Character Art

    I am moving forward with work on creating a collection of figurines. We have, literally, hundreds of drawings and paintings of the characters used in the Illustrated Storybooks. I purchased a Kiln, to fire the sculptures that originate in clay and I am setting up to do casting of those characters that are already sculpted. But in addition to that there is an expectation that we will advance into 3D printing of the characters. Part of that is creating the 3D files of the characters and once that is done, we can look at CGI animation as well. So, all this seems to be in front of the stage show, since the music needs more work.

   In that regard, the music, I somehow was remiss from engaging in work on the music, while the book publishing was being finished. Duh! I just realized that I have multiple Mac workstations and the last Mac I was using is more than sufficient to do the music. I had been avoiding the music because my main workstation is set up for publishing and I didn't want to disturb anything. You see, I had multiple hard disc failures while I was doing this layout and I lost, quite literally, ten years worth of work because of that. I had to redo the layout, I will say, multiple times. Embarrassingly, as many as four times.It was driving me to the brink. So after I got the layout rebuilt, I simplified it, backed up the layouts in numerous locations and swore I would not overload the computer by doing other burdensome tasks on it.

  But the other day, I was trying to transfer "I Am Alpha & Omega" over from a mac 6500 to a G4, looking at my equipment, and I realized that I have a G5 Quad that would serve quite nicely as a machine to do the work needed on the music. So I will be setting that up again, since that machine has nothing to do with the Mac Pro I am using. The music was originally written on a Mac G4 Quicksilver and a G5, So kicking it up to a G5 Quad would work nicely. Of course the problem there is reacclimatizing myself to the programs, and the upgraded version I have. That will be happening for more reasons than just The Gnomes of New Hope. I am beginning to work on "I Am Alpha & Omega" again and that will require music.

That's all for now.  

AG

March Madness

 

  Well, if you have read any of these posts, you have an idea of how publishing the books has progressed. I am now cataloging all the artwork used in the books and that is a lot of art.

    I'm using the page numbers as the filing structure. At first I was filing the art by subject, Zach, Zebby, Background, etcetera. But the more art we gathered, the more this method became inefficient and difficult to control. So, it dawned on me that just using the book pages, which contains the artwork, was the most direct and efficient way to file the artwork. That is also the easiest way to find the artwork, since the book pages serve as a visual index and that process makes it easy to see what needs to be done to complete the collection of books. So I've been busy with that.

  We are working our way down towards finishing the Illustrations for the rest of the collection. It's very apparent that the next goal in terms of practicality, is to craft the exhibition of the artwork. This exhibition will support the stage show and book sales, but the stage show is contingent upon completing the music, at least the MIDI renditions and the scoring. Neither one of those aspects of this project can take place until the book publication and distribution are complete, or at least on the path to being set in place.

   I am extremely busy with finishing this publication of the Seven Book Series. I am considering putting a printing press in my studio. I will talk about that later.

  That being said, I don't answer my cell phone anymore, unless it is from a number with caller ID. So text or a letter is best, but that's no guarantee I will get back to you unless you seek legitimate business, not solicitation. If you text me with your contact information and if the subject pertains to advancing the Gnomes, I will get back you you. The same goes for a hard copy letter. Email works, but I am deluged with junk mail, so an email might get lost. If you are communicating with me via email about GNOME BUSINESS, use that in the header so I can find it.

   I am most interested in book publication/distribution, gallery exhibition, animatronics & parade presentation and film & theatre production. I seek partnerships, promotion and funding in these arenas.

  Ah, the foibles of modern day business communication.

AG

 

Regarding the Posts in this blog / Garden Gnomes

Posts 

    I have discussed the progress of this project numerous times over the years. You will find that I have addressed the same subject more than once, often with a slightly different perspective and somewhat divergent opinions as to how I am, or we expect to proceed.  What this means is that this project and our methods are evolving. So you must take into account the date on each post. The older posts still contain important information, but the modus operandi may no longer be valid as circumstances have changed.

  We have an EXTENSIVE collection of artwork and many options for assorted product lines, many of which will include Collectable Editions.

I'm thinking that; If we make Brad the Fiddler & Zebby playing his Flute into Garden Gnomes,
we could make them solar, motion controlled with Music from the Show.
We could do that with a number of characters.
What do you think of that idea?

