Vic Hollins: The Creation of Meow Mayhem
Hey! I’m Vic— I’m an illustrator who makes comics and as of now, card games! Being a full-time Artist I am always looking for new projects to make and new mediums to try. Comics and card games are perfect in that way- they are basically usable artwork. I’ve always been inspired by the amount of work that goes into indie art; Independently published comics and games. One morning I awoke with the idea for a Cat Card Game and I just knew I had to figure out how to make it. I worked on it tirelessly between commissions and large jobs. So, after over a year and a half of work, and over 150 illustrations— Meow Mayhem was born.
Meow Mayhem is a new take on everyone's favorite thing: cats. The game's vivid illustrations of naughty cats paired with flavor text describing a Cat's point of view is pure and delightful fun. Meow Mayhem is a fast paced game where, as a cat, you must gain a Reputation among your cat peers by committing bad cat acts! It can be played with 3-6 players, and games last 20-60 minutes each. This is a puurrrrrfect game to play for people who love kitties or being mischievous!
As far as the actual creation side of Meow Mayhem; I knew it needed to be a compilation of vibrant and charming illustrations. I wanted a custom yet limited palette— this way, the game would be fully cohesive in terms of style and color. Almost instantly I knew which art supplies I needed; Van Gogh Watercolors (In particular- the Pocketbox set.) This way, I was able to choose exactly which pan colors I wanted to assemble the perfect palette that I could take on the go. For the line art I used Amsterdam Acrylic Ink. This ink is so fluid and provides rich contrast to the cheerful watercolors underneath. A rigger or liner brush in Princeton’s Velvet Touch line truly was the key for this process as the brushes hold a fantastic amount of pigment for pulling clean, smooth lines. To complete the trifecta, I used Rembrandt Watercolor Paper. This paper is 100% cotton and never lets me down. It can take a substantial amount of water, scrubbing and ink. Without these products, Meow Mayhem would not look as unique as it does.
When it comes to indie art, creating the artwork is truly only half the battle. I designed the concept, formatted the cards, box, instructions and even mechanics for gameplay. However, creating this literal mountain of illustrations and work only goes so far. Most people that create indie products such as Meow Mayhem do something called ‘Crowdfunding’ where people help the creator pay for the printing or competition of the product in return for a copy. As of today, July 21, Meow Mayhem’s Kickstarter is live! If this game sounds like something that you or a friend of yours may like, share or check out the link below:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vichollinsart/meow-mayhem-a-cat-card-game
