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Free firecracker label templates (in scraps)
Posted 3 years agoThere are 3 black & white "firecracker label" labeling templates (with samples of how they can be used), in a Folder in my "Scraps" section of this Fur Affinity archive page.
These are based on approximations of 1930s labels for small wrapped packs of 16 to 20 small firecrackers with their labels braided together. Actual firecracker packages are actually often as colorful as these examples, and can have very hyper-style art. These examples show some of the range of the 1930s art, some examples of design styles, and some near-typical small safety statements, and factory notices. (The examples here in the scraps are in a cartoony, funny-animal style). There are many on-line art archives of actual collectable fireworks labels (back to the 1920s, up to current times). These archives can be searched for other style examples. Styles can vary from elegant folk-pop=culture to energetic outsider-art.
Some of the central art might show views of fireworks being set-off by kids; some art might feature totem (or trade-mark) animals; some festival scenes with firecrackers; some would be pin-ups of military heroes (and heroines), or folk characters; some art would be pin-ups of dressed=up marriageable females.
The lettering styles had some conventions in designs in the 1920s and 1930s. Early firecracker pack labels might be entirely hand-lettered. Multiple colors were used early on the packages by the 1920s, and included flat-color areas and color lithography. The lithography might have a regular (or irregular) pattern of primary colors, to make a shaded color image. Manufacturer credits were sometime for a factory in a foreign country, but could also credit the importer company, or even the local or regional general store that ordered their own batch and brand-name.
https://www.furaffinity.net/scraps/heywulf/
You are free to use these templates to make your own version of fireworks labels from the Spontoon Island setting, or to adapt the templates to your own version of the furry worlds. The 3 black & white templates are in public domain, and may certainly be modified.
If you do some furry firecracker labels, 1930s or not, let me know! Have a safe-and-sane label production!
These are based on approximations of 1930s labels for small wrapped packs of 16 to 20 small firecrackers with their labels braided together. Actual firecracker packages are actually often as colorful as these examples, and can have very hyper-style art. These examples show some of the range of the 1930s art, some examples of design styles, and some near-typical small safety statements, and factory notices. (The examples here in the scraps are in a cartoony, funny-animal style). There are many on-line art archives of actual collectable fireworks labels (back to the 1920s, up to current times). These archives can be searched for other style examples. Styles can vary from elegant folk-pop=culture to energetic outsider-art.
Some of the central art might show views of fireworks being set-off by kids; some art might feature totem (or trade-mark) animals; some festival scenes with firecrackers; some would be pin-ups of military heroes (and heroines), or folk characters; some art would be pin-ups of dressed=up marriageable females.
The lettering styles had some conventions in designs in the 1920s and 1930s. Early firecracker pack labels might be entirely hand-lettered. Multiple colors were used early on the packages by the 1920s, and included flat-color areas and color lithography. The lithography might have a regular (or irregular) pattern of primary colors, to make a shaded color image. Manufacturer credits were sometime for a factory in a foreign country, but could also credit the importer company, or even the local or regional general store that ordered their own batch and brand-name.
https://www.furaffinity.net/scraps/heywulf/
You are free to use these templates to make your own version of fireworks labels from the Spontoon Island setting, or to adapt the templates to your own version of the furry worlds. The 3 black & white templates are in public domain, and may certainly be modified.
If you do some furry firecracker labels, 1930s or not, let me know! Have a safe-and-sane label production!
Reed Waller, underground anthro artist, has Patreon accou...
Posted 3 years agoReed Waller, the artist and original writer of the underground comic book story, "Omaha the Cat Dancer", has started a Patreon account.
You can join the account and select a level of monthly (repeating) donation, and Reed will be downloading pages & images from a new ongoing comic strip project, "The Flower Chamber".
This story features anthropomorphic characters, and has elements of science fiction and fantasy story-telling. It is set in a future alternate version of an anthropomorphic USA, years after a major economic collapse. It takes place in a small city on the prairie that has its neighborhoods built under weather-protective domes, and linked together. Technology seems only slightly advanced in this alternative world. There will be a future of social and personal exploration, drama, joy, and sexuality. The story is centered within the House of Hathor and its reincarnated Egyptian Love Goddess - determined to keep the dark away with love.
Pages and images from "The Flower Chamber" are now being uploaded.
The link below opens a portal-page (Safe For Work) introducing his Patreon page. The portal page is G-rated. However, you have to be over 18 years old to join and view his actual Patreon account. (Not Safe For Work) The story pages that can be downloaded may often include story and images that would be (at the least) an over-18, "R" rating. (The rating-sensitive content will be similar to what one could see in the previously published "Omaha the Cat Dancer" stories.)
https://www.patreon.com/ReedWallerOmaha
You can join the account and select a level of monthly (repeating) donation, and Reed will be downloading pages & images from a new ongoing comic strip project, "The Flower Chamber".
This story features anthropomorphic characters, and has elements of science fiction and fantasy story-telling. It is set in a future alternate version of an anthropomorphic USA, years after a major economic collapse. It takes place in a small city on the prairie that has its neighborhoods built under weather-protective domes, and linked together. Technology seems only slightly advanced in this alternative world. There will be a future of social and personal exploration, drama, joy, and sexuality. The story is centered within the House of Hathor and its reincarnated Egyptian Love Goddess - determined to keep the dark away with love.
Pages and images from "The Flower Chamber" are now being uploaded.
The link below opens a portal-page (Safe For Work) introducing his Patreon page. The portal page is G-rated. However, you have to be over 18 years old to join and view his actual Patreon account. (Not Safe For Work) The story pages that can be downloaded may often include story and images that would be (at the least) an over-18, "R" rating. (The rating-sensitive content will be similar to what one could see in the previously published "Omaha the Cat Dancer" stories.)
https://www.patreon.com/ReedWallerOmaha
"What do you do next?" Fantasy Role-Playing Games (50 yea...
Posted 4 years ago“What do you do next?” An essay on the history of fantasy role-playing games.
