:: Professional Thug :: (Evil Teacher Productions)

Just wanted to share with you all a little sketch I did recently for the infamous Andre Faucher of Evil Teacher Productions. The Professional Thug, ladies and gentlemen:

Andre described to me a brute that specialized in demoralizing his victims before beating them senseless. Why fight when you can intimidate people into giving you what you want?

This lesson was hard-learned for our little friend, whose missing tooth and scars told of battles he might rather have avoided... Or might those distinguishing characteristics just be another ploy to throw the guards off when he's on the run from his latest job?

Sure, his mohawk and tattoos make him a memorable character, but remove the wig and the stage makeup and you have a normal-looking fellow minding his own business. "Wot's that? Missing tooth and a scar, you say, guv'nor? That very bloke dashed by just now, sure thing. Have a nice day and such." And with the tip of his bowler the Professional Thug is on to his next victim.

Be sure to check out the Professional Thug and all of Andre's other ingenious character stat-blocks at Evil Teacher Productions. You can even download free PDFs of your favorites to use in your next RPG!

:: Evil Teacher Productions ::

The full Evil Teacher Productions logo.

Andre Faucher has been a good friend of mine for many years now, and I've always been impressed by his skills with storytelling, creating a dynamic cast of characters, and instilling an overall feeling of genuineness with his world-building. Those of you who game know I'm talking about a GM who has posted thousands of hours of actual play on Gamer's Haven Podcast, and in whose games I have played for as long as I have known him. He's always had a not-so-secret ambition to rule the worl--ahem, I mean to publish his original RPG content for realsies. So, when he came to me asking to have a logo created for the realization of this dream, I was both honored and excited at the prospect of his superior work seeing the light of a digital shelf on the interwebs.

Check out Andre's Facebook page here!
Hit the jump for more on the Evil Teacher Productions logo.

:: Spilt Ink Packaging ::

Overview

As I developed the packaging for the Spilt Ink brand, I considered a wide variety of shapes and templates. Ultimately, however, the shape of the packaging needed to respond to and augment the shape of the object within, which made some of the options I was considering stand out as the stronger candidates.

As this process continued, I remembered that the Spilt Ink brand was not about the creation of something new, but taking something old and giving it a new life. Thus was born the idea of re-purposing packages that had already been used for something else. The Spilt Ink brand is about inspiration, and so it was only natural that I practice this principle while searching for appropriate older packages to serve as a basis for the new ones.

Each package needed some inherent story that could be used as inspiration for the creative writers that would eventually purchase these items, and so I did not want to obliterate all signs of what the package used to be. Instead, I wanted to allow its history to peek through, veiling it in just enough branding to make it feel like it was a part of the set.

I chose translucent vellum as the labeling material for its smoky qualities to serve as this "veil," and applied the visual motifs of the Spilt Ink brand: blackletter style font; large, recessive ligatures; and an element unique to the packaging: the dripping bar code.

Because these packages were all developed to be displayed within a branded store, the Spilt Ink logotype did not need to be front and center, but was able to take a less-prominent position on one of the secondary faces. I also included a message on each product written by the fictional store owner, Dave Dennison.

Keep reading to learn more about the packaging design process!

:: KantCon Characters, the Past 3 Years::

The original KantCon 2011 logo.

KantCon 2011

If you've read any of my other posts, you know that I've been doing design for KantCon since 2011. I created the main KantCon logo and started the cast of characters with a troll I created back in 2004 called the Jabbergluck. But this was just the beginning of the ride. As time has passed, and the pantheon has grown, we've adopted a little more crazy into the KantCon family.

Keep reading to learn more about how these zany characters came to be!

:: The Legend of Zelda ~ Shadows Saga ~ Episode 2 ~ Thieves NOW AVAILABLE! ::

It's been a long time coming, but the wait for Episode 2 of the Shadows Saga in PDF format is over. To start enjoying the second installment in my epic novel, Shadows of the Past, click here.

Like much of the creative writing on this site, this media is made available at no cost. However, if you like what you read, your donations are always welcome. Just click the donate button on the upper right to donate the amount of your choice via PayPal.

Thank you for your readership and patronage!

Download Episode 2 ~ Thieves from GoogleDocs now!

As a special offer to any who might be on their way into a Spilt Ink store anyway, please enjoy a pre-filled well of invisible ink for only 25 cents. These shock-resistant wells are designed to keep your invisible ink fresh for at least a week, or until opened. Simply puncture the well with your favorite quill and scrawl your secret message on a bit of parchment. To reveal the secret message, simply hold the parchment several inches over an open candle-flame until the ink becomes visible. Refrigerate ink after first use to extend shelf-life or mix with 1 part hot water for a soothing tea.

To enhance your secret messaging experience, try our random cipher-generation gadget on SpiltInkCreative.com, or stop in at the physical store to have a cipher printed up on our real working printing press! Printed ciphers come with your choice of ink color and feature our daily typeface! Master and decoded copies are sealed with tamper-evident sealing wax impressed with your personal seal. Printed on 8" wide 29# cream vellum. Optional scroll case and gift-wrapping available.

Memorandum: Spilt Ink creative writing supply stores and website do not yet exist. These promotional adverts are for inspirational purposes only.

KantCon 2012: Run Faster Than The Gnome

Take a look at the very first gif I have ever made! It took me a couple of tries, but with the help of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Makeagif.com, my original idea has finally made it in to the real world. Too bad I couldn't embed it on the KantCon website where I was originally intending to put it. Ah, well.

make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

Featuring the Jabbergluck and KantCon 2012's new face "Gnameless" the Gnome, this gif speaks to KantCon 2012's theme "Run Faster Than The Gnome." Pre-pre-register for KantCon 2012 now until April 1st and score some awesome swag! Also, follow the Jabbergluck's exploits on Twitter as he tries to catch his gnome for dinner. Direct message @Jabbergluck with your ideas on how he can try to catch the gnome and ol' Jabber will try it out!