Simon Layfield

Vendor: Tree Hopper Toys Type: Price: 12.00

These tipsy topsy turvy Whoa-Bots challenge you to get them stacked up in an orderly fashion - or test your balancing skills and see just how precariously you can place them. Each set contains eight different monsters with unique personalities. For double the fun, pair with the Monster Stacking Game.  Details Contains eight unique Whoa-Bots with different designs  Made with premium maple hardwood Each Whoa-Bot is about 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) tall and 3 inches (8.25 cm) wide 3rd party tested for safety Handmade in Illinois Great for kids of all ages, safe for ages 2+ About The Maker Tree Hopper Toys is a tiny, family owned toy company based just outside of Chicago, where they design and manufacture distinctive toys and gifts that curious kids love.  Since 2010 Tree Hopper has been combining old-fashioned quality and contemporary design to create modern, heirloom products that can be passed down from one generation to the next.

The book on which I’ve been working for the past year and a half “ Quatre- contre les Loups” is finally hitting the shelves!

Art by Me

and written by Sonia Sarfati

claustrophobic open space

Bonus Panel:

jaymamon:

ghosts

jaymamon:

Snow scene and an old doodle of a farm.

The other day I watched a fabulous animated movie that you should check out. It’s called Tout en Haut du Monde, or Long Way North in English. 

I’ve had the movie on my radar for a year or two. Over the weekend, I made the discovery that you can actually watch Long Way North online with an Amazon Prime account, so I watched it with my family. 

It’s a really great picture. Definitely check it out. 

The story follows a young Russian girl whose grandfather is a legendary explorer. He tries to reach the North pole and gets lost. The girl, an enthusiast for exploration herself, tries to find a way to charter her way into the arctic and see if he survived. It’s not your typical animated adventure story; there’s a lot of sadness and long stretches of silence along the way. 

The star of the picture is by far the color-work. This probably has some of the best color-design I’ve seen lately. The artists indulge in the many ways the sun transforms anything its light shines onto, particularly at dawn and dusk. My mother and I were reminded of the impressionists with this subject. 

Animation is fabulous too. The characters are a bit simple, but the animators do a great job adding a bit of depth to their personalities with some very naturalistic performances. 

It was worth my time checking this out after a year or so of wondering if I’d ever get the chance (American releases of movies from other parts of the world can be very opaque), and definitely is worth your time too. 

cartoonnetwork:

Floral Fionna (🎨: Lorena Alvarez Gómez/behance)

http://femurdesign.com/theremin/?sound

I’m excited for this weekend’s Strategicon. If you’re at the con, tweet at me and let’s play some games!

Charterstone
Stonemaier Games’ Charterstone will be released later this year, reports ACD Distribution. “In Charterstone, a competitive legacy game, players construct buildings and inhabit a shared village. Building stickers are removed from cards and permanently added to your charter on the board, becoming action spaces for any player to use. Thus, a few available buildings soon grow into a bustling village with dozens of actions.”
Source: http://acddistribution.blogspot.com/2017/02/charterstone-new-from-stonemaier-games.html

Mole Rats in Space
Matt Leacock’s latest cooperative game appears to be a lighter design aimed at younger games. In Mole Rats in Space, “Players must work together to help the Mole Rats gather their equipment and make it to their escape pod before time runs out! Climb the ladders, slip down airshafts, but don’t get bit by the snakes.”
Source: http://www.leacock.com/games/#/mole-rats-in-space/

Expanding Bloodborne
From Dice Tower News comes word of an expansion for Bloodborne: The Card Game being co-designed by Eric Lang (Blood Rage) and Christopher Chung (Lanterns). “The game is based on the difficult, yet rewarding PS4 video game. It supports 3 to 5 players and contains card drafting, dice rolling, hand management, and press your luck mechanics.”
Source: http://www.dicetowernews.com/bloodborne-the-card-game-is-getting-an-expansion/38693

Dark Souls: The Board Game
The 1-4 player cooperative Dark Souls: The Board Game will be released April 21st, according to ACD Distribution. “To win the game, players must work together tactically to learn how to defeat enemies before finally confronting the boss.” There’s a prototype demo video up on youtube.com.
Source: http://acddistribution.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-from-steamforged-games-dark-souls.html

