Note: This post is really just for me to try to jot down and organize all the information/recommendations/advice I’ve received about London so far. AND MORE ADVICE IS MORE THAN WELCOMED!
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Here, I’ve narrowed down the Blake historical sites to only the ones I want to see most:
St. James’s Church: (10) Where Blake was baptized. The font still survives.
Westminster Abbey: (10) Where Blake practiced drawing. Monument to Blake in the Abbey’s Poet’s Corner.Will probably end up here on a bus tour!
Royal Academy, New Somerset House: (9) Where Blake studied and occasionally exhibited his work. Original building.
13 Hercules Buildings: (7) Where Blake produced the Songs of Experience. House demolished in 1918.
17 South Moulton Street: (10) Will be here on Tuesday!
St. Mary’s, Battersea: (10) Where Blake married Kate. Original building.
Okay, this might be really silly/crazy/touristy, but a tour in a vintage bus plus tea time? That just sounds so ridiculous (in a good way, I think)!
Won’t have time for this on Monday or Tuesday, so will have to do either Wednesday or Thursday.
Location: Starts at Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge.
Time: Starts at 1 p.m, for 5 hours.
Price: £49
Includes: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Nelson’s Column, Hyde Park, the Houses of Parliament, The Royal Albert Hall, a cruise on the River Thames, and tea/scones at Harrods.
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Jack the Ripper Tour
Might have time for this on Monday, or otherwise on Wednesday.
Option #1: Every night at 7 p.m. Outside exit 4 of Aldgate East Station. £9. 2 hours.
Option #2: Every night at 7 p.m. Outside exit 4 of Aldgate East Station. £9. 2 hours.
Option #3: Every night at 7:30 p.m. Outside exit 3 of Aldgate East Station. £9. 1 hour, 45 minutes.
Tentatively, I think I might go to the Tate and V&A on Tuesday, the bus tour and possibly Jack the Ripper on Wednesday, and then the British Museum and Blake historic sites on Thursday.
Location: Millbank.
Time: Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Price: Free (except for special exhibitions).
Taking photos not allowed.
Need to find out more about the renovated Blake rooms!
Need to figure out what else I’d like to see at the Tate!
“Fresh leaf tea in a pot and bone china, scones with clotted cream and jam, finger sandwiches and tasty cakes… could anything be more British than afternoon tea in London.”
Location: 41 Great Russell Street (opposite the British Museum).
As you may know, for the past couple months, I’ve been busy planning for my trip to Cannes and London. I’ll only have 3 full days in London, so I’m trying to figure out the best schedule that will allow me to fit everything in. For my British followers/readers, any advice would be incredibly appreciated.
Monday
Arrive: Hello London!!!
Take public transportation from Heathrow to hotel; check into hotel and get situated.
Since I’ll be exhausted from the film festival (and if I don’t get in too late), I think I might take a bus tour of London. That way, I can relax and cover all the basics in a short amount of time and hopefully won’t feel like I’ve missed out on anything. If I don’t have time to do a bus tour Monday, then I’ll do one Tuesday morning/afternoon and maybe do a Jack the Ripper tour instead.
Tuesday: Special Event Day!
I’m not exactly sure how I’ll spend a good chunk of this day yet. Like I said, I might take a bus tour of London. Or perhaps check out the London Eye, Covent Garden, Sherlock Holmes Museum, Royal Botanic Gardens, etc. on my own. I have to look into the different types of bus tours and schedules!
Leave some time to relax and possibly nap in the late afternoon.
★Tate: I recently contacted the Tate about their William Blake collection and was absolutely delighted to hear that the renovated Blake rooms are scheduled to open May 14th and will very likely include The Ghost of a Flea — talk about perfect timing!
British Museum: I would like to visit the British Museum’s Print Room (Department of Prints and Drawings), where one can access Blake works without an appointment. According to the Chair of the Blake Society, Tim Heath: “…you are able to hold in your own hands some of Blake’s original (and now priceless) illuminated books. It is one of the secrets of the city.”
