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!)

Twisty Jackalope

Jackalope facts:

  • A jackalope can leap 5 to 8 feet at a time. Pretty reasonable, don’t you agree?
  • Jackalope antlers can grow to the length of your arm. Do you have an arm? Hold out your arm. That’s how long a jackalope’s antlers can be.
  • Although jackalopes can imitate most human language, they cannot speak French. It’s just too difficult.

Pre-Order “What is a Dog?”

[EDIT 6/13/17 – Preorders are closed, thanks everyone! Buy the book here]

BIG NEWS!  I will be printing 100 paperback copies of a picture book I wrote and illustrated a couple years back.  “What is a Dog?” is a project that I’m so proud of and I’m excited to have the opportunity to make this short run of books.  HUGE thank-yous to everybody who bought the .PDF version on Gumroad.  All the proceeds from that went right into this!

So while we’re waiting for these books to be produced, I thought I should at least get a headcount to get all these books out into the world.  Claim your copies by filling out this form — it’s a first-come, first-served kinda deal.  I’ll be signing each and every copy!

If you haven’t read the book, I don’t want to spoil the fun by telling you everything. First let me say that it’s not so much a story as it is an exploration. Cute dogs are only part of the equation, and it’s up to the reader to sift through the various tears in both reason and reality. What is a dog, and where do you draw the line?

I’m also gathering reviews to give you the general flavor without giving too much away:

“What is a Dog? Is a fun, kooky, informational, and short journey about something we all love: dogs! It features amazing illustrations and a diverse cast that shows appreciation for every sort and type of pooch. If you love doggos, this book is for you!”

– Joshua W.

“Young kids will love finding the dogs (and non-dogs), but older kids will definitely enjoy its edges.”

– Maureen M.

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Detective Opal (Unofficial Private Eye)

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Some of you may remember my dynamic duo from last year, Opal and her tiny cow (who has been simply renamed “Tiny Cow”).  Well this year I put together a pitch for a point-and-click style storybook game!

I’ll only show a few tidbits here for reasons I’m sure you understand, but if you’re interested in working with me on this, email me!  I’d love to collaborate with someone who knows how to put together apps, as I think this idea would really work on digital tablets.

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A filthy-yet-charming American city in the early 1900s, Grenadine is home to a colorful cast of characters.  All of them are possible perpetrators of various crimes ranging from minor to major.  Alternate endings reveal a different culprit each time!

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What excites me about this project most is there isn’t a single character that I feel lukewarm about.  All of them are dynamic and exciting in their own way and I’ve been having so much fun writing stories for them.  Ultimately, I do want to make this a digital, interactive game, but in the meantime I will definitely develop a little book or two.