Chinese Goldilocks'

"Ingvard the Terrible"

There's an artist I recently discovered whose style I just love. He is "Ingvard the Terrible! (Illustrator-Warrior-Dude)", also known as Sean Ashby.

 He's interested in creating different-and usually-funny takes on the familiar, which I love and appreciate greatly. Among them is this Chinese Goldilocks-using-pandas idea. Although it LOOKS like a book, don't get your hopes up just yet. He'd love to illustrate the story in this vein but needs a writer savvy in Chinese history who also knows how to sell it to a publisher first. This image is actually a composited version of his illustration in a live background - just for fun. I really hope someone gets him the gig!

His wonderful blog is HERE and includes this awesome link list of books for boys.

This also recently appeared on my illustration radar and as it's the same concept, done entirely differently, I thought I'd include it here.

Billy Nuñez

I gather the artist, Billy Nuñez, is a student and this was done for an assignment. While I'm definitely drawn to it, it sort of feels like the first draft of a great idea. Personally I'd like to see a little more tension in the scene so it tells more of a story (including the "what if" factor), even if it were only to add some "waft" from steaming rice or special pancakes and a slightly more dynamic pose for the girl (that is, a stronger pose suggestive of thought and possible action). I like where it's going though and I'd love to see a reworked version. Mr. Nuñez's gallery is HERE.

On the subject of Goldilocks and pandas, there is also a fairly new ebook called The Three Pandas by Valerie Mih: an "interactive animated tickle book for the iPad".

Here's the blurb:

A modern take on "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" features a charming style of animation and a lovable family of pandas.  

The Panda Family takes a break from its breakfast of bamboo leaf porridge to take a walk in the bamboo forest. While they're gone, a young girl named Mei Mei walks through the familiar home-intrusion routine that most children will recognize. She finds Baby Panda's porridge to her liking, deems his chair most comfortable (but not before breaking it) and ends up in his cozy bed. What could have been a lazy retread with pandas and a distinct Chinese influence is instead made fresh with the app's animations, which combine photo collages, a live-action actress portraying Mei Mei (in a red dress and black Mary Janes) and movement for the pandas when the reader "tickles" each of them, as the app advises. The app can be experienced in English and Chinese (in both the text and optional narration), and a portion of the proceeds from each app sale goes to Pandas International, which has partnered with the publisher. Except for two letters that are exchanged at the end bringing the pandas and Mei Mei back together for a happy ending, the story is not much different from what readers expect from a "Goldilocks" story. 

But the design is clever, and the visuals (along with the unfailingly adorable pandas themselves) make it worth a look. (iPad storybook app. 2-7)

It looks cute and nicely done overall, though I haven't seen it in person. Appears perfect for little kids to enjoy and learn from.


Here's one more illustration by Cathy Pavia, this time with Goldilocks having "goldy" locks. It's not my favorite of her work - I like her The Zen of Oz illustrations a lot (check for a blog post showing those soon) - but I thought I'd include it since we're on the topic and it's sort of surprising there aren't many more panda variations on Goldilocks.

Cathy Pavia

"Tangled Ever After" Official Preview (& My Unofficial "Tangled" the Movie Review)

WARNING: Opinion ahead.*

We're in the run-up to Disney's Beauty & the Beast 3D and the Tangled sequel, Tangled Ever After. This time next week (January 13, 2012) the Beauty & the Beast remastered-and-tweaked feature will be in playing theaters with Tangled Ever After showing at the start.

I feel a little odd posting this video, I must admit. There's really nothing left to relate it to Rapunzel.. we could always stretch the idea and say the gigantic train is supposed to remind us that she was stuck with crazy-long enchanted hair until recently but... yeah.

There's a second video here - (warning: quality is not great) - and in between shots of the hosts we see glimpses of the mayhem to come.

Reminds me of Louis the Chef trying to make delicacies out of Sebastian in Disney's The Little Mermaid.

