So Much Coffee

Discussing the Coffee Review segment of my blog with one of my super close friends this morning and out of no where he blurts out “You should make a blog post where it's a list of ALL of the coffees you've tried so far”. I just sat in my chair a moment looking at my screen, staring at his words. All of the coffee I've tried since I started the blog in March? I asked him why would he want me to, to which he responded that he was curious. Thinking a moment, I realized that there were perhaps others as well who were slightly inquisitive about what I've tried so far. Going through all of my posts and locating them all was going to be an interesting undertaking but even I was curious about the types I've tried up to this point. With a shrug and small giggle, I delved into the blog's archives and started going through all of the Coffee Review entries to make the list. It took about 20 minutes or so to find them all but it was worth it. So to those readers who have been wondering what I have and haven't tried yet, here is the list all linked up to their respective Coffee Review installments. Keep in mind this is only from March to today.

Hills Brothers - Original Blend Medium Roast

SteamersCoffee & Tea Exchange - Daily Blend

Gevalia Kaffe - Traditional Roast

Chocolate Fish Coffee - Macchiato & Fazenda Esperanca

Wild Hawk Coffee - Original Blend Medium Roast

Seattle's Best Coffee - Iced Latte

Johnsons Irel - Pure Ground Coffee

Hawaiian Isles Kona Coffee Company - Chocolate Macadamia Nut

Karma Cafe - Regular Coffee (Trader Joe's Dark Roast)

Tchibo - Gold Selection Ground Coffee

World Market - Texas Turtle Ground Coffee

Kaui Coffee - Koloa Estate Dark Roast

Don Francisco's Coffee - Family Reserve

Trader Joe's - Vanilla Chai-Spiced Coffee

The Organic Coffee Company - Ground Java Love

Havana Cappuccino - Mocha Cappucino

Eight O' Clock - Ground Coffee

Dunkin' Donuts - French Vanilla

International Delight - Vanilla Iced Coffee

Entenmann's - Hazelnut Ground Coffee

Bay AreaCoffee - Christmas Traditions Ground Coffee

Godiva Chocolatier Coffee – Peppermint Mocha

Coffee Review: Godiva Chocolatier Coffee – Peppermint Mocha

First off I have to thank a mystery coffee fan for sending some coffee to try out for you all. This unnamed appreciator of java gave me 2 different bags to try out. The first one that caught my eye was a shiny red 11oz (312g) festive bag of Limited Edition Godiva Chocolatier Coffee Peppermint Mocha. I have seen the Godiva Coffee bags in only a few locations but I hadn't picked up any since at the time I was busy with other things so the simple fact that I had one in my hands was thrilling.

The bag itself has not one but two things to reseal it once you get it open and opening the bag itself was surprisingly easy. It has been a while since I've come across a bag that did not cause me to struggle, curse, tare in a strange way, or pull up a nail so it was a pleasant change. The aroma that greeted my nose once I had been able to open the package was the sweet melody of chocolate and peppermint that is reminiscent of Godiva's dark chocolate peppermint bark. As I began brewing up a pot, it didn't take long for my room and quickly after the house to smell like a chocolate shop. With so much festive scents filling my house, there was a part of me hoping that the taste wouldn't disappoint in some way. The flavor itself did have the fruity tones of dark chocolate with faint hints of sweetness of peppermint. Even with that, the medium roast coffee was surprisingly mellow. One thing that I noticed while letting my coffee cool a bit was that the aftertaste actually seemed to be almost a suggestion of floral flavor. Perhaps it was just me but it was certainly interesting. For those who aren't too much of a fan of rich chocolate flavors, this might not be the coffee to try but if you love anything chocolate then you should at least give it a try.

Godiva Chocolatier, Inc. is mostly known for their decitent chocolates and truffles but have started going into the coffee community fairly recently. They do have fairly standard flavors available: French Vanilla, Hazelnut Crème, Chocolate Truffle, and Breakfast Blend but have added 2 seasonal flavors which are Cinnamon Gingerbread Truffle and Peppermint Mocha. Checking out their website www.godivacoffee.com which is dedicated to their coffee products, unfortunately they do not have an option to order from an online store but they do have an option of looking for a local retail store by inputting your zip code. Due to that, the price of the coffee might be slightly different depending on who's selling it. There is a second option however which is they have an option that you can order any of their products through Amazon.com by being in the area of Grocery &Gourmet Food > Godiva. 

