Author Archives: Jay B.

George Washington’s Dentures

George Washington's Dentures George Washington's PistolGeorge Washington's
Buy the above prints in my shop on Society 6.
I visited Mount Vernon a few weeks ago with my family and was immersed in the world of George Washington. Located near Alexandria, Virginia, Mount Vernon was the plantation home of the Washington family from as early as 1674 and was handed down through successive generations, including that of the first president of the United States of America. The estate is maintained well and includes the president's home and gardens, as well as the tomb of George and Martha Washington. There is a museum on the grounds which includes a historical survey of the president's life and artifacts from the estate. More →

Drawing a Basket of Bread

bread 3-small
Buy the print at my shop on Society 6.
I drew this bread basket while having a coffee at Choc-O-Pain cafe in Hoboken. It's a simple picture but I'm really excited about it because I was able to really nail a technique I've been working on the past few months. The picture incorporates a combination of ink line and sumi brush work with color in Photoshop. Below are some of the steps I went through. More →

Create RPGs Without Any Programming Knowledge

I've been exploring inexpensive ways to make games. A recent contribution to Hoboken Pudding outlines options to make role-playing games. - Jay

Simple programs can help translate your narrative into games

It seems that the market has now become congested with first-person shooters and survival horror games. RPGs, the genre that had dominated console gaming markets in the past, have been in short supply. RPGs are known for their immersive, engaging story lines, and game play that resembles an interactive narrative. In many ways, the RPG is the perfect platform for the modern-day fairytale, as reports by The Guardian show that children as young as five already have access to mobile phones and other computing devices. The RPG hosts incredible potential for modern-day storytellers: they’re innovative, immersive, and in line with the interests of the current generation. More →

My TEDx Talk: Let’s Make Games

For the past couple years I've been teaching game design to kids. As part of TEDx Jersey City I presented my work and some of the games my students created, explaining how the curriculum helps students develop higher order creative skills. Game design is an alternative form of teaching math, story telling and art and in the end, it's a lot of fun. View video at TED.com Read transcript → See posts about individual classes →

The Difficulty of Feeling Appreciated

Working as an artist can be a lonely existence. It's difficult to gauge if things are really working when you're isolated from your audience. The same can be true when teaching young children; it's hard to tell if your lessons are being comprehended when your students have a limited capacity for expression. But occasionally something happens to make you realize that things really are sinking in and that you've made a difference in someone's understanding of the world. More →

My TEDx Talk Transcript: Let’s Make Games


Back in November '13 I gave a talk at TEDx Jersey City about the game design class I've been teaching to children in northern NJ. Below is the transcript of my talk, including some of the images I used to showcase the work of my students. Watch the video → See posts about individual classes → More →