Victoria & Albert Museum: According to Naomi, the V&A has “…four of Blake’s ‘fresco’ paintings on display permanently, as well as a good collection of watercolours which you can see in their Print Room (no appointment needed).” Would also love to see upcoming exhibit called David Bowie is (March – July)!!
I need to figure out the easiest way to walk and which sites I would most like to see (on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 meaning “I absolutely must see this!”).
28 Broad Street: (7) Where Blake was born. Original building no longer survives. Tate: “Old houses that survive… give a good idea of what Blake’s house looked like.”
St. James’s Church: (10) Recommended by Tim. Where Blake was baptized. The font still survives.
Mr. Pars’ Drawing School in the Strand: (5) Where Blake was sent to study at age 10. Demolished in Regency times.
31 Queen Street, Lincoln’s Inn: (8) Where Blake at age 14 became apprentice to an engraver. Original building demolished in late 19th century. Tate: “…but the next-door houses (of brick rather than stone) give an idea of its original appearance).
Westminster Abbey: (10) Where Blake as an apprentice practiced drawing ancient tombs (such as King Edward I) and monuments. Monument to William Blake in the Abbey’s Poet’s Corner.
Royal Society of Arts: (5) Where Blake admired James Barry’s murals The Progress of Human Knowledge and Culture. Original building.
Royal Academy, New Somerset House: (9) Where Blake studied and exhibited his work on several occasions. Also important location for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, if I’m not mistaken. Original building.
Green Street, Leicester Square: (5) Where Blake moved after his marriage. Original building no longer exists.
28 Poland Street: (6) Where Blake moved after dissolving his partnership with James Parker. House rebuilt in the late 19th century.
13 Hercules Buildings: (7) Where Blake lived during his most productive years and produced the Songs of Experience. House demolished in 1918.
17 South Moulton Street: (10) Where Blake “…suffer[ed] his bitterest disappointments. Fame and financial success continued to elude him, and he sank into poverty and paranoia.” Will be here on Tuesday!
Fountain Court, Strand: (7) Where Blake lived until his death and produced his illustration to Dante’s Divine Comedy. Original building no longer exists.
St. Mary’s, Battersea: (10) Recommended by Tim. Where Blake married Kate. Original building.
Bunhill Fields: (9) Recommended by Tim. Where Blake is buried (in an unmarked grave). Tate: “A small monument now stands at the approximate site where Blake was buried.”
Paolozzi Newton: (6) Where a statue based on Blake’s Newton stands.
Friday
Depart: Back to San Francisco!
Now that I’ve laid everything out, the next step is to narrow everything down into a manageable plan!
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★Please Note: Feedback on this post would be extremely appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Dear friends, followers, readers:
I need your help!
This is me, flailing for help, as represented by a simple emoticon.
I am looking to compile a list of webcomics/online graphic novels that have yet to be professionally published and fall under the category of non-fiction, young adult, biographical/autobiographical/memoir, and/or historical.
I don’t usually do this “New Year’s resolution” thing. But I have so many short-term and long-term goals, I thought this would be a good way to organize my brain.
I’m not sure exactly how long it will take to complete this goal list, but I’m hoping to accomplish a good chunk within the coming months.
But, before that, I’d also like to make a list of my recent accomplishments. Often, I feel like nothing is moving forward, so hopefully this list will remind me that my hard work is paying off.
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Achievements of 2012
Have been working incredibly hard on my new online graphic novel The Poet and the Flea.
Entered several screenplays into a variety of competitions and have received a great deal of positive feedback (see résumé).
Nominated for a number of blog awards — Reader Appreciation Award, Very Inspiring Blogger Award (twice), Blog of the Year 2012 Award, Liebster Award, and Beautiful Blogger Award.
Complete materials for Elias & The Cityof Cats(hopefully before the end of January) and send out to publishers.
