Puppets Are Muggles, Too!

Hello virtual community!

Recently we were given a three week break from traveling with the monkey, which allowed me time to go through hours of footage we've accumulated over the past few months. I'm happy to say that some of it is usable!

Right before our break, we were able to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Due to the high volume of muggles trying to partake in the magical atmosphere, Yancy wasn't able to see too much of the streets of Hogsmeade, or the halls of Hogwarts... but we were able to have a quick chat with the Conductor of the infamous Hogwarts Express!

A Formal Greeting: Yancy

Yancy has peeked into the blog a few times over the past several months, but has never officially introduced himself.  Well, wait no longer!  Here he is...

YANCY!!!

[cue extraordinary applause]

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

 

Recently, we took Yancy to a butterfly garden to learn all about some of Earth's most vibrant and beautiful creatures.  He was even lucky enough to have some butterflies land on him!

Check back for some quick videos we took!  (that I haven't been able to edit yet)

A Wallaby, A City, and a Man With A Plan

Talk about a busy week!  Whoo!

I just got back yesterday from a whirlwind adventure in NYC where I was able to meet up with some old friends, some new friends, and hopefully life-long friends!  I hope to be able to fill you in on some of the wonderful things I was privileged to experience this week - I just want to wait for approval from my gracious hosts.

To finish up the process of Wally's first build, here are a few pictures we used as promotional shots at the reading last month.

I really like this picture.  It says "I'm adorable, 

well-built, AND friendly!

He's so cute when he thinks!

I feel like I'm being watched... 

and they're hungry...

Luckily, proximity won out over patience, 

and I live to see another day.  Goodbye Aaron!

Thanks for following along.  In the future I will be able to show more of my process when I receive my fixed digital camera.  As you can also see, there haven't been any recent changes to the Fisticuff Puppets website... but expect that to change soon!

Wally: The Beginning

So you have already seen some of Dave's construction process in building Dr. Cortex.  As he mentioned, part of the head was adapted from a Project Puppet pattern purchased a few years back.  In all honesty, we learned an invaluable amount from those patterns - most of all, how to simplify...

When I start to think of character designs, I create a few sketches to try to capture an essence of the character.  This time I am able to draw from an endless library of images online to get  a feel for these exotic creatures.  As I feel more comfortable, I start to really dissect the 2D design into 3D shapes.

The first decision to be made is deciding on hand placement.  Every good design keeps in mind the shape and placement of the human hand for optimal manipulation.  With Wally, we knew he needed to be very expressive and have the ability to communicate a variety of emotions - so we quickly realized a rigid mouthplate would not do the job.  Being my first time venturing into a "soft palate" puppet, I was curious to see how different it would be and how well it would hold the supporting shape.

                                             

One of the most notable features I found with wallabies in general is a strong rostrum bridge - taking note of this I simplified it down to a simpler shape - like a "T" wearing a superhero mask.

         

Check back again to see how it developed as more foam was added...

PS - I can't believe how practical Math and Science are to the artistic process...  Maybe I'll write more on that later.

RIGHT NOW!!!

As of this post, the reading for LANded is officially underway!

Congratulations to the cast and crew at Point Park University, and (as always)

Best wishes!

Cortex and Wally: United!

Well here they are!  Built hundreds of miles apart by two different builders, we present the first official viewing of Dr. Cortex and Wally!

Cortex flew in from Chicago, while Wally trucked it from Syracuse, to join Aaron and the crew at Point Park University for this weekend's production of "LAN'ded".

We look forward to bringing you more news as it develops this weekend... so keep checking back!

Wally: Process With Pizazz!

Welcome back!

As you probably know (because you've been following the LAN'ded blog as well), Dr Cortex and Wally will soon officially be unveiled!  We decided to keep the final outcome a surprise for the cast and crew in Pittsburgh... which unfortunately means that no final pictures can be posted until next week (but believe me, it will be worth it).

As Dave mentioned in his post, we both have similar, yet drastically different styles of process and product.  My design phase in this particular project was based on researching wallabies (quite interesting) and tracking down as many pictures as I could to create a profile of characteristic images.

One of the reasons Wally has been my undertaking is because I have had more experience in creature creation, while most of Dave's projects have been more humanoid oriented.  With that differentiation in characters, we ran into the challenge of matching styles - especially in the eyes.  Judge for yourself next week if we accomplished it 680.22 miles apart!

This project is also the first time I've ventured into the use of gasket rubber and a new type of wire for the hands.  In addition to that I decided to recycle some old arm rods that I was unable to use until now... so, huzzah!

In other news...

Long story -> Short:

In addition to building Wally, I have been working on reclaiming Yancy (the blue guy - I'll formally introduce you next week) from the bus company from our trip earlier this week...  The bag he was in got wedged out of view and in his rush, the bus driver took off without checking.  So...  In order to obtain him, I now must meet up with the bus driver on the side of the highway outside our hotel as he passes through Syracuse on his way to NYC with a high school band!

Wally: Sneak Peek!

Just arrived in Syracuse, NY, so I figured I would sit down and show you how my latest build is coming along.

While Dave is building Dr Cortex, I have been busy working on his wascally wallaby sidekick Wally!  It has been quite a challenge so far due to my very limited supplies (I will have JUST enough foam!) and trying new methods, but I am quite proud of how it is shaping up!

The mouth and head shape work really well for allowing a wide range of characterization opportunity - and I can't wait to get to play with him more after the reading...

WHICH LEADS ME TO:

If you are in the Pittsburgh area, I highly recommend checking out the staged reading of "LAN'ded" this Sunday at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.  For more information check out the blog and/or feel free to shoot an email to landedtheseries@gmail.com

We will be adding posts every day this week to show you a bit more of the quick build process along with bits of character information.

See you again soon!

We have LAN'ded!

You may have noticed a certain ambiguity in some of our more recent posts.  For the past several weeks we have been invited into the welcoming arms of a project currently in production at Point Park University in Pittsburgh (my alma mater).

Headed up by my good friend, Aaron Amendola, rehearsals have been progressing well on a future web series called LAN'ded (check out the blog here).

"LAN'ded follows Christian Bartholomew III, an 

  introverted young man who wakes up one day to 

  discover he is living with his imaginary friends 

  Izzy and Natalie.  In this homage to childhood, 

  Christian must decide whether he wants to remain 

  comfortable and happy in his world of imagination, 

  or if he wants to risk it all and - go outside..."

As you may have guessed, puppets make fantastic imaginary friends - and we are extremely proud to say that we have been asked to create two characters for the series!

Be sure to check back as things develop - the design and build process will be VERY quick as the reading takes place on March 29...

Wish us luck!