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]

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.

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!

An Epic Tale - Part 4 (the conclusion)

Adoption is so much easier when dealing with puppets...

Soon I am presented with the subsequently named Duane Reade...  He stares at me from inside his plastic backpack home, begging to come out and play.  Sadly, however, I have no time to answer this call.  We are in New York City - home of tourism, Broadway shows, and street vendor food.

There is much to be done!

We hurriedly continue our journey (with Duane Reade in tow) to the Broadway Theatre to see Shrek the Musical.  After taking in the show - which includes John Tartaglia! (Avenue Q, Sesame Street, Johnny and the Sprites, etc) - braving the frigid elements we stake our post outside the stage door.  Also in the show was Aymee Garcia (Big, Big World, Avenue Q, Les Miserables).  Much to my surprise, also attending the show that night was none other than Fran Brill (best known as Zoe from Sesame Street)!  Of course she had worked with "Johnny" before and had come to see his performance.  After overcoming the initial shock of being recognized, Fran was quick to burst with pride at John's performance.  I mentioned my current job and she insisted we all take a picture... and I could not have agreed more!

(John Tartaglia, friend Megan, Me, Fran Brill)

It was a wonderful end to an already momentous day.

     _____     _____     _____     _____     

Be sure to check back for video of Duane in action!  We also hope to officially announce some exciting news next week...  MUA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!

Self-Induced Challenge!

Ok...  

      Here's the deal.  I travel for a living - limiting my life to two suitcases, a backpack, and a messenger bag - BUT I'M ADDICTED (hence the title of our blog).  I NEED to be able to work on my craft while traveling, but its not easy!  Essentially I travel with a mobile puppet workshop so that I can get my fix on the road -

Which brings me to the point of this post...

I started this week with just a head - then challenged myself to finish a puppet by the end of the weekend.

So keep your eyes open and strap yourself in - I wouldn't want you to fall off the edge of your seat in anticipation... 

               ...unless you tape it so we can all laugh about it later.