#ellen alsop

[wolfnanaki]

Goodbye Volcano High release countdown artwork by Ellen Alsop!

[thevideogameshutterbug]

The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog: Can We Get More of This?

No joke. You might have noticed from my sudden return to activity after a while, but I really, really liked The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. Gaming April Fools jokes are quirky and weird by nature - that’s the point. But every once in a while a game developer will release an April Fool’s joke that is so fun and unique in its quirkiness that it takes off and completely captures the audience with its charm. Sometimes these are even on purpose - attempts to test the waters and deliver some fun at the same time, like the trailer for Fighting Ex Layer. Sometimes it’s probably not, but... maybe it could be. I think that’s what The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog could be.

I‘ve been a Sonic fan for a very, very long time. I’ve loved most games in the series for the whole length of that time. There are few Sonic games I could say I outright dislike, tbh. But something I’ve long felt the Sonic series could’ve benefited from way back when was a stronger spinoff game. I think people give spinoffs a bad rap just on principle. “Why make disposable spinoffs when we can focus on making mainline games?”, people say (Sonic fans are also a bit unreasonably petrified of alternate gameplay styles). But I think that’s the missing the point. Spinoffs are a major part of what gives game series their identity - especially family focused series like Sonic. Not just because they give accessibility to a wider range of gamers, but because they make a buffer zone. Main line games take a long time. You have to wait years to see it, and if it has problems... well... that’s the reputation of the series for the next few years until the next game comes around. Spinoffs, however, mean that there’s always something involving the character out there to keep people interested. I means that if even if one game isn’t so good, there’s always others out there delivering quality. It gives the series something to look at at all times, and that gives it longevity. So why think about Sonic, a series about super speed and hi-momentum platforming, and make a visual novel spinoff? Visual novels are slow by nature, static images and careful deduction. Well... you make it for exactly the reasons everyone loved Murder.

People like these characters. People really like these characters. They’re fun. They’re all unique from each other. And they bounce off each other so well. But Sonic fans rarely get the chance to really experience the characters. Sonic’s long had a problem of loads of characters without quite knowing what to do with them. Characters like Rouge, a jewel thief primarily used for spy parodies, just plain isn’t going to be in most Sonic games - the games don’t have those kinds of plots often.

But that’s where a visual novel shines. Visual novels are all about going from scene to scene interacting with large swaths of characters, quirky conversations and unexpected character and plot developments. It’s not just that you can use tons of characters, but that you can give them center stage far more freely than you can in a platformer or a more action-focused plot. Sonic has been absolutely killing it this past year with adaptations and projects that were all about exploring the characters and what makes them fun, and Murder’s just the latest example. All the characters get segments to themselves to show off, tell jokes, and be fun - it’s silly and cartoony, charming with lots of character moments and eccentric turns, and it’s perfect for Sonic. So I really want to see more of this sort of thing!

We could get more parodies like this - hey, if Detective Pikachu can be a thing, why not more Detective Tails? Or we could get more involved stories. Something more Adventure-esque, or something more Saturday Morning Cartoon-y like Colors. Or a mixture of both! Character focused, or whole cast all at once just like this. Another everyman as the focus character, or one of the cast - Tails actually makes a very good protagonist for this sort of thing. The sky is the limit, here. Even this little April Fools joke gave us a surprising amount of worldbuilding and fun ideas I hope get revisited someday. Plus, it has to be said that visual novels take an entirely different creative process than platform games, and this game indeed was made by a third party, so the crowd nervous that any spinoff could take away from the development of the main titles doesn’t really have much to worry about: in the end, these would be made by different teams. It’s just a good idea all around. So I really hope this doesn’t get abandoned. Give us the continued spinoff visual novel / point and click adventures of Sonic and friends. I imagine any future ones wouldn’t still be free, but sure I’ll pay for it. Why not? I mean, you’ve got a perfect premise right here:

Eggman Industries’ Famous Eggscape Rooms! They’ll scramble your brains. And maybe your lifespan.

