Portfolio Updates



After letting it atrophy for way too long, I’ve been making a bunch of updates of recent projects to my portfolio this week… here are some links summarizing recent projects I’ve done if you want to check them out:

OLD MADE MEN
Post Cereals Social Media Videos
St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation HTML5 Banner Ads
Don’t Touch Your Face!
Common Bond Communities Promotional and Social Video
Pebbles Cereal Social Media Animations
Kids Ezy-Dose Animations
Best Buy HTML5 Banner Ads
SQUIRMISH: The Card Game of Brawling Beasties

SQUIRMISH! The reviews are in… the best new game nowhere to be seen at Gencon 2016!

Squirmish is on sale this week! Save $5 or more off the Deluxe Edition! The best new game nowhere to be seen at ‪#‎gencon‬ 2016!

crowd_sale

Don’t believe us? Check out the reviews!

“Overall, I’ve had fun with Squirmish both with my kids and with adult players. I think it’s a lot of fun for families. The dice-based abilities mean that there’s still a good amount of chance involved, which gives less-experienced players a chance to take on more-experienced players, so gamers who want something with pure strategy may not like it quite as much. And don’t forget to shout your battle cries as you enter the fray!” – Jonathan H. Liu at Geekdad.

“It’s a simple card game, but it has a lot of meat to it… If you’re looking for a battling card game that you can introduce to people to maybe even get them into bigger and deeper games, this is a great introduction to do so.” – David at Sit Down Standard.

“It’s pretty straightforward and it’s quick to learn, but there’s a lot of different beasts and abilities.” – Alyssa at Sit Down Standard.

“I get several requests for Kickstarter previews every week. Recently, I was sent a request for coverage for a game called Squirmish that was designed by a gentleman named Steven Stwalley. My heart sunk a little bit when I saw the words “card” and “combat” in his elevator pitch, but that all went away when I looked over the art assets he gave me. Squirmish’s art is juvenile, obnoxious, and maybe even a little gross. In other words? I loved it.” – Stephen Duetzmann at Engaged Family Gaming.

“This game is made in direct response to collectible card games aimed at the pre-teen age group, such as Pokemon. There are battling monsters in this game, but unlike a collectible game, everything you need to play is included in one box. I’m a Pokemon Professor and Judge for the card game, so I was really very interested to try this out. It did not disappoint and actually exceeded expectations.” – Chandra Reyer at TSR’s Multiverse.

“I don’t know what to say other than you might like it and maybe others won’t. I am one of those who like it. I don’t think it will replace Pokemon for me, but it is much easier to carry around around than all my Pokemon equipment! It is not cute. However , there are some cute Squirmish monsters. Cawfeather, Opossrat, Killgor the Conquerer, Cupcake, and a few more. I say anyone 2nd grade to 9th might like it. The Battle Cries are really funny! But don’t attempt to make a Donald Duck voice for Pompaduck. Oh, and be sure to add Googly eyes. 😉 Heheheheheheheheh 🙂 (^._.^)/ Keep on Gaming! Meow!” – Chandra Reyer’s Daughter at TSR’s Multiverse.

“It’s a really good game! I like the fighting.” – Ty (age 9) at Board Gaming at Home.

“Ty’s age, absolutely brilliant game. If there’s one downside, it’s the sheer variety.” – Russell at Board Gaming at Home.

“I like all the little characters that have been made up… they’re great fun.” – Kelly at Board Gaming at Home.

‪#‎tcg‬ ‪#‎squirmishgame‬ ‪#‎squirmish‬ ‪#‎game‬ ‪#‎games‬ ‪#‎gaming‬ ‪#‎gamers‬
‪#‎cardgames‬ ‪#‎cardgame‬ ‪#‎tabletop‬ ‪#‎tabletopgames‬ ‪#‎tabletopgame‬ ‪#‎tabletopgaming‬

Squirmish: The Beast Battling Card Game

squirmish_linkedin

A card game called Squirmish that I’ve been working on for the last year and a half is currently on Kickstarter (ending June 12th). Please check it out! I’d love to hear what you think about it. It is a 2-4 player beast-battling card game for ages 7+, and it takes about 30 minutes to play.

Here is the video for the kickstarter:

Here is what the reviewers are saying about it:

“Overall, I’ve had fun with Squirmish both with my kids and with adult players. I think it’s a lot of fun for families. The dice-based abilities mean that there’s still a good amount of chance involved, which gives less-experienced players a chance to take on more-experienced players, so gamers who want something with pure strategy may not like it quite as much. And don’t forget to shout your battle cries as you enter the fray!” – Jonathan H. Liu on Geekdad.

“I get several requests for Kickstarter previews every week. Recently, I was sent a request for coverage for a game called Squirmish that was designed by a gentleman named Steven Stwalley. My heart sunk a little bit when I saw the words “card” and “combat” in his elevator pitch, but that all went away when I looked over the art assets he gave me. Squirmish’s art is juvenile, obnoxious, and maybe even a little gross. In other words? I loved it.” – Stephen Duetzmann at Engaged Family Gaming.

“It’s a really good game! I like the fighting.” – Ty (age 9) of Board Gaming at Home.

“Ty’s age, absolutely brilliant game. If there’s one downside, it’s the sheer variety.” – Russell of Board Gaming at Home.

