go find yourself, or whatever

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER | 4.08

So, here's the exterior. Nice and simple and elegant!! Very straightforward!

Then, there's the inside. I was like 'hmmm, well, they met when they were working at a video game store together. And they still game a lot together and it's important to them. I know, I'll draw this thing like an illuminated manuscript!!'

Reader, this is where I lost control of the situation. This is where we come to the fact that I'll have to reblog this multiple times just to attach all the relevant images. I came up with eleven "main" images, eleven simple verso images so people wouldn't sign the wrong spot by mistake, two inhabited initials for the couple, and one demo page not included in the book directly explaining the concept for how the pages were laid out (spot for name + spot for message). I finished that last page uhhhh thursday. For a saturday wedding.

Before I get any deeper, i have to give MASSIVE props to the dobie draws 'codex pokemonus' illuminated manuscript zine. I highly recommend checking that link out, because it's a delight. I bought this thing, ohh... I'm not even sure. At LEAST half a decade ago. When i was gathering all my references and resources for this project, this was unquestionably the most helpful one. The influence is most obvious in the venusaur vines the pokemon pages, but it was truly, genuinely a LIFESAVER when it came to references for how hands and feet and faces could be drawn for little Creatures, and I'm so grateful. I would also like to state for the record that i learned medieval notation specifically to transcribe the jigglypuff song and that may be the detail that delights me most in this whole project

And since i have one spare image slot left, I'll also throw in one of my verso images, as a teaser while i line up my next reblog

No. I am boo boo the fool, most of these designs were so simple they were plain impossible for my sleep deprived brain to draw 😂 So some of these draw from the games directly, and some are more from the cabinet or box art, whatever i could find with a visual identity to latch on to.

So, for roll call purposes here, in order on the tumblr post, we've got: qbert, pitfall (featuring a beautiful pixel rope), frogger, major havoc, centipede, pac-man (both man and ghost), space invaders, berserk, yar's revenge, annnnnd et!

I think pitfall was what sold me on this idea conceptually, but et is my absolute favorite of the bunch. Look at him. Look at my wonderful hideous son. One thing i learned on this project is that if you're trying to get an illuminated manuscript vibe and it just isn't landing, try drawing the eyes Wrong, and that's very likely to do the trick

All of these pages were SO fun. Browsing the kirby wiki for the funnest little Creachurs was a delight. Working on mother brain was one of my favorite parts. The sonic page is my favorite concept out of the whole lot, using the loop as a frame for the message portion. And of course, once I was reminded of the animal crossing wedding couple, they HAD to feature prominently 😂

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE. My brother and his now-wife play world of warcraft together. He got her into it, and I think that's a cruel thing to do to your partner, but what do i know. And a few of their guildmates were even invited to the wedding! So a couple months back, i asked them for images of their characters, "for reasons." The reasons were to draw them each inhabited initials for the title page of the book :3c

(my brother, at the wedding: 'i thought you just wanted them for inspiration!!!' me, cackling: 'FOOL. when have i ever practiced self-restraint when it comes to crafts?????’)

And then!!!! In chronological order, this is where i paused to draw the eleven verso images in a fever haze and actually printed the book and made it. Fun story, my printer started misprinting images in the middle of this and I had to make a trip to my parents' place and use their printer to get the actual book pages. But once it was assembled and drying (it was a k118, also, which i don't think i mentioned), I staggered back to my tablet and drew a demo page for how i envisioned the signings. My little treat to myself is that it features haggard versions of me, including skeleton me in the corner.

And it all worked! It all worked out really well!! I'm SO glad its over, and I have two sets of lotr that I made concurrently as gifts that i need to scrape together a post for. But this came together better than I could have hoped, and I have learned important lessons about how long art like this takes me 🤣 But I've also learned how to do these pseudo-illuminated pages and the term 'inhabited initial'! I definitely, DEFINITELY plan to use that knowledge for much goofier and more frivolous purposes as soon as I rest up a bit. This was a much bigger project than I expected, but I'm SO happy with it