But is it Art? You know, with a capital A?

OR — Would you buy the T-Shirt

I’m going to ignore the first part to start with the second.

I have a bunch of rules for things. Surprise surprise to those that know me. Anyway. Like a “good” TV spot needs to work with the sound off. Or to be a good portrait, a photograph of a famous person would still work with a “regular” person in it (of similar characteristics).

For a logo, or a piece of brand artwork, it’s the t-shirt test. Is this ________ cool AF enough that I don’t care what it’s for, b/c it looks rad on shirt? If you take away the “brand story” is it cool?

The t-shirts I choose to wear follow that rule. If they don’t they either don’t get worn, or I use them for gardening or whatever.

So here I am 120+ illustrations in and I’m trying to figure out if they work on a T-Shirt? And if they don’t, what’s next? Part of this comes as I try to figure out the marketing perspective on this game. It’s a big small thing right? I’ve put so much time into the game mechanics, the art, the writing, the bad puns, the screwy references — all that stuff that swirls together and makes it into a game. I’ve even been doodling some bigger art pieces that I *think* will work for box art.

But what typeface do I use for my main marketing font? What about the secondary typeface? What colors should they be? How does my word mark work for this game? Do I need a logo? And if I self-publish, my DBA identity goes on the box and that’s an entire second level of the same questions.

All that stuff is so important to get right. You create a weird clash with typography and the product feels wrong, or unfinished, or unprofessional — all of which can keep that finger from hitting the BACK THIS button on Kickstarter.

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Since my brain is mine and not yours, it comes back to T-Shirts. Did I want a Mörk Borg t-shirt before I ever read the game? Yes. Yes I did (note to self: go buy t-shirt).

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Which leads me to jackass art. I lump my drawings into this category — and wait before you get all whatevery let me explain. IF I decide that my drawings can be jackassed — they don’t have to be “good” or “art” or “well done”, if I am freed up from the burden of drawing “properly” — you know, from memory or from a live figure, or one of those wooden creepy posing dolls, or with charcoal sticks or however you are “supposed” to do it —— welllllll —— now, now I am free.

Free to work with a digital pen and undo, to use tools that let me draw nice curves and straight lines, to use clipart and found art to help me figure out the lines, to basically ignore any point perspective, or the any of that stuff.

Not that I’m knocking it— I would love to freehand draw a superman leaping through the air with the correct perspective and hands that look like hands and a body structure that looks normal (for an underwear pervert anyway), with shading that describes the exact kind of light in that scene.. and and and.

I have shelves of amazingly drawn graphic novels that I would love to emulate, but it’s not my skillset, and if I wait around for me to develop those skills, I’ll be waiting a long time.

And yes — if you all back this game, and it goes well and lets me move forward, and create the other games I have in my notebooks I will totally hire some sweet artists and let them do what they are good at! But right now, it’s all me all the time.

So I don’t know if I’m drawing “A” Art. Or even “a” art. I do know that I’m making ridiculous images that make me happy, and so far, seem to resonate with playtesters.

I hear terrible things about publishers who buy games and then throw out the existing artworks and do them all from scratch. I refuse to have Beer Knight become a family friendly game with anthropomorphic zoo animals with giant Anime Eyes where they drink juiceboxes or some such crap. Publishers, you have warned!

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Here’s the part you came here for anyway — maybe you just scrolled down for the Hot Pics — Totally cool with that.

Meet Sir Robin — he’s not going to run away. Of course not. He can if he wants to, but he’s actually quite brave. As with many a young man who loved WEIRD SHIT, I found Monty Python running at the small hours of the night on my local PBS station. It was amazing. Like, gut busting funny but not quite sure why but oh my god what the hell funny. If I could go back and experience a TV show for the first time again, I think it would be Monty Python. The Flying Circus led to their films, and The Holy Grail became a beacon of shining comedy.

Sir Robin is a Coconut Porter. Coconut porters are funky — even though they all def. fall into a narrow band of flavor profiles, your (my?) experience drinking them can be all over the map. One will be so incredibly balanced, with just a hint of sweetness, some toasted coconut in there with the roasted barley, deep, rich dark and robust and I could drink it winter or summer, in quantity. The next one tastes like you’re gargling carbonated suntan lotion that some spilled some corn syrup in.

Anyway. Monty Python leads to Sir Robin. Sir Robin “rides” a horse that is just Terri Gilliam clomping coconut shells together. And that gives us both Sir Robin the Coconut Porter Knight and the lovely Terry and Terri, the pantomime horse.

A Pantomime Horse is another Britisher concept that I had no real idea was a thing until watching the Pythons. And I know that I lack a proper understanding and cultural respect for the “panto” being a non-British type person. I do know that the Pythons made me laugh.

I mean, just read this:

Champion... how many years have you been with this firm? (Champion stamps his foot three times) Trigger? (Trigger stamps his front foot twice and rear foot once) I see. Well, it's a difficult decision. But in accordance with our traditional principles of free enterprise and healthy competition I'm going to ask the two of you to fight to the death for it. (one of the horses runs up to him and puts his head by the city gent's ear) No, I'm afraid there's no redundancy scheme.

That sh*t is funny.

And lastly, here’s a cool ass sword I drew called the Baltic Black Blade — for Baltic Porter of course. That’s a Porter that could beat up just about any Stout — a high strength, rich dark brew made by lagering. Man. Baerlic has one on now that is so good, but at 8% you gotta respect it. Like this sword.

Alrighty then, glad you hung out with me this far. Go find the links below and follow and stuff. Or not. This substack is the best place for you and me really — the other stuff is because “I have to”.

More Beer Knight to come, more playtests, another printing round, box art and design, and yes I am going to figure out how to make a F**KING COOL A** T-SHIRT and sell it to you b/c it’s going to be so rad you will have to have one.

BEERMEISTER IN CHIEF,

andy