From: =?Windows-1252?Q?Mathieu_Ren=E9?= <creaturiste-AT-magma.ca>
To: <puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org>
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 00:51:51 -0500
Subject: [Puptcrit] Express puppetmaking


Warp Speed, Mister Zulu!

I went to the puppet improv tonight, and as is often the case, the wait triggered something crazy in my puppetmaker's head. as has been the case a few times, I gave myself the challenge to build a puppet in the time I had left before the show (2 hours), so that they could use it with the rest of my "staff" of puppets I lent them. Instant testing, instant public. Who could resist?
I've made a few good puppets under that kind of pressure. Efficiency in forced simplicity.
My best puppet for a long time was one I made exclusively out of newspaper, masking tape, duct tape, two small table legs, and two glass marbles. It had the smoothest and most precise movement I had ever built, but it's been beated (in precision not smoothness) by my most recent marionettes.


 This time (tonight) I saw too big, I did not finish it, but it's functionnal, and they used it briefly in the show.
The prototype is promising.  It's a turtle. The head is a block of polyfoam which I carved, the body is a plastic safety helmet (construction),  and the neck is a wooden spoon whose handle slides and swivels inside a short lenght of PVC tubing installe dwithing a '"gasket" of foam. The movement is smooth and precise and fun. I have to re-think the gasket, it's not the most durable, but the movement was nice.

How is it that when I'm forced to work at warp speed, my puppets more often than not, turn out as good or better than the ones I spend days on? I suspect it has something to do with not being able to overdo it in the short time allowed,

 but I'm curious as to other builder's experience with that...

WHaddayaknow?


 
Mathieu René Créaturiste
Marionnettes, Masques, Etcetera...
Puppets, Masks, Etcetera...
www.creaturiste.blogspot.com
www.maskmaking.blogspot.com
creaturiste-AT-magma.ca
(514) 274-8027
_______________________________________________
List address: puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org
Admin interface: http://lists.driftline.org/listinfo.cgi/puptcrit-driftline.org
Archives: http://www.driftline.org