What’s that you say? You were at the Emerald City Gamefest this weekend for tons of rad board games and RPG’s? No need to look surprised young lads, as I had the great pleasure of doing some portrait work of those in attendance.
Initially, I’d been trying to hunt down a backdrop with a fantasy element to support the theme of the event, but all I came across were unicorn fabrics and a faux-cloudy sky thing that just didn’t cut it.
That’s when I started thinking about a double seamless setup. Something fun and upbeat to reflect the sensibilities/personalities of the attendees, but with a royal/regal bent and got the gist of a pink and purple schematic. Also thought it interesting that its the color of Easter, and given the multitude of resurrections happening with each successive role of the dice, I thought the idea fitting.
“Ffej” as Cassie (telepath). 2008
Marcus aka MIB2404 of Munchkin, 2008.
Otto of Warhammer 40,000: Member of the White Scars Space Marines, 2008.
John as Cheldon de Moche (Hobbit Thief), 2008.
Mr. John Bradley, 2008.
Tim with the Amazing Eyebrows, 2008.
This here’s Laura. She kind of made it happen for me. She and Jenna do Aikido together, and after a recent get together celebrating those who moved up in kyu (pronounced ‘cue’), we started chatting about hobbies and work.
That’s when she mentioned, Quelf, a role-playing game that she was super fond of. She went on to say that there was an event where many would be playing it, along with a whole host of others. A couple days later, she put me in touch with the organizer, Mr. Ed Metheny.
He and his wife flew all the way up for the event from California as they’d recently moved down for work. That’s dedication. So thanks for making it happen Ed!
Of course I should say that Ed isn’t the kind of guy that strikes me as taking all the responsibility. He’d probably first thank all of the game-loving folks in and around Seattle who came out to participate. Following that up by thanking a small group of dedicated staff members who take time out of their busy schedules to locate venues, organize the day’s events and make sure there’s plenty of caffeinated sodas on hand to keep the gamers going.
Thanks to everyone I had the pleasure of meeting. I had a great time. Hope to see you all next year!
Collateral: First Press Check
This post serves as what I expect to be a multi-installment blog segment regarding the upcoming collateral materials that I’m having done at a local letterpress studio here in Seattle.
That said, I was rang up by my guys to swing by the studio this past Wednesday to see the trademark plate on the press and to get an idea on how our color treatment was interpreting.
Decided to go with Pantone 426U which is about a 90% black to help support the direction I’m going toward on the website and other supporting collateral materials. When our color choice interpreted a little differently on our ‘thick-as-a-brick’ Cranes Lettra 220lb. stock, I wasn’t surprised.
In addition to the color issues, we’d developed some ghosting around the trademark, so we decided to turn the plate in an attempt to reduce this effect.
After getting that bad boy turned 90 degrees and getting it back on the presses, we inked up the rollers, and BAM! We achieved our desired result: nicely punched, boldly printed head trademarks that will serve as the foundation for the beautifully designed business card that I can’t wait to showcase.
You’ll have to stay tuned for further updates as we continue hammering things out. Some point soon, I suspect I’ll have a sneak peek of the completed business card and those other pieces of collateral. Outside of this, continue tuning in for exciting new updates regarding the website and current projects I’m tackling.
More always,
Mike