Fairytale Town's 50th Anniversary Celebration on August 29, 2009

Want to help a child love fairy tales for life? Take them to Fairytale Town.

While I didn't grow up in California I was still lucky enough to be taken to a local fairy tale park called FANTASY GLADES as a child and I remember the experience fondly still. In fact the souvenir tea towel my mother bought remains my favorite to this day though it was already threadbare before I left school and likely hasn't survived. Seeing life size cottages and models of fairy tale objects made the stories even clearer to me and somehow more personal. Sadly, this park closed in 2002, though there are rumors of plans to re-open it, with the bought attractions, in a different location. I hope they do.There are a few fairy tale themed parks left around the world (apart from Disneyland) and from what I've seen, most if not all have a very intimate sense of child and story about them. If you have or know a child you can take to such a place, do it. The benefits of the experience last a lifetime.If you're around Sacramento at the end of August this year, be sure to pop into Fairytale Town and join in the 50th Anniversary Celebrations.

This park was built to “...depict classics in children's literature and be among the child's first contacts with life and human relations.” (as was printed in the park's very first brochure in 1959). The 2.5 acre outdoor park consists of miniature scale models and play areas on the themes of classic fairy tales, classic (magical) stories and nursery rhymes.A description from their site:

Over 25 bright and colorful play sets give young children a backdrop to act out their favorite stories, to encourage creative discovery, and to exercise their minds and bodies on child-friendly slides throughout the lush grounds.

Home to a friendly menagerie of animals from the pages of favorite children's stories, children can meet Peter Rabbit at Mr. McGregor's Garden and see the sheep that Mary brought to school one day. Small gardeners can help water seasonal vegetable beds and seek out a sprouting alphabet of exotic plants.

Small adventurers can join Robin Hood's band of Merry Men in Sherwood Forest's extensive new play fort. Children can go down Jack's Beanstalk, ride in Cinderella's carriage, and burn off extra energy walking on The Crooked Mile, a favorite play structure for many of our guests young and old.

King Arthur's Castle has been the place for unforgettable birthday parties for three generations.

The official celebration, complete with concert, takes place on August 29th, from 5 to 9pm. Although they hold an annual fundraiser, this year is special and they'll be decorating the park with 50's style decor for a little retro feel among their all new remodeling and upgrades.You can find more information about the park HERE, and buy tickets for their special celebration. You can see some more photos of the park HERE, along with a quick description of some of the highlights of the park.

I think I'm going to suggest they sell tea towels. :)

From the Imagination of Alexander Jansson

I love these pieces by Swedish artist, Alexander Jansson. You saw his work yesterday on the cover for 'Darkwood' by M.E. Breen and today I thought I'd show you a little more.

His work has a dreamy, story-telling quality with a definite sense of 'you never know what magic is just around the corner'. The mix of dark and whimsical makes it very fairy tale compatible I think.You can find a lot more if his work HERE on deviantART (under the handle 'enigma-astralis'), HERE at his website and HERE on his 'distortions and mysteries' blog.

Darkwood by M. E. Breen

Here's an interesting recent release (May 12, 2009) from Bloomsbury that uses fairy tale motifs.

"Darkwood" is by M.E. Breen and it's shelved YA, though from the description it's really for everybody.

Here's the Amazon blurb:

Darkness falls so quickly in Howland that the people there have no word for evening. One minute the sky is light, the next minute it is black. But darkness comes in other forms, too, and for thirteen-year-old Annie, the misery she endures in her Uncle’s household makes the black of night seem almost soothing. When Annie escapes, her route takes her first to a dangerous mine where a precious stone is being stolen by an enemy of the king, and later to the king’s own halls, where a figure from Annie’s past makes a startling appearance. All the while, reported sightings of kinderstalk— mysterious, wolf-like creatures that prowl Howland’s dark forests—grow more frequent. Eloquent, suspenseful, and imbued with fairy-tale motifs found in The Brothers Grimm, this is a riveting coming-of-age story of a girl who must learn to trust her instincts if she’s to lead the people she is destined to rule.

With a starred review from Kirkus, a favorable review from Booklist, phrases in reader reviews like 'don't miss' & 'a new classic', and words like kinderstalk and Darkblog (where Ms. Breen - pictured on the right - has her blog), I'm going to have to check it out. (You can read chapter 1 as a free PDF download HERE.)

From the blurb and the first chapter I have to hope this book inspires a few artists to get drawing/painting. Apothecaries, hidden pockets, the dark woods and, again, the kinderstalk.. need I say more?

There is, at least, a gorgeous cover to start us off.

