Author Archives: AFDStudios

Pop Quiz: Fun with New Items

Happy Saturday, folks! Your one-day quick-fire challenge today is to create an awesome image using one of the new items I posted this morning from either Background-Cityscapes or ItemRight-Pistols. To refresh your memory, those items are:


Edited to Add: You can also use the new Companions:

You can use one item, or all of them, or anything in between. You can use an item once or a thousand times, so long as there's at least one of the new ones in there somewhere.

You only get one entry -- that's right, just one! So make it your best. Most of the other rules are the same as for a regular challenge, but instead of a whole week I'll announce my favorites either tonight or tomorrow morning. Elaborate backgrounds aren't necessary, though if you've got one it's fine.

  • All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like ImageShack, PhotoBucket, the HeroMachine Forums, whatever);
  • Entries must be made as a comment or comments to this post, containing a link directly to the image and the character name;
  • Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension]. So DiCicatriz, for instance, would save his "Bayou Belle" character image as DiCicatriz-BayouBelle.png.
  • Please make the link go directly to the image (like this) and not to a hosting jump page (like this). Here's a quick-start guide on how to do that for various image hosting services.

I'll pick one entry as my personal favorite, which will get to be featured in the side bar to the right for ultimate glory! As a bonus you're allowed to say you won the Internet for a few days.

Good luck!

New pistol fronts and cityscapes

I've just updated Background-Cityscapes and ItemRight-Pistols with the following items:


Hopefully those will help with some of the more creative poses you all are trying to do.

I guess that's one way to go about it …

Barbario in "De-Pixelated – Borderlands"

Our very own Barbario is in another game-inspired video! Check him out, it's pretty cool:

Open Critique Day #46

Don't worry, we'll be gentle.

My full-time (non-HeroMachine) job might keep me from actually getting to these before this evening, but it's time for another Open Critique Day!

If you have a HeroMachine illustration or another piece of artwork you've done that you'd like some help with, post a link to it in comments along with your thoughts on it -- what you think is working, what you're struggling with, etc. I will post my critique of the piece, hopefully giving some tips on how to improve it.

Of course everyone is welcome to post their critiques as well, keeping in mind the following guidelines:

  • Make sure your criticism is constructive. Just saying "This sucks" is both rude and unhelpful without giving specific reasons why you think it sucks and, ideally, some advice on how to make it better.
  • Each person should only post one illustration for critique to make sure everyone who wants feedback has a chance.
  • I will not critique characters entered in any currently running contest, as that doesn't seem fair to the other entrants. You can still post it if you like for the other visitors to critique, but I will not do so.

That's it! Hopefully we can get some good interaction going here and help everyone (me included!) learn a little bit today.

Your'e Going To Die VII

When last we left our intrepid Office Adventurer, we were locked in a storage closet with the boss' bratty son. Our options were to a) stay in the room and hope for the best or b) go exploring to try and find our way out. I enjoyed all four of the suggested outcomes (thanks to Renxin, Herr D, Gero, and borntobealoser!), but I'm going to go with Gero's as our official response. Here's what happens as a result of both choices:

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Free Lunch Fridays at the Vatican were always a hit

(From "Captain Courageous" number 6, 1942.)

Mythical creatures, 1942 edition

(From "Captain Courageous" number 6, 1942.)

Elfstones of Shannara to be made into a television show. Good news or Bad?

(Frequent commenter, legendary HeroMachine creator, and Forum moderator Kaldath was kind enough to write up the following article today. Be sure to thank him in the comments! -- Jeff)

Kaldath - Today I saw within my newsfeed on facebook and update from the Terry Brooks Facebook fan page that really surprised me. Apparently Hollywood is interesting in turning the Shannara novels into a TV series, especially the "Elfstones of Shannara" title. Oh how I remember picking up my first every fantasy novel, which was “The Sword of Shannara” which was the first book I ever read by choice and not because I was being made to by one of my English teachers to write a book report on!

"The Sword of Shannara" hooked me on reading. The rich fantasy world of Shea Ohmsford, his brother Flick, their friend Menion Leah, the Towering Druid Allanon, and so many other facets of the story brought me hours of pleasure. I lost myself in the struggles of these characters, in their fight against the dark forces out to destroy them, and I absolutely loved that book. That love carried over to nearly all the other books in the Shannara series including the one being groomed for the little screen “The Elfstones of Shannara”. In this book the Son of Shea Ohmsford, Will Ohmsford, is tasked by Allanon to protect the elven princess Amberle Elessedil on her quest to restore the dying Ellcrys which is the Elven tree of life. The Ellcrys guards not only the Elves but all life from a horde of evil demons which the tree locks safely away from the world, and has done so for thousands of years before it began to fail.

When I saw they were making a book out of one of my most beloved fantasy novel series, my first response was one of joy. I would dearly love to see these characters in action on my television, but then I remembered another book series I loved which was turned into a TV series. “The Legend of the Seeker” based on the Sword of Truth Series written by Terry Goodkind was some of the most god-awful television I have ever had the misfortune to lay eyes on. The thought that the the Shannara series could be ruined the same way as the Sword of Truth was sickens me. We all know how hard it is to translate the written medium to live action, especially that of a fantasy world full of magic and dark beings, and while I am certain there is potential for some great TV to come out of this I somehow have my doubts.

What about you? What are your thoughts on "The Elfstones of Shannara" appearing on TV? Do you think it a good thing or does the thought fill you with dread of another ruined memory?

Someone page S.I. stat, we've got a swimsuit emergency!

You will hardly ever hear anyone say that the scaly underwear look beats whatever else you might drag out of the closet. But in this case, it applies:

Apparently there are strippers in Atlantis, because it looks like Aqualad mugged them to steal their boots and gloves. The choker isn't helping that impression any, either. But I want to get past the idea that the future ruler of the seven seas might possibly be a secret cross-dressing mugger and ask Aquaman how he and his wife's blonde and red hair, respectively, resulted in a child with a black Afro.

No, wait, that's not at all what I wanted to ask. The real issue here is not "Which of the Royal Atlantean Guardsmen has kinky dark hair" but "How in the name of Poseidon does that shirt stay up with no armpits?" Does he Super-Glue the part that's over the deltoids? Did he command two starfish to reside there permanently, desperately holding onto the spandex with all five legs?

Regardless, I'm pretty sure the fish's cut-off dialog in this panel reads "Verily that outfit is about ten kinds of Wrong!"

On the other hand, I bet that metal belt is handy for holding the one dollar bills that routinely get shoved in his face.

(Image and character ©DC Comics and via The Vault of Buncheness.)