos!
As I live in the fair city of Liverpool, I've been able to witness the spectacular Giants that came to visit us. Don't worry, I won't waffle on too much, all I want to say is that the Giants were absolutely breath taking and brought a wee tear to my eye (cause I'm a bit weird like that)
But yes, on with the pictures!
The event was so well organised, and I feel privileged that Royal De luxe chose to host this story in our city! I love the Giants! (I hope they release a book of photos or what not - I have seen so many great photos over the internet over the last few days, I may even be tempted to make my own book of photos if one doesn't appear!)
And finally, heres a little video I took yesterday of the Girl and the Uncle Giants getting re-united! (Apologies for my camera being a bit jerky!)
As I live in the fair city of Liverpool, I've been able to witness the spectacular Giants that came to visit us. Don't worry, I won't waffle on too much, all I want to say is that the Giants were absolutely breath taking and brought a wee tear to my eye (cause I'm a bit weird like that)
But yes, on with the pictures!
The event was so well organised, and I feel privileged that Royal De luxe chose to host this story in our city! I love the Giants! (I hope they release a book of photos or what not - I have seen so many great photos over the internet over the last few days, I may even be tempted to make my own book of photos if one doesn't appear!)
And finally, heres a little video I took yesterday of the Girl and the Uncle Giants getting re-united! (Apologies for my camera being a bit jerky!)
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