robstenzinger

[robstenzinger]

These posters are celebrating the upcoming 1.0 launch of Word Turtle Island. All about capturing the feeling of word action in how it can be urgent or playful. Then there’s the recovering and leveling up in the safety of the library home base. It’s all there. These designs are also featured on the arcade cabinet. #indiegames #arcade #illustration #posters #80s #wordturtleisland #cozygames #roguelite July 17, 2025 at 12:56PM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DMN9RVSRa2-/

[robstenzinger]

Exciting to see a new Doctor Baer story!

Doctor Baer and his friends are back. And they've brought a train.

[robstenzinger]

The Autumn Steam Sale is ending soon, Word Turtle Island is on sale for half it's already low price. Love books? Want a game where you can defend books? Literally rescue books in WTI. Like to level up and grow nonviolently? Help books and readers get to bookshelves in the library home base. #indiegames #gamedev https://bit.ly/4hZApmZ December 03, 2024 at 09:41AM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DDHyEhovyvv/

[robstenzinger]

Published a new build of Word Turtle Island! Tuning the game feel, added emotes for showing the good and bad stuff that happens while you're using words as weapons and battling to rescue books. Full writeup coming soon! For now see the updated demo at Itch, GameJolt, and full game at Steam and Google Play. #indiegames #gamedev #videogames https://bit.ly/4hZApmZ November 24, 2024 at 12:41PM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DCw7ghmvh-V/

[robstenzinger]

Little werewolf sketch digital painting in Procreate. It's a fluffy little guy. Tired werewolf. Had a tough few nights of sleep. Believes in finding something fun to do and with enough fun a good night sleep is sure to come. This little werewolf is a sketch I've had in my Procreate gallery for months. It's a sort of relaxing workbench art project that now I'm thinking is done enough. Time to move to a new sketch. November 24, 2024 at 09:41AM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DCwm6OKP59e/

[robstenzinger]

Overlapping semi transparent rectangles wouldn't be do-able on an NES yet the blocky glowy feel is what I had in mind again. This time it's a mix of buildings, hills, and mecha. Also a giant lizard. Moving right along, dug-a-dun. Posted a new Polytechnicast the other day, got a fun question from someone who knows someone who chatted with me at 2D Con, lots of thoughts and words in there all about some general and specific ways to get into the industry of making video games. Speaking of video games: still working on a bunch of stuff for the November update for my game Word Turtle Island which I'll be publishing to all the places. Free demos on Itch and GameJolt, full game on Itch, Steam, and Google Play. It's there waiting for you. Go throw some words around and rescue books from danger. November 21, 2024 at 12:41PM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DCpNKDWvMmU/

[robstenzinger]

Wings and armor and a look that says to me "you've got to be kidding" in a gritty, annoyed, and determined way. Working with Procreate is fun and it's a very capable illustration app and it doesn't have a subscription. I do use some subscription funded illustration tools but have immense respect and appreciation for Procreate for not going that route as a business model. November 20, 2024 at 09:41AM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DCmTutYP-6M/

[robstenzinger]

How to work within the gaming industry - a question via my blog, answered in this episode of the Polytechnicast: https://bit.ly/40UmNn6 November 19, 2024 at 06:15PM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DCkpwl-PgH9/

[robstenzinger]

Drawing leads me places that writing doesn't always find and vice versa. Processing lots the last few days. A big theme in it for me is "othering". I drew this doodle and spiral prose feeling my way through. In sharing more of my take-aways so far from this processing of election results and how divided we are as a people throughout the US I wrote about 800 words which is not that long yet too much to post on the socials so it's in my blog. In it I share how I've practiced othering and what I want to do about it: "MPR/Minnesota Public Radio has an ad that I've seen on insta and fb asking if I'd like to download their guide on how to have hard conversations, while asking the question (paraphrasing) "has politics caused problems in your personal relationships?". Reading the comments on it, I saw a sort of funhouse mirror of my own feelings. Not totally accurate but close enough. Dozens of replies to MPR's question saying (paraphrasing) "Nope, I've cut those people out of my life, good riddance, not my problem, etc.". That's me as well. I live in a bubble, not just online but everywhere. I don't have solid plans for how to fix this but it feels like this kind of severe bubble separation is probably doing harm while also doing good. My hunch so far is that I need to find ways to intersect safely with more people of more backgrounds in shared spaces." And it closes with: "I do want to hear from you. And I'm ready to apologize for othering you. And if any of you want to work on this together, I'm up for figuring something out." https://bit.ly/3YZI2lQ November 11, 2024 at 12:41PM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DCPdLKXv7Ay/

