Little Sausage Puppet

Before I make a string of dancing sausages I have been trialing sausage design.
I have a few of these for sale at Venue 32 of the 2019 Cheltenham Open Studios. Preview tonight 6 to 8 pm and open from 10 until 4 from the 8th to the 16th June. What dance will he do for you?

                

Cheltenham Open Studios 2019

I have just finished a prototype for this summers Cheltenham Open Studios 8 to the 18th of June. So here is a little taster of what will be there.

Automaton Cat Mechanism Succeeds!!

It worked! The prototype cat and birds mechanism will move a puppet.
The little bird wing/hand things move up and down and lift and drop the strings.

And the puppet girl starts flying. 

Makers' Play Day

My wonderful pal Sue Brown held a Makers' Play Day at her the yard: ART space in Cheltenham this past Monday. A fantastic gathering of artist/makers coming together to play, experiment and swap skills. I took some scrap fabric and a unsuccessful painting and after an intense few hours of sewing came home with.........

An Old Soldier

With a cat on his reverse.

I am going to resist cutting up more paintings but plan to try further experiments using my play day discoveries.

Joey the Clown and the Crow Puppet

I have perfected the woolly comb-over.

The Blackbird

Here is the finished blackbird which ended up as a marionette and not a rod puppet as in my mock up. An almost successful prototype.

Happy New Year Puppet

It is very cold in my workshop so I have been keeping warm indoors whilst mocking up puppets. I can't wait to make him in wood though!

Handsome Cats!

A Handsome Cat

and a Slightly Wary Handsome Cat

Puppet Challenge Completed

I have finished my puppet for the Puppet Challenge at Clive Hicks-Jenkins' Artlog. If you are interested in seeing the making of this puppet search the Puppet Challenge labels on my blog.

Clive is in the process of posting the online exhibition and it is so exciting to see the fabulous puppets made by the other artists.

And here she/he is...

As a little girl

and as an Ogre

Here is a film that I made on my own, behind a curtain. I really struggled with the unintended sound effects that a balloon can produce while being inflated and deflated. If I was a performer I could have used these to great effect! and had a much more earthy ogre.

Principle Boy and Little Titch Automata Finished.

I based my Principle Boy on the Glaswegian music hall star Marie Loftus. She does a little gentle flapping of the hands and kicking of the legs as she hovers above her stage.

And Little Titch looks a bit Mr Bean and a bit Alan Cumming but does a fairly effective big boot dance.

The real thing!

I'm at the Torpedo Factory in July and Aug.

I will be a Visiting Artist at the Torpedo Factory from the beginning of July to the end of August in studio 333 on the third floor.
I am busy working on some automata inspired by the Victorian Music Hall and Pantomime.

Below is Little Titch and his Big Boot Dance and

Marie Loftus

and her stage.

More Finger Puppets

A slightly Daliesque cat.

And the winner of the knobbly knees contest. I still need to make him a rosette.

Inspired by a Lovely Unexpected Gift

I was sent some wonderful cardboard monster finger puppets by a very dear friend. Then having watched too much TV about Appalachian men with extreme beards this was conceived!

I am now trying to perfect a nobly knees contestant and a smoking baby based on the same finger puppet idea. 

A Gorgon Tries to go Straight

With moving arm, moving hair snake and combing action trying to straighten hair.

Dancing Queen Automaton Finished

I wanted her to do a little Cockney knees up but she does her own thing!

Here is a truly awful film of her. It gives you an idea of her moves but

I must get someone to help me film my work!

Unamussed Unfinished Automaton

More Puppet Progress

I have nearly finished my puppet for the Clive Hicks-Jenkins' Artlog Puppet Challenge.

The little girl puppet that transforms into an ogre is coming together well and seems like it may work. 

I had to make the girl's hollow head to fit the ogre inside. I decided to use non-slip shelf lining material to build the head shape and cover it with pieces of an old fine knit cardigan. Then use unraveled cardigan to make the hair.

I made the head in two parts and attached them at the neck, front and back. I made the neck from the neck of a plastic bottle to give a good rigid support to the head.

The two halves of the head are tied at the top with a ribbon and when this is loosened the two halves drop down and out comes the ogre!

After testing the head worked I drilled a hole under the girl's chin and stitched it to the neck and attached it to the ribbon at the top. I then stitched hair to the head.

I have made fabric hands and lower legs so now need to make a dress to finish the puppet.

Mr Punch is in Prison!

All the mechanism is strung and tested. Just a few little finishing touches to go and then I will make a film!

Mr Punch and Swimming Caps!

This is wonderful! Mr Punch and a swimming cap fashion show. 

Thank you PATHE archive!

Puppet Progress

My 'Puppet Challenge' puppet is taking shape. I am now hoping that the ogre's head will eventually fit in the girls head!

I couldn't resist making various ogre features 3D. 

After working out the best position, parts were tacked into place before machining.

I used some iron on adhesive to position 2D features.

I have a rough plan of how I want the ogre to look but as I went along I positioned each feature in relation to the ones already in place.

So here is the almost finished result. 

The little girl may need big hair!

I have carved the girl's face in wood to give it a mask like quality.