Probably the first time I was aware of this mind game was in high school. I didn't know, or connect the term with any real definition yet, but I saw the game played out every day in band.

Our director was greatly loved and largely obeyed by our band. A cheerful, bright, encouraging fellow who clearly loved us all back. The associate band director was largely demonized and very heavy handed with punishment. If you were yelled at for any infraction from gum chewing, tardiness, horsing around, or any other stupidity that high school students are wont to display, he was the one to administer the rod. A packet of detention slips never far from hand.

I became suspicious that we were being played watching our associate director associate with my parents and others outside of class. I noted that he and the director seemed to be good friends. I knew we were had. The terror the associate director imposed on us encouraged us to behave ourselves and play hard for the director. If he liked us, all would be well. He would have praise and cheer for us, instead of doom and detention.

I was never sure if I should like them both, as they were both excellent directors working in tandem to create something beautiful out of a pack of 100 or more rowdy kids. Or if they both deserved my scorn, for the cruelty and degrading rudeness visited by the associate director onto students (well, sometimes they deserved it) was all part of a master plan to make the director's job easier and more fun.

In the end, I played to the master plan, and made hilarious comics in study hall demonizing (quite literally with horns, and I don't mean the french type) the associate director which the other students loved. The associate director seemed to love the effect as well.

Commissions

Yes, I will do the art you need for money. I am skilled at a number of painting and drawing techniques, including oils, acrylics, oil pastels and pencils. I can also create digital images. Feel free to look around the gallery or my webpage for an idea as to what I can do. Contact me at tunacarp@gmail.com with potential projects to receive an estimate.

RPG Character Portraits

I also illustrate character portraits for the many RPG games out there. Be it MUDs, MUSHes, Dungeons and Dragons, Warcraft, or your own personal fantasy story I am able to illustrate the characters that inhabit your favorite universe.

Prices:

10 US dollars for a pencil and/or ink black and white image [sample 1]
20 US dollars for a colored digital image [sample 2] [sample 3]
5 additional dollars for each additional character in the image [sample 4]
5 additional dollars for a detailed or complex background [sample 5]
Mounts and pets included for no additional charge! [sample 6]

Contact me at tunacarp@gmail.com