Social media reminded me that 11 years ago today, I made the announcement that I was expecting my Junior Tester, a.k.a. “Kiddo,” and 9 years ago today, I started this website, nominestudios.com, borrowing the then 1.5-year-old’s favorite phrase.
Inspiration. 2013. Photo by Suzanne Skaar.
The development of this website inspired me in many ways to make the switch from painting to digital art. The need to keep two cats and a toddler out of my ink and paper supply also provided a lot of motivation to this end. I started off doing animations using a mouse and an old MacBook that kept dying. I was finally able to update my equipment two years ago to a computer capable of running current forms of Windows and a Wacom tablet after the pandemic once again necessitated a shift in work styles.
And now, I’m fortunate enough to be developing a game, experimenting with music and sound effects, and doing research/ background art with support of the Tacoma Arts Commission Artist Initiative Program.
Here’s a look back on some of my work through the years. Apparently WordPress is still glitching on mobile apps with some of the animations :(, so if you can view this on desktop, it will hopefully work better.
Thank you all for your support!
Suzanne
Click on any photo below to expand to slide show view.
Suzanne Skaar, Second Thoughts in a Tattoo ShopSuzanne Skaar, Hi. Sticker. 2007.Suzanne Skaar, 2006.Suzanne Skaar, River. Acrylic, canvas. 2000.Flier for Metro Coffee House Solo Art Show: Moped Guy SeriesGrit City Fest Logo. Suzanne Skaar. 2010. Suzanne Skaar, Exposed Heart. 2009. Ink, paper.Suzanne Skaar, Memorial. October 2013. Digital media.Moped Guy Rides! Animated gif. Suzanne Skaar, 2008. All rights reserved.Suzanne Skaar, Piranha sticker. 2008.Suzanne Skaar. “Aha.” 2008. Chalk Pastel, paper.Suzanne Skaar, Southern Malm. 2009. Ink, paper.“Cats and Tea.” Suzanne Skaar. 2013. Digital Media.Suzanne Skaar. Wyatt. 2001. Acrylic, canvas. 16 in. x 20 in.Suzanne Skaar. Rain. Ink, Watercolor, Paper. 2009.Suzanne Skaar. Blue Room. 2001. Acrylic, Canvas.Suzanne Skaar. Moped Guy and Tricycle Bear. 2007. Spraypaint/ Definitely Not former apartment’s wall.Suzanne Skaar. Dragonfly Swarm. Digital Media. 2008.Suzanne Skaar. Bridge. Ink, Paper. 2009.Suzanne Skaar, Tim Kapler Collaboration. “Moped Guy and Wuv Bear.” Paper, brush pens, Microns, coloring pencils. 2014.Suzanne Skaar. Dinosaur In Progress. Digital Media. 2014.Suzanne Skaar. More Dinosaur Mischief. Digital Media. 2014.Suzanne Skaar. “Fall in Line.” 2014.2014. Steampunk Series, Part 2. Suzanne Skaar. Animation, concept work.Steampunk Series, Pt. 3. Suzanne Skaar. Animation, concept work. 2014.Suzanne Skaar. Spray paint, paper, ceramic tile. 2007The Waste Land. Suzanne Skaar. Digital Media/ Tribute to April, a loved one whose lost the fight to LLS. 2014.“Clandestine”: Concept sketch/ Digital Media. Suzanne Skaar. 2014.No Mine! Studios logo. Suzanne Skaar. Digital Media. 2013. Pirate Buff Bear. Suzanne Skaar. 2011. Duct tape on existing buffed-over graffiti.“Relieving Boredom.” Suzanne Skaar. Sketch. 2009.Steampunk Nursery Installation in progress. Suzanne Skaar. Birch (foreground). Approx. 22″ x 36″. 2014.Swallow. Suzanne Skaar. Pencil, Newsprint. 2014.Gear. Suzanne Skaar. Birch, Lasercut. Approx. 10″ diameter. Steampunk Installation in Progress. 2014. Steampunk Installation in Progress. Suzanne Skaar. Birch, other wood. Pieces range from 10″ in diameter to 22″ x 36″. 2014.Swallow. Suzanne Skaar. Woodcut, laser. Approximately 8″ x 2″. Steampunk Installation in progress. 2014.Sea Monster. Suzanne Skaar. Birch, India Ink, bolts, hinges, cord. 2014. Photo by Tim Kapler.Dragonfly. Suzanne Skaar. 2014. Digital Media.“Toilet Elephant.” Suzanne Skaar. Digital Media/ Animated .gif. 2014. Cute-off #10.“Dancing Beaver.” Suzanne Skaar. Digital media/ Animated .gif. CUTE-OFF #9. 2014.Okongo Logo. Suzanne Skaar. 2010.Northern Pacific Logo. Suzanne Skaar. Digital Media. 2014.Suzanne and Izzy drawing at Metro Coffee. Photo by Tim Kapler.Suzanne working and Isobel helping: January 2014. Photo by Tim Kapler.Toddler headlock/ a.k.a., what working from home looks like. Photo by Suzanne Skaar.“Family.” Suzanne Skaar. Digital Media. 2015.Artwork for Radio Tacoma, KTAH, 101.9 FM.“Cherry Blossoms.” Suzanne Skaar. Digital Media. Moped Guy Series. 2016.“Nerd Badge” available on a variety of products at nominestudios.redbubble.com .Gif: Animation sequence for as yet untitled video game. Suzanne Skaar. 2020. All rights reserved. Girl with hammer on sidewalk: illustration by Suzanne Skaar. 2021Compilation of art for as yet untitled 2D pixel art dino video game by Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.“Spin.” Animated GIF by Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.Call for audio submissions for indie game based in Tacoma. Art by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.Call for audio submissions for indie game based in Tacoma. Art by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.Call for audio submissions for indie game based in Tacoma. Art by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.
This week I’ve been building out the game environment, adding details, and working on sound design. Here’s a peek:
7 15 2022 in game engine clip. Visual and sound design by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.
As a reminder, it’s not too late to add your voice to the game as a background character! Please click here for more details, or email nominestudios@gmail.com with questions.
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.
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:
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.
For those following along, here’s some of the latest progress on my as yet untitled dinosaur game. Let me know what you think in the comments below! If you’d like to show your support for this project, please follow No, Mine! Studios (nominestudios) on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook.
Thank you!
— Suzanne
Progress on as yet untitled dino game. Graphics and sound by Suzanne Skaar, No, Mine! Studios. 2021. All rights reserved.
