Sunday, December 29, 2013

Welcome to the Fortress of Snarkitude

Well , it took three months but I did it ; the Snarky the Elf Halloween adventure has been completed and is now online at her website :
Snarky the Elf , specifically A Snarky Fangsgrieving . Considering the setbacks that plagued the production from the outset you might wonder why I bother ? The answer is rather simple , Snarky and the gang at the North Pole bring me a great deal of joy .



Looking back , this new story bears little resemblance to my original plot , although that aspect of the Snarky Halloween Special NEVER changed ; everything that revolved around that plot just got richer and more involved as these silly little dolls came to life and led me into their world . It is indeed quite a departure from Snarky the Elf's humble origins even her follow-up from 2012 Fear the Season . Amusing since the story idea was inspired by an episode of Gilligan's Island . I should probably write Sherwood Schwartz a thank you note ( is he still amongst us ? )


At the beginning of 2013 I was toying with the idea of turning Snarky the Elf into a commodity , but decided that commercializing her would somehow lessen her , the storyline that evolved during the holiday season of 2013 ccertainly put some credence to that decision - considering that ALL three deadlines I set for myself were missed for one reason or another . Business don't be playing that " missed deadline " routine . Snarky is better for that decision despite the " curse " that befell this particular production . I came close to losing hope a few times , but Snarky kept beckoning and in the end won out . I'm learning NOT to argue with her , or not pay heed to what she's telling me or where she wants to take me . Snarky knows even if I don't .


As I begin the process of dismantling the sets and putting them in storage , a somewhat melancholy task considering all that atmosphere they provide my studio ; I can't help but ponder what's next ? Of course , I should confide that as the Snarky The Elf sets are concerned , " storage " is not quite as dismal as it might seem  . . . they are fairly large and akin to doll houses so some actually remain for the most intact , simply relocated to a space that while not conducive to photography still allows them to transform my work and living space to a world that is a bit more surreal than most dwellings .


Plans for 2014 are sketchy at best , although I am definitely beginning to seriously consider new characters , inspired by an originally unconceived plot device from the script , reindeer . It makes sense to me , being that in 2012s Fear the Season ; Princess Vivian's punishment for trying to steal Christmas is cleaning the barn . With 2013s A Snarky Fangsgrieving , the twins hide in the Sleigh House -which required the creation of not just Santa's sleigh but some tack and harnesses for the reindeer that pull it through the sky on his Christmas Eve journey delivering gifts . It's only natural to add some of Santa's trusty team of flying reindeer to the Snarky mix . Buttercup loves the idea , if only because of the " poop " jokes it offers .



As I wrap up Snarky The Elf for 2013 and look forward to Snarky The Elf 2014 , tradition it seems is at this time the best course . Kicked off with the " cast party " shot and Santa indulging his enthusiasm for beer , next came the new outfit for Snarky's resident fashion diva , Princess Vivian - who ALWAYS gets a new outfit at the close of a " season " .

As Ralphie mused in A Christmas Story " the mind boggles ! "

Mehree Cwissmus !!

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Halloween For Thanksgiving

When the " muse " struck me at the beginning of October to create a " Snarky the Elf " Halloween story , I figured it would be a snap . That was , of course , before my " artist " got involved . Artists have a way of taking the simplest idea and turning it into the most excessively complicated cluster-( expletive deleted ) imaginable . The plan was to have a Snarky Halloween ready for HALLOWEEN - now we're approaching Thanksgiving and it has YET to go LIVE . Freaking ARTISTS !! 

Freaking Artist : C. Bradford Gorby

13 years ago ( hmmm , there's an auspicious number ) I was seeking a way to continue my work in comics using 3 dimensional imagery - I tried 3D graphics , but longed to utilize " real " 3D objects ( some would call them dolls ) ; I blame my childhood of watching Ray Harryhausen movies for this - you can NEVER replace truly practical special effects . There is an inescapable and intangible reality to things that ACTUALLY exist alongside us in this world . A good friend and fellow artist , Philip Lane had inspired me with his stop motion films using action figures for direct to DVD films Storm Cloud and Storm Cloud 1.5 , something I was not equipped to follow , but could at least pursue in a different format . 

The Twins' bedroom set

Fumetti , which is a comic book format utilizing photography of real actors in place of drawings was something I could accomplish , and so my work eventually navigated towards that incarnation . It was at its core the same as stop motion animation - it simply eliminated the frame by frame animation and used simply " key frames " to tell the story - just like comic books . Right up my alley .

