My Puppets

SesameKermie

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http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g227/gayjaybird/HaroldandRed.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g227/gayjaybird/HaroldAngel.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g227/gayjaybird/Puppets.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g227/gayjaybird/GeorgeandRed.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g227/gayjaybird/EstherBunny.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g227/gayjaybird/EdnaGrundyfullbody.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g227/gayjaybird/EdnaGrundy.jpg

Onath's (I think it was) puppet thread inspired me to post my own puppet pics. Constructive criticism would be appreciated.

A little Background:

Harold Angel was made to help me tell the Christmas Story at church last year. He's been trying to tell people that he was misquoted in the Christmas carol. It's "BARK! Harold angel sings."

Esther Bunny is Peter Rabbit's little sister. She's always been jealous of Peter's egg distributorship, and wants to be a diva. Currently she's learning that you don't climb trees with a peanut butter sandwich in one hand.

George the cat is just a 'doodle' puppet. I found a knitting 'recipe' to make a puppet, and George is what came out. He's kind of a mellow, jazzy, hip dude--Floyd pepper crossed with Bill Cosby.

Edna and Red were my entries in Project Puppet's contests last year and this year respectively. Edna is made from the Glorified Sock puppet, and Red is the pinhead pattern.

Red is a bit of a helion. She was raised in the forest by her grandmother, who lived next door to a family of bears. After Grandma died, Red and several other victims, sued the B B Wolf estate in a class action suit and won. She took the settlement money she got from the B. B. Wolf estate, and moved into a small townhouse on the 'seedier side' of the city (Ankh-Morpork? South Side of Chicago?) Anyhow, the money soon ran out and Red had to go to work. Using her networking skills, she got a job as a receptionist with the 3 Pigs Construction company. She met them during the Wolf hearings.

Unfortunately, the Pigs have had to pay some settlements and fines for shoddy construction, so they can't afford to pay her much. They actually tried to use Gingerbread and candies to build a house for an older lady. When some bratty vandals started trying to eat her house, the woman asked them to stop, and they pushed her into the oven. The lady's family wanted the kids punished as well, but Red convinced the family not to press charges and arranged for foster care and vocational training for the boy and girl. She's wants to become a teacher and social worker, but is having to pay for her school piecemeal. She still wears the red hoodie that her granny gave her, and hopes that one day, she will be someone else's Princess Charming . . . but she's not going to put her life on hold.

Edna Grundy is the hapless every-teacher. She's not quite as old as dirt, but definitely older than her students. They think she's hopelessly out-of-touch and strict, and speculate that she began teaching shortly after the dinosaurs left. Despite her students' unruliness and unwillingness, Miss Grundy devotes herself to bringing the light of knowledge to each student--even if she has to use a sledgehammer to get their attention.

Never married, Miss Grundy lives alone in a run-down, haunted-looking house with her 27 billion cats. In her free time, she enjoys grading papers, gossip, and preparing pop quizzes and assignments to torture her students.

What do you think? Constructive Criticisms?
 

Onath

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Good work. But, I have two suggestions

1. Puppets always look better in photos when hands are in them operating them.

2. I was wondering what the inside structure of the puppets are. You may want to try and fill the head slightly with foam or stuffing for a more filled head look.

Other than that great job hopefully we will see more.
 

SesameKermie

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Edna and Harold are simply fleece with some stuffing. they're made from the Glorified Sock Puppet pattern. Red is from Project Puppet's Pinhead Pattern, and has a foam skull. Esther has a foam skull and a foam body, and George is knitted with stuffing.
 

Onath

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I just remembered the best thing for making puppets awesome. Look into the magic triangle. The magic triangle was created by Don Sahlin (sp?) basically it is was gave the muppets so much character and the ability to focus at the camera. If you look at some muppets you will notice this most of them are slightly cross eyed looking over there nose or would be nose. THe best example of this is Ernie from sesame street. I started using this technique and my puppets became so much more alive. Check it out it might help. Any who knows more than I do about the magic triangle feel free to correct me.

Also, that is amazing that you have a knit puppet I will have to learn how to knit now.
 

staceyrebecca

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I was *just* going to say the focus of the puppets should maybe be a little toward the nose & slightly cross-eyed. I didn't realize that was the "magic triangle"

Also, are those rubber stamps in a bin behind the bunny? *sigh*

I love the puppy!
 

SesameKermie

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Yes, those are rubber stamps. LOL. As far as the 'magic triangle goes, is there a formula or a way to guarantee that the eyes and nose are on the triangle?

Thanks!
 

staceyrebecca

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I'm sure there is a formula. I don't know it.

I usually just kind-of hold the puppet's nose up to my nose and imagine that we're having a staring contest. I then mark those spots and put the pupils there. If it looks like it's a bit too cross-eyed, I usually know I've done it right.

All very scientific for me.
 

JDAmato

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Humans by figure standards (based on Andrew Loomis' figure styles...if you are interested in drawing or even just character design...check out anything by Andrew Loomis...he was one of the best instructional authors for artists) have the center of their eyes slightly inside the two horizontal third lines on their face. That is, divide your face into thirds going across and you should find two vertical lines running across your eyeballs (using the Loomis method...classically there is the magic number or golden ratio which is 1.61803399 that is considered to be the ratio that repeated can perfectly divid the face)

The triangle method is just an iteration of playing with these ratios. From what I understand the triangle method extends to creating a triangle between the nose and two eyes and focusing the eyes towards the center of this triangle and then using the shape of the trainlge to dictate the emotional facade of the character (eg: a long tall triangle may create a different feeling than a short fat one...)

I am actually writing a blog post about eye positioning right now, as it is something that completely defines your characters. I love your puppets though. Keep working and figuring out the things you need to make them exactly how you want them. Looks great, though!
 

SesameKermie

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Am imagining things or did someone once draw a 'muppetish' diagram based on the golden triangle? I tried to search the forums, but came up blank.
 
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