The Artwork of Jency Latta

Updated 5/19

    It seems I attempted to set up a Gallery Page. I'm not sure about that, but I'll try to pay attention to it more, simply because I want to provide a way to view the images that have now been published in Book One.

Also, I will try to insert more character images in the sidebars, since the posts go on beyond what I have already posted.

An early sketch of Gnomeville and The Squirrel's Nest...

...which turned into the one below. There were numerous sketches in between, many of which found their way into other scenes or applications.  For a wonderful view of The Squirrel's Nest check out my Facebook home page. (this link takes you to the IMS page, but you can get to my Home page from there) I love that watercolor, but it cannot serve as the actual Squirrel's Nest because it is too close to the ground. It needed to be higher and easier to hide from view.

 The above image has been refined further and will be available as a puzzle.

(I'll replace this image with that one when I can)

ARCHIVE

10/13
A new page has been created specifically as a gallery of the artwork we are using for the Gnomes of New Hope and I am placing a link in the side bar.  It doesn't seem to want to add try this  The Artwork of Jency Latta

e-Storybook Notes

Revised update

   Here's the most recent flyer and cover letter regarding the e-Storybook

OOPS... I only have PDFs. I'll post them after I convert them to JPG.

Updated 5/19

   The e-Storybook was fully designed using the format shown here. As you can see the format shown here is the first generation of the layout. The published editions of the Gnome-sized and Big People Books are more refined than this design. It is likely that I will carry the newer design over to the revamped e-Storybook format. The e-Storybook will need to change from this view, a vertical or portrait view, to a horizontal or landscape view.

    The change to the landscape format is needed to match the current aspect ratio of the cinema & television screens. I want people to be able to send the Storybook up to their large viewing screen, so that kids will have an easier time of joining in together to see the material as a group.  But also, we plan on creating animations to be part of the Storybook and I most certainly think it is essential that the aspect ration match what has become the standard for films & television. As I have said before, it is my intention to produce the larger film by creating a composite of smaller films that link together. I'll discuss that elsewhere under the subject of Cinema.

   The animations are expected to start out as "music videos" of the songs in the show, but eventually become representations of the scenes. It occurs to me that as a storytelling book, we could have links to storytelling videos, but that might defeat the purpose of having adults participating with kids in a storytelling session. Maybe if we added that later that could be part of a television presentation.

All this means that the thoughts previously posted on this subject will contain outdated references. I will edit out the worst of it.

AG

I've placed the previous content of this post under the category Archive below. So in the future, I will maintain the subject headings of the posts and shift the edited content down under the heading of Archive. That way we can keep the viable thoughts within the post for reference purposes.

ARCHIVE

2014

      I have been preparing the e-storybook for release to selected individuals and organizations. What that means is that the entire layout needs to be correct and functional as a PDF based e-book.

DELETED CONTENT ...

    So, preparing the e-storybook has been a matter of changing the page background on all the files. This is because, while publishing the Gnome-sized Book, I made small changes to the layout that helped to make the smaller books to have a bit more punch and clarity. Of course, those changes were made only on the Gnome-sized Book, which had different specifications than the other editions.

   After finishing the Business Plan, which really needs more attention, but is sufficient for present requirements, I moved to working further on the Score. That aspect of this project requires quite a bit more work, but a great deal has already been done in that regard. Because of the intensity of that type of work, but also because of the demands of other work that is progressing, I shifted off of the score in lieu of finishing the e-Storybook.

    Even though the Illustrations for the Storybook are not yet complete, a large part of the entire set of books is illustrated. So, I decided to advance all other aspects of the publishing work, setting up, both the published books and the e-Storybook to be ready for production and release, with only placement of the illustration panels needed to be done. The space has already been allotted for the illustrations, by defining the panels within the page layout.

   I think this is a good approach to finishing the publishing, hard copy and digital, because moving forward with the illustrations is also moving forward with the animations, and having the publishing mechanicals out of the way is a good thing.

   Now, addressing release of the e-storybook; I need to be able to implement DRM and lock the files so that they cannot be copied, printed or disseminated in any unauthorized fashion. The last thing we want is to have the materials distributed on the internet for free. It has cost a small fortune to develop this material and we need to recoup those expenditures and then some. Producing the show will not be inexpensive and we need to assure the value of the project and create income. So that is an issue in releasing the e-storybook. But I have to say that it looks really great, both on a smartphone and an e-pad.

