Free Stuff!
I don’t know about you, but I got in a rut with my desktop wallpaper. I assume most folks change their background on a regular basis but I haven’t changed mine in over two years. On top of that, I have a desktop and a netbook computer and I had the SAME image on both! How painfully uncreative of me.
I finally decided to change them. In honor of my renewed interest in Star Trek, I got a Klingon Bird of Prey on the desktop and the Enterprise (the one from Star Trek I and II) on the netbook. I’m actually quite surprised how much happier I am when I sit in front of both machines now.
And with that, I decided it was high time I made you guys some desktop wallpaper of my own.
I’ve never done this before but it looks pretty simple and straightforward. All I gotta do is make sure I offer various resolutions, right? I’m also interested in making some lil’ avatars as well. Basically, I’m just ripping ideas off another great cartoonist, Mary Varn, who draws the delightfully geeky NPC. Click here to check it out.
I have no problem with folks who charge a small fee for this kinda stuff, but to be honest, I just don’t feel like charging for this stuff. I like the idea of offering some sort of freebies. Plus, I’m lazy and don’t feel like figuring out how to set up the payment system.
My plan is to start working on designs this weekend and I’d absolutely love to get some feedback from you guys. Is there anything you’d like to see as far as wallpaper and avatars? Sock it to me.
I would honestly LOVE a simple wallpaper with your Twitter icon in the bottom right corner of it for my work computer. I'm a journalist and well, we have this thing for typewriters and those hats.
And one with rainbows and/or unicorns wouldn't hurt either.
You need one with a holiday theme. Not necessarily Christmas…just holiday. And being offensive as all fuck couldn't hurt, either!
I love when I can see something new every time I look at my wallpaper. Don't get me wrong, simple is awesome, but when I'm bored sometimes staring at my wallpaper is all I have.
It'd be fun to see a wallpaper with a bunch of Bug characters just doing different things all over the place.
Yes! Like the those posters the Simpsons have with characters everywhere and strange things going on! Good wallpaper idea!
baby bug and nerd bug~!!!
Adam, your comic is the first thing i click when I get on firefox, followed by Dominic Deegan.
That being said, I'd love to have a wallpaper of a funny situation of two Bugs or something. Like one of the panels in your comics, not all four. But make it big?
what about a row of bugs being chased by a frog?
I'd get this one! A whole row of different Bug characters (Bug himself, Nerd Bug, Girlfriend Bug, Indiana Jones Bug, Baby Bug, etc etc) running away from a frog. Or a foot. (:
Thanks for not charging for these potential wallpapers, Adam! Don't get me wrong, I'm totally looking forward to buying Bug bugs and t-shirts, but freebies are nice, too.
oh i am so ready to socking it in your direction, first of the basics, anything nerdy bugified, star wars/trek, pretty much anything that was either done or inspired by Drew Struzan would be great, secondly, something with huge backgrounds, preferably post-apocalyptic as that is how i have imagined that the cockroaches (Bug is a cockroach, right?) managed to take over, and lastly, something with alot of emotion like your twitter and audioblog bugs, you clearly have the talent to make silent comics.
it has to be really good to replace my machinarium wallpaper : http://machinarium.net/demo/
How about a high school scene with a HotGirlBug standing behind a BullyBug threatening to beat the crap out of NerdBug? I don't know why this image just popped into my head… probably because the 2 former are my favorites and i'd like to see NerdBug get what he deserves 😉
You really only need to offer 3 resolutions (4 if you include an iPhone background). Just do a high resolution in 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10.
As for tips/tricks, here's a few:
Keep the left hand side free of anything complex, since that's where the icons normally go (except on a mac)
Windows 7 has window snap, so you can do some interesting things if you keep in mind that half of the screen can be easily hidden
Simple is always better
If you're looking for ideas, I like wallpapers that leave the left side clear for my icons and have some nice simple art on the right with a light contrast and a single color background so I can easily move the art around in Paint if I want to customize. Now that I think about it, I'd probably be happier with a clipart collection that I can butcher. Kinda like those paper dolls with interchangeable clothes and stuff. And a puppy…
A bug roller coaster that goes all across the desktop, with a bunch of different bug characters in each cart. that'd be fun.
