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Post by Andorinha on Apr 19, 2007 14:09:49 GMT -6
Parmastahir, on my old Mac, the font color appears to be a purplish-blue which stands out well against the grey and grey-white backgrounds. I also have no trouble reading it...
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Post by Parmastahir on Apr 22, 2007 8:10:23 GMT -6
Hi Andorinha -
Thanks very much for your comment. Some said that they had no problem with it as is. Others preferred the darker blue font color. So I changed it to the darker blue this weekend.
Also added a new calendar this weekend. Will have to shoot the photos of the May CotM soon. Assuming that it photographs well, it will be an issue from another Tolkien society. Hope you enjoy the current one. It's a true rarity.
Away from The Green Hill Country,
Parmastahir
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Post by Andorinha on Apr 22, 2007 11:45:14 GMT -6
LOL! The "NOT" calendar is definitely a "one-off" item in my experience! From the cover illustration with a "hardlife" Tom Waits impression of JRRT to December's high camp gluteal postures, the whole thing is a real hoot. I'm glad you pointed us to Lynn Maudlin's explanatory sheet, otherwise I would have missed entirely the "point" of Theoden's throne -- horses reversed, more Frazzeta gluteals...
I remember when the Harvard Lam-p-o-o-n did up a slim volume, "Bored of the Rings," back in the "irreverent" 70s, and Tolkien thought it was wonderfully well done -- after a shocked fan presented JRRT with a copy and expected him to blow his stack.
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Post by Parmastahir on Apr 28, 2007 8:11:16 GMT -6
Hello Andorinha -
I, too, remember that Bored of the Rings send up and reading in college. We were so inspired by it that a few of us that were all in an English class together wrote a satire of "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (which we had to read for that class). We submitted it to the teacher who enjoyed it.
The May CotM will be a rare issue from another Tolkien group.
Stormrider: If you check in, could you let me know the numbers on the 07 TR and Pony Gang calendars? I would like to update the website (and keep people buying them for TR!)
Thanks all.
Away from The Green Hill Country,
Parmastahir
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Post by Stormrider on Apr 28, 2007 12:15:09 GMT -6
So far seven 2007 Member Art Wall Calendars have sold and two Pony Gang Calendars. The sales seemed to stop after the first week in February. I guess most people want their calendar at the beginning of the year!
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Post by Parmastahir on Apr 29, 2007 19:13:01 GMT -6
Thanks, Stormrider! I'll update the website tonight.
The photos of the May CotM look fine. I'll post the new one late tomorrow night. It's a rarity. Even my contact over in Italy (where this one comes from) did not know of its existence. Interestingly, it was issued in two variants: one that is wire bound, one that is glued on the top (like a pad of paper). (I have copies of both.)
Away from The Green Hill Country,
Parmastahir
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Post by Parmastahir on May 1, 2007 20:03:09 GMT -6
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Post by Stormrider on May 2, 2007 5:41:09 GMT -6
Very nice calendar. The art is beautiful.
I really love the cover with the sun shining into the Golden Hall as Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli approach Théoden, Éowyn, and Grima.
I've seen a few of the pictures before--Treebeard and also Théoden and Éowyn. Whoever painted Théoden and Éowyn did a beautiful job and this is how I have always pictured Théoden from the first time I read the story way back in 1969 even before I saw this picture.
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Post by Parmastahir on May 3, 2007 5:30:50 GMT -6
Hi Stormrider -
As always, thanks much for you post (and support!) As this issue is a rarity, I am now VERY curious about where you saw the illustrations. Any chance you can recall where? I assume a website?
Also, I am in contact with a member of the Middle Earth Fellowship (in California). He is creating a member calendar (which is used to track MEF events during the year). He has a publisher but is aware (through me) of your use of Cafe Press. He is curious about your experience with them. If you have any comments (positive and negative) that you can share, please let me know and I'll forward. Thanks again!
Away from The Green Hill Country,
Parmastahir
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Post by Stormrider on May 3, 2007 6:25:22 GMT -6
CafePress uses nice quality of material for the items in their shops. The site is pretty easy to use and figure out with a lot of tutorials and what size the art submitted must be for each product.
Like I said, we only add an extra $1.00 to the price of each item, so you can see how much CafePress charges for each item to cover their cost of the product, inks, and their personnel. I wonder how much profit they actually make!
If the art is copyrighted it is very tough to get it through them. When we first opened the shop, we were able to get a lot of products printed using Tolkien images that we made. Now that the movies are out and everyone knows about Tolkien and Lord of the Rings, they are very aware of the names involved. If we put an image on that is very well known, it gets red tagged in our photo album and we can't use it unless we have written approval from the owner. We can't even use anything that says Tolkien in it such as our logo or web address! There is a statement that you must accept regarding copyright each time you post an image. Even though the artwork was done by our members, the images and names are copyrighted by JRRT and Family.
I was actually very surprised that this last calendar of ours went through and was able to be sold. Evidently the Valar aren't well known by CafePress yet. Many of the art that we used on previous calendars has now been red tagged.
So if The Middle Earth Fellowship hopes to have their members images printed on products through CafePress they will have to be very careful. I believe the Tolkien family has had many people out looking on websites to see who is using their name and images. They are cracking down.
-----
I do not remember where I had seen those pictures before. It must have been a website somewhere. I know when I was the study leader for ROTK from our site, I was out looking for many images to use in our ROTK chapter posts to spice up the study. That was when I saw those pictures.
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Post by Parmastahir on May 3, 2007 20:40:25 GMT -6
Hi Stormrider -
Thanks VERY much for your detailed comments on Cafe Press. I passed them along to my MEF contact.
Away from The Green Hill Country,
Parmastahir
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Post by Parmastahir on May 13, 2007 10:42:24 GMT -6
Entered a new calendar on my website this morning. It is the 2007 Henning Janssen Fantasy Birthday calendar. Although issued this year, it is not dated for calendar year 2007 but intended for capturing birthdays (and anniversaries, etc) annually. You may view the illustrations on his website.AND I should be adding another rarity next week. Hope you like it! Away from The Green Hill Country, Parmastahir
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Post by Andorinha on May 13, 2007 15:43:31 GMT -6
Parmastahir, thanks for posting Henning Janssen's site, I think this is the first time I've seen his work, very nice! I especially like his pencil and ink work.
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Post by Parmastahir on May 14, 2007 17:04:26 GMT -6
Then we are kindred souls. I love his pencil/ink work such as Lake Town. He and I write to each frequently. He is really nice and (obviously) talented.
Thanks for popping in!
Away from The Green Hill Country,
Parmastahir
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Post by Parmastahir on May 21, 2007 17:11:28 GMT -6
THANK YOU TO SPARROW! She very generously parted with her copy of the 2003 Tolkien's Ring calendar (for which she provided the November "Old Man Willow" illustration). This was the first of the TR calendars. I have created entries for it in the TR, What's New?, and chronological listings at Compleat Gyde to Tolkien Calendars. Thanks again to Sparrow! Away from The Green Hill Country, Parmastahir
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