Just a little more time...

Coming soon!

Despite my best efforts, I'm going to need one more day to finish Chapter 4.

It will now release on January 2nd. I'm terribly sorry to keep you waiting, but the extra time will allow me to really polish the art. I want every part of Dreamside to be as great as I know it can be. As Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto said: "a delayed game is eventually good. A rushed game is forever bad."

So please take your time to recover from your New Years festivities. Then, come back and visit on Friday!

In the meantime, catch up on Sarah's adventure so far.

Making prints...

Check out this making-of video showing off some of my print tests from Dreamside. Digital paintings can sometimes have very different results when printed on paper...

Like this making-of video? Want to see more? Make some suggestions! Help me know what aspects of production you'd like to learn more about.

Motion Comic Experiment with Super Mario!

I thought I might take a break from Dreamside news to show you something fun I created a couple years back. If you're as old as I am (32), you'll likely have at least some memories of growing up around the advent of Nintendo's video games. Waaaaaaay back in the early 90's, Nintendo introduced a comic series: the Nintendo Comics System. They created one for each of their hit games, likely as a way to add some life to their characters. Those early game formats didn't exactly lend themselves to the deepest storytelling.

While they felt a bit rushed, I enjoyed reading them. Every now and again, I wish Nintendo would invest in a new series. So, I made a test of what a Super Mario motion comic might look/sound/feel like. In the video, I'm experimenting with style, layout, flow, animation complexity, speech bubble use, and music/sound design.

As you can see, it's laid out like a traditional comic page. Advancing to future panels, which would happen on user command, allows motion to continue in previous panels, so the page gradually comes to life and stays that way until you choose to advance to the next page.

So, what do you think of this? Would you enjoy reading through a comic in this format? Would you like to see Nintendo invest in the Nintendo Comics System once again?

I know I would ;) 

Chapter 3: The Gray Dragon

It's fitting the Videobook for Chapter 3 would launch a bit later in the day.

In the third chapter, we meet Sarah's nightmare monster, the Gray Dragon. It's a bit scary so be warned. If you've had a chance to watch through, continue reading for some production notes.

Right off the bat, you'll notice this is a very different setting from what we've seen in the first few videobooks. By now, it should be clear that Dreamside will take its young protagonist on an intense and epic journey. Chapter 3 introduces some of the story's deeper elements. Many questions are raised. It will take time for Sarah to understand their answers.

The Gray Dragon in two stages. Which do you like best?

Since it's still so early in Dreamside's story, I won't divulge much about the chapter. It's hard to do so without spoiling important secrets best kept in the dark for now. But there are a few things we can talk about. Most prominently, you may be a bit surprised by the look of the dragon if you've watched the trailer. Dreamside is being developed in real-time. Last-minute changes are the norm. While the core story itself is already written, many elements haven't yet been detailed and I still have so much visual design work to do. This is a very complex story. Even the smallest of details have meaning within the greater story context. Because of this, it can take a long time and lots of experimentation to get some things just right. Since the trailer's release, the dragon has undergone many hours of development. I believe this final design best serves the creature's function within the story. And what that function is will be revealed in time.

Once again, I'm thrilled with Michael's audio work. I believe he was able to capture the exact right feel in his score. We've had a lot of back-and-forth on how this chapter should sound. It took many different attempts to get here and I couldn't be happier with the result. Incredible work, Mike! It's always exciting to hear Lilly's unique voiceovers. Her passionate dedication to getting the voiceover just right is inspiring. And, of course, the text wouldn't flow nearly this well without Paul's brilliant editing work.

I hope it's clear that Sarah's journey is not going to be easy. The path she's taking has many twists. I believe for a story to have meaning, it needs some sharp edges amongst the smooth terrain. It's inspiring to see a character overcome great hardships to reach a distant and seemingly impossible goal.

Do you think Sarah will reach hers..?

Chapter 2: Skyline Children's Hospital

It seems like only a few days ago that we launched Chapter 1.

It gives me great pleasure to finally put a cap on Chapter 2. This one was a major challenge. If you haven't already, please watch the video before reading further to avoid any spoilers.

All good? Okay. Let's dive into some production notes. A story needs a solid exposition. Dreamside is not a short story so there will be much more information to come about Sarah and the people in her life. Chapter 2 gives a basic look at Dreamside's setting.

By now, you know Sarah's dealing with a serious sickness. You know she's been stuck in the hospital and will likely continue to be for some time. Here, we meet Vincent, her dad, and Dr. Grady, her Oncologist (cancer doctor). It was a lot of work coming up with designs for those two. I must have gone through at least fifty revisions for each. They'll both play an important role in Sarah's journey.

When I talked to Michael about composing music for this chapter, I wanted to make sure we captured a certain emotion. Ever wake from a dream in which you could fly only to wake disappointed? Maybe you've gone on a trip to someplace special and spend the first day back at school or work daydreaming about it? That's how Sarah feels when she wakes from her wonderful dream.

But it ends with a promise. How amazing it would be to see some wonderful character from your dream standing in your doorway, promising to return and take you away... or is that just a side-effect from the medicine?

I'm already hard at work finishing the art for Chapter 3. For now, please feel free to leave me your thoughts and comments about Dreamside so far.

Dreamside Chapter 1 Videobook!

The Dream Garden awaits...

Michael (Orka Veer) and I have been working intently this past month to prepare Dreamside's Chapter 1 Videobook. I'm proud to finally be able to present it to you.