Anything Bug – Junkie Bug, Zombie Bug, Bug and Nerd Bug getting into trouble … well, I'm sure you get the idea. I haven't loved any comic strip this much since Bloom County.
Wow! Thanks, man.
Avoid white backgrounds. Nothing makes me ditch a wallpaper faster than tearing my computer on in the morning and having the screen sear my eyeballs out of my head with a glaring white wallpaper.
Another vote for the twitter feed bug (with typewriter and hat) by a journalism student! Actually, any of the characters in zany situations or a massive "family portrait" of all the bug characters (like the C&H poster) would be awesome
Only thing I'd say is that it needs to be quite a simple design as befits your comics style.
Personally, I'd love to have a bug wallpaper, I keep showing your comic to everyone who'll listen and several people who won't.
I may have already made a bug avatar for my MSN myself too.
When I was younger I had a script changing my wallpaper every 5 minutes. Some number of years ago I found this: http://imgh.us/hacksign_5_1024.jpg (NSFW) – and fell in love with it. That remained my background for years until eventually I got tired of the colours, so I cut the girl at the left out and pasted her over a nice nature scene, where she's stayed since then, for a good couple years now.
Funny how things change.
Bug in 3-d
I'd love to see a group of different bug characters with weapons all roughed-up and battle-ready on the roof of a supermarket or something, with a bunch of zombie bugs on the ground. Kind of like a dawn of the dead zombie apocalypse. Dawn of the Bug. Bug of the dead. Bawn of the Dug. Haha
Or just an Indie Bug in the infamous boulder scene.
I remember Leasticoulddo has this backround or something like that which involved all the characters surrounding the main character's head with a number at each of the characters showing their name. That would be pretty cool.
A bug on the beach drinkin' a foofi drink w/ a little umbrella and a piece of fruit on the glass.
I'd love to see a Bug Double Rainbow one!
This is my absolute favorite comic that makes me laugh all the time. So much so that I have it bookmarked on my toolbar and check it everyday! Keep 'em coming, I wanna support Bug on my desktop!
The second panel of Plunging Prepubescents would make a great wallpaper.
So would some of the antics of Zombie Bug.
for an avatar, I want bug on a motorcycle, or with an M16 (or other full-auto firearm) firing away.
Soooo ummm when are we getting these wonderfully free wallpapers?? I can't wait!
Probably not till after the Holidays. I'll keep you guys updated.
The nerd bug throwing the icicles. I would love to have that as my face book picture. But would definitively love that for a wallpaper.
I've got a few thousand wallpapers… call me obsessive. There's an app that swaps them out every 15 minutes. Keeps the desktop exciting.
I dunno if your computer has the windows 7 capability, but I know on my desktop I found a bunch of CG sci-fi backgrounds and assorted hot ladies (around 40 pics total). With the current 7 build, I have them on a 2 hour rotation so I always have a new background 😀
http://www.cgsociety.org/ has awesome backgrounds
I think it should different attempts at family photos (with bug, nerd bug, blond bug, toddler bug, indiana jones bug) but they all get messed up because of zombie bug, or any other bug disaster.
I love your comics! I'll use almost anything you put out in a rotating background. But the way bug interacts with babies/kids is fantastic. If there was a wallpaper of him in the right or left-hand corner holding a spawnling upside down by its foot or something that would be wondrous!
Love ur strip, humour and mind…
Background – gotz to be a zombie somthin'.
R U done yet????
First of all, let me just say that I love your comic. I stumbled across it yesterday and didn't leave my computer until I finished reading all of them!
As for a wallpaper, my ideas have been outlined by those above. Personally I would like to have a simple wallpaper like Bug waving in the lower right hand corner on a white background. I also like the idea of having all of the characters being in one picture doing a different action. Zombie Bug is a must!
How about just bug with a comment about how if you can see him your not working or goofing off…