New Cards?

Actually, yes!  I've been tossing around the idea of a deck of tarot cards which can double as a playing card deck for awhile, and I think the time has finally come to make this idea a reality.  I've got a format and layout completed, and decided on a style that would be fun to do for 70+ cards, and yet can realistically be accomplished in a time frame that keeps this project from being a neverending slog.  Stay tuned, and I'll keep posting updates!

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This entry is being written on a Microsoft Surface RT.

Lucha VaVoom Card Deck COMPLETE!

I did it!  It's actually done!  All 52 cards done as well as two Crazy Chicken jokers.  This deck looks great and I can't wait to see what it's like when it comes back from the publisher.
I'll admit that there was a huge gap between the start of this project and the conclusion.  I completed about 80% of the cards within a month, but the remaining face cards just took forever to get the motivation back.  This was a problem because some of the techniques that I used for the illustrations were complex and by the time I'd returned to this project I'd forgotten the exact steps.  This was critical to get right because a complete deck needs to have a united look between cards.  It didn't take me that long to replicate some of the effects, but it was touch and go there for awhile.
The hardest cards were the jokers, because those were almost completely freehand.  Even though I'm going for a slick 'poster' style for the face cards, I wanted the characters to be instantly recognizable to anyone who has seen a VaVoom match in person.

Nailed it.

The cards have been uploaded to the Game Crafter and I'm just waiting around by the mailbox for the delivery.  I'll post pix when they arrive.

South Pacific Meets the High Desert

This year I appeared in the VVC projection of South Pacific!  Suddenly I've got a few plays under my belt so when I say that this projection was the most elaborate, I'm speaking with a bit of experience.  The sets were massive and beautiful, the costumes were authentic and visual spectacles on their own, and the music was exceptional.  This was a play which featured live music.  I've done Music Man and Pirates which both features a full orchestra in the pit and many of the musicians were appearing again for this performance.  They really went all out to give the audience a treat and performed perfectly.  I still am amazed with how well they can play when they are in such cramped quarters.
Kirstie had the lead for a show and without question it was the best performance of the run.  She is extremely talented and not only nailed all the musical numbers (which I knew she could do) but was the best actress on stage by far.  I'll say it right now, she brought me to tears.  That isn't easy to do, especially with this play.
The story is dated and doesn't hold up that well.  It really doesn't.  There is a train of thought which dictates that stories which are considered classics are above scrutiny.  I can understand where this mentality comes from but when performing the play it's impossible not to read it with a critical eye.  The actor is tasked with developing and portraying characters and so it falls to reason that they will read the scrip to find out what drives their characters.  What is the character's core?  In the case of South Pacific, the core of many characters isn't that deep.
They are happy to be together, working quietly and docily, dying when ordered and otherwise not thinking too much.  This keeps the story skipping along, but doesn't provide many hooks for empathy, at least for anyone with discernment.  Kirstie somehow manages to infuse her character with emotional weight that she carried the story past some tedious points, and did it with ease and grace.  It was awesome!