Lovecraft Letter
The latest re-theming of AEG’s Love Letter is Lovecraft Letter. However, “[y]ou’re not trying to gain affection from the Princess. You are trying to eliminate your rivals for power as you seek to understand the cosmic horror that lurks just beyond what we foolishly call ‘reality.’”
Source: https://www.alderac.com/lovecraftletter/

Light & Dark Diary
Designers Trevor Benjamin and Matthew Dunstan offered a look at the development of AEG’s Light & Dark. “Theme was the next hurdle. It was clear that there were two factions, but who were they and what were they fighting over? Once we recognized that flipping could be ‘conversion,’ the rest came quickly: the druids, the torches, and the name.”
Source: https://www.alderac.com/light-dark-design-diary

Mice and Mystics Lost Chapters
Previously available only via online purchase, three chapters for Mice and Mystics are now available as free downloads on the Plaid Hat Games website. “These special downloadable chapters fit into the Mice and Mystics storyline and can be printed at home to be played along with the Mice and Mystics Sorrow and Remembrance base set. They’ve got their own story, components, art, and more.”
Source: http://www.plaidhatgames.com/news/768

The Late Show Board Games
I liked the little shout-out to board games from John Oliver during his bit on The Late Show.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKD6gzAz08E&feature=youtu.be&t=4m

Upcoming Board Game Conventions
February 17-20. Orccon 2017. Los Angeles, California.
February 17-20. DunDraCon. San Ramon, California.
February 18. Day Con 2017. Fairborn, Ohio.
February 20-26. PrezCon 2017. Charlottesville, Virginia.
February 24-26. Fire & Ice Gaming Convention. Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
February 24-26. Gamicon Iron. Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
March 2-5. SaltCON. Layton, Utah.
March 3-5. GAD-Con. Aberdeen, Maryland.
March 17-19. MeepleCon. Las Vegas, Nevada.
April 7-9. Gaming Hoopla. Gurnee, Illinois.
April 22-23. QC Game Fest. Davenport, Iowa.
May 18-21. Geekway to the West. St. Charles, Missouri.
May 26-29. Gamex 2017. Los Angeles, California.
June 14-18. Origins Game Fair. Columbus, Ohio.
August 17-20. Gen Con 50. Indianapolis, Indiana.
September 1-4. Gateway 2017. Los Angeles, California.
November 17-19. PAX Unplugged. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Visit casualgamerevolution.com for more convention listings.

Here’s another conceptual illustration about the absurdity of our daily lives based on The Myth of Sisyphus novel made by the wise Albert Camus.

Happy Monday fellas!

franco-e:

Living alone in the city

jaymamon:

Concepts for another werewolf. My beautiful ugly girl. First doodle is a mock comic cover just to get an idea out. 

stepsoversnails:

twitter doodles for your noodles.

Concepts for another werewolf. My beautiful ugly girl. First doodle is a mock comic cover just to get an idea out. 

einsbern:

Tried to draw something Bloodborne in Mike Mignola’s style. It’s difficult, he’s too good. 

sarakipin:

Finally finished the set! This took a crazy long time to complete, but I’m happy with the result

Redrew something old up top and tried pushing some expressions for fun! I love Flint. 

Expressions are always fun

This Garlic Blast Off Miniature Diorama made me chuckle.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/47367141/Gotham-Pro-Animated-Typeface-Free?_hsenc=p2ANqtz--2rPoFA0nsW-jibf774bpfDIk_cuUFSUm-3iLPbGrBn3aq4Ku_JzCnMYzJIdcO_XpcEAGNQPgmGHJn2E9my3gYku5CUQ&_hsmi=35008350&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email

Leafy dress

Wanted to Put together art I liked most from 2016! I think I made some good improvement, but could have pushed it a bit more. I always seem to teeter out a bit. Optimistic about where my art will go however. Have a happy New Year everyone.

jaymamon:

scraps

pug-of-war:

My shots from the Rick & Morty intro Paul and I did.