Art of Gaming: They Bleed Pixels

As I've mentioned before in my first installment Art of Gaming: The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav (PC), I'm not a gamer and I'm certainly no where near being claimed as a commentator or a journalist. I'm merely an artist who appreciates various works and just so happens to be bobbing around in a sea of gamers. With so much exposure to the gaming community, I find it interesting to watch people play games on PC, TV or on hand-held devices. Yes the gameplay is always exciting to see but to me it's the style that fascinates me the most.

Recently there has been a lot of talk about a fairly recent indie game that had come out towards the end of August by the name of They Bleed Pixels (PC) which was created by Spooky Squid Games Inc.. The small two man indie game company consists of game designer and pixel artist Miguel Sternberg and programmer Andrij Pilkiw, both individually known in the indie game community but now work together on their quirky and unique games.

Seeing so many people playing They Bleed Pixels (including YouTube personality Dodger of PressHeartToContinue and DexterityBonus), I noticed that this Gothic Lolita meets Lovecraft style had it's own unique qualities and twisted sense of humor. As the name suggests, yes this game is done in a pixel style but it there was something about it that reminded me of something. In a way it reminded me of how early comic books appeared back in the 1940s when they were just starting to add color such as the Captain Marvel Adventures comics. That Pop Art quality strangely enough works well with the game. Watching the trailer and some of the play-throughs, there was something that just didn't make any sense to me. Why did so many keep comparing it to the game Super Meat Boy which was produced by developer Team Meat? Was it color palette? Style? Or perhaps it was in reference of how the player moves in the environment? I had to find out about what inspired the guys at Spooky Squid Games to do the style they chose and how they felt about their game being compared to Super Meat Boy. I was pleasantly surprised when I received an email from game designer Miguel Sternberg:

Hi Dawn,
I've actually been doing pixel art professionally for around a decade so going with a retro aesthetic for They Bleed Pixels was more of a natural continuation of what I've been doing then a deliberate choice for that particular game. I love the look of pixel art and really like working within it's restrictions. There isn't a specific game from my past that informed the look of TBP, more of a grab bag of influences from both inside and outside video games.
I have mixed feelings about reviewers comparing They Bleed Pixels to Super Meat Boy. If someone is reaching for a quick comparison to convey that They Bleed Pixels is a difficult platformer requiring precise jumping it makes sense to reach for Meat Boy since it's the best known recent game of that type. I have absolutely no problem with that! But I think the comparison doesn't hold up as well when you're talking about the games in more detail. Yes, they both have blood and saws but past that there really isn't that much in common. The move-set and physics (which are the core of any platforming game) are pretty different, Meatboy is much more momentum based for instance. Then there's the combat, checkpoint system and large sprawling levels... They're both hardcore platformers, and Super Meat Boy is a great game, but TBP and SMB are trying to do different things within the genre.
Cheers,
Miguel
P.S. I saw your post on Takashi Murakami, I'm surprised so few of the artists were aware of his work!

It was so nice to see that Mr. Sternberg not only gave me an answer to my questions but explained his thoughts so clearly and to the point. After reading the email, my eyes were drawn down to his last comment and my heart skipped a beat when I realized that he was in reference to my post A common influence... maybe: Takashi Murakami (Nov. 14^th). My braincells felt as if they were running at light-speed at the fact it dawned on me that he took time out of his probably busy day to look through my blog to see what I post and actually comment on it. It wasn't something that he had to do but the gesture itself was personally very appreciated.

If you're interested in getting They Bleed Pixels, you can find it here:

store.steampowered.com – They Bleed Pixels $9.99 (on sale for 66% off until Dec. 10^th making it $3.39)

They Bleed Pixels Collector's Edition $12.99 (on sale for 66% off until Dec. 10^th making it $4.41) 

A common influence... maybe: Gustav Klimt

Over the years, I've noticed that there has been a growing number of artists (especially the younger generation) how have been delving into the styles of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Be it due to the appreciation of the classics or the fact that they are trying out something in the style of one of the artists known during that time, it's always interesting to see what is created. One such artist that during the Art Nouveau movement that seems to be popping up a lot on my little radar is Gustav Klimt.