Snarky the Elf's bedroom 

Creating three new sets for Snarky Halloween did not seem to be a Herculean effort , after all I had created 3 sets the year before for Snarky Christmas , I failed to take into account that the new sets for THIS new adventure were far beyond what I had created previously as far as scope . So what big deal . As an artist and creator you have to take into account that these things are going to be used A LOT - and in future works as well , so they have to be perfect ( or close , at least ) . These are not 1 shot throw-aways .

Come and Play with Us Snarky

I ended up spending ALL of October and half of November putting together the Snarky Halloween sets , way past my initial deadline and beyond the Halloween Holiday . . .but for Snarky The Elf - it's not so much the actual holiday that is concerned , but the spirit of it . Holidays are sorta timeless . 

Snarky the Elf

I was able to start principle photography on November 10 , 2013 and THAT is when DISASTER struck . A brown-out succeeded in goofing up my computer and rendering me somewhat " impotent " as far as importing and editing imagery . I'm currently in the midst of sorting thru the problems . Snarky will NOT be denied . Art is 10 % inspiration and 90 % slogging through BULLSHIT - so that's where I am at .

Buttercup and Hunnypie

My goal at this stage of the game is to have Snarky Halloween ready to go ONLINE by Thanksgiving - which will be another auspicious date . I am still hopeful for an early Christmas Miracle . . . ;)

The main set , decked out for Halloween


Given the situation , one might ask " Why bother ? " I'm not getting paid for this - surely there are alternative ways to spend my free-time . It is unlikely that the mass audience will even be aware of a " new " Snarky story . . . why waste my time ? Artists have passions , storytellers have a NEED to tell stories and I am both an artist and a storyteller , I am not so full of myself to think that my stories have any real relevance or that they make some sort of profound difference ; they are intended simply as entertainment - perhaps with a subtle message that might be received and taken away by those who pursue them . In the end they are just a small side of myself that I wish to share . 

Princess Vivian returns to add a little SPICE to the mix .

I also have taken a slight bit of " self-indulgence " to work Katy Perry into this years' Snarky - just in keeping up with prior storylines . . . or so I will tell .

This year , we are going to hear Snarky ROAR !!

Hopefully I live long enuff to complete the Snarky Halloween project .








Sunday, November 3, 2013

Behind The Scenes of " Snarky Halloween "

Maybe it's the PIXIE DUST , but Snarky always seems to come to life when the Disney Christmas Windows get pulled for installation . Perhaps it's just the magic that permeates the air during the impending " holiday season " - struggling to be noticed amidst the commercial madness that assaults us from ALL angles that starts earlier and earlier every year . I suppose it could even be attributed to the VODKA ! heh .



Snarky Halloween MISSED the ACTUAL Halloween festivities , I forgot that when I began her 2012 holiday adventure I was on vacation and had time to work on the story uninterrupted . I can deal with that . Who is to say WHEN Halloween ends ? Santa ? Okay - yeah - Santa . . . which means I still have time . As I did when I revisited Snarky the Elf in 2012 , the 2013 Halloween story also has me creating NEW SETS !! Woo Hoo !! Halloween is a more " personal " time for Snarky , Buttercup and Hunnypie so that meant inventing their space - their GURL CAVES . There is in addition , the hall that divides CHAOS from STABILITY - or the Elf Twins' room from Snarky's .


 
Although you might not suspect , a great deal of thought goes into the creation of a setpiece . You may NOT be dealing with the character her ( or him ) self - but YOU are approaching the space where they LIVE . It is a very introspective environment , it has to reflect the persona that dwells within . Both the bedrooms - that of the elf twins Buttercup and Hunnypie and that of SNARKY THE ELF herself ; needed to convey their individual personalities AND help to tell their story beyond words . designing and building the sets is just as important an aspect of character creation as the characters themselves , often it helps in DEFINING who those characters are ; many times BEYOND what you might have envisioned .

 


During the month of October when I began work on Snarky Halloween I realized that the characters are as much me as they are separate individuals . The twins represent my hopes and dreams and Snarky is my " real self " - needless to say perhaps , their environments encompass my own .

 


There is the whimsical and half-baked world of Buttercup and Hunnypie and the more grounded and pragmatic one of Snarky - very much if you were to take my apartment and separate the real from the imagined - cut it in half and separate it . I'm lucky in that I live in BOTH ! Looking deeply however , you will see signs of each world encroaching upon one another . That's how it is . Or as Katy Perry might intone " This is how we Do ! " She is forever my MUSE .