Essay on Blackmoor RPG origins (Twin Cities gamers + David Wesely) 1971 (April 2021)
...Once upon a time, (so I am read) there was this ancient (1960s) gaming club that had meetings in the ancient metro area of Saint Paul & Minneapolis and local suburbs. They played many military war-games from that ancient time (the 1960s), which were entertaining and educational… except they often spent as many hours arguing over the game rules and interpretations as the hours they spent playing the games. However, thanks to some of its members researching in the hidden parts of a University library they had discovered an even-more ancient dusty tome of a book from 1880, (“Strategos” by name, and written by Charles Totten, a US army officer). The rules were interesting, but detailed & difficult, as they had been written to teach military officers how to command an 1880s army in a battle-ground.
One evening, one of the amateur gaming scholars, David Wesely, being much vexed by the amount of argument over gaming rules during the gaming sessions, remembered a small paragraph in the introduction to Totten’s ancient rule book. The small paragraph said (approximately): that for the miniatures battle to move more rapidly and smoothly, it should be supervised by an impartial Referee. The Referee would have the final say for quick resolutions of disputes. The referee could also use their judgment to evaluate the requests and initiative of the individual players attempting to take advantage of local situations and environment. (Such as interaction with local civilians or weather events.) Many unusual circumstances could be considered, and attempted, but not everything would be likely to succeed. The referee could make a quick decision, perhaps allowing dice rolls to provide an element of chance.
The military miniatures gaming club tried this around 1965. It mostly worked well. David Wesely became well regarded as a Referee for the games. Rule disputes did not interfere with much of the gaming time. Improvisations & interactions with the environment were rewarded. In the war-games, players might assume the roles of the military officers of their unit, and exchange written messages in character, in a historical style. Other club members learned how to referee for the war-game meetings.
Many of the club members were pop-culture history fans, reading and viewing entertaining fictional media about the historical battles. They might sometimes add pop-culture tropes to the games.
They were playing and experimenting with refereed miniatures war-games. In December 1968, David Wesely tried out an idea. He invited the game club to a meeting that sounded like it was a situational set-up before a Napoleonic miniatures army battle. It was in a German town (“Braunstein”) that was about to be invaded by a French army. The players were each assigned an individual character, who represented a social faction within the town. These characters all had separate goals to accomplish before the French army arrived. Many of the goals were ‘Non-Zero-Sum”--which meant that many (or even all) players could ‘win’ by the end of the game, by achieving their individual goals.
22 club members showed up; Wesely had only expected 8. He improvised characters, roles, and goals on-the-fly. Then he went into a side-room and started meeting with players one-or-two at a time to explain their individual goals and to supervise the negotiations between the role-play characters, 2-at-a time. Some time into the isolated meetings with the individual role-players he discovered that the crowd of players in the outside room had not been idle. They had been circulating among themselves and starting their own negotiations with their natural allies and opponents!
Wesely stopped the game at that point, and explained to the gamers who the factions were and what he had been trying to do. He finished the evening thinking that his experiment in role-playing was a failure. He went away to college for graduate school, and when he next returned on a vacation break, most all of the game club asked him to do another “Braunstein” game!
So they did (several times), with Wesely (during his visits from graduate school) learning what changes made this style of role-playing gaming work better. A club member, Dave Arneson, would sometimes trade-off as a “Braunstein” referee through 1969 & 1970. The club members also played more refereed historical battle games, and would often insert role-playing as part pf their play. Arneson refereed a Napoleonic international campaign, where the players would negotiate as rulers and generals before their armies and navies met & battled. Other club referees experimented: In 1970, Duane Jenkins introduced evolving player-characters and continuing stories in a Wild-West “Brownstone, Texas”.
In the club newsletter Dave Arneson announced that on 17 April 1971, he would be Refereeing (“Gamesmastering”) a Braunstein-style Medieval Fantasy Role-playing game in the village and castle of Blackmoor. Each player was playing an individual role-playing character. The setting & ‘atmosphere’ was based on pop-culture stories, movies & TV. This was probably the first Medieval Fantasy Role-playing game, 50 years ago.
“What do you do next?” David Megarry, game designer, quoting a key question asked by the Referee/ Dungeonmaster/ Garmesmaster in a fantasy role-playing game. (from the “Secrets of Blackmoor” documentary.)
There is a scholarly book, “Playing At The World” by Jon Peterson, that covers this story in much more depth. If you are interested in seeing some of the personalities & history, there is an excellent documentary movie, “Secrets of Blackmoor” that is available on Vimeo, (or perhaps soon in other media locations). The people named here are also mentioned in archives & blogs on the internet.
Consider this essay an advance notice that there will be a lot of reporting and media attention to Fantasy Role-playing games between now and maybe 2027. Media coverage will be appear for many ‘50-year anniversary’ events, including for the “Greyhawk” castle setting in 2022, The publication of the “Dungeons & Dragons” rule-books in 2024, and “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons” in 2027, not to mention the start a host of other RPGs. Time for the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the most important new method of storytelling since the short-story. 8)
The Furry Connections:
You may know of the connections of furry-fandom with fantasy role-playing games. Some of the earlier settings and game rules include “Bunnies And Burrows” and “Toon”, with settings that had intelligent, speaking animal characters.
More basic is the idea of a personal ‘character’ for role-playing, or fantasy play, or building a story background. The templates that a furry role-player uses come from the culture of fantasy role-playing games, including abilities, learned skills, and appearance. When you ask an artist to draw your ‘character’ you likely will share this role-playing created set of memes with other furry-fans.
You may already know that much of the early on-line text-message ‘role-playing’ (back in the early internet) (1990s?) was done by furry-fans role-playing their named-individual, personal-created characters – characters most likely supplied by attributes and interaction based on the memes & tropes set by by fantasy role-playing games. It appeared that many internet-enabled furry fans really enjoyed the opportunity to communicate on the web while writing as their furry persona.
50 years later (2021?), most any fantasy & science-fiction fantasy role-playing game, table-top or computer, has the possibility of having fur-elves, fabulous talking animals, funny-animals, furrys, or anthropomorphs built into the games-masters rules. You could likely even play your personal furry character. (Depending on how flexible your dungeon-master is.) ]83
Essay on Blackmoor RPG origins (Twin Cities gamers + David Wesely) 1971 (April 2021)
...Once upon a time, (so I am read) there was this ancient (1960s) gaming club that had meetings in the ancient metro area of Saint Paul & Minneapolis and local suburbs. They played many military war-games from that ancient time (the 1960s), which were entertaining and educational… except they often spent as many hours arguing over the game rules and interpretations as the hours they spent playing the games. However, thanks to some of its members researching in the hidden parts of a University library they had discovered an even-more ancient dusty tome of a book from 1880, (“Strategos” by name, and written by Charles Totten, a US army officer). The rules were interesting, but detailed & difficult, as they had been written to teach military officers how to command an 1880s army in a battle-ground.