[tailschannel]

Take a look at The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, a playable visual novel developed by the @sonicthehedgehog social media team.

Just in time for this year's April Fools celebrations, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog give the player the ability to "interrogate some of your favorite characters as you figure out what happened to Sonic."

It's Amy Rose's birthday, and she's hosting a murder mystery party on the Mirage Express! When Sonic the Hedgehog becomes the game's victim, everyone is off to get to the bottom of things. However, something feels a bit off - is this really an innocent game or is something more sinister afoot? New & familiar faces Interrogate some of your favorite characters as you figure out what happened to Sonic. Play as a new character who is starting their first day working on the Mirage Express, and meet the kind Conductor who is finally retiring from his long run with the train!

All aboard! Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the Mirage Express, featuring fully hand-drawn landscapes and characters. Canon or Headcanon? You know what they say: everything is canon*. *This is not a Sonic Team title, but we strongly believe in the power of headcanon!

The game was written by Ian Mutchler, with credits to Justin Thormann and executive producer Katie Chrzanowski. Greg Batha was the lead designer and programmer. Art was directed by Ellen Alsop. Character art directed by Min Ho Kim. Michal Shafrir was the producer and project manager.

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is available now on Steam for free.

[beebuzzly]

LBMR WEEK

Day 3: Truth and Deception

This piece was inspired by Ellen Alsop’s Reynolds’s Pamphlet

[theartofanimation]

Ellen Alsop  -  http://ellenalsop.tumblr.com  -  http://www.ellenalsop.net  -  https://twitter.com/space_ellien?lang=es  -  https://www.instagram.com/space_ellien  -  https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/space-ellien

[youngmonsters]

I started 2021 writing a new feature called 'ALIEN vs. FINCHER.'

It's a madcap satirical take on the trials and tribulations a young David Fincher faced while directing his first film: 'Alien 3.'

I commissioned the amazing artist Chris Alsop to create a concept poster for the script and here it is. Pretty awesome yeah!?

[comicweek]

The Best Mechanic in Nova - Lola Del Carmen

Images from Motor Crush #1-12 Written by Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, Babs Tarr Illustrated by Babs Tarr Colored by Heather Danforth, Victoria Evans, Ellen Alsop Lettered by Aditya Bidikar and Babs Tarr art (source)

[guildlings]

Meet Our Character Designer: Ellen Alsop

Did you know that the Guildlings team scouted its character designer, Ellen Alsop/@ellenalsop​, right here on good old Tumblr? As the game’s lead 2D artist, we thought you might like to learn more about her!

Be sure to check her out on Twitter and Ko-fi! ^ o ^

Could you tell us a bit about your background? Did you study art?

Yes! I graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a bachelor’s in illustration. While I was in school, I thought I’d end up in the animation or comics industry, especially since all my friends seemed to be heading in that direction. But when I got approached to work on Guildlings, it just clicked that I really wanted to work on video games. I’ve always been passionate about games, but I never really considered that it was a career path for me. Which is funny because I feel like concept art for video games and animation can be pretty synonymous!

What was it like when the team first approached you to work on Guildlings?

If you can believe it, the “wizards and wifi” tagline was there from the very first pitch! I loved the idea of mixing the old with the new and making something visually unexpected, so of course the pitch extremely resonated with me.

The thing that drastically changed from the pitch was that Guildlings was supposed to be about a road trip (hence the car in the very first key art). Even then, the road trip element still emphasized how big and grand the world was supposed to be, and that never really changed!

Ellen’s first key art for Guildlings.

How defined were the characters and setting by the time you came on board?

There were preexisting concepts that Chelsea Saunders/@pixelatedcrown​ had made before I was hired on, so the visual style felt fairly defined… low poly, cute, colorful. That was always the constant. Meanwhile, characters used to be nameless units you’d send out into the world. No names, only the class they were.