 
 As it stands now, I doubt that we will be able to distribute the product by way of a download. You would think that wouldn't be a problem, but the files have become extremely large because they are heavily laden with artwork. I've tried compressed files, but they don't look nearly as good as the larger files and that is unacceptable.

   I believe that the digital product will be primarily distributed as "Gnomes in a Gnutshell"  because the Micro SD is a good medium for delivery. It works really well with most phone & pads, with the exception of the Apple i-Phone and i-Pad, because they don't us a Micro SD. If you ask me that is a serious flaw in the Apple products.

Added Note: The ultimate delivery medium will be determined after the new edition of the e-Storybook has been completed. It is likely that by the time that happens, new technology will be in place. So it is best to delay conclusion on that matter until the finished product has been confirmed. I have found that the improvements in the design have also brought difficulties with formats and presentation. So...

      I am reformatting some of the components and trying to develop a methods where multiple files will work continuously in synchronization, without difficulty for the end user, while allowing for upgrades. It's not easy.

 AG

Garden Gnomes, Articulating Figurines & Puppets

I spent the day putting together a package for the Garden Gnomes. The idea is to use them in conjunction with the release of the Storybooks. Here are some images relative to that.  If the letter applies to you, let me know. AG

Articulating Figurines & Puppets

   As it stands now, I have five of these Garden Gnomes cast and I will be preparing them for use in the books stores and Libraries. One idea that just struck (as I write this post) is in regard to the articulating figurines. Discussions have take place about the Marionettes that are being built. I have puppets under way which are about three feet tall. They were designed to be this size, for the sake of the larger stages and the parade float. You can imagine that the puppets need to be big enough to be able to see them at a distance (ie: across the width of a street or out in the back seats of a decent size theatre) But for the Storybook reading sessions in a small group, smaller marionettes need to be constructed.

That brings me to the continuing work of Illustration. I spoke with Jency a few days ago about her coming back in to begin working on the illustrations again. One of our points was the necessity of making sure all the drawings were consistently the same (or very similar) in terms of the character designs. Thinking about it now, some slight variation is rather nice, because it keeps the work in the realm of art and away from being mechanized. But too much variation, so as to be noticeable is not good. So our discussion has led me to consider building the articulating figurines, which I was also working on.

Now I'm thinking that we will build the articulating figurines to be the same size as the Garden Gnomes. Then we can use the articulating figurines to create the Garden Gnomes. That would be much more time and resource efficient than sculpting the figurines. But if we wanted to sculpt the Garden Gnomes, for the values of the original sculptures, we could use the articulating figurines as a model to give us a visual aid that was correct as to size and shape. So that is the direction we will be taking with our puppetry- building the articulating figurines to match the size of the Garden Gnomes.

But mostly, our discussions led into building the smaller puppets for the purpose of modeling the illustrations. You can see how that leads me to think that articulating figurines are more useful for that. Marionettes can not easily be positioned. Unless I design the frames to have adjustable tension on the joints and a stand to hold them upright. So all that will be in the works a bit more now that Book One does not require my attention on the publishing end. Of course now the work on Book Two starts. Check out the post on the e-Storybook there are some changes there.

Oh, also in terms of the figurines. I have the program Poser. I need to learn how to use that so that we can add that tool to the illustration and animation process. So that will be coming into play. If anyone already knows how to use Poser and wants to work on this, let me know. I'm busy setting up a network in the studio so there's some distraction taking place in that arena.

More Later AG

GnomeFest

I started discussing GnomeFest, but I am doing so on the Cinema Under the Stars page, because using Tamanend Park is currently the prototype model for the designs. If you are a Festival Producer or Manager and would like to be involved do contact me at; image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com AG

Special Offer to Retail Book Sellers

Here is a Link to a post in the IMS Publishing blog.

Purchasing Book One

Here is the PayPal link for you to order and pay for copies of

 The Gnomes of New Hope; Book One, an Introduction

I've posted the order form here, which you can print out or you may request a copy via email. If you like you can mail that in with your check. This Post is under development, meaning the PayPal links are being constructed.

