I thought I'd try a bit of an experiment this week. Since one of the Things I Like the most is all of you great folks who frequent the site and the program, I wanted to offer up profiles of some of the "Power Users" so we can all get to know each other a bit better. If there's someone you see around a lot who you'd like to get profiled, by all means throw out a nomination in the comments.
First up is all-around good guy and Recipemeister, Hammerknight!
- A photo (or drawing) of you in "real life":
- Online name used in HeroMachine environs: Hammerknight
- Real name: D.W.
- Real city/state/country: Texas
- Real job: Off due to Back surgery
- Real age: 40
- Gender: Male
- Married/single: Married to the lovely Isia
- Online archive of your creations (if any): http://hammerknightherald.weebly.com/
- The best piece of HeroMachine art you've created: I don't have just one favorite, all of them have meaning to me in one way or another. I'll leave it up to the people looking at them to decide which one they like the best, if any.
- Favorite all-time geeky movie if any: Star Wars
- Favorite all-time geeky book if any: Sherlock Holmes
- Favorite all-time geeky TV show if any: Ghost Hunters
- Favorite all-time comic book character: Batman, is there any other?
- If you could have one super-heroic power in real life, you'd choose: Flying. Or all the money the secret identities have.
- In your leisure time you like to: Doing art in almost any form. I have started doing Genealogy and find it very interesting, besides the history going to the cemeteries and looking at the art of the headstones is very enjoyable.
- Character design turn-ons (things you love to see that make for a good design): When you can tell someone has put their heart into it. How they payed attention to the details, the little things can make or bring a design. When items in the design work together, making it flow.
- Character design turn-offs (things you hate to see that make for a bad design): No feeling, something that was just slapped together without thinking. I'm sorry just because someone Super Megaman, doesn't make it so, if you don't see it the person looking at it won't either. If you put a hand backwards trying to make it look like the item is going the other way, but you don't care that the thumb is on the wrong side, then that is the lack of feelings that kills a design for me.
- Best tip for a HeroMachine newbie: Don't rush, take your time, you don't always get it on the first try. Feel what you are designing and design what you are feeling and you won't go wrong.
- Any personal message you'd like to share with the HeroMachine community about Geek Life: Be true, show feelings in your work. Respect the people around you, don't trash them, and don't say someones work is bad if you can't do better yourself. If you have a child in your life set them at the computer with you when you are designing. Tell them why you like what you are doing. Let them help you, let them be heard in the design, and let them make their own designs. When you tell a young person that they can not draw, you have just put out the spark that might have fired up their imagination. That goes for more then just art. A pat on the back goes a lot further then a slap in the face, remember one day it may be your face that gets the slap.
Awesome pick for the first one. If Jeff is the Don Corleone of this HeroMachine Family, Then HK is definitely the Tom Hagen. Or maybe he’s the Sonny. Or the Clemenza or Tessio. No, I got it. He’s Connie. Jk.
I nominate Imp for the second one.
There’s no shortage of regular and respected posters. BlueBlazer, Anarchangel, Vampyrist, Vengeance, Legatus, Pesky, the Creator, Kaldath, Fyzza, just to name a few. And I know I can speak for everyone when I say that any of us would consider a profile like this an honor.
I’d have to second that Nomination of Imp, as well as add in a nomination for the BlueBlazer
Man, his answer to Question 18 hurts like a fist. The part about the thumb on the wrong side of the hand. I did that once, but it was a quick image to try out the new crouching legs so I didn’t care to fix it. Man, I feel ashamed. I’m going back and fixing that now.
I nominate Me, Myself, and I (no, not me)
i third (?) the nomination of imp
he’s my favorite creator of all time
i love every single one of his creations
I nominate Imp and BlueBlazer since they’re very regular posters and make some frickin’ awesome creations.
I agree with everyone else that Imp deserves the next nod. For me, its Blue Blazer next, and then Me, Myself & I. They all are regular posters here and great heromachinists.
@CPrime, I have told Jeff thatt I was very honored that he picked me to profile. You are right there are so many other creators out there that do wonderful work. And I didn’t mean #18 to hurt like a fist.