One evening, one of the amateur gaming scholars, David Wesely, being much vexed by the amount of argument over gaming rules during the gaming sessions, remembered a small paragraph in the introduction to Totten’s ancient rule book. The small paragraph said (approximately): that for the miniatures battle to move more rapidly and smoothly, it should be supervised by an impartial Referee. The Referee would have the final say for quick resolutions of disputes. The referee could also use their judgment to evaluate the requests and initiative of the individual players attempting to take advantage of local situations and environment. (Such as interaction with local civilians or weather events.) Many unusual circumstances could be considered, and attempted, but not everything would be likely to succeed. The referee could make a quick decision, perhaps allowing dice rolls to provide an element of chance.
The military miniatures gaming club tried this around 1965. It mostly worked well. David Wesely became well regarded as a Referee for the games. Rule disputes did not interfere with much of the gaming time. Improvisations & interactions with the environment were rewarded. In the war-games, players might assume the roles of the military officers of their unit, and exchange written messages in character, in a historical style. Other club members learned how to referee for the war-game meetings.
Many of the club members were pop-culture history fans, reading and viewing entertaining fictional media about the historical battles. They might sometimes add pop-culture tropes to the games.
They were playing and experimenting with refereed miniatures war-games. In December 1968, David Wesely tried out an idea. He invited the game club to a meeting that sounded like it was a situational set-up before a Napoleonic miniatures army battle. It was in a German town (“Braunstein”) that was about to be invaded by a French army. The players were each assigned an individual character, who represented a social faction within the town. These characters all had separate goals to accomplish before the French army arrived. Many of the goals were ‘Non-Zero-Sum”--which meant that many (or even all) players could ‘win’ by the end of the game, by achieving their individual goals.
22 club members showed up; Wesely had only expected 8. He improvised characters, roles, and goals on-the-fly. Then he went into a side-room and started meeting with players one-or-two at a time to explain their individual goals and to supervise the negotiations between the role-play characters, 2-at-a time. Some time into the isolated meetings with the individual role-players he discovered that the crowd of players in the outside room had not been idle. They had been circulating among themselves and starting their own negotiations with their natural allies and opponents!
Wesely stopped the game at that point, and explained to the gamers who the factions were and what he had been trying to do. He finished the evening thinking that his experiment in role-playing was a failure. He went away to college for graduate school, and when he next returned on a vacation break, most all of the game club asked him to do another “Braunstein” game!
So they did (several times), with Wesely (during his visits from graduate school) learning what changes made this style of role-playing gaming work better. A club member, Dave Arneson, would sometimes trade-off as a “Braunstein” referee through 1969 & 1970. The club members also played more refereed historical battle games, and would often insert role-playing as part pf their play. Arneson refereed a Napoleonic international campaign, where the players would negotiate as rulers and generals before their armies and navies met & battled. Other club referees experimented: In 1970, Duane Jenkins introduced evolving player-characters and continuing stories in a Wild-West “Brownstone, Texas”.
In the club newsletter Dave Arneson announced that on 17 April 1971, he would be Refereeing (“Gamesmastering”) a Braunstein-style Medieval Fantasy Role-playing game in the village and castle of Blackmoor. Each player was playing an individual role-playing character. The setting & ‘atmosphere’ was based on pop-culture stories, movies & TV. This was probably the first Medieval Fantasy Role-playing game, 50 years ago.
“What do you do next?” David Megarry, game designer, quoting a key question asked by the Referee/ Dungeonmaster/ Garmesmaster in a fantasy role-playing game. (from the “Secrets of Blackmoor” documentary.)
There is a scholarly book, “Playing At The World” by Jon Peterson, that covers this story in much more depth. If you are interested in seeing some of the personalities & history, there is an excellent documentary movie, “Secrets of Blackmoor” that is available on Vimeo, (or perhaps soon in other media locations). The people named here are also mentioned in archives & blogs on the internet.
Consider this essay an advance notice that there will be a lot of reporting and media attention to Fantasy Role-playing games between now and maybe 2027. Media coverage will be appear for many ‘50-year anniversary’ events, including for the “Greyhawk” castle setting in 2022, The publication of the “Dungeons & Dragons” rule-books in 2024, and “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons” in 2027, not to mention the start a host of other RPGs. Time for the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the most important new method of storytelling since the short-story. 8)
The Furry Connections:
You may know of the connections of furry-fandom with fantasy role-playing games. Some of the earlier settings and game rules include “Bunnies And Burrows” and “Toon”, with settings that had intelligent, speaking animal characters.
More basic is the idea of a personal ‘character’ for role-playing, or fantasy play, or building a story background. The templates that a furry role-player uses come from the culture of fantasy role-playing games, including abilities, learned skills, and appearance. When you ask an artist to draw your ‘character’ you likely will share this role-playing created set of memes with other furry-fans.
You may already know that much of the early on-line text-message ‘role-playing’ (back in the early internet) (1990s?) was done by furry-fans role-playing their named-individual, personal-created characters – characters most likely supplied by attributes and interaction based on the memes & tropes set by by fantasy role-playing games. It appeared that many internet-enabled furry fans really enjoyed the opportunity to communicate on the web while writing as their furry persona.
50 years later (2021?), most any fantasy & science-fiction fantasy role-playing game, table-top or computer, has the possibility of having fur-elves, fabulous talking animals, funny-animals, furrys, or anthropomorphs built into the games-masters rules. You could likely even play your personal furry character. (Depending on how flexible your dungeon-master is.) ]83
"Beastars" anime available USA, 13 March
Posted 5 years ago"Beastars" is a Japanese anime adapted from the manga of the same name, written and drawn by Paru Itagaki. The English-dubbed first season will be available on Netflix streaming service in the USA on Friday 13 March 2020. This feels like a grittier version of some of the same tropes as found in "Zootopia". The story has a modern/near future Japan social setting. I recommend it for at least a sampling. It will not be to everyone's taste, as it does deal with the social threat of predation, in a civil society of mixed herbivores, omnivores, and predators.