At some point in the future, I will be setting up a catalogue for assorted products with a shopping cart.

For now we will use this PayPal.me link to; Buy Gnomes of New Hope Books. Unfortunately, the spelling of my name is wrong in the PayPal.me link and I can't change it. Oh well, we'll use it anyway.

It takes time to get all the online commerce stuff properly set up. I am building (Buy Now) links which will have all the payment activities properly set up so all the costs are automatically included. I will insert them as they are finished. I gather you will need to log in for them to work. I also need to set up the other details such as receipts, tracking, assorted registrations and such, so bear with me as I move forward.

Prices are posted below. Please use these numbers to make your payment if you use the link above or mail in the Oder Form. The Order form contains all the necessary pricing information, so if the online payment links are not quite working, please use the Order Form and pay via check or money order.

The pricing is for on-demand publishing. When we get enough orders to move to off-set printing, then the wholesale pricing will come down a bit. So if you want to assist us in getting the ball rolling, please help out by ordering books. We will be able make up the difference with our collection of product lines and special offers to our retail partners who have helped us get this project off the ground.

We've begun distributing books to bookstores and those retailers who are willing to help us will most certainly receive benefits of complimentary tickets when we mount the Theatrical Musical Show . This could be helpful in marketing the books, or for any other purposes you may choose. 

Single copies of
The Big People's Book are $29.95 + $1.80 (6% sales tax for PA residents) + $5.25 (S&H*)
  Total = $37.00

(the link is under construction)

Single copies of
The Gnome-sized Book are
$8.95 + $.55 (6% sales tax for PA residents) + $4.50 (S&H*)
  Total = $14.00

NOTE; (on links)
    The links need to be constructed in order to service various quantities and pricing. This is a function of a "shopping cart" page or it might be built into this page. The proper approach to this is under review. AG

(* S&H subject to change as required, rounded up for convenience. Shipping is via Media Mail. First Class or Overnight Post is additional. Please inquire in this regard.)

Please send an email to confirm your order, to receive a digital copy of the Order Form, and provide the mailing address where you would like the book to be delivered. Please provide your email for us to confirm receipt your payment.

If you are a Bookseller, send an email to confirm the wholesale pricing, provide your sale tax exemption form and so we can determine shipping.

email; image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com (attention; Arthur Greisiger)

More discussions are posted on the Facebook page.

Thanks. AG

Update on Storybooks

An extensive update just erased itself after working on it for twenty minutes, so don't expect to see me post here again for some time. I'm perturbed.

If you are interested in activities or being directly involved, contact me via email or visit the studio. There is much work to be done. There is much that is underway. I'm focusing my energy on tangible efforts that will produce results, not internet activity which is an exercise in futility.

I seek active participants, not merely watchers. I may post again after I calm down. AG

Selling the books

I'm developing an order form for purchasing smaller quantities of the books. The profit margin is not very large, because these books are expensive to produce, but the quality is exceptional, so I think that makes up for it. If we get a few high volume orders, then the wholesale price will come down. As it stands now, we are producing print-on-demand, digital editions. If we go into high quantity web and offset editions, the price structure will be different. So for the print-on-demand runs, a portion of those books will be signed & numbered.
I will post the order form here when it is ready and when I get to it, we'll have a page with PayPal. If you have interest in selling books, send me an email. AG

Distribution of the Book Products

As I have been finalizing the publishing layout design specs, I realize that I have so much to do to prepare the remaining books in the series, as well as setting up the Little Theatre/Puppetry/ Concert presentations; and they are only the minor endeavors.

I'm also starting to shift over to CGI; rebuilding the A/V workstation, including another workstation for Animation/Illustration/3D Rendering.

All that being the case, I'm feeling that I need to contract out the Sales/Distribution of the book products. I will keep manufacturing in IMS, but rather than set up Marketing/Distribution as a department at IMS, for this initial Release, I think it best to job that out.

So, if that arena is your specialty and you may want to be involved, contact me via email (image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com)

  This Illustrated Storybook Series has very high potential.