I would also like to nominate Imp, BlueBlazer,Anarchangel, Vengeance, Legatus,Kaldath, Hakoon,and Isia just to name a few
of us old timers that have been posting fr sometime now.
Well thank you Chisoph (6) and Vampyrist (9). I appreciate the mention.
imp
I’m afraid I can’t really nominate anyone, just because there are so many names I can think of, the list would take at least 20 minutes to compile. Everyone nominated thus far is certainly a deserved candidate.
I am, however, quite excited with the prospect of getting a closer look at the people whose words I read and illustrations I see on a week-to-week basis.
Myro (13), I don’t think you get off so easy. I think you should be nominated. You’ve done a lot of good work yourself!
i vote for- “Me, Myself & I” and “paparock”
MMI (14): I’m honoured that you would even mention me for nomination, but I’m going to have to decline for the moment, at least until a few other profiles go up. I don’t really feel that I have paid my dues, so to speak, and frankly, I’m still a little too paranoid to lift the last vestiges of my anonymity here, even if I have no reason for it.
Give it a few months, and I’ll probably be more comfortable with the idea.
opps i mean “papakrok”
Hey guys has anyone had problems with saving your works? I have seen a few posts on here that the system is undergoing an upgrade and didnt know if it was effecting the system. when i make something and try and save then come back it is not in the save box. the best i have come to do is just find time to sit till my work is complete then save to my computer as a PNG so as not to lose it. any info?
I am relatively new in the heromachine blog, so i can´t propose anyone cause i am not familiarized with a lot of the well known work or some ¨master pieces¨, but so far i have to say that ¨d DICICATRIZ¨is impressive, so i am proposing him.
Definitely DiCicatriz.
Definitely MMI, Imp, and Myro. Maybe open this to everyone who wants share. Those interested submit their HM nickname, vote on PollDaddy, then just go down the list?
@HammerKnight: You’re Recipe Cards have been tremendous help! Are you going to do another Creator’s Club poster?
@HK. Yeah, I know you didn’t, pal. But still, I felt compelled by your awesomeness to go back and fix it.
And yes, even though I didn’t mention them specifically initially, I completely agree with MMI, Myro and Imp.
If someone is primarily a poster on the blog and doesn’t keep an archive on the forum, it’s easy for me to overlook them, but there are definitely a lot of consistent creators from contest to contest.
@The Atomic Punk, I have been tossing the idea of another poster around in my head, So it may be in the future.
That sure is a power user all right. Dear fellow members, Hammerknight here has, through his many recipes and helpfulness, helped many a member in so able and complete a manner as to leave me scarcely anything to say.
However, why am I discussing this? How is it that some simple, plain HM character design recipes should now find themselves so enabled as to qualify Hammerknight as a power user before the HM community? I mean, do we fear that this one somehow slipped through the net far to easily? Is that it? Or is it, rather, that this one holds skills and devotion far above anything that one would call average, even as his actions speaks before themselves, tall and proud as a mountain? The truth, in this case, one of the most important cases to ever come before this online internet community. Because what it, in fact, concerns is the very nature of Heromachine.
This is a copy + paste of something that Hammerknight sent me through a personal message on the UGO forum: “How are you? I haven’t seen any of your post lately.” Truth is, I had given up on being a Heromachine member a long time ago. I didn’t post anything new in the forum, because frankly, I didn’t care. Whatever touch Heromachine once had for me, was lost. I couldn’t think of anything new, my inspiration was lost and I felt that I was just wasting my time trying to figure out something that I could post on the forum and call “something new”, just to get a response from some of the regular forum users.
I would not touch Heromachine again, except to notice some curious phrases which is much repeated. Jeff again and again refers to our opinions: “How do those sizes grab you? Hope you like ‘em! Let me know if you spot any problems!…” For some reason, I couldn’t just break every connection to I had to the very phenomenon, so I sticked around.
