Author: Suzanne Skaar

Tacoma based artist and writer. Currently working on as yet untitled video game with support from the City of Tacoma Artist Initiative Program. You can follow progress on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok: @nominestudios. E-mail: nominestudios@gmail.com.

Call for Audio Submissions

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ 3 Comments

Hi friends!

My 43rd birthday is on July 26. While many people use their birthdays on social media these days to solicit funds for charity, I am collecting impressions of dinosaurs.

In 2021, my indie game was accepted into the Tacoma Artists Initiative Program for support while I focus on research and designing the background art. One of my other goals for this project is to include as many voices from the Greater Tacoma Community as I can in the game. As such, I want to include others’ best (and even worst) dinosaur impressions in the game’s soundscape.

QUESTION: Is there pay for participating? No, there is no pay. But if your audio clip is used, you have the choice whether you will be included in the credits or not.

Don’t live in Tacoma but want to participate anyway? Not a problem!

If you are under 18, please get permission from your parent or guardian prior to participating.

If this sounds like fun, please check out the application form for complete details (Word/ PDF). Submissions are due July 26, 2022.

Please note that submissions may be shared on social media. If you don’t want your submission shared, please don’t send it! And if you do share your submission on social media, please tag @nominestudios!

Thank you for your support!

Suzanne

Minizine!

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday I did a test run of the 1st minizine from “The Pink Series.”

1st mini-zine based on The Pink Series by Suzanne Skaar, 2021-2022. All rights reserved.
1st page from 1st mini-zine based on The Pink Series by Suzanne Skaar, 2021-2022. All rights reserved, even those SCOTUS tries to steal.

Not sure where these will land yet, but I’m open to suggestions!

—Suzanne

Tacoma Protests the Abortion Bans

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Reposting this 2019 post again because we won’t be silent. Abortion is a human right.

Suzanne Skaar's avatarNo, Mine! Studios

On Tuesday, May 21, several Tacoma residents gathered in front of the Federal Courthouse to speak out for women’s rights and to protect access to abortion.  I was incredibly proud to see such a strong turnout and meet some great people. Here are some photos from the event.

It is great to see so many young people involved in this fight.

But, the fact that this fight is still going on today is infuriating. Women deserve bodily autonomy.

Mothers understand the importance of protecting the right of autonomy for our daughters.

It’s our duty to ensure the next generation understands their rights and how to fight for them.

We can’t keep letting history repeat itself.

When abortion is illegal, women die.

The Raging Grannies were on hand to encourage us to speak up and sing out.

Here’s a closeup of some of the lyrics.

We can’t sit back and watch…

View original post 83 more words

Game Progress and Other Updates

In game screenshot. Pixel art dinosaur standing on wooden fence looking up at sign which reads "Magma Lava Fired Pizza." Sign on righthand side of fence reads "Closed for repairs." Sign on leftside of fence reads "Cook Wanted No Exp", but "no" is crossed out with red letters. A tiny volcano is seen behind the fence.
~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Happy Wednesday!

It’s been a while since I’ve shared new game updates on the website. Allergies really kicked my butt these last few weeks and I’ve been in a bit of a fog. Fortunately, we’re just a few days away from the official start of summer in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and the pollen count is only going up from here! Yay! [Wait.]

Part of my absence from posting on my site was that I was working really hard on a project for an organization that, in the end, was not set up to properly support content creators. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. Not every effort is going to pan out in the end, and sometimes, the best option is to reroute our energy, especially when we don’t have much energy to begin with [see first paragraph] and mom duties call.

[Ha ha, duties.]

I also tried my hand at standup comedy for a few months, which was more an exercise in remembering what it was like to interact with other adults outside of formal meetings. For now, I love the writing aspect of standup, but not so much the standing-up of standup. I’ll give it another go again somewhere down the line, but for now, I’m gleefully back in the safety of a late Cretaceous Era Tacoma.*

Here’s some of the game progress I’ve shared on other social media sites so far. If you want to support No, Mine! Studios in the goal of reaching a wider audience, please like, follow/ subscribe, and share No,, Mine! on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and even the dusty old YouTube.

If you have places in Tacoma you want to ensure are in the game, drop me a line in the comments below, or email nominestudios@gmail.com.

