Michael Dashow
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mdashow.bsky.social
Michael Dashow
@mdashow.bsky.social
3.7K followers 1.2K following 1.9K posts
Illustrator, character designer, kidLit artist & gameDev art director.
Rep'd by @vickyweberbooks.bsky.social‬ @ CMA
Also developing indie puzzle game Puzzle Spy International at @agentepsilon.bsky.social

https://linktr.ee/mdashow
he / him
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mdashow.bsky.social
Michael Dashow @mdashow.bsky.social · Jul 9
Hi, #PortfolioDay !
I'm Mike and I like creating fun, colorful character-driven art. I make lots of art for video and tabletop games and would love to create some MG book covers. I am also seeking representation.
Cheers!

#kidLitArt #characterDesign #characterIllustration #gameArt #illustration
A girl is trying to walk two fluffy samoyeds but has gotten entirely tangled up in the leashes of the two dogs who are happily running circles around her. The title reads "Zoey Crocker, Pet Walker" by Maureen Keene. Two kids explore a hallway in a dark mansion. They look worried, and the boy holds a flashlight. The hallway is lined with paintings in ornate frames, all of the eyes of the paintings watching the kids. We can see the shadow of some sort of horned monster coming up the stairs. The title reads "The Mystery of Mystic Manor" by Jo Barnett. Sherrif Saguaro, an old-timey western sheriff who also happens to be a walking cactus. He's wearing a dusty leather coat and boots with spurs and a red bandana, and while he wears no hat, his cactus head is the shape of a 10-gallon hat. He's dashing through a dusty old western frontier town about to throw a lasso. In the background is his trusty horse, who also happens to be a cactus. A panicked apprentice witch (she's human, with pink hair, glasses, and light academia clothing) makes a mess of her cauldron while being calmy advised by an older, wiser witch (who is a bear.) Aside from the exploding cauldron, the browns of the scene make it warm and cozy. The cover reads "DeepWoods Academy for the Magically Inept" by Jo Barnett, book 1: Trouble Brewing
Reposted by Michael Dashow
agentepsilon.bsky.social
For #screenshotSaturday, a scene of Agent Epsilon confronting shady diamond-cutter Jasper Van Cleeve. It's been great having the time off of both work and school, and we've used that to make a TON of progress on Puzzle Spy International this week. 😁💪

#indieGame #gameDev #puzzleGame #thinkyGame #VN
Agent Epsilon - dark skin, short black hair, 60s mod dress - points angrily at Jasper Van Cleeve - slick white hair, well manicured beard and a prodigious moustache, dark raspberry suit and a green vest which all work surprisingly well together. Van Cleeve, looking offended, says "That is quite an accusation, my dear! I am offended you think I would be so clumsy. The Eswatini Giant is far too recognizable a prize to be caught with." They are in a jewelry store (it's Van Cleeve's.) The art is all flat colors and black lines, a mid-century modern 1960s look to it all.
January 3, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
lukathemouse.gay
for 2026: I wish all gamedev that still uses twitter would just stop maintaning their "fanbase" on a facist nazi platform

you're not going to lose any real visibility by leaving it... social media don't really drive sales from my experience, esp if you're a small indie team
January 2, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
popstrikers.com
Just another day...

#lowpoly #retro #anime #b3d
January 2, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
shaneanderson.bsky.social
"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."

- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.

Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
December 19, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
mixolumia.com
Let's start a campaign to add the tag "Arcade Puzzle" to games like Tetris, Lumines, Puyo Puyo, Petal Crash, etc on Steam. These games get lumped in with great but completely different genres of puzzle games like Portal and sadly sidelined. Steam users have the power to carve out this niche!
Tags you've applied to this product: Arcade Puzzle
January 2, 2026 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
ginaperry.bsky.social
#KidLit FYI: The next postcard event is Thursday, January 8th. www.ginaperry.com/postcard #kidlitartpostcard
All about KidLitArtPostcard — Gina Perry Illustrations
www.ginaperry.com
December 29, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
kekeflipnote.bsky.social
It's time for the passing year!

✨🌟✨Happy new year!!✨🌟✨

Wishing you the best as always, health and success for you through 2026!