My previous journal post has more comments on the manga & anime show.
My previous journal post has more comments on the manga & anime show.
"Beastars" manga + anime: Recommended
Posted 5 years ago"Beastars" is a recent anthropomorphic Japanese manga, written & illustrated by Paru Itagaki. It started publication in 2016 in a weekly manga magazine, and of this date has been also published in 17 manga collections (with about 9 episodes/chapters in each collection). Viz Media, has started publishing official hard-copy USA English language versions of the collections in the Fall of 2019. Five collections are available.
Wikipedia has a good introductory article about "Beastars", and google images shows promotional art & sample pages.
I would strongly recommend taking a look at the story. It has story ideas that parallel some of the meta-story in Zootopia, but the story-line is developed in a much more gritty way. The setting starts out in an elite boarding-school for upper grade students located in a major city with echoes of a Japanese culture. The culture has herbivores and carnivores co-existing in the city, but instinctive stresses make life difficult for the students who are having to deal with growing up sexually, socially, and the academic pressure of an elite school. The society works because everyone attempts to learn to repress their instincts, reinforced by many social controls.
The students are shocked by the obvious murder of a popular herbivore student by an unknown carnivore (presumed to be another student). The students you are introduced to are distinct individual types, all with flaws and growing-pains. The later parts of the manga are post-high school, and show a wider view of the urban culture.
The manga story has been adapted into an anime series in Japan, starting in October 2019. Outside of Japan, officially the series will be shown via Netflix - USA English version starting 13 March 2020. The first season of 12 episodes is complete, and a second season has been approved.
I would say that for USA audiences, this would be a manga and anime story for late high-school & older. There is teen-angst, developing personalities, socialization crises, bullying, noir-menace, murder, violence, sexy (& flawed) males & females of various species, first loves, romance, sex, inter-species attraction (& children), personality development, power-politics, intrigue, black-market butcheries, Yakuza, and plenty of specialized furry world-building. It is a popular entertainment adventure. The manga has won several general awards in Japan.
And fan-art is appearing in Fur Affinity already.
Wikipedia has a good introductory article about "Beastars", and google images shows promotional art & sample pages.
I would strongly recommend taking a look at the story. It has story ideas that parallel some of the meta-story in Zootopia, but the story-line is developed in a much more gritty way. The setting starts out in an elite boarding-school for upper grade students located in a major city with echoes of a Japanese culture. The culture has herbivores and carnivores co-existing in the city, but instinctive stresses make life difficult for the students who are having to deal with growing up sexually, socially, and the academic pressure of an elite school. The society works because everyone attempts to learn to repress their instincts, reinforced by many social controls.
The students are shocked by the obvious murder of a popular herbivore student by an unknown carnivore (presumed to be another student). The students you are introduced to are distinct individual types, all with flaws and growing-pains. The later parts of the manga are post-high school, and show a wider view of the urban culture.
The manga story has been adapted into an anime series in Japan, starting in October 2019. Outside of Japan, officially the series will be shown via Netflix - USA English version starting 13 March 2020. The first season of 12 episodes is complete, and a second season has been approved.
I would say that for USA audiences, this would be a manga and anime story for late high-school & older. There is teen-angst, developing personalities, socialization crises, bullying, noir-menace, murder, violence, sexy (& flawed) males & females of various species, first loves, romance, sex, inter-species attraction (& children), personality development, power-politics, intrigue, black-market butcheries, Yakuza, and plenty of specialized furry world-building. It is a popular entertainment adventure. The manga has won several general awards in Japan.
And fan-art is appearing in Fur Affinity already.
Free cartoon-art reference diagrams by Lorenzo Etherington.
Posted 6 years agoRecommending this blog by the United Kingdom cartoonists, The Etherington Brothers, with a large series of cartooning construction tips by Lorenzo Etherington. (Look for the links at the blog for "How To Think When You Draw" for over 200 free visual diagrams.)
These tips are not quite for beginners, but are likely to be helpful at some points in learning more of how to use the visual vocabulary of cartooning.
You may also enjoy looking at Lorenzo's cartoon art. 8)
http://theetheringtonbrothers.blogspot.com/
These tips are not quite for beginners, but are likely to be helpful at some points in learning more of how to use the visual vocabulary of cartooning.
You may also enjoy looking at Lorenzo's cartoon art. 8)
http://theetheringtonbrothers.blogspot.com/
Merry Saint Urho's Day! 16 March
Posted 7 years agoWishing you all a Merry Saint Urho's Day celebration!
http://www.sainturho.com/
http://www.sainturho.com/
Request for Air-Racing contributions - Spontoon Is. website
Posted 8 years agoThe Spontoon website posts "Speed Week" stories and art on a 1930s air-racing theme each year at the end of August: Here's a contents page for the contributions:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwRacCn.html
We'd be happy to add more art and stories to the section!
The Spontoon Island website will celebrate "Speed Week" and post new contributions starting 24 August, through the first week of September. The site would be happy to repost images of 1930s racing vehicles on a tropical island, including racing seaplanes, 1930s motorcycle races, and similar subjects. Also welcome would be images of visitors watching the racing, locals managing the races, mechanics at work, & pilots. Original 1930s aircraft designs are welcome, as are historical 1930s designs.
Text stories set during the air races or the racing festival in this 1930s Pacific island setting are also welcome.
Rating for contributions should be G to (mild) Mature.
The setting for the Spontoon Island website is an alternate version of our world, approximately 1930s in history and technology. The population is anthropomorphic toons, to funny animal, details depending on each contributor's cartooning style. Think "Miyazaki anime" meets "TaleSpin" meets "Blacksad", with all original characters.
Your own original characters are welcome to visit the Speed-Week festival. They should be wearing 1930s-style costume, and skilled enough tourists to fit in with this alternate time environment. Reposts of your previously-drawn art (that fits the theme) will be OK. You keep your copyright, and we will make sure you have credits and links to your own archive.