Finish first 10 pages of The First Reich and get them up online.
Begin working with Masa and Gabe on full-length screenplay collaboration The Blanks (working title), to be finished before June 2013.
Send out inquiry letters about my completed full-length screenplays to production companies.
Finish the script for The Poet and the Flea, hopefully somewhere between 60 – 75 pages.
Work on my first zine (possibly a tie in with The Flea) and self-print it.
Open up a Storenvy account to sell zines and other merchandise (prints, t-shirts, etc.).
Work on the next 10 illustrated pages of The Poet and the Flea. Then the next 10, and so on and so forth!!
Find a reliable and talented director and/or producer to turn one of my short scripts into a short film. Then enter the short film into a number of festivals.
Finally get an official internship, fellowship, and/or job in a field of interest.
Wish me luck!!
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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following images or video!!
One of my favorite operas is Jacques Offenbach‘s The Tales of Hoffmann(Les contes d’Hoffmann). This opera is a fantastical retelling of the life of the German Romantic author E. T. A. Hoffmann, casting Hoffmann as the protagonist of his own stories.
Placido Domingo performing the “Chanson de Kleinzach” aria.
Désirée Rancatore performing ”Les oiseaux dans la charmille.”
Through The Tales of Hoffmann, I developed an interest in Hoffmann and his stories, quickly leading me to Sigmund Freud’s The Uncanny. In Freud’s essay, he uses many of the same Hoffmann stories as Offenbach, but in this case to prove a psychological point (not that Offenbach’s opera isn’t deeply psychological). If I remember correctly, Freud even mentions Offenbach’s opera.
Portrait of E. T. A. Hoffmann
I’m sure you are all wondering, “What does all this have to do with The Nutcracker?” Well, little do most people know, E. T. A. Hoffmann wrote in 1816 one of the earliest versions of The Nutcracker story, entitled The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Nussknacker und Mausekönig).
Alexandre Dumas was also a fan of Hoffmann, employing allusions to Hoffmann’s stories in The Count of Monte Cristo. Dumas even went as far as creating a revision to Hoffmann’s Nutcracker in 1844 called History of The Nutcracker (Histoire d’un casse-noisette), or The Tale of the Nutcracker.
Towards the end of the 19th Century, Hoffmann’s Nutcracker was adapted to ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, perhaps the most famous incarnation of the tale. I write this post because my dad purchased tickets to the San Francisco Ballet to see The Nutcracker at the end of the month. Perhaps later I’ll add my thoughts on the production to this post.
Tchaikovsky’s music is always wonderful, if not a little too overplayed for the holidays. A lot of people tend to associate The March from The Nutcracker or The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy not with Tchaikovsky, but with the thousands of Christmas commercials that use these pieces. This also happens with The Chinese Tea Dance from The Nutcracker with Disney’s Fantasia and The Sleeping Beauty Waltz with Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
I believe the most creative and exciting production of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker is Mark Morris’s The Hard Nut. The Hard Nut is set in 1950s America with a very retro feel inspired by the comic artist Charles Burns — a strange but brilliant compliment to the classical music. I hope to one day be able to attend a live performance.
Advertisement for The Hard Nut.
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For many years, I have been fascinated by modern Japan — everything from the Meiji period (1868 – 1912) to current day. One of my favorite periods is a rather short one known as Taishō (1912 – 1926). What strikes me most about Taishō is the amazing blend of Japanese and Western aesthetics.
I think my interest in Taishō really began when I read Yukio Mishima’s novel Spring Snow (Haru no Yuki). This novel is actually a period piece — published in 1969, but set around 1912 – 1914. Mishima gives a detailed look at the Japanese class system of the period through a romantic tragedy (although I’m not sure Mishima saw this story as such).
My interest in Taishō developed further through a series of college courses on modern Japanese literature. I even did a project involving costume designs for a Taishō-set short story, involving research on fashion of the period from Kimonos and beyond.