You may notice a different and more complex art style than what you saw in the Prologue. Dreamside features a multitude of visual styles throughout. If you pay close attention to the trailer, you might catch another somewhat nightmarish one...

This chapter marks the first time we see both Sarah and the mysterious Dreamchild in detail. The connection between these two characters is extremely powerful, so it felt fitting to reveal them together. Their relationship will develop and flourish as the story progresses and it should become clear in time just how important Dreamchild is to Sarah... and why they were destined to meet.

If you listen carefully, you can make out one of Dreamside's central musical themes. In a discussion with Michael, I suggested he write a theme that would move listeners' hearts and conjure warm feelings of the promise of Dreamside. We're going to hear this important melody many more times as Sarah's adventure continues. I'm extremely proud of Michael's tireless efforts to get it just right. I hope you'll agree he has written something truly special.

The beautiful narration is performed Lilly Bridge. To me, she perfectly conveys whimsy, mystery, and a sense of wonder through her voice. I feel honored to have her on the project.

Of course, no matter how much effort I put into my writing, it doesn't really shine until my brother, author/editor/teacher Paul Cumbo, gives it a few editing passes. I'm consistently amazed with his ability to tighten and improve phrasings. It only took a short time for Paul's value in the project to become evident.

In time, I'll introduce you to Michael, Lilly, and Paul and we'll learn more about what they do. As for me, I'm already lost in development of Chapter 2. I can't wait to get your reactions to today's release so please post your comments below or on Facebook. You can also send me a message and let me know what you think of The Dream Garden.

Click Subscribe below to be updated when I post new Blog entries. There's a lot of special material in the works so come back and visit soon.

If you like Dreamside's story so far, please help spread the word!

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Thanks for the Facebook Likes!

It's amazing to see the D.M. Cumbo Facebook page has reached 1500 likes. I couldn't be happier to know the project is gaining a following. Orka Veer and I are working tirelessly to get Chapter 1's Videobook ready for its impending October 1st release. It's an extremely image-rich chapter. I don't think there's a color I didn't use...

I hope you'll agree it will be worth the wait. I'm so excited to share it with you. In the meantime, here's a small teaser...

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Please keep spreading the word about Dreamside. If you haven't already, subscribe to the D.M. Cumbo YouTube channel to check out the Prologue Videobook.

Dreamside Prologue

The first Dreamside Videobook is released!

This is the first of many. I hope you enjoy this introduction into Sarah's adventure! Come back soon for more information about upcoming videobooks.

Introducing Watch Me Draw...

Thanks to all my new friends for helping my Facebook Page reach 500 likes! As promised, here is a special treat for you. It's the very first video in a series I'm calling Watch Me Draw. I have a feeling there are going to be many more in the future....

In this premiere video, I do a quick color sketch of "Dreamchild," a very special character from Dreamside. It's set to a gorgeous new Orka Veer song.

Let me know what you think! I want to know what you like/don't like about the video. And, please don't be shy about sharing your own art with me. You can either post to the D.M. Cumbo Facebook page or email it to me directly at david@dmcumbo.com. It makes my day to see artwork created by people who love to draw and paint. Maybe you could even try your hand at Dreamchild!

Of course, if you were to send a picture, I might just have to post it for everyone to see ;)

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Who I Am

My name is David. I'm an artist.

I've been working for almost ten years drawing, painting, animating, storyboarding, and working on video games. It's been a lot of fun! Before you and I set out on our very long adventure in storytelling together, I thought it would be worthwhile to take some time to tell you a bit about who I am.

Scenes from Fragile (2003)

I grew up in Buffalo, NY with a big family. I had a wonderful childhood that led me to spend most of my time daydreaming and doodling. Enthralled with animation and visual storytelling, I found myself pursuing an education in Media Arts and Animation at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. In school, I met people who liked the same sort of things I did and they became wonderful friends. I created a little movie called Fragile which was a finalist in both the 2004 Student Academy Awards as well as the 2005 Amazon Theater/Tribeca Film Festival. I even had a special mention in Animation Magazine, which was the first time something I made was mentioned in print. That was exciting! 

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Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

In college, I volunteered in the Child Life Department of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. It gave me the chance to spend some time getting to know children who were ill. It was very upsetting to watch them deal with so much pain and fear. Some of them were just stuck inside that big building all day and night. I decided to make my next project a story especially for them. I called it Dreamside. At the time, I would have been surprised to learn it would be more than ten years before I'd find the right release format(s) for it!

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I knew if I wanted to make Dreamside as wonderful as I knew it could be, I'd need to spend a lot of time practicing and improving my art skills. I moved to Los Angeles which was and continues to be a mecca of talented artists. An amazing company called Insomniac Games trusted my abilities enough to give me a job. There, I worked on lots of exciting games and learned from many highly skilled artists, engineers, etc.

I even got to live in a house just a few doors down from the Walt Disney Studios! I spent 7 wonderful years there. I worked hard to train myself to be good enough to make Dreamside into a book series of which I'd be proud.

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Recently, I moved back to Western New York where I spend most of my time working on Dreamside and the occasional art job here and there. Currently, I'm working with Insomniac on another game. It's called Slow Down, Bull and is the studios first venture into live dev-streaming. If you're interested in learning more, the stream runs every Friday at 2:00 PM PST at the Insomniac Twitch Channel.

Now that you know more about me, I want to know about you. Please feel free to send me a message and tell me more about yourself and your dreams for the future. Also, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

Click here for more info about Dreamside.

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