Mermaid

This character is one I'm continuing from my final project last year. She is a stop motion puppet. I want to use after effects to make her setting an underwater one- algae, murky tank.

Initial concept drawing

Clay marquette

Fins for marquette and prototype: wire, masking tape and latex

Tail armature- wire and polymorph

Prototype puppet test stills

The Barker

The ringleader or Barker will introduce each act. He will be a rod puppet, and narrates the acts.

The Barker

The Girl Who Swallowed an Apple Seed

 One of the characters is based around the children's myth of what happens if you swallow an apple seed. Some people say that a tree grows in your stomach or out of the top of your head...

....Playing around with that concept:

Tree Growing out of the Mouth

Tree Growing from the Head,
Collage.

more final design.

The Siamese Bird Twins

This character is a two headed siamese twin. I had the idea from a doodle I did of a two headed bird creature. I wanted to use found objects too and thought I could use bird skulls for the heads. 

INSPIRATION!

I saw some work by artist Jessica Joplin at the Natural- Unnatural exhibition at the end of the summer down at RWA. She uses found objects like brass, leather and bones. She makes THE most amazing work. I was actually drooling a little and finding myself extremely envious wishing I had made the pieces myself.

Here's some sneaky pictures I took...

'Comet', Antique Brass, hardware and findings, bone,
silver, velvet, glove leather and glass eye.
23x20cm

'Raphael' Antique Brass, hardware and findings, bone,
vestment trim, glove leather and glass eye.
43x26cm

I started to do some concept drawings....

Very early concept design

Mirroring

Final concept design for the Siamese Bird Twins
or 'Alouette Twins' as I like to call them.
I made this collage using photos of crow skulls and real feathers.

And so it begins.....

As I've gone through my degree I've become more and more certain that I want to work in theatre, specifically with puppets. I think I will still delve into animation from time to time, but theatre really is where my heart lies.

So for my final project to end my degree, I will be making a collection of puppets. These will vary from being puppets for stop motion or to be rod puppets for live action. I still want to develop my skills making puppets for animation as it will open up more job opportunities but I want to use this time to really get to grips with making and performing puppets for the stage.

I plan to make a collection of about 4 puppets that I will test in motion and collate the footage on a showreel. The puppets will all be linked with a theme of dark circus/ theatre macabre/ side-show acts. One puppet will be 'the barker' (introducing acts) and the others will be side show acts- their characters and performance (tests of how the puppets move).

Mood boards for various characters

The Barker

                         

The Girl Who Swallowed and Apple Seed

(drawings top right are my own)

The Alouette Twins

(drawings middle and right my own- 2 headed birds)

The Mermaid

Some inspiration....

Gentle Mystics- Spiralling Breeze. Very inspired by this video. I love the juxtaposition of the animated characters and their transformation to real life with fantastic theatrical costumes. 

'Shockeaded Peter'  by Julian Crouch with music by the Tiger Lilies 1998. I saw this piece of musical theatre when I was little and it has stuck with me ever since. I think it was one of the most influential pieces of work I have ever seen.