There's background information on this webpage:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwRacCQ.html
General pages on Spontoon-setting aircraft:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwAi01.html
Questions are welcome, and can come through comments or Fur Affinity's 'notes'/message system.
Thank you!
Ken Fletcher
'Heywulf' on FA
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwRacCn.html
We'd be happy to add more art and stories to the section!
The Spontoon Island website will celebrate "Speed Week" and post new contributions starting 24 August, through the first week of September. The site would be happy to repost images of 1930s racing vehicles on a tropical island, including racing seaplanes, 1930s motorcycle races, and similar subjects. Also welcome would be images of visitors watching the racing, locals managing the races, mechanics at work, & pilots. Original 1930s aircraft designs are welcome, as are historical 1930s designs.
Text stories set during the air races or the racing festival in this 1930s Pacific island setting are also welcome.
Rating for contributions should be G to (mild) Mature.
The setting for the Spontoon Island website is an alternate version of our world, approximately 1930s in history and technology. The population is anthropomorphic toons, to funny animal, details depending on each contributor's cartooning style. Think "Miyazaki anime" meets "TaleSpin" meets "Blacksad", with all original characters.
Your own original characters are welcome to visit the Speed-Week festival. They should be wearing 1930s-style costume, and skilled enough tourists to fit in with this alternate time environment. Reposts of your previously-drawn art (that fits the theme) will be OK. You keep your copyright, and we will make sure you have credits and links to your own archive.
There's background information on this webpage:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwRacCQ.html
General pages on Spontoon-setting aircraft:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwAi01.html
Questions are welcome, and can come through comments or Fur Affinity's 'notes'/message system.
Thank you!
Ken Fletcher
'Heywulf' on FA
Artist References: Historical Catalogs
Posted 9 years agoArtist references - for historical drawing & writing.
Kenoscope, here on Fur Affinity, is offering free copies of reference scans from 1920s (and 1930s?) mail-order catalogs. Very good for showing North American lower-class & middle-class daily real-world fashions (including working clothes). Plus there will be home and office furniture and tools that would be around houses and garages.
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7936557/
He wants you to send him a Fur Affinity "Note" (message) with your email contact information.
Kenoscope, here on Fur Affinity, is offering free copies of reference scans from 1920s (and 1930s?) mail-order catalogs. Very good for showing North American lower-class & middle-class daily real-world fashions (including working clothes). Plus there will be home and office furniture and tools that would be around houses and garages.
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7936557/
He wants you to send him a Fur Affinity "Note" (message) with your email contact information.
Ceremonies of the Pies - Spontoon Island
Posted 9 years agoRemember, remember,
the Pies of November.
Pumpkin Pies, spicy and hot.
I see no reasoning,
Why pumpkin pie seasoning,
should ever be forgot.
From the Baking Naked in Their Aprons Dances --
South Island, Spontoon Island Lagoon - 1936
the Pies of November.
Pumpkin Pies, spicy and hot.
I see no reasoning,
Why pumpkin pie seasoning,
should ever be forgot.
From the Baking Naked in Their Aprons Dances --
South Island, Spontoon Island Lagoon - 1936
Furry Migration con Minnesota - art & text story contest
Posted 9 years agoIf you are a member of the Furry Migration convention coming up in Minneapolis this coming weekend, check out the art and text-story competitions that are now in process: "Iron Artist" and "Iron Pen". Short original works will be accepted at the convention and the best ones will be selected by judges & members voting: A prize for each top winner: a "Sponsor-level" membership at the 2017 convention.
More information via a link in THIS FA journal: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7800315/
More information via a link in THIS FA journal: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7800315/
Jerry Collins: A journal at his 'GeorgieGanarf' FA account
Posted 9 years agoJerry Collins - original art sale - March 2016
Posted 9 years agoJerry Collins is a fan cartoonist, doing art in the 1980s and cartoons for fans of sf, fantasy, gaming, world-building, exotica, undergrounds, and even doing pre-furryfan funny animal toon art – an influential early fan cartoonist.
ORIGINAL ART SALE!
$30.00 for 2 Jerry Collins black & white pictures – available until 31 March 2016!
You message Jerry (by letter or cell phone), pick the general topic or genre for your 2 pictures, mail the $30.00 payment. Jerry chooses characters, details, setting & layout, and then draws and mails you the 2 original pictures of black & white art.
Jerry can also do commission art that follows your specific requests, but each of those pictures will cost at least $25.00 or more -- negotiated for each picture. More specific details, multiple commissioner's characters, or technically difficult commissions will cost more.
Jerry Collins
3361 Mary Drive
Macon, Georgia
31204-3405
(include a Self-Addressed-Stamped-Envelope for prompt reply)
Phone/cell # 478-719-8745 (between 9:00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. E.S.T Monday to Saturday ) Phone text messages are welcome.
Jerry's standard Art prices: 8.5x11 Black & white :$25.00 to $30.00 (based on detail amount)
8.5x 11 color:$35.00 to $50.00
(Use U.S. postal or western union money orders, please!) All sales final.
Samples of Jerry's art on the web:
http:spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwJCoCn.html
http:georgieganarf.deviantart.com/gallery/
ORIGINAL ART SALE!
$30.00 for 2 Jerry Collins black & white pictures – available until 31 March 2016!
You message Jerry (by letter or cell phone), pick the general topic or genre for your 2 pictures, mail the $30.00 payment. Jerry chooses characters, details, setting & layout, and then draws and mails you the 2 original pictures of black & white art.
Jerry can also do commission art that follows your specific requests, but each of those pictures will cost at least $25.00 or more -- negotiated for each picture. More specific details, multiple commissioner's characters, or technically difficult commissions will cost more.
Jerry Collins
3361 Mary Drive
Macon, Georgia
31204-3405
(include a Self-Addressed-Stamped-Envelope for prompt reply)
Phone/cell # 478-719-8745 (between 9:00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. E.S.T Monday to Saturday ) Phone text messages are welcome.
Jerry's standard Art prices: 8.5x11 Black & white :$25.00 to $30.00 (based on detail amount)
8.5x 11 color:$35.00 to $50.00
(Use U.S. postal or western union money orders, please!) All sales final.
