The Art of Tim

These are some experimental shots of a project I’ve been working on for the last few months. It’s basically just a machinma comic using Garry’s Mod. Counter-strike players will recognize the CT_Urban or Seal models under my skins. I’ve just finished the skins on both characters, each one clocked in at about 20-30 hours of work. I’ve been slowly chipping away at them since early October, on my days off here and there.

(click for larger versions)

Now that the skinning is done, I can start thinking about the actual project itself, which is a little side comic for my own amusement. Basically it’s sort of like a Spy vs Spy, Red vs Blue, polar extremes with some robotic futuristic super power stuff thrown in. I dunno. The story will revealed be via the comic, I won’t try to break it down here.

Anyway, it’s been fun skinning these two characters, and I’m happy to see them finished. Using actual 3D models like this should let me do a side project without adding too much to my already busy work week. Either way, it’s just for me, for fun. I’ll post it somewhere, but there will be no schedules. I know by showing this here now, I’m inviting “where is that comic you talked about” and “its been forever… update!” emails/comments, but whatever.

I beat Psychonauts. I had the game when it came out, and I started playing it, and then the disc got ruined (my former roommate’s cats knocked the disc onto the floor behind the tv. We found it a month later scratched to shit). I never got around to buying it again, and then I was just waiting for it to be playable on my 360. I have to say, it is one of the best games I’ve ever played. Highly enjoyable from start to finish. Definitely among the best ten hours of gaming in my life.
So… new with me? Right now I feel like I’m in some sort of weird stasis period. I was working non-stop on Volume Three, and the Comic Book, and following the Zeke Plushie development for a while, and now they’re all in the hands of the printers/manufacturer. And I know they’ll be arriving at SplitReason, my distributor, shortly, which means promoting, sales, and in the case of the books, probably flying up to Canada to sign a bunch of them. Right now though, it’s the eye of the storm I guess?

Well, not really. When I got back from my parents house after Christmas, I sat down and wrote the entire Winter-een-mas 2007 story arc for the month of January. Fourteen strips. Actually it might be eighteen. Yeah, probably eighteen. I need to finish 10 of them in the next… six days. Britanny and I are leaving for vacation on the 7th. You may remember we took a vacation at this time last year as well. It’s just a good time for us. She’s on winter break, and the Winter-een-mas storylines means I know I can work in advance in January. She’s in the middle of her last year as a nursing student at college, and so she’s been pretty stressed. And I’ve been stressing about work myself. So we’re heading down to Jamaica for a week to decompress. Hopefully rejuvenate us for 2007.

So this week is really hectic. I’ve got to do ten strips in six days, plus last minute preparation for the trip. Friday night Britanny and I, my best friend Toby and his girlfriend Dara, and my parents are all going to see Jim Gaffigan at the Mohegan Sun casino here in Connecticut. Jim Gaffigan is easily one of my favorite comedians, if not my favorite. So I’m really looking forward to that.

Then Saturday is last minute running around, and my sister will come pick up Kaylee (who will be one year old at the end of January). Britanny and I leave early Sunday morning and we’ll be on the beach by Sunday afternoon.

After I get back I’ll have to squeeze in a short trip to Canada for the books, which should be arriving while I’m on vacation, or just after. In between all the Winter-een-mas stuff (Also the Crackdown demo will hit XBL shortly after I get back). Then in February it’s down to Florida for Megacon, and then in March is Digital Overload. Man, so much prep to do for DO2007.

It’s hectic, but you know what? I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.