“I like all the little characters that have been made up… they’re great fun.” – Kelly of Board Gaming at Home.

“Want battling beasties that you don’t have to find in blind packs? Want the world’s best collection of creature designs, names, and battle cries (that provide +1 damage if shouted aloud during your turn) that I have ever seen? Want a kid’s card game you’ll actually want to play with your kid? Back this very modest Kickstarter and get the whole 108-card pack (plus stretch goals)! Highly recommended.” -Zander Cannon (Eisner-award-winning cartoonist behind Kaijumax, Heck, and Top 10)

The initial deck is 54 cards… it goes up to 108 cards if we hit $15,000.

Thanks for listening! Please tell your friends!

Looking Back at the Last Few Months

Below are a couple of recent Strip Mall comics, my collaborative webcomic with my good friend Ben Zmith about the denizens of a strip mall. We’re almost up to 50 episodes (out of a projected 150 or so).

I’ve had a very busy few months with lots of freelance and personal projects. I’ve finished illustrating a kids’ book, built a bunch of HTML 5 banners, made a few videos, and designed a couple websites and a bunch of logos… and that is just the client work.

The biggest personal project was probably putting together my animation reel  and portfolio website (just digging through the last 15 years of work for what I wanted to use in them was a pretty huge project). Back in October, I did an illustration a day for the online events #drawloween and #inktober, which you can see here. I designed a few t-shirts that were up for voting on Threadless (none of them made the final cut… maybe next time!). I’ve also been working furiously finishing up a top-secret game project that I’ve been developing for the last year or so, which I really can’t wait to get out into the world.

I recently moved into an awesome studio space in the Thorp Building in NE Minneapolis (now known as World Monster Headquarters, the most terrifying cartooning studio in Minneapolis) joining my talented friends Zander Cannon, Lupi McGinty, Dan Olson, Dan Murphy, Ryan Dow, Carlos Merino, Ted Anderson and Robert Algeo. We are one of the few establishments in NE Minneapolis that is not a brewery.

Hope the new year brings much success, luck and inspiration to you!

stripmall48

stripmall49

Strip Mall Premieres (and an update on other current projects)

I’ve been working for the last couple of years on two projects with my Monkey’s Paw collaborator Ben Zmith (AKA Dell Dracula). The first one, Strip Mall, is now being posted every Wednesday as an online webcomic here. You can subscribe to it here.

We’re also going to be releasing it as a series of mini-comics… we published the first one a while ago, and will be reprinting it soon along with a second issue.

The other project is probably called Cyclops Monkey Rampage… and will most likely be online soon as well.

I’ve also been working on a collaborative comic with my pal Maxeem Konrardy called BUG MEN… that will be a more traditional comic book series rather than a series of comic strips. We’re still discussing the best way to present it online… it will be in print sometime in the next couple years.

Beyond all of that, I’ve been very busy creating and play-testing a card game to amuse myself and my daughters. I haven’t determined how to bring that into the world yet, but I think I will be pursuing some crowd-funding option for it. Wish me luck!

Beer Drinker’s Hall of Fame: 2013 – “Hundred I.B.U.” Bill Hurst #postersandpints #beerdrinkershalloffame

I’m participating in the upcoming Posters and Pints show happening on June 21st (TONIGHT!) in Northeast Minneapolis. For my poster, I’ve drawn the inductees in the Beer Drinker’s Hall of Fame from 1972 to 2013… this is the final one in the series I’ve been posting. You can buy a copy of the signed/numbered poster of the complete line-up for 30 bucks at the show tonight, if you’re inclined. Hope to see you there!

Beer Drinker’s Hall of Fame: 2012 – Molly “Mash Tun” #postersandpints #beerdrinkershalloffame

I’m participating in the upcoming Posters and Pints show happening on June 21st (TONIGHT!) in Northeast Minneapolis. For my poster, I’ve drawn the inductees in the Beer Drinker’s Hall of Fame from 1972 to 2013. I’ll be posting loads of images of these heroes of inebriation every day until the show (where you’ll be able to buy a copy of the signed/numbered poster of the complete line-up for 30 bucks, if you’re inclined). Hope to see you there!

Beer Drinker’s Hall of Fame: 2011 – “Zymurgy” Jones #postersandpints #beerdrinkershalloffame

I’m participating in the upcoming Posters and Pints show happening on June 21st (TONIGHT!) in Northeast Minneapolis. For my poster, I’ve drawn the inductees in the Beer Drinker’s Hall of Fame from 1972 to 2013. I’ll be posting loads of images of these heroes of inebriation every day until the show (where you’ll be able to buy a copy of the signed/numbered poster of the complete line-up for 30 bucks, if you’re inclined). Hope to see you there!

Beer Drinker’s Hall of Fame: 2010 – “Two-Fisted” Bob Turk #postersandpints #beerdrinkershalloffame

I’m participating in the upcoming Posters and Pints show happening on June 21st (TONIGHT!) in Northeast Minneapolis. For my poster, I’ve drawn the inductees in the Beer Drinker’s Hall of Fame from 1972 to 2013. I’ll be posting loads of images of these heroes of inebriation every day until the show (where you’ll be able to buy a copy of the signed/numbered poster of the complete line-up for 30 bucks, if you’re inclined). Hope to see you there!