Samples of Jerry's art on the web:
http:spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwJCoCn.html
http:georgieganarf.deviantart.com/gallery/
New website for Reed Waller (re Omaha the Cat Dancer)
Posted 9 years agoReed Waller (originator and artist for the "Omaha the Cat Dancer" underground comic) has started a new website. It has a publication history of the Omaha graphic novel, and links to histories of his co-contributors to the comic, and the novel's publication history. There will be related art galleries.
He also has free files for past music projects ("Nellie and the Drummers") and will be posting continuations of that project and other music.
While the home page is 'all-ages', some of the history pages will include art samples from the Omaha setting, and might be considered "for Mature Viewers Only".
http://reedwalleromaha.com/jreed/
He also has free files for past music projects ("Nellie and the Drummers") and will be posting continuations of that project and other music.
While the home page is 'all-ages', some of the history pages will include art samples from the Omaha setting, and might be considered "for Mature Viewers Only".
http://reedwalleromaha.com/jreed/
Reed Waller panel at Furry Migration 2015 (Link - Mature)
Posted 9 years agoReed Waller did a Guest of Honor panel at Furry Migration 2015: A History of Sex in Funny Animal Comics. It is about 25 minutes long. It is about history, philosophy, and why cartoon characters are sexy..
Reed has posted a video at YouTube. He has made access age-restricted: You have to be registered at YouTube to see the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyF.....ature=youtu.be
Reed has posted a video at YouTube. He has made access age-restricted: You have to be registered at YouTube to see the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyF.....ature=youtu.be
"Urban Jungle": A Kickstarter for a furry role-playing game
Posted 10 years agohttps://www.kickstarter.com/project.....etop-role-play
Kickstarter campaign for a planned furry/anthro/toon retro urban role-playing adventure game rules - From the game publishers of IRON CLAW.
"URBAN JUNGLE is a tabletop role-playing game set in early 20th century America. Inspired by lighter fare like CATS DON'T DANCE and SCROOGE McDUCK, and the darker stories of BLACKSAD and LACKADAISY. this game makes you a player in a world of pulp-adventure, hard-boiled crime, and film noir. You'll tangle with hardened gangsters, with jaded debutantes, with world-weary war veterans, and with all kinds of shady characters. Don't let the long whiskers and the wagging tails fool you. A smile is just another way of baring teeth...." (Quote from the Kickstarter webpage.)
Further information at the website. Looks to be a good selection of artists, and reasonable rewards for supporting the campaign.
(Thank you to RJBartrop for the link.)
Kickstarter campaign for a planned furry/anthro/toon retro urban role-playing adventure game rules - From the game publishers of IRON CLAW.
"URBAN JUNGLE is a tabletop role-playing game set in early 20th century America. Inspired by lighter fare like CATS DON'T DANCE and SCROOGE McDUCK, and the darker stories of BLACKSAD and LACKADAISY. this game makes you a player in a world of pulp-adventure, hard-boiled crime, and film noir. You'll tangle with hardened gangsters, with jaded debutantes, with world-weary war veterans, and with all kinds of shady characters. Don't let the long whiskers and the wagging tails fool you. A smile is just another way of baring teeth...." (Quote from the Kickstarter webpage.)
Further information at the website. Looks to be a good selection of artists, and reasonable rewards for supporting the campaign.
(Thank you to RJBartrop for the link.)
Cartoon & Illustration References - "Jugend"
Posted 10 years agoThe magazine "Jugend" was published in Munich Germany from 1896 to 1940. It was an art & illustration magazine with essays & criticism, and also with a humorous and satyrical edge. It had color pages and many black & white illustrations. Early issues were a showcase for German Art Nouveau artists.
There are digital files (in high resolution) via the University of Heidelberg libraries. Not knowing German, I cannot say what copyright restrictions there may be, or if the material is allowed to be in public domain. It would be best to check. But you can still look at the pretty pictures.
Background information from the library (in German) --
http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/hel.....ls/jugend.html
The specific links to individual issues of "Jugend" --
http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/jugend
As a sample issue (especially if you like the artist, Heinrich Kley) --
Jugend #5 from 1910 --
http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/di.....9d43e7c50f3dd2
There are digital files (in high resolution) via the University of Heidelberg libraries. Not knowing German, I cannot say what copyright restrictions there may be, or if the material is allowed to be in public domain. It would be best to check. But you can still look at the pretty pictures.
Background information from the library (in German) --
http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/hel.....ls/jugend.html
The specific links to individual issues of "Jugend" --
http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/jugend
As a sample issue (especially if you like the artist, Heinrich Kley) --
Jugend #5 from 1910 --
http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/di.....9d43e7c50f3dd2
Jamzines at Furry Migration 2 (Minneapolis)
Posted 10 years agoThere are 2 co-op art-jamzines happening at FurryMigration2, and the editors are asking for 1-page contributions. If you are a cartoonist attending the con, you can contribute sketches done at the con. If you will be too busy to do jamzine art at the con, you can repost published art, or do new art in advance and bring it to the convention.
If you are under 18 years old, you can contribute to the General-rated jamzine, “JAM TODAY“
If you are over 18 years old, you can contribute to the Mature (but Artistic)-rated jamzine, “SHAGGY MAMMOTH PRESERVES“, or the General-rated jamzine “JAM TODAY“ - and both, if you wish. 8)
Contributors may submit art to the Editors until 2 pm Saturday (in 'The Zoo' area of the hotel event space – Great Lakes A3). The art should be done in black & white, originals or copies, within an 8-inch by 10-inch area, (and without huge areas of solid black). Art may be shrunk or enlarged by the editors to fit a page layout or format. Sketches are OK. No fan-art. We want to see your original characters.
After 2pm Saturday, the jamzines' pages will be composed and printed at the Zoo area. By the late afternoon/early evening of Saturday, the pages will be assembled. (Helpers welcome.) The jamzines will be distributed to contributors late Saturday night and Sunday.
The editors will decide what is appropriate content. Do 'Artistic' and 'high-toned', if you want your work published in these jamzines.
Themes: The main theme for the jamzines is “Back to Migration!!”