Jamie Antonisse, the game’s creative director, was pretty clear with what he had in mind visually and personality-wise! For Chazazz, he was thinking something like a Gene Belcher-body type but with a very kind-hearted personality. I ended up filling in the gaps with other bits that seemed to resonate with the characters, like giving Chazazz’s jumpsuit a Sonic-Tails-Knuckles color palette or Palance a sort of disheveled Sportsknight look compared to Gwynn.

Unused ability art for Chazazz. “He’s my own Sonic OC,” says Ellen.

I felt like Chazazz would have definitely been inspired by Sonic growing up. I guess now that I think about it, I put a lot of my own interests in the characters at the time. Like Prisma was DEFINITELY originally inspired by La Roux a la ‘Trouble in Paradise,’ which was something I had on repeat while designing her. 

All of Prisma's designs are amazing. Was she fun to work on?

Oh yeah, Prisma was probably one of my favorites. I always related a lot to her -- being kind of shy, awkward, but really loving the thing she was born on this earth to do. It’s hard not to be biased! She also went through the most costume changes as well. I really wanted her to resemble a magical girl raver as much as possible, and it took a few tries to get it just right.

Some early looks for Prisma. 👀

Who do you find most fun to draw? Who is the most challenging?

The most fun is Chazazz because the sky’s the limit with how goofy he can get. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve laughed from drawing Chazazz’s selfies.

The most challenging is Coda’s wisp because I almost always forget to draw her in any promo art! I’m the worst!!

What would you say to artists who are interested in getting into games?

My big one for artists is make the art YOU want to see in games, and fill up your portfolios with such. If you keep active and work hard to promote your work, eventually someone is going to look at your body of work, understand your message, and want to collaborate with you. Most people can tell when an artist is making work they're excited about, and it can be strangely infectious.

Below the cut, you’ll find a gallery of never-before-seen concept art and other goodies, hand-selected by Ellen!

Weaponeers, the class that would become Dashlings.

Chazazz was originally supposed to have winged roller blades instead of shoes!

Protectors, the class that would become Sportsknights.

Early Palance designs sought that scruffy laid-back jock vibe.

Early concepts for the Spellblaster class, really going for that raver magical girl look!

Preliminary concept sketches for Prisma.

Honing in on what would become Prisma’s final look.

Some alternate palette ideas for Prisma.

Guildlings is available to play right now on Apple Arcade!

[sewbro]

My entry for the @greenhillzine! Special thanks to Ellen Alsop who organized the whole thing! 

[sagefoster]

Over 60 Dating new Zealand

After dating two weeks, they married, raised three children, and are nonetheless happily married as we speak. Developers of dating apps on the Netherlands App Store who would like to offer an alternate payment method can complete a request for one in all two non-compulsory entitlements. You'll be able to select to “unlock” one for dating. Therefore if one’s certainly not fluent within the spanish language, he/she will be able to still work together with one other buyer in Spanish, within the occasion that that’s the only provided choice. You continue to have all of the normal intimate issues of creating an emotional connection, coping with goals, cash, and family, however you additionally face an array of complicated cultural problems, all of the hassles of driving halfway world wide, and a daunting words hole for most people. If you reside in Los Angeles or are even desirous about making the move to LA, you’ve in all probability heard: Dating נערות ליווי in LA is tough. At the same time, a rising body of research means that a person's genetic compatibility, gender, age, and predisposition to sickness are mirrored in their "smell signature." Even in blinded experiments, subjects' scent preferences align broadly with their sexual needs.

Facebook will match you by a slew of preferences. So, when you ask us where you may meet a rich and successful mate, we will let you know: go to the rich males dating site. AnastasiaDate could be described as dating web site suitable for single women and men from Ukraine and Russia. Christian Rudder argues on the Ok Cupid blog that whereas the ratio of men to women on straight dating websites stays stable as individuals get older, the male fixation on youth distorts the dating pool. And with so many new sites popping-up every day, we perceive it is simple to get lost on this vast array of decisions. By utilizing the Self-written sections, you may get a clear concept about the opposite potential members. These kind of communication choices permit it to become convenient for homeowners to interact with a number of other members on the positioning. Besides the impressive person pages, the location is also with the helm of newest technology and software features - including phone speak, electronic mail, and live chat.

