Author Archives: AFDStudios

Character Contest 93: Alchemist

Your Character Design Challenge this week is to create the most awesome character illustration possible showing your interpretation of an alchemist! In actual history, alchemists were Medieval proto-chemists who undertook the trasmutation of one element into another, typified by the quest to turn lead into gold.

In fantasy fiction terms, alchemists are basically wizards who accomplish their magic by brewing potions and tinctures.

The person with the winning entry as selected by our expert panel (i.e. me) will win their choice of a) a portrait to go in HeroMachine 3, b) an item to go in HeroMachine 3, or c) a custom black and white "Sketch of the Day" style drawing (also by me). The rules otherwise are the same as always:

  • All entries must be in JPG or PNG form (BMPs are too big), posted to a publicly accessible website (like ImageShack, PhotoBucket, the UGO 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;
  • The image cannot have been used in any previous HeroMachine character design contest;
  • Please name your files as [your name]-[character name].[file extension] before you upload it. 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). See this post on how to get the direct link for most sites.
  • All entries must be in by next Monday, when I'll choose a winner.

No limit on entries this week, so knock yourselves out. Just make them good!

(Image via.)

Caption Contest 124 Winners

We had a TON of great entries for Caption Contest 124, which challenged you to come up with the best replacement dialog for this random comics panel:

And your Finalists are:

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American Abroad … That's like a triple pun!

(via Steve Bunche's Facebook feed, original © Marvel Comics.)

Pop Quiz 15 Results

Many thanks to all who took part in the last Pop Quiz contest. We had a lot of great entries, so without further ado, here they are!

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Pop Quiz: Faces

Happy Saturday, folks! Your one-day quick-fire challenge is:

Create a portrait!

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 contest, but instead of a whole week I'll announce the winner either tonight or tomorrow morning. Elaborate backgrounds aren't necessary, though if you've got one it's fine, that's just not the focus -- all I want is a portrait view of a face.

What I'm going for here is a mug shot kind of thing, a view of someone who looks like an actual individual. If you want to do a robot or an alien, that's cool, but the point is to just see their faces so we can see what they look like up close and personal. I want something with character, not necessarily all the bells and whistles.

  • 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.

The winner will receive their choice of either one item or one portrait to be included in the final HeroMachine 3 release, or one Sketch of the Day style drawing where you pick the subject and I draw it how I like.

Good luck!

More great moments in cursing innovation

(From "Target Comics" volume 2, number 4, 1941.)

Alien head

NHA247 requested the following item, now available in Head-Aliens, as his prize for winning Pop Quiz 9 (Mother's Day, how inappropriate!):

Any resemblance to any comics character, living or dead or undead, is purely coincidental.

More prizes

The following prizes have now been uploaded to HeroMachine 3.

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Ms. Amazing

dblade requested a Sketch of the Day of his great character, Ms. Amazing as his prize for winning Caption Contest 103. So here you go!

Update: Per AMS' request, here's the original:


(Click to embiggen.)

Sharing Day, Batman Edition

OK, here we go -- what's your favorite Batman incarnation and why? Are you a movie person, or do you prefer the comics? If you're a movie Batman devotee, which incarnation is your preferred one, from Michael Keaton to Christian Bale? If comics, do you like your Batman original Bob Kane style, the Jim Aparo Seventies version, or the down and dirty Frank Miller era?

On a related note, when a big geek movie comes out, do you go see it opening night or do you wait for the crowds to die down? Or do you skip the theater altogether and just catch it at home on DVD?

If you like, in return for answering my question to you, you may ask a question of me on any topic and I'll do my best to answer honestly and completely. Just leave your reply (and question, if any) as a comment. The goal is to learn a little more about our community!

(Image and character ©2012, DC Comics & Warner Bros. Pictures.)