Pixel art illustration loosely based on Tacoma's Lincoln High School against plain forest green background. No Mine! Studios in hot pink letters.
Dimetrodon High School. Suzanne Skaar, 2022. All rights reserved.
Pixel art illustration loosely based on Tacoma's Lincoln High School in Unity game engine scene. No Mine! Studios in mint green letters.
Work in progress. Preview in Unity game engine of Dimetrodon High School. Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.
Green and blue building with the following signs: "Snips," "Talons," and "Gyro".
Environment art. Suzanne Skaar, 2022. All rights reserved.
In game screenshot. Pixel art dinosaur standing on wooden fence looking up at sign which reads "Magma Lava Fired Pizza." Sign on righthand side of fence reads "Closed for repairs." Sign on leftside of fence reads "Cook Wanted No Exp", but "no" is crossed out with red letters. A tiny volcano is seen behind the fence.
In game progress. Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.

In game capture. Play-testing by No Mine, Studios Junior Tester Isobel.
Animation and sound by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.

As always, thank you for your support! And thank you to the Tacoma Arts Commission for providing support for this project through the Tacoma Artists Initiative Program!

City of Tacoma Arts Commission logo.

Suzanne

*[I realize Tacoma would have been completely under water 66 million years ago and probably did not have any decent places to get falafel.]

If you buy a dinosaur a coffee …

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Then the little dino is going to want a bubble tea… and maybe a vegetarian taco, too.

2D pixel art dinosaur holding a pink bubble tea and eating a taco. Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.

The process of building up a studio and developing a game can be long and lonely. It can especially be challenging as a mom to network through the normal avenues when many are not welcoming of children, and the pandemic has made it more difficult to depend on already limited childcare resources. Thank you everyone has cheered me on and jumped in to help along the way! I am especially grateful for the support received from the Tacoma Artist Initiative Program to focus on building up the environment of the game. [Much of the game’s background art is loosely based on real places in Tacoma, WA.]

Concept work for as yet untitled dinosaur game. “Boop’s” is based on Tacoma’s iconic Bob’s Java Jive. Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.

If you would like to help offset some of the costs of running a small business (business licenses, equipment, software, food …), consider buying a dino a coffee (or a bubble tea, or a taco). I do have a limited run of work up on Redbubble, as well as buttons and stickers ready to be placed in local retail stores.

Random sample of buttons featuring artwork from No, Mine! Studios.
New buttons by Suzanne Skaar, 2022. All rights reserved.

If there is a design on my site that you would like to purchase that is not on Redbubble yet, email nominestudios@gmail.com.

You can also help No, Mine! Studios reach a larger audience by following on these platforms:

Instagram

TikTok

Twitter

Facebook

YouTube

Thank you for your time and support!

Suzanne

Avi’s Cafe

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Last week I learned:

1: The oldest bird fossil (Asteriornis maastrichtensis, a.k.a. “The Wonderchicken”) is about 66.7 million years old.

2: Tacoma’s Alfred’s Cafe was called Bill and Ted’s Tavern in the 1940s, well before the first excellent adventure or bogus journey.

Image: Composite of concept work inspired by Alfred's Cafe in Tacoma for as yet untitled pixel art dinosaur game by Suzanne Skaar, 2022. Top picture side view of building. Bottom left: close up of sign with a white feathered bird and sign letters reading “Avi’s Cafe.” Bottom right: front side of building. Pink No Mine Studios logo on bottom of image. Blue background. All rights reserved.
Concept work inspired by Alfred’s Cafe in Tacoma for as yet untitled dino game. Suzanne Skaar, 2022. All rights reserved.

Spring Break

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

First day of Spring Break, and the kiddo and I are not going outside unless we absolutely have to.

2D pixel art black and white dino holding broken umbrella in front of worn-down building. Character design from as yet untitled dino game by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.

Sneak Peek

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Here’s a look at the latest progress on the interior of “The Very Diverse Society for Old Dude Bros” from my as yet untitled dinosaur game. Enjoy!

Work in progress: “The Very Diverse Society For Old Dude Bros.” Graphics and sound by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.

For more content, please like, subscribe, and follow No, Mine! Studios on the following platforms:

Instagram

TikTok

Twitter

Facebook

YouTube

Thank you for your support!

Suzanne

Audio Design

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

I started adding sound effects into the game engine (Unity) last week. It took me a long time to get into audio design projects, but now that I’m here, I’m having a lot of fun.

Stegos are peeping. Trilobites are shuffling. Volcanoes are blorping.

I could have been blorping volcanoes for decades!

I never felt like I knew enough before I could start, but this approach is backwards. I’ve learned so much more from the actual doing than the researching beforehand. There need to be more spaces for women and girls to fail and be encouraged to move forward anyway.

Video: in game engine clip of black and white dino walking through underground tunnel system past trilobites. Multiple pipes of varying hues (gray, yellow, blue, and orange) are seen in the foreground. The concrete walls lining the tunnel are greenish and braced with rusted orange steel beams.
Graphics and sound by Suzanne Skaar, 2022. All rights reserved.