And the positioning has improved rather a lot in the final decade and plenty of of the offended prices in opposition to them are literally almost 20 years outdated now. Marcus Smart will be 28 years previous in simply 19 days. David Alpay is his start title, and he's forty one years outdated. In accordance with our information, David Archuleta is currently single. Native American dating is ideal for single Native Americans pursuing a serious relationship with like minded Native American singles. The Senior Dating Network is a purpose constructed network created to bring collectively and match likeminded senior singles on the web. People with whom you may synchronize and harmonize is easy and more environment friendly if you find yourself surrounded with the filtered atmosphere of singles with similar curiosity. Finding out who's dating Oliver Tree is relatively simple, however maintaining track of his flings, hookups, and breakups is tougher. Finding out who is dating David Alpay is comparatively easy, however maintaining observe of his flings, hookups, and breakups is more difficult. Wiedle, Anna Pan, Tyson Hesse, Ellen Alsop, Evan Palmer, Ego Rodriguez, and plenty of more! Or possibly something way more intimate? Facebook is invading Tinder’s area with a brand new set of dating features.

Actually, if I’m feeling overstimulated, will probably be absolutely mandatory for me to have some area. You need to find out the hours that you will spend, your objective, the kind of individuals you need to satisfy, the level of privateness that you need and others. So , for those who merely want a possibility to match the hottest ladies on the earth AnastasiaDate is a good choice. According to the corporate, its workforce screens every consumer to ensure they solely see “quality profiles from people you’d truly wish to go on a date with,” Inner Circle wrote on its website. Likewise, keep it short - for a longer time profiles might flip off ladies. This foolproof verification ensures faux (feminine) profiles aren’t entertained. Your profile won’t be visible to pals, users who aren’t on the dating characteristic, and it won’t present up within the News Feed. Users might find it creepy to do it all in one app. Over time, as users flip to those newer apps to socialize and meet folks, the trend could cut into the core audience for traditional dating apps. We’ll additionally go over Wyatt’s biography, details, and web value, amongst different issues. Reps for the 2 couldn't be reached for instant comment.

[wolfnanaki]

Fun fact: Ellen Alsop, art director of The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, is also the art director for Goodbye Volcano High!

[alasnow]

This may have been mildly self indulgent... or Cheru indulgent. Mostly Cheru. Okay, so it’s completely for @icheru .

Hold on a moment! This character doesn’t belong to you! Please don’t repost to other sites. Thank you. 

Background made by the fantastic Ellen Alsop who created it for the game! Be sure to check out their other works here!

[jazzfunkdid]

Lalo Schifrin ‎– Macumba

King Records ‎– KICJ 2336 – Originally released in 1977. Lalo Schifrin ‎– Towering Toccata. Drums – Steve Gadd. Flute – Jeremy Steig. Soloist, Guitar – Eric Gale. Alto Saxophone – Gerry Niewood. Baritone Saxophone – Ronnie Cuber. Bass – Anthony Jackson. Cello – Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken. Flute – Dave Tofani, Lou Marini. Keyboards – Clark Spangler. Percussion – Don Armando Bonilla, Ralph MacDonald, Sue Evans. Saxophone – Dave Tofani. Tenor Saxophone – Lou Marini. Trombone – Urbie Green. Trumpet – Burt Collins, John Frosk, John Gatchell. Viola – Manny Vardi, Lamar Alsop. Violin – Charles Libove, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Marvin Morgenstern, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Max Pollikoff, Paul Gershman.

[artisticstuffetc]

Keep Calm. More Art. Ellen Alsop  -  http://ift.tt/2ozejQs - ... via Tumblr

[robynpackham]

PROVOCATION TALKS

WHY PAINTING? WHY DO IT?        - absolute, an artwork demands its viewer, humanity, one set                                   of hands.

