Michael Dashow
banner
mdashow.bsky.social
Michael Dashow
@mdashow.bsky.social
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
Pinned
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
Reposted by Michael Dashow
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
January 3, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
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
Just another day...

#lowpoly #retro #anime #b3d
January 2, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
"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
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!
January 2, 2026 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
#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
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
pound for pound this might be the funniest thing ever written
December 31, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
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
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
(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
December 31, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
happy winter; after 3 years i figure it's time to upload some concepts from pentiment. here are some animals :]
December 27, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
Show me what you can do with just a pen!
December 26, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
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
December 27, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
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
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
December 27, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
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.
December 27, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
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
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
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
#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
December 18, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
🧵 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
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!
December 25, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
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
December 24, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Reposted by Michael Dashow
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
December 24, 2025 at 11:27 AM