I also find advertisements from this period interesting. Actually, the Shiseido ads from the 1900s through the 1930s are really remarkable! You can find out more about these ads on MIT’s Visualizing Cultures website.
Anyway, I just wanted to share a number of my favorite images:
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following images!!
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This is an idea I had a while back for a comedic blog about my Bubbie and her antics. If you all enjoy this, perhaps I’ll write a few more, such as how Bubbie voted entirely Democratic except for Mitt Romney because she thinks he’s handsome or how Bubbie now has a crush on Jake Gyllenhaal because he’s a “nice Jewish boy.”
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Much Ado About Bubbie
Bubbie (noun): A term of endearment for a Jewish Grandmother.
Example: My Bubbie doesn’t keep kosher outside of the house.
My sister Sydney, Bubbie, and me.
Bubbie’s Mad About Hamm
My Bubbie Isabelle has a crush on Jon Hamm.
Just like the rest of the family, Bubbie tunes into Mad Men every Sunday night to watch the admen of 1960s Madison Avenue drink, smoke, whore, and gossip – not to mention dish out sexist, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic dialogue by the second, all of which (with the exception of the anti-Semitic variety) go unprotested by my Bubbie, a true product of the time.
To me, the series is a literary masterpiece on film regardless of how small the screen. To Bubbie, it’s just another one of her “weekly stories,” on par with General Hospital and The Young and the Restless.
Jon Hamm plays the brooding protagonist slash advertising genius, Donald Draper, on the show. Ever since reading in The Kansas City Star that the handsome actor is a St. Louis native, Bubbie – who’s lived in Missouri for over seventy years – has harbored a vicarious pride for Mr. Hamm. Much to my family’s embarrassment, this is not Bubbie’s first crush on a man that is at least a decade younger than my dad.
One time on vacation, while my family was checking into the Waldorf Astoria for a night, Bubbie was mesmerized by the dazzling charm and good looks of an Israeli desk clerk.
What a five-foot tall, eighty-something-year-old – complete with her teased-and-set helmet hair, her rhinestoned schoolteacher sweaters, and her constrictive girdle that makes her waddle – would want with a thirty-something-year-old desk clerk was not exactly a welcomed thought in my thirteen-year-old brain.
…a thought that was only exacerbated by the phrase Bubbie used to convey her attraction to the young man:
“He can put his shoes under my bed any day!”
Bubbie employs the same phrase in regards to Jon Hamm.
Whenever I phone Bubbie, my curiosity always gets the better of me. I can’t help but ask her what she thought of the most recent episode of Mad Men. And just like that, she goes off on her classic rant.
Firstly, Bubbie is angry at the show for not portraying the 60s how she remembers it, what with the show’s excessive drinking, smoking, and sex in the office. “When I worked in an office, they didn’t do that kind of stuff!”
Furthermore, Bubbie not only treats Jon Hamm as if he truly exists during the 1960s, but as if Jon Hamm is accountable for his character Don Draper’s actions. Whenever Don Draper does something that Bubbie doesn’t approve of (for instance, whenever Don has sex with a woman he’s not married to – an incident that occurs almost every episode and with what seems like a different woman every time), Bubbie is not only upset with but in disbelief that Jon Hamm would do such a thing, as if she’s oblivious to the profession of acting.
That’s when Bubbie whips out yet another one of her famous phrases, this time to express her disappointment with Jon Hamm’s behavior:
“Why, it’s disgusting!”
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As I mentioned before (here), I’ve only recently become interested in the world of zines. Not only do zines appear to be an incredibly flexible channel for creativity, but I think that this medium would be a great compliment to my graphic novels and children’s books. I like the idea of the zine being very hands on — a real artist book, the artist not only illustrating, but also cutting and pasting the finished pamphlet together. This process reminds me greatly of Andy Warhol, his factory, and 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy.