This is Hammerknights answer to question number 20: “Be true, show feelings in your work. Respect the people around you, don’t trash them, and don’t say someones work is bad if you can’t do better yourself. If you have a child in your life set them at the computer with you when you are designing. Tell them why you like what you are doing. Let them help you, let them be heard in the design, and let them make their own designs. When you tell a young person that they can not draw, you have just put out the spark that might have fired up their imagination. That goes for more then just art. A pat on the back goes a lot further then a slap in the face, remember one day it may be your face that gets the slap.” I’m sure you’ve all read it, and I must say, I once differed with this view; I once believed that the best use of Heromachine was, and I know this is a controversial idea, superiority. I basked in the comments and support from my fellow forum users during my earliest Heromachine character design creations, and though I was king of the world. For some strange reason, I was proud of what I had become…
I was wrong.
I am a Heromachine user. Hammerknight is also that, we all know that. But we can also see that which is equally true; that he is a true HM power user!
Thirty minutes ago, when I first read this post from Jeff, I thought, how come I’m not a power user? I admit, I did envy him a bit and sure would have love some of that publicity.
But then I remembered; he wouldn’t be mentioned here if he didn’t have some impact on the community, if his actions didn’t have some potential influence. So, what on earth can I do with this?
I have a suggestion: *Gives HK ten thumbs up* 😉
I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday. And he was explaining me of how certain peoples actions can influence others, and make them better at what they do. Sort of like when a member of the community encounters a problem where there appears no hope at all, and he desperately seeks the help from his fellow forum members. And suddenly comes across a certain recipe card, and it grants the wisdom and strength to overcome this seemingly impossible barrier in the character design.
Hammerknight, DiCicatriz, Imp, Blue Blazer, Legatus, Anarchangel, Kaldath, Isia, Haakon and many others; you’ve all given me excellent guidance in the HM character designing, both intentionally and unintentionally. Some of my work I hadn’t even dared post at the forum, because I’ve feared that it would be taken for weakness, since it couldn’t compare to some of my best work, one which even won a character design contest, much to my own disbelief. But, I’ve come to understand finally, what great support you were. I thank you for that!
I’ve been gone from the forums and the community for so long, that I feared you had forgotten all about me. But when I just randomly checked my in-box and found that message from Hammerknight, I just couldn’t stand idly
by anymore.
I wish could nominate everyone of you that have inspired me in some way to continue to visit this website, and check in every now and then, but that would be far to many to bring to mind, and to be quite honest; I’ve lost count. I guess being away for such a long time also kind of disqualifies me for nominating someone for the next profile? There are so many new users, and I don’t even know recognize half of these user comments anymore.
Instead, let me say this; please continue to support members like Hammerknight and all the others that make such a great contribution to the community. And continue to support Jeff for making such a great program for all of us to enjoy.
I’m afraid I can’t be around as much as I used to. My real life finally got hold of me, and I don’t have the time for HM anymore. For the past four years, it’s been a relief for me in a hectic world of constant studies and hard intensive work. Sometimes I just longed to get back home and let my creative mind get loose and just design something.
Jeff, thanks for all the fun I’ve had with Heromachine. Hammerknight; thanks for the personal message and the concern, I really appreciate it. And to everyone else; thanks for the ride, it was fun while it lasted! Maybe I’ll check in once in a while. And when I do, let’s hope it’ll be something more than these melancholic words from a tired Heromachine user. 😉
That’s all I have to say.
Solander, that was quite touching. I’m so glad we had you around these parts for as long as we did, you put out some amazing work. I appreciate your coming back and posting those kinds words, and I hope life treats you well in the future. All the best, my friend!
That was awesome, Solander. HK is not only a great HeroMachine creator, but he also seems to be an all-around stand-up guy. Knowing what his career is, it constantly amazes me that he still has that inner child and sensawonder to be able to crank out the cool HM stuff like he does. So here’s to you, Mister HeroMachine Sensei Guy! (Bud Light theme music plays in the background…) 😀
MMI, Imp, DiCiatriz, Papakrok, Myro, Atomic Punk, Blue Blazer, VonMalcolm… those are the names which come to mind at this moment
@Solander, you may drift away from HM, but you will always be family.
