Animating Pip

I didn't feel too worried about animating Pip as I knew it would be a similar process to how the animation in my second year collaborative film was done. To make the branches grow, I would have to cut them back and then reverse the footage. Simple.

Hahahahahahaa. "Simple"- Famous Last Words.

Well, making the branches grow was a doddle, but as usual I was a bit under prepared not having a story board or any of the actions broken down so that how Pip herself was animated was clear to me. Instead I just made it up as I went along, it has worked but I know it could have been better. Because I was shooting in reverse I wasn't able to do any retakes. If I'd been more prepared I 'd have made plenty more replacement heads as backups and had a plan on paper to direct me.

As it is though, I am pleased with the result in the time I did it in.

Snip snip!
I used nail scissors to trim mm's off the twigs.

Using onion skinning to get the replacement head in the right place.

"Oh my 'ead!"

New head...

Last head, nice hair do.

"What the hell am I doing!?"

Making Pip

Pip finished, mid animation.

I've made three replacement heads for pip using the press mould and sculpy. I've used fine copper wire for the hair, twigs for branches and black glass headed pins for eyes. I also used a felt tip to add subtle detail of rosy cheeks and lips once the heads had been baked. 

Head no.1
with copper wire.

Head no.2
with wire and twigs.

Head no.3
with twigs

The body is made from sculpy and wire, with a flat back and once its cooked I drilled three holes in the lower body to act as pin downs. 

Checking the proportions. (obviously there will be a neck!)

I wrapped the neck in masking tape when i cooked it
then attached K&S to the neck and head.

Pip's night gown.

I made her night gown from and old under skirt I found in a charity shop. Her bed is a block of neoprene foam that i covered with calico fabric and wire to attach it to the floor from under neath.

Eyes

Been trying some options for eyes for the mermaid and Pip...

I really liked these aesthetically, but I felt that she needed bigger
eyes, being a fishy and all...

Sea-glass beads

Too flowery, metal, no no...

Now these I liked! They are mottled pale green and gold.
Treasures of the deep. The fact that they are flatter meant they
sat better in the sockets.

Snug fit.

I thought that flowery eyes might look good as she's plant related,
I do quite like them but couldn't find enough pairs. They
do look a little too 'cutsie'...

Quite liked the haunting pale look but it didn't seem quite right. 

Black glass headed beads. Perfect.

All the casts with their eyes.

Press Moulds and Monkey Paws

I've made a press mould for Pip as I will need to have some replacement heads to animate the tree growth. When mould making goes well I really love the process.

Initial sculpt and mould

Plaster Mould

Sculpy casts- pre baked.

While Pip's heads were in the oven I started to make the monkey's hands... I made them the same way as I made the feet: Wire armature, sculpted foam and retro fitting the suedette fabric.

 

Wire armature.

I decided to have rods that operate from the elbow so that his hands are
clear of rods when they are resting. The rod goes through the forearm into the
hand.
The stitching you see in this photo I actually got rid of as it restricted the
wrist action.

Advice form Paul Spooner

I went to see Mechanical Cabaret genius Paul Spooner while back in Cornwall for some advice on making a moving eye mechanism and a moveable jaw for Pip. 

Paul Spooner's drawings for eye and mouth levers

Mouth

Eye gimbal

I went home and tried to make my own rough ones out of wire, beads and split pins....

....Its fiddley at a small scale and I would have to make a more accurate gimbal- Paul suggested making then his way by cutting the gimbal out of brass on a ban saw but I have seen simpler ones by Pickled Image that is made from a wooden frame and wire and that are more like the drawings above in design.

Just thought I'd see what makes a good eye....
Glass mermaid tears infront of a light....

Head Maquettes: Pip

I've been making some maquettes as its one thing for me to design in 2D but I find things change when I translate the design into 3D. I'm not sure if this is a problem, if I should be able to exactly replicate a 2D design in 3D, slightly worrying, it is something I'm working on....

Any way enough worrying. I made a mock up of Pip's head out of sculpy, using a polystyrene ball I had lying around as a light weight core. This has made her head shape rounder which I actually preferred. Her face is more like an apple which I want. I used some dried herb stalks for the branches growing from her head. At the moment the maquette is about 8-10cm.

Polystyrene ball core with eye line guide.

Not too sure on the size of her lips at the moment but now that have worked out how to translate my designs into 3D I can make another version.

Drying 'erbs...

I used the second herbs for the maquette as they looked more branch like than the others. I don't know what herbs they are, they were dead when I picked them.