My show closed today and with Thanksgiving break on it's way, that means a little more build time. So as I mentioned earlier, I am in the process of building a "Zombie Baby" for a friend in class. Here is what the head looks like so far.
The method I used for the foam work is pretty much the same technique Philip Hatter of Thistledown Puppets used in the videos for the Red Panda puppet he put out last summer-ish on youtube. I'm not sure if that is exactly where we learned it, but the way he is able to explain it can help a great deal if you are unfamiliar with it. If you haven't (or even if you have) checked that whole slew of videos out, go for it. There is something to be learned no matter how many times you go through the same resources. It may spark a creative genius of your own. As you can see, I went more for a sphere, and if you play around with the concept, I'm sure there are many more interesting shapes to be found.
I ordered the plastic dome eyes from the company I mentioned in an earlier blog post. They can really give a great clean look to your puppets, and to me that is very important.
I'm not sure if it would be considered an OCD tendency, but I definitely obsess over the clarity of line when I design and build. It's a challenge, especially when you are piecing together your unofficial certificate of build training from online sources and DVD special features. So much of this line of work is trial and error which is tough on a nonexistent budget, but when it's important for you, you find a way.
Stay tuned...more to come.
-D