Keep it up!
December 31, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
dillo.media
pound for pound this might be the funniest thing ever written
E-mail Addresses That Would Be Really Annoying to Give Out Over the Phone by Michael Ward MikeUnderscore2004@yahoo.com MikeAtYahooDotCom@hotmail.com Mike_WardAllOneWord@yahoo.com AAAAAThatsSixAs@yahoo.com One1TheFirstJustTheNumberTheSecondSpelledOut@hotmail.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
catoliveirastudio.bsky.social
My #artvsartist2025. A year I worked hard and drew so much, yet shared very few of my drawings. Also, the year I worked mostly on middle-grade and chapter books.

2026 promises more books, and I hope to share the ones coming out next Spring soon :D

Happy New Year!

#kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist
December 30, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
flatfootsandfools.bsky.social
The Case of the Dungeon Descent from @celia-14.bsky.social This game is a short but good game about discovering the events of the past with searching for scenes, and deducing more leads. A must try!
jamwitch.itch.io/the-case-of-...
The Case of the Dungeon Descent by jamwitch, Celia, Rose
Scry to investigate the princess's fate
jamwitch.itch.io
December 31, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
david.reviews
(17/31) My Friends the Monster Trainers (by @celia-14.bsky.social) is a bite-sized Roottrees-style game where you identify information about Pokemon. It's extremely charming and plays in a single sitting. More please!

celia14.itch.io/my-friends-t...
My Friends the Monster Trainers by Celia, jamwitch
A short narrative deduction game about collectible monsters 👾
celia14.itch.io
December 31, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
boringstorybook.com
#ArtvsArtist2025 #ArtvsArtist
A 3x3 grid of 8 picture book illustrations with a photo of author / illustrator Brian Kirby in the center square. Brisnkirbystudio.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
donotwander.bsky.social
happy winter; after 3 years i figure it's time to upload some concepts from pentiment. here are some animals :]
art concept for pentiment of baby animals, going clockwise: kitten, duckling, owl, piglet, lamb, squirrel, bnuuy art concept for pentiment of animals, going clockwise: rabbit, squirrel, duck, brussels griffon, owl
December 27, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
nicholaskole.bsky.social
Show me what you can do with just a pen!
December 26, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
mdashow.bsky.social
Welcome back artists!🖌🎨✨️
Quote Post with an old piece that you still like!

This is Freya Cirruström, Ace pilot with ACE, the Atmospheric Corps of Explorers. It was done years ago as an entry for the Character Design Challenge with the theme 'Aviators.'

#art #characterDesign #vehicle
A pilot leans casually against a small jet vehicle. She's wearing a yellow jumpsuit and goggles pushed up onto her forehead, and holds a clipboard. Her ship is the size of a compact car with short wings. a big jet engine, and a huge glass dome taking up the front half with a pilot's seat inside. The ship stands on 3 short robotic legs.
December 27, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
conzeit.bsky.social
Welcome back artists!🖌🎨✨️
Quote Post with an old piece that you still like!
#pixelart #ドット絵 #animation アニメーション
December 26, 2025 at 10:04 PM
mdashow.bsky.social
Welcome back artists!🖌🎨✨️
Quote Post with an old piece that you still like!

This is Freya Cirruström, Ace pilot with ACE, the Atmospheric Corps of Explorers. It was done years ago as an entry for the Character Design Challenge with the theme 'Aviators.'

#art #characterDesign #vehicle
A pilot leans casually against a small jet vehicle. She's wearing a yellow jumpsuit and goggles pushed up onto her forehead, and holds a clipboard. Her ship is the size of a compact car with short wings. a big jet engine, and a huge glass dome taking up the front half with a pilot's seat inside. The ship stands on 3 short robotic legs.
December 27, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
agentepsilon.bsky.social
VN devs, share your works! QRP with 4 screens from your game and a link✨

Puzzle Spy International is a hybrid VN/puzzle game: It's a 1960s spy adventure where you travel the world, chat/flirt with contacts and solve substantial thinky puzzles.

