Episode 1: Opal’s Halloween

Priscilla resting in the park

As of September 2022, the first ever playable episode of Opal and Tiny Cow is ready to play! This any future episodes will be uploaded to opal.artfularmadillo.com.

If you’re on a mobile device, you’ll need to rotate it to a horizontal view to play it. If you’re on a computer browser, be sure to adjust your window size so the images aren’t squashed or stretched (although that’s pretty fun to play with, I’ve found.)

The story is about a 10 minute play time, at the longest. But just in case you need it, there is a save function!

When there is no choice to make, click the arrow in the bottom right corner to turn the page. Sometimes you’ll have to click multiple times to see the characters “animate” a little.

Arrow to turn the page

Will you walk through the park, or avoid it completely?

Priscilla, Opal, Todd, and Tiny Cow face the entryway to the park.

There are a lot of houses to visit, and every house has different candies, and you can choose your favorite at each door!

Is it really kidnapping if everyone has fun? (don't answer that)

Will you bring the kid along on your journey? It seems like he really wants to come with you, but his family might be missing him…

Some choices affect the rest of your play through. Like where you end up going, or what you can do.

If you lose your buckets, you’ll go the rest of the night without them! But that can be fun, too.

The kids run out of the park with their candy buckets
The kids run out of the park without their candy buckets
Todd knocks on the door of the SCARIEST house in town!

Play multiple times to see all the possible events, houses, and characters. See what happens when you sneak into the scariest house in the neighborhood! What happens if you try and stand up to a bully?

You’re in for a fun and spooky time. But don’t be afraid, you have good friends around you (including an adorable Tiny Cow)

Halloween night is one of those special times when kids can go out on their own and make their own decisions, and that can get pretty messy!

Todd is startled

Special thanks to everyone who supported me through this project. It was a labor of love to create something I had envisioned for a couple of years, and I am so happy with how it turned out.

Please let me know what you think of the game once you’ve played it (and which ending(s) you have found!)

Revisiting Sketchbooks

What do you do when you’re out of ideas?

sketchbookgifIn a creative slump, you may be tempted to look to others for inspiration.  Sometimes that’s a good thing, but what if you could inspire yourself?  You could assure that the ideas you generate are unique to you.

Hopefully you’ve kept a sketchbook (if not, what are you doing, dude?  Get on that!).  Dig out your old notebooks!  With the right frame of mind, old sketchbooks are a great source of new ideas.

sketchbooktrash“But Claire!” you shout, “The last thing I wanna do is look at my old drawings!”  Alas, I cannot hear you all the way over here.  Any disdain you might have for your old work is natural, but you’re going to have to look past all that.  You’ve grown since then, and that’s great!  Something in there may surprise you or make you pause.  Sometimes it’s as simple as an eye-catching curve.

See ideas from a fresh point of view.  You’ve learned plenty since you last visited these drawings.  You can breathe new life into an idea or character you left behind.  Maybe now you know how to better handle a pose or texture now.

Not everything or even most things in there will be productive, so don’t expect this to be a cure-all.  This is just a way to get those creative juices pumping again.  Think of it as past-you giving present-you a little boost.  I’d say, for me, maybe 5-10% of each sketchbook is workable.  At the very least, this exercise provides an opportunity for self reflection and appreciation for your progress.

Old sketchbooks.  Trust me.  What are you keeping them for if you’re not going to use them?