Jasper Johns number series - artists culturally and politically driven.  Raschengurg  Ian Stevenson Bob Law Morandi George Shaw Porlock- introduces performance in painting boundaries being tested- artist becomes brush. -changing view on surface.

What are the formalities of painting?  -surface- ‘skin of the person’  -Edge- circle within a rectangle Matisse. Bob law contemplates the edge -Colour -Illusion -Line

SURFACE: ‘skin of the person’                    ‘painting is like a person’ Monet - rendered impressions, threatened by the advent of photography 

Freud- The way he paints skin is all ‘surface work’ 

COLOUR: Frank Stellar- severe colour formalist, 80s Patrick Heron- The contents of colour is colour

ILLUSION: Space Depth Critical to the making of a painting

LINE: Michael Craig Martin David Boburg 1915 vortisist movement welcomed age of industry

WHAT IS NARRATIVE PAINTING: A painting should carry its story  Bosch 1430s - church propaganda Paula Reigo STORY

WHAT IS MINIMAL PAINTING: A singular story

WHAT IS THE EXPANDED FIELD OF PAINTING? Will Alsop - modern architect Before architectural drawings he would paint multimedia works and build buildings from the paintings, New way of looking at the way painting works. Street art and graffiti have their own language and performance area.

RESTRICTED FIELD OF PAINTING Craft painting- commercialised painting

NOTION OF HIGH ART/NON COMMERCIAL ART Rothko chapel, Houston late 60s- worship+ contemporary art Painting demands the view of a painting for sustained periods of time. HOW DOES SOMETHING BECOME ART

----------

The artisan production for the making of the singular and unique, the serial and mass produced print is to be found as a tool for the extension of drawing and painting and as a means for the appropriation and manipulation of the found or digital image.

Monica Peltson “Print offers the intimate and political and the private and public a unique way of working that covers a fantastic array of contradictions”

In the hierarchy of fine art, printmaking is usually associated with craft skills-with technique and that gets in the way. Work is always about the ideas more than the medium - Ian

Robert Rauschenburg- print maker Christiane Baumgartner Printmaking-  “A tool amongst many” Digital print practitioners: Matt Collishaw - macabre, life and death, fragility Marc Quinn - sculptor, sense of play and experiment w etchings. False, unreal composition of global flowers in tanks. Susan collins- Time, pixelation, cctv, webcam technology Ellen Gallaghar, Deluxe- mixes cultures and advertising. collage of process and imagery Thomas Klipper- state of control - created by cutting into the foundations of the building - old starzee headquarters in Berlin. - verging on installation, pushing what printing can be.

[guildlings]

Meet Our Creative Director: Jamie Antonisse

There are many more adventures in store for the Guildlings, so today we’re sitting down with Sirvo Studios’ co-founder and our game’s Creative Director, Jamie Antonisse!

Prior to Guildlings, Jamie was best known for indie games including The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom. As a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Interactive Media MFA program, he’s our resident expert on all things related to characters, story, and setting!

So how did Guildlings start?

Guildlings began as Sirvo co-founder Asher Vollmer’s brainchild, way back in 2012. He had this idea for a game about being a “Guildmaster,” and sending adventuring heroes across the world on quests. He asked me to help him with a paper prototype. We developed it over the course of a couple days, tested it, enjoyed it, and promptly put it in a drawer for three years.

Then in 2015, Asher pitched me on an adjusted version of the game: what if, instead of a scribe sending barbarians and wizards across a stock fantasy realm, the game was about teenagers setting out on a magical road trip? That felt really exciting to me. It took me back to my own journeys across the continental US, including the one that took me from DC to California. I cooked up an atlas of destinations pinned on a mystic-modern continent.

That’s when we both realized we had to make this game, and we’d need a team to do it justice. We joined forces with Ryan Sullivan, Asher reached out to some talented artists he’d admired from Twitter (including Ellen, Kyle Youngblom, and Mac Schubert).