"Sea Serpents" by Gystav Klimt

Austrian born artist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), known by most people for his painting The Kiss (1907-08), actually went to the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts originally to study architectural painting. A set of three works in the late 1890s of human forms were actually thought of as being too radical and even pornographic in nature and was destroyed. It was after such a negative response to his work that he stopped accepting public commissions and continued his work, giving us some of his most well known works such as Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer and Danaë.

Wandering deviantART, it took me a bit of time to narrow down my search simply because of the Art Nouveau following in the community is much broader then some might think. Picking out 5 that may have been influenced by Gustav in some way, I sent out my question:

"With so many lovely and colorful pieces, I was wondering if the Art Nouveau artist Gustav Klimt been one of your sources of inspiration?"

"Face" by TaKe-bamboo

TaKe-bamboo.deviantart.com (Japan)

An anonymous digital artist and student out of Japan going by the pseudo-name of TaKe-bamboo, their work seems to focus more in the genre of fantasy. Exaggerated forms with a cool-color palette, each pieces has a soft almost atmospheric quality to them. Their body of work on display seems to quietly meld bits and pieces of Eastern and Western styles, creating in this fusion a gentle harmony so that each piece tells a wordless story to the viewer. Their response to my question was simple and as graceful as their pieces.

"yes, and Mucha, Galle etc..

I like the work of Rene Lalique, personally.

I am interested in Art Nouveau art and Symbolisme ." ~TaKe-bamboo

Unfortunately, the other 4 artists who I had contacted have yet to respond but this is more then likely due to the time of year and have other business to take care of. There is also the fact that there is perhaps a language barrier to consider as well. With that, I present to you the remaining artists in this particular case and leave it up to you to see if they have been in some way influenced by Gustav Klimt.

"Klimt" by aditya777

aditya777.deviantart.com (Indonesia)

Aditya Ikranegara, a digital artist located in Indonesia focuses mostly on fantasy and the female figure. Quite often meshing the two together, he is perhaps more known within the deviantART community for his pieces entitled Flower (which he also offered a look of a step-by-step look at how he came to the final piece) and Demon Queen-01. Another element that seems to be a common theme in many of his pieces is how he makes things appear whispy and suggestive, as if he was just doing a quick study of a concept. This 'unfinished' quality is perhaps a signature of his work since it lends itself so well with catching the viewer's attention.

"Loch Garry Transition" by NaismithArt

NaismithArt.deviantart.com (United Kingdom)

Located in the United Kingdom, traditional artist Scott Naismith uses oils on canvas to create his stunning landscapes. Mostly focusing on seascapes and cloud formations, it would seem that recently he has been experimenting in a more abstract approach to his favorite subject matter. Instead of showing definite shape and form in the paintings like he had been from 2009-2011, he has broken down those elements and taken the approach of creating the subject matter with blocks of color. Looking through his gallery, you can see that he slightly visited the idea in 2009 but it wasn't until mid way through 2012 does his work seem to have taken a more bold and abstract approach.

"Sepoi Sepoi" by kidchan

Website: www.scottnaismith.co.uk

kidchan.deviantart.com (Malaysia)

A digital artist from Malaysia, Kidchan is fairly known within the dA community for their beautiful fantasy/ Art Nouveau themed works. Working with a pastel rainbow palette, their works are reminiscent of illustrations for posters and books during the early 1900s. Perhaps best known for their pieces Serenade and Sepoi Sepoi, each piece has an amazing softness to them and the colors used draws the viewer in to notice the amount of detail that has gon into their creation.

Tumblr: cyanparade.tumblr.com

"Sugar Plum Fairy" by Yoann-Lossel

Yoann-Lossel.deviantart.com (France)

Recently being noticed greatly by his piece Sugar Plum Fairy, French traditional artist Yoann Lossel works mostly in pencil, oils and gold leaf. Creating highly detailed and stylized fantasy works, he blends these traditional mediums creating a sense of mystery. Though seemingly dark, his beautiful pieces actually make you feel as if you are being drawn into the environment.

Blog: yoannlossel.blogspot.com

Art of Gaming: The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav (PC)

As a non-gamer, I have accepted the fact that I have been the oddball amongst my circle of friends since high school due to the fact that they are all gamers in some form or another. Be it with cards such as Pokemon or Magic the Gathering, role-playing in Dungeons & Dragons or Vampire: The Masquerade, or just straight PC and console games, someone always around me playing. I never could get into console gaming because I keep forgetting what the buttons do but do know the basics for PC games mainly due to the fact I have a habit of sometimes being on an MMO-RPG to roam the environment. Even though I've accepted the fact that I am not a gamer or could even be lumped into the category of 'casual gamer', I find the most fascinating thing about any game is the art style.

