Topless Robot Art Contest.

These were my entries for an art contest that was being held over at www.toplessrobot.com.

(UPDATE: I won! Check out the entries at http://www.toplessrobot.com/2012/01/the_2nd_annual_tr_art_contest_and_the_winners_are.php#more . Sadly, the version of the papercraft posted there suffered from some compression artifacts. High-res versions are posted here [Page 1] and here [Page 2]. ^_^)

My first entry was an 8-bit recreation of the famous face-melting scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The villain Toht gets his comeuppance.

8-bit Toht says "Garrrlbrlghg!"

On Topless Robot, whenever something is both surprising and terrifying, a screen-cap of Toht is the proper response. I liked the idea of depicting such a gruesome scene as though it were from an old NES game.

Then, I had the idea to make a piece in the style of something you'd see on the side of an '80s arcade cabinet. Like a Topless Robot arcade game that never got made.

You'd have to be a frequent reader of Topless Robot

to know what "FFF" stands for, because I'm
most definitely not going to explain it here.

I really liked the way the colors came out on it, and it inspired me to design a miniature papercraft arcade cabinet.

Click here for a high-res version of Page 1.

Click here for a high-res version of Page 2.

Of course, I had to put 8-bit Toht on the arcade screen, with a dedicated "Toht" button on the controls. I also like the way the illustrated instructions came out.

Two details I knew I had to include were: 1.) A snack on top of the cabinet. I remember always resting my refreshments on the top for easy access while playing. And 2.) A couple quarters on the control board. Putting your quarter on deck was the universal sign that you got "next game" when whoever was currently using the machine ran out of lives/credits.

These were really fun to do. I think I might try making some more "arcade games that never were". Let me know if you build the papercraft, I'd love to see pictures! ^_^

(P.S. "WHOSE RESPONSIBLE THIS" is a reference from the site, not a typo. Just clarifying.)

Stuff Up on Etsy...

Some recent additions I've made to my Etsy shop, Kaiju Crafts...

I've recently gotten into cross stitching video game sprites. I started off with two of my favorite cartoons from the '90s: Batman and Tiny Toon Adventures.

Gotham Girls!

Babs and Buster Bunny. (No relation.)

Then there's the "Burger Box", made for no reason other than I really wanted to see a box in the shape of a burger..... (?)

I know what you're thinking.....

....."Open Sesame", right? You were thinking "Open
Sesame", weren't you..... No?... Just me, then?

And lastly, a painting based on the cover of the soundtrack to Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift. Winsor and Newton inks on bristol board.

Kweh!

I've got some ideas for a few more things I'd like to make, but I think crafting time is taking a bit of a break for now. New stuff will be posted when available! ^_^

New Year, New Blog.

With the beginning of a new year, I figured I should start posting on my blog. It'll be a lot quicker to post pictures and art here, as well as works-in-progress. Make sure to check back for new updates, and don't forget to visit my main site, www.mentalcobwebs.com, for more work by yours truly. Thanks for stopping by! ^_^

-Mike