 


I've taken a little more aggressive route with my patronization of Ms. Perry this time around with Snarky the Elf , incorporating her " iconization " within the bedroom of the Elf Twins - it seemed natural given the personalities of Buttercup and Hunnypie . The simple fact that I came to recognize that both Hunnypie ( the " EVIL " one ) and Buttercup represented the innocent and faithful in me made it very reasonable that she that has become a spiritual and creative MUSE would ALSO find a home within the hearts of the two characters that are the breath of life and strength of Snarky . Snarky may NOT be the mother of the twins , but they are as much her children as those she might have birthed . I have fun with the idea that Snarky would likely NOT like Katy Perry . Love Hate . Sadly , I STILL have been unable to squirrel away enough " disposable income " to invest in casting and moldmaking materials for my " unofficial " Katy Perry dolls - so as yet the introduction of a " Peppermint Princess " is still ambiguously unforeseen in Snarky The Elf's future . Patience is a virtue I am told .

 
 
 


Anticipate some further musings on Snarky Halloween .

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Snarky Is as Snarky Does

Dear ol' Snarky has had plenty of time to contemplate her options . MY
intention was to turn her into a regular " product " - Snarky would not play that .



After 2012s " Fear The Season , I had seriously decided to take the  character of Snarky to the next level of commercialism , but in the end decided " that would spoil her " . Fearing that a regular schedule and " 9-5 " might soil the enthusiasm I have for her , I chose to simply let her do as she pleased - which really amounts to ME doing as I please .




I suffered a bout of sciatica recently - had to take a few days off work at Disney to recuperate - and in doing so Snarky was released again ; this time for a Halloween adventure . Despite being a professional artist for well over 30 years , I still have no CLUE as to how the muse of inspiration strikes - but it does and NEVER when you expect it .

I blame it on Katy Perry . God bless her delightful soul .


I do believe Snarky was the cause of my sciatica - she was wedged into my lower back and it took a few days of bed rest for her to claw her way out .



As I mentioned in the initial Snarky Blawg , suredly there is MORE to
Snarky the Elf than just Christmas . . . and she hopes to prove that in her latest and newest tale themed along the Halloween motif . Certainly she makes a darned fine WITCH . . . and accompanied by her companions Buttercup , Hunnypie , Rhubarb the PEENGIN ; and not to forget Princess Vivian . . . the Halloween edition of Snarky The Elf promises to be another looney tune .



I am about two weeks into production , creating some new sets - redecorating the old one  and have plotted out a story that , while perhaps not " original " will certainly have some new " snarky " twists . In the end , hopefully it will be fun - a bit of silliness to take some of the angst out of your day to day lives .

 

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Snarky the Elf : Beyond the Holidaze

Snarky the Elf has ever been a " Christmas Tradition " , at least since 2011 , I really don't KNOW the prerequisites for annual celebrations when it comes to traditions . After creating the 2012 edition , " Fear the Season " I did know , however , that Snarky NEEDED to grow BEYOND her " Christmas " persona - she just has that sort of exhuberant personality - just like Katy Perry - she CAN'T be tied down to a single definition . 

She is DEEPER than that .

With the finalization of Snarky the Elf Edition 2012 ," Fear the Season "  I came to the decision that I really NEEDED to take the character beyond her humble beginnings , she needed to grow if solely for the fact that the teachings she brings are so DAMN important - even if they are just the ramblings of a weird individual . Weirdos are what make the human race develop into their greater selves .

With the aforementioned in mind came the consideration " What DO Christmas elves DO after CHRISTMAS ?!? The conclusion I came to was " They take a Long Winter's Nap - how long ? How the HELL should I know - at least til February I reckon . Thus I have begun work on creating Snarky's bedroom , the first point of business being decking her out in Snarky Jammeez . 


Another item for serious thinking was her " arch nemesis " , introduced in " Fear the Season " ; Princess Vivian - a character I think MANY of us can relate to , she is our " Dark Side " . Shallow , rude , to name but a few of her less than positive traits ; it would be a shame to not have her make a return appearance .

Certainly the relationship between Snarky and Princess Vivian will have changed , definitely NOT the antagonism shared between the two from " Fear the Season " but at the least a certain respect should occur between them , it's the stuff of drama afterall . As a writer it is always intriguing to take a VILLAIN and put them in a light that makes you question the nature of villainy . I've always considered the death or elimination of villainous aspects in a characters' life to be somewhat of a " cop out " - how can you be expected to EXPLORE the heart of darkeness if you get rid of it ? And so the character of Princess Vivian will be BACK !!

You can learn even more by visiting Snarky the Elf .