[robstenzinger]

Four exploration sketches of 8bit-inspired city scapes. Something about drawing with the rectangle tools in different apps feels fun. All kinds of drawing is calming but this has its own quirky thing that goes interesting places while feeling kind of alien compared to a brush, pen, or pencil. Maybe it's nostalgia too, remembering the simplistic tools of the classic 128k Mac mixed with some Etch-A-Sketch feels. Making things. Processing things. Made some other art I may post later. It's a sort of stream of conscious journal poem written as a spiral. Part of making a day work for me is being there for family and friends while also processing and working through tough events and at the same time making things I believe in making. Sustainable presence, advocacy, being the change and all that. We all have different needs and capacities. I went from shock to disappointment and so on through a whole forest of feelings. The work within me isn't done. Then also reaching out. Listening. And answering questions. Kiddos with so many questions I want them to feel safe to wonder, ask, or even yell out. We all have our own ways of being present and I'm continuing to grow and practice. Still gentle but perhaps a bit louder, hoping the volume and reach in my voice is coming from and lands on a place of love and joy infused with pushing boundaries against power to include more people. November 07, 2024 at 12:41PM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DCFKBcuvfw0/

[robstenzinger]

Processing, reading, feeling confused, sad, disappointed. This will be difficult to get through but I do believe that we can and must. Seeing others posts helps me know I'm not alone in these feelings and that many of us are wanting a more inclusive caring society and will keep working together to make it happen. Sending love and empathy to you all. November 06, 2024 at 09:26AM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DCCO4jTPtxA/

[robstenzinger]

Work in progress of a part marker part digital illustration I call One Thing City. The composition has a big spot to place a sticky note, whatever I want to work on or remind myself. November 05, 2024 at 12:41PM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DCAAZ4kvnRI/

[robstenzinger]

Mixed media sketching with water color then digital inking. Creating doesn't need a reason but definitely creating to keep busy. Little moments of focus and creation. Connection too. Got the US election on the mind. Voted early weeks ago as MN is well setup to do, voted blue, researched and voted the whole ballot. US folk, please vote and I also ask you to kindly consider choosing to vote in a way that helps us maintain the ability to keep voting, participating in democracy. Normally I wouldn't ask, but special circumstances. You matter, your vote matters. November 04, 2024 at 08:37PM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DB-SH95RYcP/

[robstenzinger]

Here's a set of characters I've been drawing and thinking about. They occupy a world where strange forces want to mess with an old city neighborhood full of quirky neighbors. Each of these forces has an agenda, aliens, mad science, hard cold business and more. Two pizzas live in a restaurant in that neighborhood. They're brothers, fans of martial arts, and are clueless but caring enough to jump into defending the neighborhood. They're the Two Pizza Team. October 31, 2024 at 09:41AM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DBys-O8Pzpv/

[robstenzinger]

Sketches work in progress. Adding a feature to Word Turtle Island to show and tell what a creature is up to or feeling as reaction to something that just happened using floating emotes. Sometimes it's good news for a creature, sometimes not. October 29, 2024 at 06:15PM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DBueNt3veT3/

[robstenzinger]

Behind the scenes work in progress to update the cover art and banners for Word Turtle Island. First I generate ideas based on what I want to communicate: words are powerful, come play this action game, and other feelings and messages fitting. Then sketch some rough compositions, 24 ideas in this case. Pick my favorite compositions and make a simple color thumbnail, narrowed down to 10. That’s where I’m at so far. Next I'll pick my favorite color thumbnail and make a full illustration. My hope is through new cover art, more people will feel the signal I'm sending. October 24, 2024 at 12:41PM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DBhABBRP1qO/

[robstenzinger]

Word Battles, Guitar Puzzles, and More Bundle! October has both the awesome holiday of Halloween and my birthday, to celebrate I'm offering my whole set of games at Itch for a major discount. Featuring my latest game Word Turtle Island, use words as weapons to rescue books and readers while you rebuild the most awesome book sanctuary in the galaxy! Also Guitar Fretter, a game to memorize the note positions of the fretboard! This Panda Needs You, calm cozy block stacking pattern matching 10 puzzles at a time to get Panda home! And two more: Spell's Spelling and Video Game Construction Kit! https://bit.ly/3NzNlSK October 24, 2024 at 09:41AM via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DBgrZpQP0ZA/