Garden Gnomes / Figurines

UPDATE ; 2/22/24

   The Garden Gnome project was very exciting as we began to develop the project. We have two sculptures for the Garden Gnomes, but only one mold for "Constable Warren", the other Garden Gnome sculpture is of "Ferny Reading".  You can find photos of these Garden Gnomes and some paperwork posted below. 

   Now we are developing the Figurines. The figurines will be between 4" & 6" and most likely cast with resin. "Zach & Zebby" are underway and we have a very fine artist who is sculpting these figurines. Eventually, I expect to use 3D renderings of the artwork used for the illustrations to print characters that are precise renditions of the Illustrations. But I have to say that sculpted interpretations of the characters have a very enthralling aesthetic quality about them. So both and all interpretations of our characters are entirely valid and will be presented for purchase to our enthusiasts and patrons.

   I tend to believe that we must make the figurines available as souvenirs for the stage show, but we will be developing a catalogue where all these materials will be made available.

   Further, as you can seer below, there was a project under development for Lawn Displays with a Christmas theme called "Santa and his Elves". These are flat lawn displays that people can set up for their Christmas decorations. We will be developing the same type of flat lawn displays for The Gnomes of New Hope. This project is underway and will be another type of Garden Gnome created using the exact same artwork in the Illustrated Storybook. So look for more postings on that project, most likely after the Illustrated Storybook layouts are completely finished.

ARCHIVE

   Particularly, in our approach to producing Garden Gnomes and Figurines, what was intended to be classic cement Garden Gnomes has proven to be less viable than once believed. Not that they are not good or could be produced, but the fragility of cement and shipping weight of cement does not allow us to easily produce these products.  I certainly will pursue cement, if that material is sought after and I can produce those Garden Gnomes in house, but the items will (unexpectedly) need to have metal armatures to prevent breakage and either need to be picked up or delivered via our truck within a reasonable distance. This will make the item more expense than originally thought. Also, the current cost of shipping has made large promotion of the cement items prohibitive. 

   Hence both the Garden Gnomes and Figurines will be made of hollow resin (or blow-mold) . In this way, as a Garden Gnome, the item can be shipped without the weight of cement, but filled with sand by the end user to achieve the weight desired.  We are currently developing the product lines taking this into account.

   As usual, we are opened to Partnerships and Licensing in this and other product lines.

AG

Binding...

Here's the Libretto and the drafts of the Score

UPDATE 2/20/24;

   As I have mentioned in numerous other posts, the Illustrated Storybooks will be Hand-Stitched. I've discussed just how much superior this binding is to machine bound books, so I will be striving to keep ALL the books Hand-Stitched. This means I will need to be hiring people to stitch books, It's easy and fun. I will be paying piecework, meaning anyone stitching books will be paid for each book they stitch. If you would like to stitch books, send me an email and we can talk about it. My first goal is to put one thousand collections on the shelf... that amounts to seven thousand books, because the full collection consists of seven books. We already have at least four books ready for production and the other three books are almost ready to begin publishing and binding.  We are setting up and maintaining production facilities in Southampton Pennsylvania. AG

ARCHIVE;

 Since I am engaged in finalizing the core materials and refining the production line (along with other studio activities) I continue to post my thoughts here, where I address subjects directly, as if I were speaking directly to the business partners who are or will be involved in this project.  I find, for myself, that this is the best approach to conveying my positions directly and that by so doing, the people I talk to on any of these subjects, are already appraised of my thinking and what we need to do.  Certainly, I can communicate directly at any time, via email or telephone, so don't hesitate to reach out and be specific if we need to advance our activities or relationship. (text first, I get too many distracting solicitations calls.)

   The other side of it is that; I work out of my studio, so if we need to get down to it, you are invited to visit me to discuss matters.  But please communicate with me first, if you intend , or want, to pay a visit.  Without doing so first, it may be a wasted trip, as I do work on-the-road on a regular basis and I never know when I will be called away.

    I have come up with a method of production that looks to be a viable approach to the Hand-stitched Books.  So the specifications for suppliers of the printed product are now set to accommodate our binding operation. I still need to do time studies to determine turn-around.

