I ordered a test run of stickers and magnets through Stickermule, and they just arrived on Monday evening. I am happy with the results and can’t wait to order a larger run of stickers and buttons. In the meantime, I am looking at options for offering limited runs through indie comics, arts, and other stores. If you’re interested in selling No, Mine! Studios designs in your store, please feel free to email nominestudios@gmail.com.
Test run of vinyl and holographic stickers and magnets from Stickermule. Photo by Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.
Artists, if you have been thinking about getting some of your work printed through Stickermule, click here for a $10 credit. (Double check their site for limitations.) Their team was very responsive and easy to work with through the setup process.
Lately I’ve been illustrating comfort foods to sneak throughout my game. Here’s an example just in time for Taco Tuesday (and Father’s Day). If you like what you see, this design is available on stickers, shirts, mugs, and more through my Redbubble shop.
Transparent sticker with 2D pixel art design of a taco. Illustration by Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.
Socks with 2D pixel art design of a repeating taco pattern. Illustration by Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.
Apron with 2D pixel art design of a repeating taco pattern. Illustration by Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.
Tote bag with 2D pixel art design of a taco. Illustration by Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.
Short sleeved baby onesie with 2D pixel art design of a taco. Illustration by Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.
Zipper pouch with 2D pixel art design of a taco. Illustration by Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.
Some of the options now available at No, Mine! Studios’ Redbubble shop.
4 months ago I started developing a 2D pixel art game by myself: the artwork, the writing, the music, and building the project in Unity. I’m still in the early phases of my project timeline, but I wanted to share progress so far.
Thank you to everyone who has given advice and support. If you like what you see, please drop a line in the comments and/or share this with friends.
Summer has been fairly busy. On top of entertaining a kid during a pandemic and planning for homeschool, I’ve had other projects in the works. I was asked to submit work to a by invitation-only call for cyberpunk stories to a journal overseas. Regardless of whether my story gets picked up for publication, it was an honor to be asked, especially as I haven’t written in this genre before. I’ve been volunteering locally as I’ve been able. Remote meetings are a lifesaver for individuals with chronic illnesses/ conditions like migraines, arthritis, and motherhood (ahem), so I hope this trend continues after the pandemic. The ability to turn off the video and audio functions is especially appreciated. A laughing, streaking kid in the house did elicit momentary panic at one point.
In the relatively quiet moments and through the chaos, I have begun to make significant progress on my biggest project to date [Master’s thesis be damned]: an indie narrative game combining many of my favorite subjects.
Here is a peek at the main character:
Mini Dino Pixel Art (side view). Suzanne Skaar. 2020. All rights reserved.
Front view Dino character, idle. Suzanne Skaar, 2020. Animation/ pixel art. Work in progress. All rights reserved.
My last programming class was in high school, more than 20 years ago, so I have been teaching myself Unity, a development platform which is free to users up to a certain revenue bracket. Brackeys tutorials on YouTube have been on repeat for months in the house. They are awesome: go check them out! Thanks to the site Beepbox, I have also been working on digital music composition for the first time. I first started using Audacity for podcasts a few years back, and it continues to be a great tool for artists. [While I’m not ready to share some of my serious attempts yet, my co-conspirator did willingly lend her vocals to this “parenting dance anthem.” It was created using Beepbox and Audacity.]
Other snippets of the game art are up on the No Mine! Studios Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages. I’ve set myself a soft deadline of December (6 months from when I started) to get basic art in place so I can focus on research, writing, and mechanics. This game is a one mother show. If you are on the above platforms, please follow for updates, like, and share. Your support means a lot!
A simple question I won’t ruin by repeating the litany of reasons why Trump should not have lasted this long into his first term, let alone be elected in the first place.
“Peach.” Animated gif. Suzanne Skaar. All rights reserved 2020.
When your long-time friend/ collaborator texts you to call then doesn’t answer their phone, sometimes you just need to take a moment and animate your response…
“Answer the Phone!” Animated gif. Suzanne Skaar. All rights reserved 2020.
No, Mine! Studios 