Demo on steam - s.team/a/3406690 - and also on Itch.
Agent Epsilon - Dark skin and hair, teal and charcoal mod mini-dress, warm smile - chats with Inspector Ewan Danger - blond, chiseled features, natty vest and tie and a big tan trenchcoat. They're standing in front of the old New Scotland Yard, with Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in the background. The scene is all blue and the art style is mid-century modern. The player has two choices on-screen for how Agent Epsilon can interact with Ewan: "Give a Friendly Greeting" or "Chat Him Up!" (British Slang for "flirt with him.") Agent Epsilon is confronted by Stefania Plinth, who is agrily gesturing and saying "Those diavoli! They broke in here and stole the Eswatini Giant!" Both women are in 60s outfits, Epsilon in a teal mod short-sleeved dress and Stefania in a blue and cream dress with a wide collar and double-breaster buttons up the front. She's got cats-eye glasses and her hair is in a tight bun. Both are standing in the geology museum, with display cases of rocks, framed phots of how plate tectonics work, and a T-rex skeleton in the back. The scene is purple and gold and the whole thing is drawn in a mid-century modern art style. A scene at a cafe with a bunch of people, ach one with a text entry box next to them. You have to figure out who each person is. There are a number of clues (some in fake Latin to avoid spoilers) on the side to help you deduce the identities. (Example: The first one says "Embarak is reading.") A puzzle screen with lots of cards with colorful illustrations on them, and a bunch more with just text on them. Agent Epsilon is in the corner of the screen pointing at two UI buttons labeled "Hints" and "Check answers." She is saying "Here’s the hint button in the corner! Use it if you need a little help solving a puzzle. We don’t track hint usage and there’s no 'score' so you’re free to use it whenever you need some help."
December 27, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
vannabbott.bsky.social
Grateful for every chance to let history speak a little louder.

Catch my 2025 History Teacher of the Year interview on C-SPAN 2 | American History TV

We talk teaching, truth-telling, and staying committed to students and stories in a moment that asks a lot of educators.

#NHTOY #NCHTOY
December 27, 2025 at 2:33 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
robmanuel.bsky.social
This has been a long week but I will make a list of 50 indie games that are:

From this awards voting year (Nov 2024 - Nov 2025)
Not covered by the awards show
Deserve your attention
sgtm.bsky.social Sgt M @sgtm.bsky.social · 25d
New rule this year: If you post "Play more indie games" during the game awards, you are required to make a thread recommending 50 of them.
December 13, 2025 at 5:55 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
mdashow.bsky.social
#ArtVsArtist 2025 wrap-up, some of the pictures I've drawn this year, predominantly #kidLit stuff (along with work on Puzzle Spy International - which could take up a whole grid on its own.)

#artVsArtist2025 #mg #mgArt #childrensIllustration #gameArt
A 3x3 grid of images. My photo is in the center square: A smiling guy with short brown hair, a curlicue moustache, close-trimmed beard, interesting glasses frames and a black shirt with green and red dinosaurs. The other 8 images are mostly childrens illustrations featuring colorful middle-grade protagonists, some dogs, a werewolf, a skateboard and various colorful settings.
December 18, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
katriaraden.bsky.social
🧵 Guys, edit image button wasn't made to stop you creating.

They WANT you to create and, more importantly, to keep uploading to X. They NEED training data and free entertainment for their userbase, and they don't give a damn whether you're providing it happy or full of spite and rightful fury.
December 26, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
zazb.bsky.social
A little bus/travel sketching!
Trying to find good shapes for the three protagonists of an idea I had. It's fun, but a bit of a struggle!

Also, welcome to this surprising number of new people around here!
A sketchbook page filled with helmets and costume ideas for three Earthen characters of the fighter, thief, and mage archetypes.
December 25, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
mdashow.bsky.social
Looking through old art folders today and I discovered this forgotten sketch from a Character Design Challenge back on Facebook. (I miss participating in them but I don't use Meta platforms any more.) Anyhow, this one amused me so I thought I'd share it.

#characterDesign #CharacterDesignChallenge
A rough pencil sketch in blue pencil. A tall lanky bird - a heron or a crane maybe? - in WWII aviator gear and outfit, saluting. Behind him are clouds and WWII-era planes that have wings that look more like bird wings. The roughly scribbled text reads "Keep Him Flying! Buy war bonds.)
December 24, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
helenicchi.bsky.social
Heads up to artists still using Twitter- Twitter is now adding an "Edit image" button under all images posted on the site that allows everyone to feed it into genAI and modify it as they wish with a prompt
Edit image button
December 24, 2025 at 11:27 AM