Time traveling furrys can be a source of ideas, and also that sf movie from the 1980s. Past, Present, & Future, all mixed up. Minnesota history, and conventions, and migrating glaciers, and animals migrating (post-glacial megafauna – Mastodons & Giant Sloths & Dire Wolves) past, present, & future. Time-travelling cars & trains were part of that movie; why not other forms of transportation? Hover-Ox-Carts. Images and ideas of Furrys and diesel-punk & steam-punk culture. Fursuiting and djs in 1800 or 2100 CE.
More information will be available as flyers in the “Zoo” area of the convention and at the website:
http://www.furrymigration.org/jamzine/
If you are under 18 years old, you can contribute to the General-rated jamzine, “JAM TODAY“
If you are over 18 years old, you can contribute to the Mature (but Artistic)-rated jamzine, “SHAGGY MAMMOTH PRESERVES“, or the General-rated jamzine “JAM TODAY“ - and both, if you wish. 8)
Contributors may submit art to the Editors until 2 pm Saturday (in 'The Zoo' area of the hotel event space – Great Lakes A3). The art should be done in black & white, originals or copies, within an 8-inch by 10-inch area, (and without huge areas of solid black). Art may be shrunk or enlarged by the editors to fit a page layout or format. Sketches are OK. No fan-art. We want to see your original characters.
After 2pm Saturday, the jamzines' pages will be composed and printed at the Zoo area. By the late afternoon/early evening of Saturday, the pages will be assembled. (Helpers welcome.) The jamzines will be distributed to contributors late Saturday night and Sunday.
The editors will decide what is appropriate content. Do 'Artistic' and 'high-toned', if you want your work published in these jamzines.
Themes: The main theme for the jamzines is “Back to Migration!!”
Time traveling furrys can be a source of ideas, and also that sf movie from the 1980s. Past, Present, & Future, all mixed up. Minnesota history, and conventions, and migrating glaciers, and animals migrating (post-glacial megafauna – Mastodons & Giant Sloths & Dire Wolves) past, present, & future. Time-travelling cars & trains were part of that movie; why not other forms of transportation? Hover-Ox-Carts. Images and ideas of Furrys and diesel-punk & steam-punk culture. Fursuiting and djs in 1800 or 2100 CE.
More information will be available as flyers in the “Zoo” area of the convention and at the website:
http://www.furrymigration.org/jamzine/
Jerry Collins - Cartoon & art commissions
Posted 10 years agoJerry Collins, an early anthropomorphic-sf & furry cartoonist and artist is available for commissioned art. In the 1970s he became well-known for illustrations & comic strips featuring settings that shared his iconic species of Haku-hasin (nicknamed: "Bambiods"), Ganarfs (chibi-style little critters), & Teijenese (A.K.A. "Cat-bears").
He has an account on Deviant Art as "GeorgieGanarf" - Most of the current gallery work is graphics-software sketches, but some examples of his work from the 1980s is in the many gallery folders at the account. Recent journals give commission details.
http://georgieganarf.deviantart.com/
He does not recently have computer email, but his address is:
Jerry & Becky Collins
3361 Mary Drive
Macon GEORGIA 31204-3405
8.5 inches by 11 inches black & white (pencil sketch or ink sketch)- $30.00
8.5 inches by 11 inches color (usually markers or acrylic water-color)- $50.00
check or money order (Send with a self-addressed stamped envelope, or with enough money to cover return postage - about $6.00 for priority mail.)
(Sketches can be sketchy or detailed/finished. Subject matter is negotiable. His female & male characters are attractive, and often costumed, & romantic/sexy. I've not seen sketches of his that I would consider explicit. If you don't have a strong preference on subject, he seems very happy to send good samples from his recent practice & development sketches. I recommend this.)
My FA gallery has an example of where I have done inks (via light table) over a recent Jerry Collins detailed pencil sketch.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/16116848/
More recent samples of his ink and pencil sketches are at the Spontoon Island website. Some may be found via this contents page for a Jerry Collins section:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwJCoCn.html
Some of his art is also in this section of original aircraft designs:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwAi41.html
He has an account on Deviant Art as "GeorgieGanarf" - Most of the current gallery work is graphics-software sketches, but some examples of his work from the 1980s is in the many gallery folders at the account. Recent journals give commission details.
http://georgieganarf.deviantart.com/
He does not recently have computer email, but his address is:
Jerry & Becky Collins
3361 Mary Drive
Macon GEORGIA 31204-3405
8.5 inches by 11 inches black & white (pencil sketch or ink sketch)- $30.00
8.5 inches by 11 inches color (usually markers or acrylic water-color)- $50.00
check or money order (Send with a self-addressed stamped envelope, or with enough money to cover return postage - about $6.00 for priority mail.)
(Sketches can be sketchy or detailed/finished. Subject matter is negotiable. His female & male characters are attractive, and often costumed, & romantic/sexy. I've not seen sketches of his that I would consider explicit. If you don't have a strong preference on subject, he seems very happy to send good samples from his recent practice & development sketches. I recommend this.)
My FA gallery has an example of where I have done inks (via light table) over a recent Jerry Collins detailed pencil sketch.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/16116848/
More recent samples of his ink and pencil sketches are at the Spontoon Island website. Some may be found via this contents page for a Jerry Collins section:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwJCoCn.html
Some of his art is also in this section of original aircraft designs:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwAi41.html
Kickstarter GENUS #96 (furry hard-copy comic (Radio Comix)
Posted 10 years agoRadio Comix page on Kickstarter
There's a Kickstarter for the printing of GENUS #96, the next issue of the long running furry comicbook anthology of stories. The Kickstarter campaign ends on Saturday, 17 January.
More information is at
elinwinkler in her most recent journal.
Which can also be read here.
There's a Kickstarter for the printing of GENUS #96, the next issue of the long running furry comicbook anthology of stories. The Kickstarter campaign ends on Saturday, 17 January.
More information is at
elinwinkler in her most recent journal. Which can also be read here.
Will be going to Midwest FurFest
Posted 11 years agoI am planning to be at Midwest FurFest (near Chicago) over the weekend of 4 through 7 December. Hope to see some of the FruAffinity members there.