I acknowledge that there is a split among the gamer community where there is a part that believes that better graphics means a better game while the other side is that graphics doesn't matter since it's all about the game mechanics but if it looks nice then it's a plus. To me, it's always been interesting to watch my friends play and look at the work that went into the games they are playing on either their computer, the TV or hand-held device because of the art. Knowing that someone on the development team for any game decided to have to have the end product to be in 8-bit, Medieval, Eastern, story-book stylized or even Steampunk/Cyber punk or a fusion of any of those is fascinating. Knowing this, it makes me wonder what inspired them to do the style they chose for the game.

One such game that makes me ponder its art style is The Dark Eye:Chains of Satinav published by Daedalic Entertainment which has just been put out for PC this month. Other games that Daedalic Entertainment is known for is Deponia, Botanicula, and Torchlight II (the latter of that list being highly recommended by YouTube personality and game commentator John 'TotalBiscuit' Bain). The game itself is labeled on steampowered.com as being an indie adventure game for the PC. It is actually the next installment of The Dark Eye series of RPG games which have been popular in Germany.

Having checked out the concept art and the trailer for the game, it reminds me of an interactive story book. The style of art actually reminds me the concept work that visual concept artist Nikita Knatz had done for The Beastmaster (1982) because of its dark fantasy qualities and the earthy and sempia tones of the art. I blame the fact that I've always been a fan of cult classic movies from the late 70s - early 80s on making this connection. Of course there were elements in the works and the trailer that made me think that there were also bits of Fable as far as the environment creation and American McGee's Alice: Madness Returns for the story telling between playable chapters mixed in as well. In whole, everything reminded me as a homage to the great fantasy artists of that time. Perhaps it was just me but I couldn't be sure so I decided to ask Daedalic Entertainment:

To whom it may concern,

My name is Dawn and am actually an artist located in Northern California mainly known for my watercolors. Aside from maintaining the Facebook pages for the art groups and gallery I'm with, a personal project that I do is a blog I have titled Will Work for Coffee. With the blog I post about my business (self employed and run a small home based business where I sell my art), various news in art, and coffee reviews. Though I'm not a gamer, I have plenty of friends who are that read my blog so I thought that I could do something for them. So I thought that I could inquire as your source of inspiration for the art style for your game The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon about this.

I was thinking that perhaps they would toss out a name of an artist or style that they were wanting to share with their players that they themselves had enjoyed in their past. More then likely I didn't explain my question properly since they are a German based gaming company and they thought that I was just a freelance writer of sorts looking to get into the gaming industry but I did end up receiving a response in the wee hours of the morning:

Dear Dawn,
thank you for your interest in Daedalic.

Actually we are very fine and there is no need for outsourcing. But we also get new projects in the future and maybe the situation changes then. So I will save your contact in our database for possible future projects.
Kind regards,
Steffen Boos
-- 
Steffen Boos
Human Resources Manager
Daedalic Entertainment GmbH

Even though it's not exactly the response I was looking for, I'm still pleased that they responded in any fashion and I thank them for it. With that aside, I shall leave it up to my readers what they think the style reminds them of. If you are interested in purchasing this, you can find it here:

store.steampowered.com - The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav (PC) $19.99

(12/16/2012) Before you all go "Well Daedalic Entertainment is only the publisher of the game, not the game developer themselves!" and decide to string me up for writing to them about the game, yes I realize this little tidbit of information. The game is also under the trademark of Deep Silver and Chromatrix GmbH. I was able to write to Deep Silver explaining that I would like their input on the matter after I explained that I had already contacted Daedalic Entertainment. So as I'm waiting to hear back from them, I have updated this particular installment with new information and as soon as I receive word from them, I'll include for your viewing. 

Coffee Review: Bay Area Coffee – Christmas Traditions Ground Coffee

On a recent trip to my local Grocery Outlet store here in Elk Grove, California (yes I seem to be finding some off the wall things here which is why I keep coming back) just grabbing a couple of things when I spotted a shiny blue bag towards the bottom shelf of the coffee area. With my curiosity perked, I found myself lifting this blue sparkling beacon from where it was nestled and was greeted by a simple Christmas themed picture and standard text. Off hand, it reminded me of some homemade products that I'm fond of picking up from some local distributors.  Though I couldn't find the brand or company right away on the label, I thought I would go ahead and try out Christmas Traditions Ground Coffee. Of course at 16oz (454g) for only $5.99, the deal was too good to pass up.