   As it stands now, I will be building inventory up to one thousand of each book on the shelf, before we release them for Retail distribution.  That quantity needs to remain as our in-house production number. I can do more if I receive orders from one or more distributors, but as it stands now, we will keep publishing and binding in house, until such time as the quantities become too much to handle.  Given that manufacturing times for larger quantities involve months for turn around, any distributor who may seek to have us deliver higher quantities will need to make that known, so that when we enter into building inventory, we can take that into account.  Books can be ordered directly from the Studio at any time for Direct Sales at the current MSRP of $34.95 plus shipping (with no discounts).  Wholesale pricing begins at One Gross.

   You can see from my last post that I haver other matters to attend to, so delivering books for retail distribution, although important, is not on the top of the list, mainly because meeting retail demands is distracting from film & theatre production. That would be a reason to job out the books,  but, distribution at the wholesale level needs to take place through IMS.  It's all about the numbers and quality control. That subject is open to discussion.

    I would like to avoid delays in being able to deliver product, so a heads up is a good idea. Otherwise I will just settle into distributing quantities that I am comfortable with (as opposed to large scale distribution).  I will not deplete IMS inventory for any one buyer, since I also need to sell individual books connected to the Signed and Numbered Editions. So if you are a buyer who would seek quantities higher than 250 units (of each book), let me know so I can prepare for that. Obviously, larger quantities and other distribution scenarios require discussion.

AG

Lawn Display Gnomes

   Here is a project that was put on hold after I started working on he Gnomes of New Hope. 
I'm thinking of doing our Gnome Artwork in this same fashion as 

Flat Lawn Displays. 
We have a ton of gnomes drawn for the Illustrated Book Series and 
producing those Gnomes as flat lawn displays 

would be easy to do and work very well. 

So I will be building a collection of 

"Lawn Display Gnomes" 

a variation on Garden Gnomes

and posting the progress here.

   Here's the link to

 "Santa and His Elves Lawn Display" 

Posted on the IMS Virtual Studio.

The image below is for a promotional card.

Inventory

FROM BOOK FIVE
Young Bezaliel is christened to become A Master Gnome by the Elder Gnomes

Just a note to say we will be building inventory of finished books. I will start with 100 of each book, in order to to get them on the shelf, establish the production line and other business details to manage production and distribution. I expect, as I mentioned before, that Limited Editions will be produced at Image of the Mind Studios, however, if as I expect, the new manufacturing process produces the results I hope for, then even higher production will maintain the Hand-Stitched Covers (both in-house & jobbed out) . This new assembly method brings hand-Stitching into competition with machine binding in terms of efficiency. Depending on demand, I will either set-up assembly in-house or job it out. I say all this because we are moving at a good pace to finish the Illustrations for Book Five, which I was concerned about, because that book has a number of of other stories that comprise The Gnomic Tales. As it turns out, we are adjusting nicely to crafting a different look for those books, due to the strylines taking place in the History of Gnomanity.  So far, so good.  I do want to build "The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture to produce and manage this project. So if you are interested as an investor/Board Member, let me know. AG

Updating our Approach

Garden Gnomes/Figurines

I am redressing the Garden Gnome Project.

The First Sculpture (shown below) is Constable Warren.

The first batch of castings were in concrete, 

a material that I am no longer enthused about.

Shipping concrete Garden Gnomes has it's problems,  concrete is heavy.

But more than that, I find that concrete sculptures are too fragile.

We have sculpted Ferny Reading.  It was created using Sculpty.

We are debating about firing Sculpty and I am trying to determine 

how to proceed with creating a mold.

I bought materials, but still need to think this through more.

I am looking to acquire a Kiln and expand what I already have 

in the Sculpting/Puppetry Studio.  

In the meanwhile, I am looking into what needs to be done to set up for 

casting resin (as opposed to concrete).

I have concluded that a resin product, filled with sand would be best. 

I would ship the hollow  Garden Gnome and the end user would 

fill it with sand to give it weight. 

Doing this will avoid breakage.

So, having made that determination, I am furthering discussions 

and actions to set up the CGI workstation 

to develop 3D characters from our existing artwork 

and thus be able to use 3D Printing to create; figurines, puppet heads, molds 

and limited run items for other projects 

(such as the Cyclorama Show).

