A comp in progressed based off of an UP (Pixar) color study. I added some minor detail and the house with balloons, but significantly more personal interpretation will come with the next few passes–I’m working off of Adobe CS3 and its driving me crazy not having some of the pathfinder and gradient capabilities that come with CS4 and beyond.

Shay is HUGE and loves to stretch a lot and make himself look significantly more impressive.

He is VERY good at posing and seeming quiet and reserved, but in actuality he is loud and smelly and demands attention at all hours.

Shay regularly uses Chad and myself as pillows, including our pillows when we are sleeping. His favorite hobby is sleeping on the back of the couch and slowly oozing his fatty fur onto our shoulders until he is using us as a prop.

Shay often has people eyes, not cat eyes, and one time he looked at Chad and I in such a way that we were frightened and convinced he was going to kill us in our sleep. But I guess that’s what everyone’s cats do.

I brought home a box once from work and Shay claimed it as his own and slept in it for two weeks. It was very cute but took up a lot of space so we recycled it and from then on he terrorized us at night, trying to sleep on our pillows, heads be damned.

Let me tell you something about this cat. He will perch on anything. He likes to sit on the garbage can, he will sit on my laptop, he will FIND A WAY to sit IN the hamper, which has NO rigid walls or support system.

He freezes sometimes.

Shay will get VERY upset if he cannot sit in someone’s lap while they are working at a computer. Does not matter if it is for Chad’s desk or mine. Sometimes, if a person is being exceptionally difficult, he will wedge himself behind the person and slowly work his way around their side until he is at their lap.

This is my all time favorite photo of my cat.

So I got a new computer at work and a friend informed me that it would be good practice to name the computer something badass. Now, being cat-obsessed as I am, the name Battle Cat was born, and in terrible need for a logo of its own. I made this in about 15 minutes and am determined to see it made into at least one sticker to attach to the machine itself, but there is also a slim chance I’ll work it into a t-shirt design as well. Who knows.

What does this mean in the big picture?

Well first of all, Irrational Games is in crunch mode because their upcoming game, BioShock Infinite, is due out this fall. That means working longer hours and some weekends to ensure the best possible quality for that already amazing-looking game. I will probably update less, with art on a slow trickle.

Don’t be sad though, because the projects I am working on, although top secret, are BEYOND cool. Hopefully I’ll be able to post them come winter.

The video is of a little cat ID tag that Chad made quickly as an experiment with working on the smaller surfaced items, and this wooden tag I made to see how the different types of cutting vs. engraving processes work together. This is seriously a ridiculously fun skill to learn and Chad and I are beyond thrilled, thinking of all of the future projects we will be doing for ourselves, friends, and family.

And the design? Yup! Super excited to have some more work out in the public. Created using Key Art and several cool textures, the rest of the design will be shown once the physical CD hits the market.