@Imp, always remember the Toys-r-Us song,”I don’t want to grow up…..”. There are so many reasons out there that we have to grow up for, and so very few for us to stay a kid for. Two things in life helps me stay young at heart, one is my loving wife Isia and the second is art. HM has play a big part in art since I started it almost 2 years ago. I found HM when I was off of work due to back surgery and had a lot of time to spend working with it. HM helped me deal with what was going on in my life. When I returned to work I had less time to post, but I tried my best to stay around. Due to being in pain after work some times I wasn’t able to spend as much time on HM as I wanted. I am off work again with yet another back surgery, so here soon I hope to get back to posting some more characters. It is unknown right now if I will be able to return to a full time job in the future. But with all the wonderful friends here on HM I will make it through once again. A special thanks goes out to Jeff for the wonderful program he has created.
Dear Hammerknight,
I couldn’t think of any other HM user more deserving of this honor than you. You are, as Jeff said, an all-around good guy and your impact on the HM community cannot be overestimated. You always encourage new users and established ones alike. With your recipes you have shown an understanding of art and shown many of us that HM is more than just a dress-up game, it is an instrument, which, if in the right hands, can produce amazing creations.
I came to the HM forums jusr around the same time as you. Since then you have helped me with creations and taught me not to critize other’s pictures too harshly. There is one thing I learned about you, you really care about other people.
I thank you for all you have done for this community.
Thanks for being my friend.
Best wishes, Legatus
@Solander: that was a very worthy laudatio, Solander. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. And my best wishes for your career as a veterinarian.
Well said, Solander. And as a bonus, you win the Oscar for Longest Comment To A Blog Post.
Wow, thanks for the kind words everybody. Coming on here and sharing my work has always been a great experience and I’m just glad other people can enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
Solander, I’m happy to have been some help to you, even if I’m as yet unaware of how that came to be. Best of luck to you in the future and come back if you ever feel the HM itch again 😀
Hey HK, I like that you did your self portrait with HM3. I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate!
Nominee’s from me;
– DiCicatriz
– Imp
– Myro
– Atomic Punk
– Blue Blazer
– VonMalcolm
– CPrime
– Kaldath
Very cool idea, Jeff. I’ll jump on the bandwagon(s), and give my votes for Imp, Blue Blazer, and Kaldeth, but I’d also like to add Sutter Cane, just because as a fan of the Macabre, his screen name and creepy, dark characters really get to me. Whoever ends up accepting next, I’m sure it will be an interesting read!
I would like to nominate “Mr. Peterson”. Because, as much as I hate to “out” anyone experienced enough to be Old-School, Mr. Peterson– along with Jeff, Hammerknight, and myself– has spent many decades reading comics and it shows in some very delightful commentary in his posts.
Plus, I second the vote for Imp, Atomic Punk, and Me, Myself, and I.
*sigh*
I said I wouldn’t do this, but I’m going to throw out the names of a few people who have not been mentioned, whose work I generally tend to like, and who I think are more deserving of the honour, than well, let’s say me.
Cliff
Frevoli
spidercow2010
watson bradshaw
A much needed correction is in order: Mr. Peterson, no doubt, is William A. Peterson’s father; by addressing William as “Mr. Peterson”, I’ve aged the poor gentlemen by a solid decade. William, my apologies.
😉
Even though I haven’t been here long, I have seen DiCicatriz EVERYWHERE! I mean Jeff even uses him in the example of the character design contests for pities sake!
But as Asder said (although I would have thought that he had been here for ages. In fact he would have been my second choice for a nomination), I have not been here long enough to make a nomination.
MMI
Cliff
DiCicatriz
AtomicPunk
Papakrok
So many amazing folks on here, but they were the ones that popped to mind first for me.
Peace
– Imp
– DiCicatriz
– Myro
– Atomic Punk
– Blue Blazer
– VonMalcolm
– CPrime
– MeMyselfAndI
Those are my pics, I read virtually every comment and I think these guys diserve their own lil profiles. 😉
Thanks to some of them I upped the anti on my lame HM creations. Like HammerKnight! He’s helped me alot with those tut’s. 😀
Many thanks HammerKnight!
Thanks for throwing my name out Myro.
I would happily take power user status, but personally I think there’s probably more dues to pay
Wow, nominations for me??? Seriously? I did not put myself in that category. Yeah, I’m a regular on the forums and the blog, but my work is not at all at the level of some of you others. But I thank you both. I can’t wait to see the next one of these.