AG

Continuing from the IMS Virtual Studio

The Gnomes of New Hope Productions is another arm of the production management scenario. That organizational structure, along with IMS Management, and The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture are being formulated and incorporated to produce and manage The Gnomes of New Hope franchise.  Of course, it takes time to build any organization, let alone three, so in the meantime, production and development activities are taking place within Image of the Mind Studios.

To be clear, IMS is a development operation with an emphasis on creating the Core Creative Material of a project and packaging it for presentation. When the package is sufficiently defined and presentable as a viable business endeavor, it then moves into the "pitch" mode. There are numerous production management elements that need to be in place before that can happen. Oh it is true that; a project like The Gnomes is always being pitched; but that kind of pitch, considered Development pitch, is required to keep development moving forward and to clarify the shape that is coming into form. The level of the pitch changes as the business environment and production demands start to take shape and the project moves into pre-production, indeed through all the stages of production, including the Ancillary Markets.

I find myself challenged to stay on the path I have set, described above, when I see other projects advance without apparently going to the lengths I have set forth. But the lengths I have described take into consideration long term objectives. All too often have I seen, and been a part of, projects which flare up and die, because of the lack of forethought and a result of brief excitement that dies down. The public has a short memory, especially in today's flooded marketplace.

There has been, for decades, the idea that you cannot know the outcome of a theatrical endeavor. Producers wonder "Will it have legs?"  This opinion about an uncertain outcome is, in my opinion, an excuse for failing to manage the financial responsibility to provide investors with a return. Such a position makes it too easy for a producer to cut and run if things get too difficult or opportunity is not in view. That has been the history of producing in the theatre. That is a strong deterent to investors. I do not agree with that underlying position.

It is true that recoupment, traditionally a 21 week period on Broadway, is contingent upon many factors, most particularly the very high expense of a First Class Production. A very large part of producing in today's world are the required bonds and assorted terms in the union contracts, but if the Core Creative Materials are sufficiently developed, those issues can be surmounted, indeed they must be in any event.

I wonder sometimes how any show ever get up with the complexities and expense that is required. Certainly, inclusion of resources from the Ancillary Markets is sought after by producers to fill in the gaps. I take a different position on that subject also. I feel as though each market must stand on it's own merits, function from its own resources and provide profit to the collective, building a capital fund to develop new markets and broach those markets. That means that; operating expenses of any given market can only be derived from that market and the ancillary markets cannot be taken into account when structuring the production management of any given market.

In other words, in the simplest terms, and by way of example; income from a line of toys cannot pay for expenses of a theatre presentation to the public and the potential income from that line of toys is not available for any consideration in any production contract. That particular ancillary market is only available for consideration under the production management scheme that involves investors money directly applied to that market and to the upper level management, in this instance dictated by the Board of Directors of The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture and IMS Management. So across the board, ancillary income may be used to support growth in another market, but not operating expenses.

But I diverge. I say, it's the Producer's duty to give a project firm ground to stand on, to clothe it for the Wedding, and to take care of the child after it is born. If this is done with careful forethought about the potential and development of the contributing factors in the marketplace, then the outcome can be anticipated, in more than just a fantastical way. If a producer knows the extent of his markets and sets down a plan to broach those markets, a plan that maintains incremental control over management of the product within the scope of those markets, then that project can become self-generating. A self-generating project has the potential for growth based on resources created by it's own merits. And any circumstance of expansion, based on capital influx from both inside and outside sources has a much more solid foundation for success.

What started out as a light discussion, that I thought would be appropriate for this blog, has become something more suited for IMS Producing Partners. So I will stop here. More on these subjects to come. AG

Cinema

Here's the latest post on IMS Producing Partners

Licensing

The subject of Licensing came up and it got me thinking. I'm inclined to give the first option on Licensing to our investors. That way they gain the ability to protect their investment and Image of the Mind Studios can gain a vested partner in the context of production management. This could be mutually advantageous in a number of ways.

Certain ancillaries may remain with IMS, in terms of both manufacturing and distribution. That rather depends on a number of factors, but in some circumstances, on products already prototyped out, IMS may serve as the manufacturing agent, if it is appropriate.

Anyway you look at it, IMS gets a 10% royalty of the gross, payable against the production quantities at the manufacturing level, prepaid.

I'll address this subject further on the IMS Producing Partners  blog.

AG