Before I begin any zines of my own, I’ve been trying to get a better sense of their mercurial world. At APE (Alternative Press Expo) 2012, I talked with Tugboat Press, who produce annual free comics and an anthology called Papercutter. Tugboat led me to Parcell Press, who seems to carry a vast array of zines, comics, etc. I also found “How to Make a Zine” on Rookie. I guess the one true rule of creating zines is that there are no rules!
As I ponder the pre-existing zine world, my own ideas for zines just keep pouring out of me. I scribble these ideas down furiously in a Gallatin notebook I received upon graduation and was saving for something important (who knew that important something was zines). Endless ideas — everything from opera parodies to The Death of Chatterton. I’m not sure when I’ll actually have time to realize these zines since I’m already working on so many projects that need to get done (The Poet and the Flea, The First Reich, etcetera, etcetera). I’m hoping to take a stab early next year, June at the latest. We’ll see how that works out…
Some useful zine-related websites I’ve discovered:
Zines 101 has some basic but good advice. They suggest submitting zines to sites that review them (Broken Pencil, Xerography Debt, Zine World, etc.) as well as posting on online zine communities (We Make Zines, etc.) to get larger exposure.
Etsy, Storenvy, and Big Cartel seem to be used by a huge number of zine creators. There are definite pros and cons to all of them, but I think I’m leaning more towards Storenvy at the moment. (I’m also thinking of selling other products [T-shirts, tote bags, greeting cards, etc.] with images from The Poet and the Flea as well as my zines.)
I’m also considering self-printing versus printing with a printer. Most sites seem to recommend working with a local printer. In San Francisco – H&H Imaging, Your Printer, Autumn Press, etc.
Update Nov. 6: Discovered issuu.com — seems like many zines publish online using this site. Pretty neat!!
Plus, I figure if I make enough zines, then eventually I can release them all in one book.
Any comments, suggestions, or thoughts would be truly appreciated!
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★ The Portfolio of G. E. Gallas,Writer & Illustrator
Questions, comments, or requests? gegallas@hotmail.com
Mission Statement
For as long as I can remember, I have been telling stories through words and images. I am a graduate of New York University: Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where I created my own major: a cross-cultural study of storytelling within film, literature, graphic novels, etc. In writing and illustration, I adapt this interdisciplinary approach, pursuing my diverse interests with in-depth research and imagination.
As you may recall, I’ve just developed a new, little obsession with bats and that I’ve been considering developing a character called “Fluffernutter the Bat” [see post here]. Well, over the past few days, I’ve been working on some preliminary character designs for Fluffernutter!
These designs were facilitated by a recent purchase of a stylus for my iPad. Since then, I’ve been experimenting with 53′s Paper app and the Art Rage app (as seen in Mac commercials). I’ve also downloaded an animation app, and plan to experiment with Fluffernutter in motion!
Furthermore, I’m thinking of eventually designing a Fluffernutter t-shirt. So I definitely welcome any comments, feedback, or constructive criticism you may have.
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My most successful design so far…
Some additional designs…
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The most amazing gentleman from London overheard my conversation on the bus & gave me his ticket to Michael Kolhaas. THANK YOU! #cannes201315 hours ago
I just watched Alexander Payne's Nebraska in the same audience as Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern! #cannes201315 hours ago
Portrait of E. T. A. Hoffmann
Seeking Webcomic Suggestions!
★Please Note: Feedback on this post would be extremely appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Dear friends, followers, readers:
I need your help!
This is me, flailing for help, as represented by a simple emoticon.
I am looking to compile a list of webcomics/online graphic novels that have yet to be professionally published and fall under the category of non-fiction, young adult, biographical/autobiographical/memoir, and/or historical.
Below is my list so far (in no particular order):
Please leave a comment below with your suggestions (name of webcomic and website address) and I’ll add them to my list.
Thank you so much for you help!
Best regards,
G. E.
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Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas
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