I didn't ever blog what I thought of Tangled and I'm probably not ever going to write a proper review (or recommend it to anyone who likes fairy tales or a well told story, although it's very pretty, the horse was inspired and the "Art Of" book is great) but one of the disappointments for me was that this pair...

... seem very different from this pair...

... which is a real pity since I was hoping for the far more layered characters promised on the initial Rapunzel-slash-Tangled (yes, I wrote it that way on purpose) teaser poster. Any layering they had in Tangled seems totally absent in Ever After but unfortunately I'm no longer surprised at that.

It IS nice to see Maximus again (who was the whole reason I actually made it through the feature), though it appears his crafty savviness, which stayed almost completely intact through the movie, has now drunk whatever Kool Aid is being served at the castle. Sigh.

By the way, did you ever see this? The Japanese poster for Tangled also promised great fairy tale things. Somehow, after all my disappointments, I still want to see "that" movie (as long as Maximus stays in it).

Oh - and I read a rumor there is a plan for a 3rd Tangled movie (this short one being the 2nd). All I can think of is a toddler with max-locks having multiple mishaps being babysat by a horse and a chameleon. I just have one thing to say: "Nooooooooooo!"

*I don't mean any disrespect to the people who worked hard on the film or those who loved the movie. I just... didn't like it. I thought it had much more potential, considering the story source. The art is beautiful - no question about it (although the distractingly huge size of Rapunzel's eyes obviously left no room in her head for much in the way of brain matter) - and the techniques developed, and ultimately used for the film, were incredible (really and truly amazing stuff!). I simply find all those achievements hard to appreciate in the middle of a mangled mess of storytelling. Sorry. 

Theater: The Stinky Cheese Man And Other Fairly Stupid Tales

This isn't a brand new production but I thought it was worth a mention since it's playing to lucky Connecticut audiences, starting January 29th.

  In “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales,” Jack must use his wits to save himself from the terrible Giant, but a host of familiar fairytale characters keep messing up his plans---and then there's that annoying Stinky Cheese Man! Very different from the traditional fairy tale, characters slide in and out of familiar stories. Cinderella rebuffs Rumpelstiltskin, and Goldilocks meets the Three Elephants. Nothing is quite the same as the audience remembers it. Recommended for ages 4 to 10, the show is produced by the Griffin Theatre Company, based on the book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith.


If you're not familiar with the Caldecott Honor book The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales do yourself a favor and go get a copy right now! Highly recommended and so much fun to read no matter what age you are.

Theater: "How To Survive A Fairy Tale"

How To Survive A Fairy Tale Poster design by Eamonn Donnelly 

Note: Please excuse any weird layout and formatting issues. I'm having difficulties getting the fonts, their colors and the image anchors to stick.

If you were dropped into the middle of a fairy tale, how would you survive? What if you had never been allowed to read them?

Inspired by Neil Gaiman's Instructions, Lifeline Theater's Jim Grote (Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type, Dooby Dooby Moo and Duck for President created with composer/lyricist George Howe) has written a new non-musical family play that I hope will not only have a long run but become popular and be performed by other theaters everywhere.

 

“How to Survive a Fairy Tale” is about a kid named Jack whose parents are a princess and a frog. Because their fairy tale did not turn out as it should have, they shield Jack from fairy tales. Although well-read — the family library contains tomes on all manner of subjects — Jack knows nothing about fairy tales. In his home they are verboten.

One night Jack’s parents go out and a book that Jack has never seen before beckons to him from the bookshelf. As Jack reaches for the book it bonks him on the head, sending him into a deep sleep. He awakens in a forest in the middle of the “Red Riding Hood” saga. The play evolves into a madcap romp through fractured versions of “The Three Bears,” “Three Billy Goats Gruff” & “Hansel and Gretel.” Jack learns a survival tip or two in each fairy tale, & in the end those tips allow him to solve his parents’ dilemma.

