These just became available and I thought I'd share for anyone else addicted to Photoshop brushes (for Photoshop 6, 7 and CS).
DisneyAnimation.com has just released five new concept art images from the new version of Rapunzel.
Previous director Glen Keane (now Executive Producer) developed a new look for this computer animated film, which is said to look and feel more like a traditional hand-drawn Disney Classic, but in 3D. Apparently the film uses a non-photorealistic rendering technique which will make the surface look like it is painted but still containing depth and dimensions. The movie's visual style is (still) being based on French Rococo artist Jean-Honore Fragonard’s painting “The Swing” (this is most apparent in the fifth and last image below).
NOTE: words in parentheses and italics are my additions
Rather than try to rephrase this sentiment, I'll just quote Peter Sciretta (from Film: Blogging the Reel World):"Hopefully the new non-photorealistic rendering technique employed on this production will help capture some of the painting-like beauty of these pieces."I couldn't have said it better myself.
One of the regular blogs I visit (and link to in my sidebar) is "Supernatural Fairy Tales", hosted by author and writer Dorlana Vann.
Dorlana's interest in fairy tales is obvious to anyone who visits her sites or interacts with her on Twitter. She's written a number of short stories based on fairy tales and added a paranormal element for a different twist. Her stories are fresh, modern and not for little kids but there's definitely a sense of fun about them. Dorlana kindly agreed to a short interview for Once Upon A Blog...
Except for my earlier pieces that weren’t paranormal, they all started out pretty much the same. I read the fairy tale and either retold it, using a supernatural element, or more likely, used what I thought was the theme/moral or sometimes just the character, to write a paranormal short story. My favorite stories are the ones where, on the surface, you can’t tell which fairy tale I used, the reader has to really dig; but when the fairy tale is discovered, it’s like “ohhh…”
Also, a lot of personal experiences influence my thought process in the unfolding of a story. Right before I wrote Silverweed Muffins my mom was reminiscing about how my grandfather was so superstitious. I used some of these memories in my story—like when he saw the devil in the woods, and the fact that he thought he killed his mom when he was 5-years-old by shooing the black birds off of their front porch—and they also set the entire mood of the story. And in one of my more recent stories, If You Feed a Wolf, I pulled out my dream journal and took actual segments of my dreams, from years ago, and used them in the story—because the feel of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (the inspiration story) reminded me of my dreams and made me believe that Lewis Carroll was a lucid dreamer, too.
Dorlana's newly released book "Death" combines her two paranormal romance novels in one volume (available HERE). She is also one of the contributing authors to the anthology "Split" (available HERE).
The victims of fairy tale violence are finally getting their day in court.
Both defendants have a pretty long list of accusations — ranging from ridiculous to serious — that they are up against in the courtroom, Mitchell said.
“The audience members are the ones who get to decided who is guilty and who is innocent, they are the jury,” said Lauren Wieding, Pig No. 1 from the straw house. “We get to interact with them and tell them how they (the wolf and the witch) have been reeking havoc, trying to kill people and blowing down houses”You can find the rest of the article, in which the Director Karen Mitchell explains how the trial will run and some of the character actors are interviewed, HERE. While this is essentially a children's and family friendly play there's a lot of adult humor and play on words that adults will appreciate.
This engaging and popular resource teaches children to analyze values and character in the lives of others as well as in their own lives through the framework of the judicial process. Simulations develop teamwork and the creative process while encouraging critical thinking. Students read fairy tales, assess the behaviors of the characters, and determine whether or not a character should be charged and tried for a crime. Students prepare for the trial, develop arguments, opening and closing statements, questions for witnesses, and present the case to another class who serves as the jury. Specific tales are suggested for each grade level from 3rd. through 9th.
I just love these!
From his Twitter bio:Wilhelm is a horribly disfigured gentleman who often frightens small children when passing. In his free time he hand-cuts silhouettes.You can see his gallery HERE and follow him on TWITTER. He'll also be at Comic Con this year, which I hope means we'll be seeing a lot more from this creative artist very soon. Good luck at Comic Con Wilhelm!
Australian author Wendy Palmer has just written and published (through a small e-books publisher*) a fairy tale novel, based on, you guessed it, "The Frog Prince". It's currently available in multiple eBook formats for $1 until August 14th through distributor 'eBooks Just Published' (when the price goes to $3.99).Anura is a fairytale princess whose prince won’t come. When a wizard shows up instead and tries to kill her, her stubborn cousin Rana decides it’s time to make the tardy prince show up, any way she can. With Anura and her stepmother, Amaryths, Rana sets out on a fairytale quest. But the wizard hasn’t given up…It's received some good reviews including the one below:
Author Wendy Palmer has fun playing with the structure and internal rules of the fairy tale, while introducing clever plot twists, developing a growing romance between Rana and the wizard, and delivering a solid adventure. The fairy tale is a well-established source of inspiration for fantasy authors, and Wendy Palmer definitely rivals the very best of them. Highly entertaining.
You can read the Prologue HERE.
We need more authors making their fairy tales so available to us!
CORRECTIONS ADDED 7-31-09: This book is NOT self-published as I originally understood. She published with a small e-books publisher 'Books for a Buck' instead.
The cover DESIGN is by Karen Leabo but the artist is Andreas Reh (www.andreasreh.com.de was the URL given but the address does not seem correct)
Thank you to Ms. Palmer for clarifying these points in her comment!
The Empress Theater in Magna, Utah is just about to start performances of the much loved musical comedy "Once Upon A Mattress" (an hilarious retelling of "The Princess and the Pea").
The inspiration for David’s work stretches back to a childhood fascination with myths and folklore, and a love of the writings of Tolkein.
All the pieces are cast in bronze, using the ‘lost wax’ process, a method developed by the ancient Egyptians, whereby a new ceramic shell mould is both made and destroyed for each individual piece cast. This is one of the most costly methods of casting but its worth is that the nuance and detail of the original work is preserved in every successive casting.
As you can see from the small selection posted here, there is a magical whimsical quality to his work in addition to an awesome technical expertise. I recommend visiting his website to see many more.
Russian artist Eva Soula is taking a different look at the characters of Red Riding Hood and their 'archetypical' roles.
I’ve always liked folk and fairytales – not the tame sugary-sweet stories like the ones retold by Charles Perrault, but the original ones, which are often crueler, yet more truthful. “Little Red Riding Hood” is one of those fairytales that I nearly despised as a child – it seemed so fake and senseless to me – but grew to love at an older age, when I read the original French version and realized what the secret was. :) However my story doesn’t follow any known retelling. If you’re curious to see what else the archetypes of “Little Red Riding Hood” are capable of, this story is for you as well.
Here are three pages from her comic.
You can click on the images for a closer look & read (highly recommended):
PAGE 1
PAGE 2
PAGE 5:
More is available to see -of both the comic and her designs- HERE, though not, unfortunately the rest of this grorgeous comic (note: on her pages, the 'next' button is at the bottom of the image in faint grey). Her other personal comic project "Owls"- described as a series of stories set in the same world os a scientific mystery - appears to have magical elements too and is worth a look, even though it's only available to view in Russian at present.
She's also created other work on fairy tale themes such as "Wonderland" & "Alice and the Mad Hatter" )also known by the more sinister title "Come to Daddy") shown below:
I sincerely hope a publisher picks "Fairytale" up. I'd really like to know how she handled the characters. Her artwork is lovely too. this is one I'd be more than happy to add to my shelf. (hint, hint publishers!)
In addition to the LAMP artist's group she can also be found at the CG Society, deviantArt and LiveJournal