Returned from Furry Migration 2014
Posted 11 years agoI'm back from Furry Migration 1, which was held last weekend at a hotel near the Mall of America, in the suburb of Bloomington - part of the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. It was well attended for a first furry convention (more than 500 furrys there). It felt pleasant to be there, with the furrys in the function spaces and hallways giving off happy & lively vibes. I got to re-meet old friends and make new friends.
I helped some in the convention committee, watching over the Artist Alley. I was surprised: artist participation in the Art Show and Artist Alley was low. We had less than half the daily table spaces filled in the Artist Alley. (And here I had edited Artist Alley rules for 400-Rabbit artists competing for each Alley space!) That may be partly from it being a first furry convention in the region, and selling art at a table may be a new idea to many of the local artists. Perhaps I could have been doing more promotion before the convention... or maybe instead, the local artists actually wanted to see the whole convention. ]83
The Dealers Room did offer half-tables for artists for all 3 days of the convention, at a bargain rate, and those half-table spaces were close to filled-up by Saturday morning with artists selling commissions and pre-made art & prints. Several artists also had full-table spaces in the Dealers Room.
It was a good start for a Minnesota furry convention. The convention staff has announced Furry Migration 2 for September 2015.
I helped some in the convention committee, watching over the Artist Alley. I was surprised: artist participation in the Art Show and Artist Alley was low. We had less than half the daily table spaces filled in the Artist Alley. (And here I had edited Artist Alley rules for 400-Rabbit artists competing for each Alley space!) That may be partly from it being a first furry convention in the region, and selling art at a table may be a new idea to many of the local artists. Perhaps I could have been doing more promotion before the convention... or maybe instead, the local artists actually wanted to see the whole convention. ]83
The Dealers Room did offer half-tables for artists for all 3 days of the convention, at a bargain rate, and those half-table spaces were close to filled-up by Saturday morning with artists selling commissions and pre-made art & prints. Several artists also had full-table spaces in the Dealers Room.
It was a good start for a Minnesota furry convention. The convention staff has announced Furry Migration 2 for September 2015.
Request for Spontoon Island "Speed Week" Contributions
Posted 11 years agoThe Spontoon website posts "Speed Week" stories and art on a 30s racing theme each year at the end of August: Here's a contents page for the contributions:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwRacCn.html
We'd be happy to add more art and stories to the section!
The Spontoon Island website will celebrate "Speed Week" starting 24 August. The site would be happy to repost images of 1930s racing vehicles on a tropical island, including racing seaplanes, 30s motorcycle races, and similar subjects. Also welcome would be images of visitors watching the racing, locals managing the races, mechanics at work, & pilots.
Text stories set during the air races or the racing festival in this 1930s Pacific island setting are also welcome.
Rating is PG to (mild) Mature.
Your own original characters are welcome to visit the Speedweek festival. (Fan art of corporate-owned characters doesn't fit the setting.) Reposts of your previously-drawn art (that fits the theme) can be OK. You keep your copyright, and you may have credits and links to your own archive.
There's background information on this webpage:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwRacCQ.html
Questions are welcome.
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwRacCn.html
We'd be happy to add more art and stories to the section!
The Spontoon Island website will celebrate "Speed Week" starting 24 August. The site would be happy to repost images of 1930s racing vehicles on a tropical island, including racing seaplanes, 30s motorcycle races, and similar subjects. Also welcome would be images of visitors watching the racing, locals managing the races, mechanics at work, & pilots.
Text stories set during the air races or the racing festival in this 1930s Pacific island setting are also welcome.
Rating is PG to (mild) Mature.
Your own original characters are welcome to visit the Speedweek festival. (Fan art of corporate-owned characters doesn't fit the setting.) Reposts of your previously-drawn art (that fits the theme) can be OK. You keep your copyright, and you may have credits and links to your own archive.
There's background information on this webpage:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwRacCQ.html
Questions are welcome.
Radio shows (1937 replicas) Free downloads (Spontoon Is.)
Posted 12 years agoThe two replicas of 1937 radio shows in a funny animal alternate world are now available as free MP3 downloads from the website of Great Northern Audio Theatre:
http://www.greatnorthernaudio.com/g...../spontoon.html
The two shows take place in the Spontoon Island setting. The scripts were written by
eocostello (More information at the website.)
http://www.greatnorthernaudio.com/g...../spontoon.html
The two shows take place in the Spontoon Island setting. The scripts were written by
eocostello (More information at the website.)Spontoon Island 1937 replica radio show - Sunday evening
Posted 12 years ago"Rosie's Place: It's Shot From Guns!" is a replica of a 1937 comedy radio show, written by EOCostello. It has been produced by Jerry Stearns, and performed by the staff of KFAI community radio in Minneapolis. http://kfai.org/
It is done in the style of an old-time radio comedy show, set on a Pacific Island in a world of anthro/toons, and features the very 'unique' staff and customers at a neighborhood restaurant.
It will be broadcast at 9:30 pm CST(Central Standard Time) Sunday evening 24 February, 2013, on KFAI radio - which also live-streams the broadcast on their website. "Rosie's Place: It's Shot From Guns" will be on the KFAI show, "Sound Affects: A Radio Playground". Two hours after the broadcast, the Sound Affects show will be up on KFAI's archive page, available for live streaming for the next two weeks.
(A previous Sound Affects show on 2/17/2013 has archived "Headline Chaser: If You Can't Stand the Heat", a hard-boiled anthro/toon reporter story.)
More info will be on the Spontoon Island Radio webpage:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwRdoCn.html
It is done in the style of an old-time radio comedy show, set on a Pacific Island in a world of anthro/toons, and features the very 'unique' staff and customers at a neighborhood restaurant.
It will be broadcast at 9:30 pm CST(Central Standard Time) Sunday evening 24 February, 2013, on KFAI radio - which also live-streams the broadcast on their website. "Rosie's Place: It's Shot From Guns" will be on the KFAI show, "Sound Affects: A Radio Playground". Two hours after the broadcast, the Sound Affects show will be up on KFAI's archive page, available for live streaming for the next two weeks.
(A previous Sound Affects show on 2/17/2013 has archived "Headline Chaser: If You Can't Stand the Heat", a hard-boiled anthro/toon reporter story.)
More info will be on the Spontoon Island Radio webpage:
http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwRdoCn.html
