Warning to Blueshawk & Donald,

You should have sent the photos out on PM's to everyone but Dan. Now he will be staying awake nights to try and figure out how to talk you into selling your figures to him so he can add them to the Ventriloquist Central collection. - lol

Steve
http://www.thedummyshoppe.com

I think I'm safe, nothing really special about mine other than being special to me.

I'm safe, Dan doesn't know where I live.
:)

You may not be planning to purchase more figures, at least buy Dagwood a pair of shoes LOL.

I looked at my Vent room and I think I have enough to take a family picture

So stay tuned for a photo

This IS so fun! I love seeing all these figures in group photos.

Dan should maybe publish a calendar.

I have thought about doing a calendar. I just don't know who would print and spiral bind it for me to be able to make it cost effective. I wouldn't want to have to charge a lot for it.
Dan
http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Dan, you can purchase a spiral, or comb binding machine

Take a number of photos of your figures, as many as you want.

Number them in catalog format

Advertise it as a personal calendar, you can offer your catalog numbered photos, or have monthly templates and drag customer’s photo into template

And assemble it to the customer’s specifications

Then print out on a color lazer printer; 6 pages 2 sided, equal 12 pages.

Reserve 1 page cover for buyer’s name and photo

Back cover blank

Bind it ship it

So easy, even a Ventriloquist can do it

Dan,

I have a binding/comb machine. They are only about $100.00 and the combs are about $.30 ea. Office Depot or Staples either one will stock them. They are known as a "pun-bin" machine or punch/bind.

Steve
http://www.thedummyshoppe.com

Here's my crew. The Hartz is unnamed because he became available, and I grabbed him. Don't know how/if I'll use him in performance except as a back-up for Oscar. "Old Bob" has an interesting back story. I wanted to do a performance piece in which my current self would be talking to my older self 25 years from now. So I sent Bill Nelson a photo of myself. First he aged me in a drawing, and then he created the figure around the drawing. Interestingly, he's the most life-like of all the characters, I think. Oscar was originally and "Ole" from the Finis & Co. catalogue. He is over 40 years old. About 5 years ago, he needed some repair work. I sent him to Ray Guyll, who did an incredible make-over on him. Archie, a besotted Cockney, is the character I'm currently developing. I got dialect training so I could do a proper Cockney accent (not like Dick Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins"!!), and audiences really seem to like him. Bill Nelson told me that Archie is, to date, the favorite of all the figures he's created. (Maybe he says that to all the vents?)

OK, you other guys get your families up there!

Bob

Click here to view attached image.

OK. How did you guys get the photos into the body of your posts, not as an "attached image?"
""

Good looking bunch Bob. Thanks for sharing. BTW lets find a way to meet in July. Would love to talk.

Steve
www.thedummyshoppe

Bob;

To find out how to insert the photo into the post…

It’s like a magic trick, you need to take the oath of secrecy, then purchase the trick and get the DVD

Getting pictures in the post is easy.
I use Photobucket, once I upload the pictures there, there are boxes underneath, one with the direct link for the picture, one with html code, and one with the img code - I just copy and paste the img code in my post and wah-lah - there's a picture in my post.

Great collections everyone!

Don, you're going to have as many as Willinger if you keep it up.

Bob - love your collection! I'm a big NELSON fan....so those are right up my alley.

Great thread!!

Thanks, Dave. Let's see if this works:



I guess it did!

Ha! Success!

BTW, I was so busty posting the instructions, I forgot to mention - great photo (especially now that it's bigger).
But you know, I think that Hartz looks kind of out of place with those older figures, I think he should come stay and keep my Hartz company. 8^)

Bob, my mouth dropped on the Old Bob mention. I had Mary Ann do a baby puppet for me and he didn't work out exactly as envisioned. I toyed with the idea of "If I could go back in time and give myself advice..." and was going to make the baby - me. The material revolved around the baby then wanting to commit suicide after seeing how life would turn out. I think I will shelve that now.

That's very funny, Tom. We had similar, if opposite ideas. The ideas for this figure have come slowly. The first joke was easy. Bill made him without teeth, so I would ask him, "What happened to your teeth?" His response: "Start flossing." Also some jokes about my 7 kids. But I want it to be both funny and wistful. Getting the tone right is as important as the jokes. Taking him out of his case for the photo has inspired me to try writing for him again.

Bob

The Bill Nelson figures look great. Are they as good to work with?

The Nelson/Lavender figures (Bill Nelson sculpts, paints; Dan Lavender does the mechanics) are terrific. Honestly, the "Old Bob" figure on which Bill did both does not have as good mechanics. OK, but not stellar. Dan's are stellar. You can see simples of his work at his website http://dlavender.com/. I'm proud that he features 2 of my figures.

Bob