 "It (Gaiman's "Instructions") just kind of got the wheels going in my head,” Grote said. He thought, “Wouldn’t it be interesting if you had a kid who had no knowledge of fairy tales and was suddenly thrust into that world and how would he deal with it?”

You can read the rest of the article HERE and see the main website for the play HERE.

There's a nice blog entry HERE by the artist who did the poster for "How To Survive A Fairy Tale" in which he talks about being inspired by Bill Willingham's Fables graphic novels and by Arthur Rackham's color palettes. I really like the Fables nod and hope teachers, parents and students will see the poster and make the connection that fairy tales are not just for kids. 

So many "fairy tale theater" productions have this (awful) amateur feel to them (argh!) and add to the idea that fairy tales shouldn't be taken seriously by thinking adults. The notion that any fairy tale not playing on Broadway (or in a Disney World/Land) or staged by a world class opera or ballet company just isn't worth seeing (or spending your hard-earned money on) is both incorrect and sad.

Hopefully, both the production of How To Survive A Fairy Tale, the presentation via the Fables-esque poster, the acknowledged inspiration of Neil Gaiman's Instructions (I wonder if Mr. Gaiman is aware of this?) and the reportedly smart and layered writing of the show gives people a reason to reconsider this.

There is a short preview clip at the bottom of the website page HERE (that I wish had much better production value for many reasons!) in which you can see the tone the play takes - one that's clearly aimed at younger children but doesn't (appear to) talk down to them. It's a hard balance to achieve and is the reason successful family plays and musicals, such as Once Upon A Mattress remain rare but popular. While How To Survive A Fairy Tale isn't really in that league, especially as it was written with a specifically very audience in mind, I do wish Lifeline the best with what promises to be a great play.

Now if only I could go see it!

In the meantime, I'll have to go re-read Instructions again... and again...

How To Survive A Fairy Tale, performed by Lifeline Theater, opens at their Rogers Park venue in Chicago IL on January 7th and runs through February 26th. Visit their website HERE for booking information and more.

New Art: "Night Song" by Elisabeth Alba

Something else pretty for you today!

This lovely illustration is Night Song by Elisabeth Alba, from Hans Christian Andersen's The Nightingale and was submitted to The Society of Illustrators 54 Call For Entries in November last year. You can read a little more about it at Ms. Alba's blog HERE.

Although she's still refining her technique and style via some very capable mentoring (see her blog for details), I think her how she approaches work is perfect for fairy tales. I look forward to seeing her blossom in confidence and develop that unique style stamp that's already drawing people to her illustrations.

Elisabeth Alba's portfolio is HERE and her shop is HERE. The banner (below) is an portion of her Beauty and the Beast illustration, a print of which is available at her Etsy shop. I suggest you buy some prints now, before she gets super famous and her prints get super expensive!

Magic vs Technology and the Wonder Factor In Fairy Tales

This is the ad that's currently being played on ABC.com's Once upon A Time website. The idea is that you don't need magic to do all these these, just Blue Link. I kind of wish the magic option was available. Or maybe it's better to think of technology like this as actual "magic". Our ancestors certainly would have thought that's what we were using!



Clarke's third law states: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

I had a whole conversation with a friend on Twitter about a year ago, talking about how our use of the internet in particular could very well be seen as magic. Heck, we even tap into grounding magics and unseen forces (electricity, wi-fi, digital signals) by using various gateways (you need power cords or stored power, a computer and the knowledge to make the computer do what you want it to), use a ritual (plug in, turn on, software load), add an access spell (password typing, often while using phrases such as "come one, come on, come on!") to gain access to the unseen world (the internet) and our effectiveness in doing whatever it is we're wanting to do (online) being limited to how powerful in magic we are or how much power we've paid for (computer/internet knowledge, levels of access, pay our bills), our magical training (knowledge of navigation and software use), if the magic is stable and accessible that day or season (server connection and function) etc... There are even - if you look closely - a whole set of superstitions about the use and handling of computers, internet navigation and sites. And a virus could easily be seen as a curse in the most basic sense.

