Making Erik The Red

Erik the Red is finally complete. It was a long winded process, but that was only down to me procrastinating about what to do with him! I made him in backwards stages, because I like to make things easy for myself.

I started off with sculpting some faces over Summer. I chose the first face. the holes were to thread the hair through, although after experimenting with this I decided to smooth out the face as this method wasn't suitable. 

I then extended the sculpey around the sides. I used a small perfume bottle to mould it around as it was the perfect size. I left his head hollow so it would be lighter and also allows access to his eyes.

I then started working on his beard. This was a laborious process, as I added small sections of roving wool to build up the layers. 

This is Erik with skull and all. His skull is detachable as it is made from polystyrene. Again, I did this so that I had access to his eyes. Whilst animating the skull will be stuck down will double sided tape.

As you can see in the photo below, the sculpey that I had used to secure the armature together had cracked. This was only a temporary fix until I could get the materials I needed.

I chipped off the sculpey and used epoxy to secure the armature. When the epoxy had dried I then used Milliput, it doesn't hurt to be extra safe! I have used uncooked sculpey for his neck.

His armature has been wrapped in material to bulk it up and give him some sort of figure. I had also added extra wire as by this point he wasn't supporting his weight.

I finally got around to remaking his hands, due to crucifying the last set. I decided to make these out of sculpey as he wasn't going to move his fingers or hands much in the animation. As these attach at the elbow I can easily change them.

I then wrapped the join with some material to smooth it out and make it a little more secure. 

Sadly I didn't take any photos whilst making the clothes, but here is the finished product (more or less).

As his head can't be removed, I had to make his shirt open at the back, but this is hidden by his cape. Because of the simple style it can be used with the opening at the front.

I've finally added some metal plates to his feet. These will be wrapped in matching material to complete his boots. If I have time I will also make a few accessories for him. 

I can't wait to see how he animates!

The Animated Adventures Of Edward Lear - A Detailed Blog

Due to the recent success of The Animated Adventures Of Edward Lear, I feel that I should write a detailed account on my involvement in the project. I hope that it will be of interest to someone out there! A lot of this is from the report from last year but it will obviously be a little more informative. 

I began stitching the curtains with a sewing machine, but I found that it didn't take to the material well. Also the cotton broke in the machine several times; so I switched to hand sewing. It was a longer process but I knew I would be happier with the final result this way.

I chose to make the costume for "The Beaded Woman". She needed to be plumped out, for this I stuffed plastic sheeting with stuffing and wrapped this around the puppet. Next I hand stitched a skirt; I placed a piece of wire in the waistband to make it easier to remove when needed. Because of the way I had wrapped the stuffing around the puppet I had to sew the top onto it. The beads were stitched onto the material, then the sleeves were slipped over the arms and stitched into place at the shoulders. To hide the stitches I decided to add a shawl, this was pinned into place so this could be removed with ease when required. The necklace and the ruffled collar also helped to hide the unhemmed neckline.

Puppet made by Naomi

Several books were needed for the Edward Lear poem. A suggestion was made to make them out of Fimo or Sculpey, but I felt this would ruin the overall look of the animation. I decided that leather bound books would look more professional. I hand stitched 20 in various sizes and colours. The pages were tea stained so that they looked slightly aged.

The waves for "The Man In A Boat" were based on the infamous "Japanese wave" but with a Victorian twist. They were lazer cut. Originally they were going to be plain blue, but for me they were too plain. I added white edges; which worked in our favour as without the white outline they wouldn't have been visible against the backdrop.

Finally, for the animating I chose to animate "Man Of the Nile". A few props had been made for this by myself and other members of the group, but in the end the background was kept simple by just using the wooden shutters. I made a quick top and sleeves to modify the basic outfit. The scarf hides the seams. In hindsight I wish I had used brown plasticine to hold the file in his hand, as the blue tack wasn't edited out in post production.

Puppet made by Naomi

Finally, we needed an intro and an outro;

Introduction:
We are all gathered here, to watch the work of Edward Lear
We hope it will fill you with great cheer
The nonsense it portrays,
Will leave you dazzled for days
The work of Edward Lear

Finale:
There was a theatre group from Stoke
Who loved to entertain the folk
Our show is now done
So off we must run
That flamboyant old group from Stoke

Day Of The Dead - 31st October 2014

On Halloween 25fps@Staffs held a Day of the Dead themed puppet workshop. In all of the three years I have been at uni I had actually never attended a themed day! I decided that before I graduate I must attend at least one... and I just wanted an excuse to wear my new dress. :P

Here are a few videos and photos from the day. Sadly I can't add the videos to this blog post so just click the links below.

Video 1
Video 2

Here is my attempt at "Day of the Dead" make up, it could have done with some more detail around the eye but I was already running late. This reminded me why I don't wear make up on a daily basis! 

It was a tiring but great day. I got to meet some of the first years and get to know the second years a little better. Its surprising just how heavy paper and willow puppets can be!

Hi my name is Erik

I have finally managed to finish Erik's hair. His beard isn't looking as smooth as it did a month or so ago but I guess this is the nature of the material used (roving wool).

I am really pleased with how he looks so far. His skull is detachable so I can get to his eyes. I do wish the eyes were more realistic looking but sadly the eyes I wanted were out of stock online and I couldn't wait any longer to bake the sculpey, but I think they will work with the style I am going for.

The sculpey on the armature needs to be removed [hips and shoulders]. This was only a temporary solution anyway. Usually I would use two part epoxy glue, but in this case I don't think I will be able to because of how much work I have done on the puppets head (I don't want to risk getting glue on the face or hair) so I will use milliput as that is air dry. Hopefully that will work, if not the epoxy will have to but used and I will just have to be super careful.

Saturday was a turning point. Tonight I finished off some written work, although it did take me longer than expected (mostly due to distractions...) I wanted to start making an Icelandic turf house today [part of the set] but I needed to put the written work first. I am starting to get back into the swing of things. I just need to stop getting distracted and focus. It will be worth it in the end.

A Surprise

Remember when I said that we wouldn't find out if we won the award until May 2015? I was incorrect. The regional awards were 30th October. I assume the national finals are in May.

Well...

We won!