In appearance, it is honestly fairly simple so it is dependent on the metallic blue bag to catch your attention which shows that sometimes simple is the best. Though the sticker on the top isn't meant to be used as a reseal option, it can certainly be used as such, as long as you don't rip it while opening the package. The bag itself is also fairly easy to open which is nice since I highly doubt anyone would want to spill a bag full of coffee everywhere. The aroma that greeted my senses as a reward was filled with sweet hints of chocolate and suggestions of subtle hazelnut and vanilla. Once the coffee has been brewed, a medley of spices is brought forth. Taking a sip, I could still taste a tiny bit of the chocolate and vanilla but was surprised by the flavors of cloves and cinnamon. It took some time while sipping the coffee for me to realize that it reminded me of a more mellow and sweeter version of the Trader Joe's Vanilla Chai-Spiced coffee that I had reviewed back in July. This seemingly medium roast coffee truly is made to enjoy slowly and perhaps with friends.

Looking at the back label, I finally discovered that the coffee is distributed by Bay Area Coffee, Inc. which is located down in San Francisco. The company's website is as simple and straight forward as the label they put on their bags but easy to navigate. Reading the About Us page, it was surprising to find that the men in charge of Bay Area Coffee both worked with Hills Bros. Coffee, Inc. first before their individual paths led them to work together in creating and running Bay Area Coffee. They do list what brands they create and tell customers which area stores you can find their products on their Where to Buy page. It appears most of their coffee can be found here in California but there are a few stores in Oregon, Texas, Arizona, Washington, and one in Vancouver, BC that carries a few of their brands. With the company still being relatively small, it's understandable that it is mostly just distributed here on the west coast of the United States but if you are able to try it at some point I encourage you to do so. 

Silk Painting Delights

There are times when I wander YouTube and wonder about half of the videos that are posted by people but there are those moments were something strikes me as 'Wow that's interesting'. I had come across this video several months ago and had thought to myself that I needed to share it. Of course with how things had been going on up to this point, it kept being put back until I finally put my foot down and told myself that I needed stop procrastinating in sharing the beauty of silk painting.

As stated in the description of her video:

Barbara Woods is a silk painter and designer from Santa Fe, NM. She designs functional home lighting and textiles, with original patterns beautifully painted on silk. From silk-dyed pendant lamp shades, to table top trumpet lamps, she creates unique decor for any room.

I have actually never heard of Barbara's small business so decided that I would check out her website www.woodsilks.com to check out more of her work after watching the video. Her hand painted, one of a kind pieces were completely amazing so it was no surprise to me when I discovered that there are several galleries dotted around the United States that carries her works including three locations in California: By the Bay Gallery in Morro Bay, Stix& Stones in Calistoga, and Moonstones Gallery in Cambria. Looking at her work, I couldn't help but remember that there were a couple of people on deviantART who had some examples of different styles of silk painting.

"Silk scarf IRIS" by MinkuLul

MinkuLul.deviantart.com (Poland)

A textile artist out of Poland, her beautiful hand painted silk scarves are completely eye catching. In the description of her piece Silk scarf IRIS – hand painted – commission, she lets her viewers that the piece was 'hand painted, 100% natural silk scarf (160x45cm)'. For those who are interested in purchasing one of her detailed pieces, she does have an Etsy shop.

Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/MinkuLUL

"Silk" by Inna Tkach

InnaTkach.deviantart.com (Ukraine)

A relatively brand new member of deviantArt, textile artist Inna Tkach is in the Ukraine and combines examples of her lovely silk painted scarfs with high fashion photography. She states in Silk that it is a hand-painted natural silk scarf (90x90cm).

Website: www.tkachsite.com

swordsman117.deviantart.com (Indonesia)

Also fairly new to the dA community, Khairul Umam Wicaksono is a mostly traditional artist out of Indonesia. His piece Nogososro in filled with rich colors and detailed images. He says in the description:

"Nogososro" by swordsman117

“I made this silk painting for my course assignment on my second year. This silk painting was inspired by keris Nogososro,one of the most famous traditional weapon from Indonesia.”