Living root bridges in India - grown not constructed - feel like the work of modern-day elves.
Check the link for many more amazing images.

The parallels go on and could involve much greater depth without losing the idea of us being actual magic users (I wish I'd kept the conversation to transcribe for you!). I mean, seriously: do you REALLY know how the internet works? As in, could you, if dropped into the middle of nowhere, figure out how to make/invent the internet, digital signatures and software required? Of course not. Even today with all our knowledge software designers and hardware designers are really still lower level tech wizards. They have much greater knowledge than we do but they'd be stuck in the same situation if they were thrust back into the dark ages and had to make an internet that worked. There are higher up "wizards" who know more than they do but I'll bet you there are less than a handful of people alive who would have any clue, let alone success, of starting and building this technology now. Knowing how to do such a task would constitute some seriously awesome brain power.

From a fashion shoot with a fairy tale feel for Harpers Bazaar Hong Kong

Could it be we really ARE using magic now but we're all comfortable with it because it's called by technical names? (Anyone who ever had to deal with DOS should be able to understand how drawing ritual symbols for spells could be paralleled with typing computer code to make even the most basic functions work. Is it really true that someone, somewhere, knows what it all - from beginning to current technical advances - truly means? Could it be that magic used in times past figured out how to access the same forces but without the mechanical crutches we use today?

As someone with a background in both theater and animation, the process of which literally feels magical when you put the elements or drawings together (after a lot of slog and effort of course!), I can't help but consider such ideas.

Once I started looking around (on the internet of course!) I found many, many instances of people virtually saying the same thing. Check out these links HERE, HERE, a more in-depth look at the ideas HERE (though I would have to add that I think there have always been magical practitioners who are interested in "taking the black box apart" and it's not just scientists who do that) and a more sci-fi vs fantasy take HERE.

We live in a magical time of everyday miracles - all of which we usually take for granted. We shouldn't. Especially now where we've reached the wireless age and it wouldn't take much for our entire way of life to be wiped out.

Heart of the Forest by Tuomis Korpi

If you haven't already, go read Clarke's third law HERE, along with the examples given, and you'll see why the consideration of magic is so important. I would also argue that it makes fairy tales, with their often uniquely-everyday magic, more important than ever too.*

After all, it's the wonder-factor that makes for a fairy tale in the first place and it's things of wonder-past that make up our lives today. The magic in fairy tales is often small, working like a ripple in a pond. It rarely seems out of place or stops the hero in his tracks. Instead it requires those whose presence it manifests in to both acknowledge it and to do something with the experience or result. I have to wonder: if we saw true magic or witnessed a true miracle today, would we even recognize it? Or would we just pass it off as technology we don't understand?

Something to think about... and to help you feel more of the true wonder of our everyday world and that perhaps a fairy tale of your own may not be so far away...

*And I'm not just talking about the idea that Jack may have been given some freakish genetically-altered beans that changed his life, although playing around with these ideas and fairy tales is a lot of fun. ;)

New OUAT Photos - Snow White with 7 Dwarves & Hansel and Gretel

It's almost time for new episodes of Once Upon A Time to start again and the OUAT team, knowing a lot of the fans would be chomping at the bit, have released sneak-peek photos today to whet people's appetites even more.

There were actually quite a few images from two upcoming episodes but I'm not going to share them all in case you're worried about spoilers. I'll include the links for those who want to see more.

Up first are the new Hansel and Gretel photos for Episode 9: "True North", airing on January 15th.

This Hansel and Gretel's witch is not just near-sighted but blind and just as formidable.

You can view the rest HERE. Please note: there are many spoilery-type photos for this episode if you follow the link.

Next up is Episode 10 with the title "7:15am"; a Snow and Charming focused episode. It's great seeing Snow with all the dwarves.

