Here's the crazy
Master Gnome
Well, as I said elsewhere, we started working on the artwork for the remaining illustrations. There is a lot to do. Years ago I determined that every page of the Storybook would have an illustration. That was before I knew that the Storybook would end up to be a collection of seven books, amounting to more than 850 pages.
Now, having upgraded again, I expect to be in a position to move into 3D CGI and animation. I wasn't going to do that until all the illustrations we're finished and the books were in distribution, however the plans need to change. The simple fact of the matter is that there are a lot of illustrations remaining to be done and we are all slowing down as life brings us twists and turns. In this instance, I must depend on other people, artists, to provide me with the raw artwork, which I then process to make it suitable for use in these books.
It gets down to the fact that I have two Corvair trucks (actually three) and I could conceivably build two or more parade floats. There is a market for renting parade floats, although I don't want to get distracted from the Gnomes, unless I have to, when the weather permits, I will advance into cutting this body off and fabricating the mobile stage (Parade Float).
This was the stage I built in Tamanend Park where we performed as The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park.
Here's Shawn, my partner in composing the music for The Gnomes of New Hope when we were doing The Shakespeareans.
Here we are one year, when our theme was Robin Hood.
As you may have seen in other posts, I have been focusing on getting the technical layout finished, meaning; done, done. You know, I had major difficulties getting these books finished. Computer deficiencies have caused me untold troubles with the layout, in numerous cases causing me to have to rebuild my files multiple times to accommodate, repair and take into account computer and hard disc crashes, which caused me to loose my work. I mention this because that has been a great cause of delay.
I'll be using the above image as an etching on the Boxed Set
It seems that finishing this artwork will take some time. Some time indeed, probably years, at the rate we are going. I have been printing out canvas sheets, for use in creating the raw sketches that give a rough idea of what the finished art will be. The stack of pages is already an inch and a half thick, and that represents the bulk of Book Five. Book Four needs around fifteen panels and Books Six And Seven are, in fact, mostly done too. But none the less, we need 348 more illustration panels.
That being said, I expect to move into 3D CGI while the other watercolor art is being generated. With luck, I can get the characters built using Poser. I know there are other programs, but this is what I have. My thinking is to build some animated scenes, possibly for publicity. Really, the other use of the Poser platform is to layout the scenes and send them to the illustration workstation, where the digital rendering can be brought up on a screen built into the drafting table, which serves as a lightbox and tracing guide. Part of my reasoning is that we need to keep the watercolor motif. As much as I would like that texture to remain in the animations, unfortunately, the reality is that the variations present in watercolor will likely not work when merged with motion. However, by using the CGI as a guide for building the illustrations, the animations will more closely represent the artwork in the books. I think that is a great advantage. It will help maintain the overall consistency.
Being that completion of the illustrations will take a significant amount of time, and that the technical publishing work is finally done, it is most appropriate to move back to the music, while also building and exploring the animation. So that is what will be happening.
I'm still open to Options for the Cinema and I will continue the work of securing Representation, with a focus on advancing both theatre and film production.
On another front; I have acquired a Plasma Cutter for the purpose of cutting the body off the Corvair truck, which is being used for a parade float.
This depicts the truck without the body. So you can imagine the Parade Float sitting atop this frame.
This Flyer was made when the stage was just begun. It shows eleven 4x8 platforms were used.
I expect this mobile stage to also serve the festival market and one of the Ancillaries of The Gnomes of New Hope is producing Gnome Fest. But without the festival presentation ready to go, that is I'll advised. So, not only the mobile stage, but the puppet, and the festival version of the stage show needs to be up and running before Gnome Fest can occur. I could produce Gnome Fest at Tamanend Park in Southampton. It's a very good locale, albeit, a bit distant from New Hope.
Having worked out of New Hope for many years, I moved my studio down to Southampton for practical reasons. Unfortunately, New Hope does not have a park facility as nice as Tamanend Park. But of course, Tamanend Park is two miles from my studio and Southampton has a pretty significant parade on the Fourth of July, as does Northampton as well. I'll discuss the area parades after I get the mobile stage built.
That's all for now, AG