It's by Swedish artist Alexander Jansson and clearly says 'fairy tale echoes inside'! In fact, I found the book through the fairy tale-like illustration so he's obviously done a great job of reflecting the content and catching the interest of people who like their fantasy with some fairy tale influence (i.e. me). I'll be profiling this amazing illustrator/artist tomorrow's post.

I've posted Jansson's cover work without the text below so you can get a closer look at some of his lovely painting and texturing (just click on the image). Enjoy!

'Steamy' Fairy Tale Costume Prep & Meet-up (for DragonCon '09)

And by 'steamy' I mean steampunk, of course (well, this time I do anyway! :D ).

There's a group encouraging people who do 'cosplay' (short for costume roleplay) to try a new theme - fairy tales.

If you're not familiar with cosplay this is no dress-up thrown together in a few minutes so you can accompany your kid on the annual Halloween candy hunt. It's actually a form of performance art and these people take their costuming seriously (having a lot of fun in the process). The participant entries tend to range from well put together costumes to incredibly detailed (and mechanically enhanced) outfits that would rival any professional costumer's work.

Here's one of the organizers of this event's costume plan for The Swan MaidenI'm including the post details below so anyone interested can get involved but even if you're not, take a look at some of the ideas that are being put forth for presenting fairy tale characters. It may make you think about your favorite fairy tales a different way and perhaps prompt some creativity of your own...(you listening artists and writers?)Here are some ideas put forward to get people going (I'm quoting from this post HERE with tiny edits for readability). People get to 'claim' the character or choose one of their own. Quite a few are already spoken for (you can find the claimed list HERE):

• The Big Bad Wolf - Dresses like a gentleman, but that's offset by pointed ears, fangs, and a wicked claw device on one hand. Also, wicked mutton chops.
• Swan Maiden - A white feather robe on one side, a clockwork wing on the other.
• Little Red Riding Hood - I need a companion for my Big Bad Wolf, but other than the red cloak/cape it's free reign. In my head, she seems like she could have more of an 'early aviator' style, with flight cap and goggles, and probably oil stains on her cloak. A hatchet or raygun would probably look pretty awesome too.
• Puss in Boots - Cat ears and tail. Very noticable boots. (Sword?) -Plenty of Swashbuckley potential. Steampunk-ing the boots would make them more noticeable, especially if you limit the amount of brass on the rest of the outfit.
• The Girl Without Hands - Free design. Clockwork/mechanical silver hands.
• Aladdin - Arabian inspired outfit. Carry a lamp. (Conversely, could do a steampunk rendition on a genie.)
• The Genie- Could be awesome as some kind of robot. He'll perform any 3 tasks you wish, but then you have to use the lamp to recharge him!
• Peter Pan- Green suit and a jetpack, probably a good candidate for flight goggles and an aviator cap. Dagger/small weapon at the belt maybe?
• The Firebird -Reds yellows and oranges. Clock work wings in the same color scheme.
• 12 Dancing Princesses - bustle the skirt to ensure the "dancing shoes" are visible and find a way to make the shoes look worn and steampunked up a bit. A princess crown and carrying a branch from a "gold", "silver" or "diamond" tree would finish the set out nicely.

You can find even more ideas HERE and HERE.

Steampunking fairy tale characters is becoming more and more popular and I've noticed a few photoshoots happening around the web just this year. Below is Red Riding Hood from a shoot in April in Brooklyn:And HERE is a blog entry about it with more fun pics.

Doesn't it look like fun?

Here are the details of what's happening for the DragonCon '09 Steampunked Fairy Tales Group and where (they'll be having a meet-up and photoshoot) from the cosplay.com post (which you can read all of HERE):

Okay folks, it's time to prepare for Dragon*Con 2009, and my friend Pyro_Ike has started organizing a fun idea for a costume group. The theme is Steampunk Fairy Tales. It just seems to fit together, because they're the kind of stories that would likely still be around in a Neo-Victorian society.

Meet-Up Time & Location
Date: Sunday, September 6th (tentative)
Time: 5:00pm (tentative)
Location: Marriott Atrium Lobby Level, carpeted space next to Atrium Ballroom - across from Pulse (sailboat) Bar (May move elsewhere after gathering to get good photos.)

I'm looking forward to seeing the results!

NOTE: You can see where each of the images are from by clicking on them - you'll be taken to the owner's websites where you can find lots more fun stuff. :)

2nd Podcast Episode of "CAGES: A Steampunk Retelling of Grimm's Jorinde & Joringel" is up

This is the second episode of five coming your way, of my new short story "CAGES".

Click on the image to go to Supernatural Fairy Tales and listen to the podcast (with me reading and wonderful music by steampunk band Abney Park) and/or read the text (with some related pics).

Enjoy!Thanks again to Dorlana Vann for this opportunity. You can follow her on Twitter and get all the latest Supernatural Fairy Tale updates HERE.