I had to include this one of Snow with the bird because it's so pretty - besides you had to have known Snow would be chatting with/via a bird at some point!)

You can see all the "7:15am" photo releases HERE (so hard not to show you all of them!)

Don't forget we're going to learn a little more about Rumpelstiltskin this coming weekend first in Episode 8, "Desperate Souls".

"The Marsh King's Daughter" Illustrations

The Marsh King's Daughter by Anne Anderson

I'm finally posting my slow-growing collection of illustrations for The Marsh King's Daughter (by Hans Christian Andersen) illustrations. If you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know that this is one of my longtime favorite fairy tales, despite all the heavy handed religious aspects of the second half. I haven't included every single one if there were multiple pictures by one artist so if you look at the links (each name should link you to their work or the image source).

Papercut - Maria Dorte

Anne Anderson

Brochure - Artist Unknown

Contest "Disney's New Musical" Winner by Ashamyn

Dugald Stewart Walker

Harry Clarke

Lorenz Frølich (1820-1908)

Frølich's drawings really feel like they fit the story in mood and story telling style.  I really like them.

Postage stamp -  Lorenz Frølich (1820-1908)

Lorenz Frølich (1820-1908)

Lorenz Frølich (1820-1908)

Esben Hanefelt Kristensen

Arnold Thornam

The Walt Disney Company

Kay Nielsen

Kinuko Y. Craft

Book Illustration 1926 The Marsh King's Daughter - Artist Unknown

Arthur J. Gaskin
I wish he had illustrated more aspects of the story. I love this style of illustration.

Ricki Klages

Marsh King's Daughter, Egyptian Princess - Artist Unknown (can't find image source either)

Dugald Stewart Walker

Tiziana Gironi

Volquartz
This looks really interesting! There is a whole section of the site dedicated to this production. Only problem is it's in Danish (I think).

W. Heath Robinson

Avi Katz

Oscar Klever
This is one of my favorites in the collection here. It really seems to fit the mood of the story and  manages to incorporate many of the elements without feeling like a mural.

Rex Whistler
I really like this one too.

amytaluuri
This looks much nicer large but I wish the artist had dug a little further into the story and incorporated more key elements.

drawmeapicture (silk dye on silk)

W. Heath Robinson

W. Heath Robinson

I can't find Andersen's own papercut work for The Marsh King's Daughter online, and my H.C. Andersen fairy tale collection book which is printed with his original papercuts as the illustrations, is packed away in storage right now. I do know that it has a stork, a baby and marsh reeds and it isn't a "mirror image" or snowflake-type cut. When I find it - or find my book - I'll add it to the post.

There was also at least one animation made of this story which I remember seeing somewhere back in the 70's too. Not all of it seems to be on YouTube but what parts there are, are below:

I'm surprised there aren't many more illustrations floating around for this story. There are so many things going on in this one, it's rich fodder for an artist's imagination. (This illustration HERE by Beatriz Martin Vidal isn't based on the fairy tale  - which is why I haven't included it in the collection here - but it would work well both for Frog King or for The Marsh King's Daughter.)

I'm certain I saw some illustrations in my childhood that have helped keep this story so vivid in my imagination all these years - especially regarding scenes the beautiful but scary and out-of-control wild child Helga, of the transformation from vicious Viking girl to toad-like creature and of the nurses kindness. Either that or the story really spoke to me strongly at the time and I created my own in my head!

I have a favor to ask: if you find, create, make any new or different illustrations from those posted here (ie by other artists), please email me or put a comment below and let me know - or send me a copy (with artist credited if at all possible). I'll add it to these and give you finder's credit/artist's credit (whichever is appropriate).

Also, as per my previous post, I recently realized my Marsh King's Daughter inspired short story, Torn, was no longer available to read on the web anywhere, so I've made a dedicated page here at Once Upon A Blog so it will have a (hopefully) permanent home.

by Tom Mazzocco

You can click the tab labeled TORN under the Once Upon A Blog header or just click HERE to read.