Rocksmith 2014

There was nothing wrong with the original Rocksmith.  Sure, it wouldn't open up new amps until the program determined you were ready.  And you couldn't set the skill level either, the computer would decide what you were going to study and at what rate.  And the chord learning game was inaccurate to say the least.  Ok, there were lots of things wrong with the original Rocksmith.
But I wanted to love the program.  I really did.  It seemed to be the perfect solution for learning to play the guitar.  However, although I had the program fired up and configured on the computer I never got around to using it.  That changes this year.  With the launch of Rocksmith 2014 I'm setting my sites on improving my technical abilities with the instrument and getting further than before.  A modest goal, but I'm not kidding myself about the time and dedication this project is going to take.  So far it looks good.  The program is an improvement in many areas and I do like playing.  I've just got to get those callouses back!

Merry Christmas 2013

You've got to be kidding!  The last update to my blog was on the Blessing of the Animals?  Well, I guess my New Years resolution list just got another entry.

St. Francis Elements Masks

Sister Earth Mask

Brother Fire Mask

Brother Sun

Sister Water Mask

Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,

especially Sir Brother Sun,

Who is the day through whom You give us light.

And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,

Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.

Sister Moon Mask

Brother Wind Mask

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,

In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,

And fair and stormy, all weather's moods,

by which You cherish all that You have made.

Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,

So useful, humble, precious and pure.

Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire,

through whom You light the night and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You my Lord through our Sister,

Mother Earth

who sustains and governs us,

producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.

Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon for love of You and bear sickness and trial.

Blessed are those who endure in peace, By You Most High, they will be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death,

from whom no-one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.

No second death can do them harm. Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks,

And serve Him with great humility.  

I'm not even going to go into how difficult it is to put multiple pictures into a blog post without chopping up all the text like crazy.  I just spent a week painting these masks, and don't want to put a full day fighting blogger trying to get them formatted right.  Yes, I can do it.  No, I don't feel like it.  I just want to do more painting right now!

Wonderful Ice Cream Duster

Wonderful Ice Cream Duster

This is the first full scale garment that I made for fun.  Up to this point I've been making performance vests for the singing group I'm in: Happy Notes!  The group performs a variety of songs around the High Desert.  We usually perform in black vests, but for holiday shows I wanted to make something a little more entertaining.  I created 5 reversible vests which show festive and holiday themed patterns.  I'll post photos of those later on.
There was a duster that I bought ages ago from Fredericks of Hollywood, back when not only did Fedrick's sell clothing for men, but also at a time when clothes were actually made in the U.S.A.  This should give you an idea of how old this duster was.  I loved it like crazy but time was not kind to it.  It was black, but after awhile the black dye started to bleed out, so it was a mottled black color.  Still cool, but not the image that I was looking for.  So the duster stayed in the back of my closet for years and I've been carting it around to multiple states, unwilling to let it go but not really ready to put it on again.
Then I took a sewing class and had an idea.  Maybe, just maybe, it would be possible for me to take the garment and take it apart piece by piece and use it as a template for a new duster.  Could I do it?  Sure I could!  After about a week of messing around with material, I made the Wonderful Ice Cream Duster!

To make the look complete, I put the QR code which leads to the Talent For Raw main website.  This is something that I knew that I had to do, bu was also aware that it could ruin the jacket but good.  After all, I was putting an untried (by me) method of painting on material.  The design I wanted would have the look of actually being branded onto the material.  When all is said and done, I think the results worked out pretty well!

I didn't realize it at the time, but imbedding a QR code into a jacket isn't really a new thing.  It's been done a handful of times before, but I really like my approach the best.  There are some sites where people have cross-stiched the pattern onto the garment, or made a new textile out of the blocky pattern.  But my idea was to have something that looked added on after the fact.  So while it's not incorporated into the design of the garment, it really stands out on its own.

Wonderful Ice Cream Duster QR Code

Saint Benedict RULEZ!

The published game has been updated with some small corrections and is ready to be ordered right now!  There were only a few small changes that I wanted to make to the game, and was able to quickly make some changes very painlessly.  I love the Game Crafter.  Their existence pretty much justifies the Internet.

Mask of the Elements

Brother Fire Portrait

Brother Fire Profile

Brother Fire Looking HOT!

Brother Sun Portrait

Brother Sun Profile

Brother Sun Portrait, Hot and Cool!

Sister Wind Profile

Sister Wind Portrait

I created these masks for the Blessing of the Animals coming up next week.  Eventually there will be six in total:  four elements (fire, wind, water, earth) and the Sun and Moon.  The service is going to get a dramatic new look!

Thank you Kirstie!  Not only are you a beautiful model for the masks, but your assistance with design and concepts were invaluable for this project!  I'll post shots of the remaining three soon.

Loteria Reissued!

The loteria deck which has been designed for fortune telling and tarot reading has been reissued!

Amazing Technicolor Berets

Technicolor Beret Side View

Technicolor Beret Alternate Version

Joseph's Awesome Beret!

Joseph is styling this year.

My favorite material for the technicolor beret

I put together a baker's dozen berets for the cast and crew of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in which I play Potiphar and Gad.  I really wanted to design the 'coat of many colors' but didn't get a chance.  The company was able to get their hands on a coat designed by Bob Mackie and so my efforts were definitely not missed.  Still, I couldn't let the opportunity be missed.  These aren't used on the stage but are favors for the cast.

Cards and Questions

Created the card designs and format for the Benedictine Board Game.  So far it is looking very nice!

Larger board for old eyes

New 18"X18" board

I've updated the graphic for the board game based on the Rule of St. Benedict.  The previous graphic was created for a board that was 10"x10", which is perfect for me.  Compact, easy to transport and fits in a closet like a dream. It's a little small, but no great shakes.
However, it was pointed out to me that the people who are going to be playing this board game might be of the... ahem... elderly variety.  And as such, they might have eyesight issues which will make them appreciate a larger board more easily visible.
So this is for a quad fold 18x18 board.  It's more expensive than the previous one, but the purpose of the game is to be fun and informative.  And if people aren't playing the game because it's hard to see than it defeats the whole purpose.

On another good note, this will give the board more room in the center for four decks of cards.  The question cards will be placed on the C, S, P, and B circles.  It would have been a tight fit with the other board, but now that's no longer an issue.  I'm not saying that the game is done just yet, but it is one step closer to being out the door and on it's way to the monastery.

St. Benedict RULEZ!

Rule of St. Benedict Game Board

This is the board design I came up with for "St. Benedict RULEZ!"  Pieces follow a track around the circumference of the cross and answer questions about the Order of St. Benedict.  So far I've got the board done, which as anyone will tell you is the fun and easy part.  Now comes the typing up and creation of about 100 questions for the game.  Oh man...

The Next Play

Just finished up the run of Anne Frank and am jumping into a new role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Holy cow...

Dominions 3 Quality Maps

Original Random Map

Dominions 3 map created with Fractal Terrains

This is a good way to show the 'before and after' of map creation using Fractal Terrains.  The dark brown lines indicate impassible boundaries for the cells.  The random map generator for Dominions 3 places mountains on these locations, but unless I want to spend a few hours tweaking the graphics I'll just stick with solid lines instead.  The fractal generator has the abilities to create peaks and mountains wherever they're needed, but I'd prefer to spend more time playing than placing mountains.

Dominions 3 Fractal Map

Not bad, eh?  Now to conquer it!

Dominions 3 map using Fractal Terrains