With a unique modern fantasy setting like this, did you look at other games or stories for inspiration?

The original draft was very much an attempt to find little nuggets of magical realism hidden in a map of the USA. I definitely had snippets of Italo Calvino and Borges in my head while I was working.

But Worldaria really came into focus when I looked back on the result and started thinking about it less as an Invisible City and more as a 21st century Oz. Oz is such a great creation; it takes the enormous upheaval and complexity of 1900’s America and runs it through this evocative fantasy filter. It makes its fantasy elements approachable, vulnerable, human.

I wanted Worldaria to do that for our modern world. I wanted to take social networks, coffee chains, skate videos, and office parks and make them magical. Conversely, I really wanted to bring elves and goblins down to earth. I wanted to see an elf driving a Honda Civic on a learner’s permit.

There were other references that became important to the game, of course: Steven Universe, The Adventure Zone, even parts of Homestuck. But those came later, once our team had established the characters.

When character designer Ellen Alsop came aboard, did you already have a fairly solid idea of the characters?

Nope! When Ellen first came aboard, the game was quite different. In fact, your entire team of friends could be randomly generated from different classes and personality traits. It was only after a month or two of experimentation that we ditched the procedural and decided to focus on a specific story, a specific set of friends. I wrote up some names and outlines for Ellen to work from, and she came back with some specific requests, including Myers-Briggs personality types, to round the kids out. Only two of these characters came out looking anything like I’d imagined. The rest were totally different, and far more interesting, than the sketches I had bouncing around in my head.

The team dynamic developed a lot over time as well. I really credit the writers rooms we did for that. These were two-day focused brainstorms where we really broke down the characters’ wants, needs, strengths and weaknesses, and made sure that everyone had a solid arc. In addition to our eventual staff writers Adam Hann-Byrd and Danyel Copeland, we brought in some talented folks for those rooms. Child psychologists, YA writers, social media strategists, all sorts of perspectives contributed to the makeup of our guild. 

The game features a lot of group chats and texting, so bringing in social media people was to learn how to do that most effectively. What sort of insights did they share?

I think my biggest takeaway from those sessions was to be authentic, to create from a place of excitement and irreverence instead of filling the script with Tolkien-y versions of the latest memes. This was a delicate balance with one character in particular, I’m guessing you can imagine who. 

Another thing people often notice about the game is that it uses lots of emoji.

If you’re looking at emoji as a gimmick, you will invariably use it wrong. If you look at it as a replacement for a single word ("let’s have 🦃 for dinner”) you’re just playing charades. Emoji work really well as shorthand, especially for emotional ideas. Some of those meanings are specific to certain people. I guess if there is a secret, it’s that I’m genuinely interested in emoji. If you’re not genuinely interested in them, you probably shouldn’t use them in your game!

Who was hardest to pin down, as a character?

Probably Palance, because I found him so personally relatable. He was sort of my stand-in for a while, but no one wants the lead writer lurking in their chat. Eventually, through some conversation with other writers, I realized that Palance needed to provide a stronger, more specific lense on this world. Gwynn viewed things through rules and structures, Syb through sarcasm and logic, Chazazz through stream-of-conscious key clack. I went back over Palance and started to understand him as a visual and emotional thinker. So I figured he could rely on more of a language of emoji to express himself. 

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in games?

If you want to learn the craft of development, study the game genres you love. If you want to contribute to the future of the medium, look around and between genres, seek out the games that don’t exist yet. The range of expression in this medium is already huge, but we’ve still just seen a fraction of what’s possible. Examine those empty spaces. You might find the perfect spot for your career.

That’s somewhat selfish advice, because it’s really what I want to see out of the next generation of games: more surprising successes and more interesting failures.

What’s one thing players can look forward to in the next installment of Guildlings?

The next story update will be a kind of bridge to Chapter 2. The game will open up quite a bit. I’ll tease a few more details in our upcoming newsletter, but for now I’ll just leave you with this headline: Fakey will return in 2020.