I am still open to Partnerships for the Ancillary Markets, 

including the Garden Gnomes.

Along those lines, I may job out the casting, 

since the concentration must remain with Publishing the Books.

Above; early work on puppet heads

Below: Ferny Reading in process 

I am still moving forward with plans to build 

a Green Screen/Sound Stage in the Studio, 

to be used with the developing puppetry and other projects.

I have upgraded the video equipment to a three-camera HDV set-up 

along with improving the A/V Editing Suite 

(which still maintains our linear and multi-format options).

I expect to address the Music Composition/Production capabilities 

with an upgrade of Digital Performer and 

to look at recording some samples of additional music.

We expect to begin setting up a CGI workstation, 

mainly to aid with the 3D printing for the figurines 

and to apply it to developing a walk-thru Cyclorama.

And... I am working to integrate MIDI with DMX 

for stage instruments & practical control

associated with the Music Files

(when recorded music is used)

AG

 

IMS Publishing

Here is a link to posts that were made on another blog;

IMS Publishing

On that blog there are significant thoughts that never made it onto The Gnomes of New Hope blog.

This is a composite sketch 

before it was painted with watercolor

titled 

"Ferny Reading to the Little Ones"

If you look below, you will find some photos of 

the sculpture that is underway of Ferny Reading. 

These Sculptures are part of our Garden Gnome Project,

which is also tied to the smaller figurines, puppets, stop-action film work

and 

Cyclorama Project.

The Cyclorama Project will be directly tied to the model work on

 Set-Design and Animatronics.

But all of these concepts are contingent upon 

finishing, distributing & selling

 the

Illustrated Storybook Series

We are discussing producing some of the individual musical pieces, 

which have catchy themes

starting with;

The Stone of Wisdom

sung to Zach & Zebby by

The Master Gnome

Cover of Volume Three/Book Five

Cycloramas

   Interestingly enough, I realized that I need to be building models for the different set designs, so they will be integrated into the art exhibition and represent rather miniature Cycloramas. Start small and grow from there. (ie: "It's a Small World After All) Gno pun intended.

I like the idea of Animatronics Cycloramas, but if we get to that point, the puppets will be somewhere around two feet tall, making it a much bigger presentation.

Little by little, we'll get there. AG

Cycloramas

A Gnome Home

I've decided that we will build 

"The Gnomes of New Hope; 
Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure"

as a walk-through cyclorama. 

I have been thinking about this type of show for years. 

That being said I will be looking for model makers.

send me an email.

    As you might have seen in other posts, I have been working (sporadically) on the puppetry aspect of the project. I have been him'n and haw'n about how to approach this. There are at least a half a dozen approaches, which amount to as many different shows. Each of these shows can (effectively) be promotional for the full (live) musical. Of course, all based on the Illustrated Storybooks.

   What it gets down to is this; I need to build the show that can be done most effectively in my studio, with the resources available to me. Doing that will also allow us to do a documentary film about the process.

   Yes, I am working toward setting up a sound stage with a green screen. I have the HDV, for a three camera shoot, to go with the sound stage. It has been my intention to build the puppets on a three foot chassis and for them to be both stick puppets or marionettes. I figure the stick puppets would be used for shooting against the green screen, but we could also do that with marionettes. I do have more that one bridge.

   So now I am working out a smaller representation of the show as cycloramas that can travel. I'm thinking of puppets that are 6-8 inches in height. Doing that can also turn into figurines that can be sold.

   That is the direction if things right now. I would be interested in discussing this with anyone who is a model-maker and may like some employment, working out of our shop in Southampton. We have 20 scenes (at least) to create.

An Invitation

 Here is an Invitation I found in my files. 
It was composed years ago 

when I was working on Business Structure

and I didn't realize just how much energy 

the Illustrated Storybooks would involve.

I see that I will be returning to the Business Documentation, 

as the publishing is nearing completion.

So, I updated this some and figured 

I might as well Post it here.

I can send it to you as an attachment,

without the decor.

PRODUCTION BREAKDOWN: Act One - Musical Numbers

 Here is my analysis of the 
Act One: Timing and Musical Numbers

I'll add more later, 

AG