I've been trying something different for Inktober this year. Every day I've opened up this thing, and 1.) started at least one new game with a random user, 2.) continued at least one game with a regular, and 3.) doodled something in free draw mode, of which I'm individually uploading the first dose of doodles today.

They're nothing spectacular, limited tools and small canvas considered, but it's been a fun set of rounds, and a challenging change of format (especially the lack of smoothing - that little thing does so much). As I started this month with just about a hundred shared pieces and am currently up at 266, I'd say the goal of staying active and drawing each day has been, so far, a success! Hopefully I've inconspicuously involved and inspired a few others in the challenge too. ;)

Though free draw mode is what I focused on for that daily dose of limitless creative reign I am pretty happy with some stuff the regular rounds turned up too, so here's a small dose of those.

No need to spell out the words I hope? Go play some Drawing Grounds if you haven't already! It's a great game. I'll be uploading the rest of the Inktober doodles in the next few days, as the end of the Tober closes in.

Also for anyone who's interested here's last year. I'm not sure I improved as much this one as I did then, but it's always good practice. I barely draw a thing outside these particular months. Looking forward to whatever new forms of artistry 2019 entails, and I think I'll keep going with these rounds a bit next month too... they're pretty addicting.

So I guess vacation time's over?

Looks like the long promised rating update rolled out during my latest leave. The new rating icon size seems aimed way more at mobile than stationary, and of course I miss the old Pico icons, but otherwise: pretty cool. Instant, easy to edit, and those overhauled eulogies too! :D

Seems some recent masterpieces were kicked out of the All-Time Toplists with the removal of anonymous data though, with more-reviewed content taking precedence over high-scoring such, with some very well-deserving ones like this and this no longer on the Best Of at all. I wonder if the system really will bring these back to a more deserved place in time, or if there's just no way to measure up to the massive review amounts some submissions conjured back in the day, and these more recent greats just suddenly lost a gargantuan previously guaranteed slice of future audience gained just by topping that list... but maybe this change will really get people reviewing again? Hope so! And old favorites getting some light again is not bad!

Anyway I'm out of level ups so I'll just conclude this random latest update ramble like this: I'm back! Time to catch up again...

So I'll be away a month. Have a good one y'all!

It sure took a while.

So I haven't posted a Happy Pico Day post - much less submitted anything related - since 2015. I haven't posted a frontpage post since 2014 either - way back when I was still sort of active and involved in some sort of collabs... it's about time for a new one huh? Post. Collab*. Something related. All of the above.

And now that it's time I thought I'd make the most of it, so here's a quick verse, and here's a quick animation (I snatched a pretty nice ID with that one) for the day in question.

There's no question! It really is that day - even if I was browsing all over the site wondering if there'd be live stream this year until I finally visited the main page. Low and behold: there it was... and maybe had been all along. The site-wide notification really was pretty handy! Back in the day.

This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the first real Pico Day Flash I started... and didn't finish, for the second year in a row. You can check out both 2007 and 2008 variants. Differences are marginal, but of course the latter one's better, with a little more progress made on the very day it was made. Maybe some day I will actually finish it (and in retrospect this would've been the perfect year), but in celebration of this grand occasion... well there you have them. They're still there.

If I ever do finish that one it's going to be in Flash too - as is that other unfinished game the sprites in the animation above were taken from. Hopefully an internal plugin capable of running them comes around before 2020, or workarounds will have to be made. :) I'm not converting. I'm oldskool - like a rock or urchin. And if you're looking for a great place then stop your searching: you found it. Stick around and shop some merch or drop a merchant!

Also btw, if you've ever wondered what my writing process is usually like, this is what I wrote late last night/early morning (official Pico Day time) for the verse above. My lyrical WIP: https://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/8e5384f60d932ee89a272f8813450a94

...come today I typed it in digitally, read through and changed or added bits if something sounded wrong or unfinished, and then started recording, making minor changes between takes if some lines were too long, or short, or the flow just not optimal. I'm still not proud of all parts, but levels of perfectionism and time spent on a track vary with each one, and for ones like these, when lack of time exists - it's pretty quick.

Unless it's a super-quick thing (this was moderately quick) I then usually do a few takes and compare to see which one's best, and add some reverb, run a high-pass filter, and compare the volume to my older tracks as to get it a similar level. Optionally I play around with other effects and ad-lib... and that's about it! I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to the master. Still feeling like getting the right balance is nigh impossible sometimes, and keeps changing. Still looking for feedback to improve.

Hope you like blocks of text and random behind-the-scenes glimpses I felt an impulse to write! Otherwise: you might want to skip the text above. Soon as I post this I'm about to finally tune into that livestream, 'fore the day grows too late to stay posed and wait...

Happy Pico Day! May all dope be great.

* At least a part of one.

Hell Yeah! Just one more to go...

A toast and a cheer, for the old and New Year! :) 2018... is here. May it be amazing.

It's Cyber Monday! What better day for me to post an update?

I finished Inktober about a month ago now... when it finished (in other words this is old news), but here's a retrospective bit of favorite bites from that batch. <- There's plenty more where that links.

I really liked how these trees turned out too. True trees. Total treedom. Pine time. So green.

And most of the others were OK! Maybe some year I'll be happy with all of them. Practice makes perfectionism. Just another decade of Inktober and who knows...

I don't upload nearly enough stuff lately, this being the first dose of artistry this year, but maybe that... won't change anytime soon because life is hella busy.

I'm happy I still have time for the community though, that I'm halfway to the next level, and hooked on all kinds of small odd and creative series that you can only find on this one amazing site. Each day´s a fresh dose of inspiration, like today, here´s the dose: https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/702621

Thanks for being around, NG! Though that thanks giving thing is a few days past: every day is a good time for thank giveaways on these parts! Thanks for reading, stranger! And thanks in advance for signing this thing so Internet keeps spinning as it's supposed to and there'll be no peace out!

Peace in...ternet. We're all just one piece of this grand linear puzzle. Terra. Dig it? All.

Aw yeah! Just a hundred something days till the next one. Also I'm back!

So I'll be away a couple months. Have a good one y'all!