Creatures From El

Creatures from myth, legend, fantasy (including some mecha-animals) and fairy tales; they all take shape under the talented hands and fingers of Ellen June a.k.a. "El".From her website:

‘Creatures from El’, the artwork of sculptor Ellen June, was conceived of as a means of rapid sculptural exploration that incorporated an understanding of animal physiology with a love of the fantastic, grotesque and absurd. The consequence has been a prolific sculptural output of original creatures all handmade and painted. Each creature is unique, produced in a fluid, intuitive manner, and never replicated. The first creatures from El, fashioned and sold in late 2005, were constructed exclusively of fired ceramic. Now, this sculptural repertoire has expanded to include polymer clay, epoxie and other mediums all worked by hand in their raw state. In creating each creature Ellen is working towards a level of high craftsmanship and detail, seeking to create narratives which can be extracted by the viewer continually over time.

'Seeking to create narratives"...yes! I find these sculptures are very 'tale-friendly'!
She's both very talented and incredibly prolific! I love that she approaches each creature by starting with a realistic form then going to town on the fantastic aspects. She clearly knows her animal physiology - for a LOT of species! Her galleries are so extensive I'm not certain I've seen everything yet.
No matter your taste in fantastic animals, you're bound to find some piece you like. I've tried to show a range here but it's been so hard to choose and I get lost looking all over again. I suggest you have a look for yourself at her WEBSITE, deviantART site & especially her Live Journal BLOG. You'll see what I mean.

Animation Test for "The Princess and the Frog"

Oh yay!

Here's an animation test for Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", shown at the 2009 ComiCon (last week).

fairy tale + animation = *happy sigh*
Love seeing this stuff. :)

Two Disney 'Art Of' Books Coming Soon

There are two lovely looking books coming later in the year from Disney animation artists:

1. The Art of The Disney Princess by Tk
Being released: October 20th, 2009

Description from Amazon:

Every little girl has a favorite Disney Princess--and for that matter, every grown-up girl, too! In The Art of the Disney Princess, Disney artists, designers, illustrators, and animators from around the world have re-imagined their favorite princesses and portrayed them in a variety of mediums. Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, and Cinderella are newly incarnated in water color, pastel, oil paint, colored pencil, mixed media, and computer graphics pieces that range from the traditional to the unconventional. This artwork has been created especially for this museum-quality book, which is sure to delight art lovers, Disney collectors, and any prince or princess who ever believed that fairytales do come true.

Wonderful to see Snow White so beautifully drawn! I can't wait to see the creativity inside this one.
2. The Art of The Princess and the Frog by Jeff Kurtti
Being released: Dec 16th, 2009

There is no description available yet but if it's anything like the usual 'art of' books it's not to be missed. Seeing the concept drawings that appear as artists get to know the fairy tale and start to interpret it their own way is always fascinating (yes, I'm a complete pushover for an 'art of' book!)

Both books are now available for pre-order at Amazon.com (click on the titles or the images to go to the corresponding page).

Behind the Scenes of Fairy Tales by Rosie Hardy

What REALLY went on with those characters behind closed doors!

A talented, young photographer named Rosie Hardy, has done a wonderful job at relating fairy tale scenarios to real life issues that don't usually have a happy ending.

Her unusual self-portrait set of 'behind the scenes' fairy tale photos on flickr are not your usual dreamy visions, or even stylized goth versions of the fairy tale heroines. No. These girls just might be your next door neighbors, girls you went to school with, your cousins, your aunts, your sisters and maybe even your mothers - and their tales all have a sobering side to them.

In posting her photos Rosie has thoughtfully added statistics about social issues, addictions and other problems our fairy tale characters could relate to. It'll make you rethink those familiar stories from a modern and relevant perspective. Instead of just posting the photos I'm giving you screen captures so you can see the connections she's made (and perhaps entice you to check out the rest for yourself).

The issues are not always comfortable to consider but I feel like applauding the wonderful job Rosie did on these. Talk about showing how the tales can be relevant to today!

Check out the rest of her 'behind the scenes' fairy tales set HERE and see more of her photography HERE.

Trailer for Tim Burton's Wonderland + Some Concept Art

For those of us becoming curioser and curioser as to how Tim Burton is handling the beloved classic Alice in Wonderland, here's the trailer:

I must admit I'm VERY interested in this movie now! March 5th, 2010 still seems like a long way off...

I also found some development art that was done for the movie by character designer and concept artist Michael Kutsche which, while standing well on it's own, seems to have been reflected quite closely in the film (at least for two of them). Kudos to the artist for nailing it! I'm sure there's a lot more to come. (Michael promises,via his deviantART postings, to release a lot more art after the movie hits theaters in 2010 at least). I do hope there will be a making-of book!