I have an immensely creative family from all quarters. Artists, writers, musicians, we’ve got it all. Most of us have grown up steeped in the arts and practice some form of creative endeavor.
Recently, three family members finished major creative projects that I want to share here out of pride and support.
Fetch – Spirit Tamer
Eldest Son, Ian Warner, just finished a month-long game-creation challenge from Manticore Games. The result is a role-playing game called “Fetch – Spirit Tamer.” In the contest, the game took home the Best RPG award. (Congratulations, Ian & team!)
This past spring, Ian and teammates were involved in their first Manticore Games challenge in which they designed a game called VAARA. That game took home Most Aesthetic.
Check out both of these games on Manticore Games’ website.
Fetch: https://www.coregames.com/games/424660/fetch?fbclid=IwAR2z8pZ5o4YnV3S6B1POx4_0vkMF-dQUPPEaB32_KhUAsLayAbil1w9F3Ag (link no longer works as of April 2022)
VAARA: https://www.coregames.com/games/d31b01/vaara
Ian has been an artist since he was a wee lad (3-4 years old), somehow figuring out how to create foreshortening in drawings by early elementary school. Foreshortening is one of those skills college art students have difficulty learning.
During middle and high school, Ian spent loads of time on world-building, both digitally and through role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. It is his goal to become a professional video game designer who works on the visual effects of games. With his recent Manticore Games projects, I’d say he’s on his way.
If you are with a video game production company and looking for someone to work on visual effects, reach out to me and I’ll get you in contact with Ian.
Camaro Island
My brother John is a musician who has been in a variety of bands since he was a teenager. He plays bass, guitar, and sings. Recently, his band Camaro Island reworked and rereleased their album on vinyl.
The band’s music is snappy and catchy and irreverent. On ReverbNation, they describe it this way:
“camaro island, a folk fusion rock rap dance metal funk band that play songs in the key of kickass. stylishly eclectic to the point of collapse. mixing the ingredients like drunken chefs at a catholic bar mitzvah and pulling it together live, like ace clowns after a night of binge drinking and hard drugs. you’re left with a smile on your face, maybe a lap dance and a phone number. their clothes are not tight, their hair not so unkempt and in some cases very little, but they still look good on the runway.”
LOL! Yep, that sums it up!
Visit ReverbNation at https://www.reverbnation.com/camaroisland/songs to have listen.
You can hear my brother singing on “Campbell, Kentucky.”
A Tale of Two Princesses
My niece, Rianna Matter, just released a children’s book called “A Tale of Two Princesses.” She wrote the book for her daughters because she couldn’t find one that represented how their family came to be. Good advice that: Write the book that you want to read.
The book is illustrated by Agus Prajogo and Yohanes Bastian. My favorite scene is of the flying horse-drawn carriage as the parents are preparing to enter it. The guys driving the carriage are wearing aviator outfits.
You can order a copy from the Red Balloon Bookstore in St. Paul (small & local – it’s where we got our copy): https://www.redballoonbookshop.com/book/9781645435693?fbclid=IwAR35PVbHuTgFu_7N5sfGKXNr3-pvtwFH1KGE-rlpogXJmH9bYFb94sBTL4I
Congratulations to all of my creatively talented family members!