File spoon-archives/puptcrit.archive/puptcrit_1999/puptcrit.9901, message 58


Subject: PUPT: Re: giant puppets with carpet underlay foam
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 99 09:06:31 -0000
From: Dan Vie <foolish-AT-smartt.com>


Joe Dunfee wrote:

>Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999
>From: Joe Dunfee <joe-AT-dunfee.com>
>Subject: Re: PUPT: Re: giant puppet methods
>
>>>>We need to construct a big puppet to be used in a long march /
>>>demonstration. I have seen puppets of this type on video of New
>>>>Orleans & Rio Festivals. They stand over 10' high & are operated by
>>>walking puppeteers from long poles attached to puppets hands feet & head.
>
>>>>Thomas C. Rubino
>
>  I reciently was involved in making just these kinds of puppets for a first
>night celebration here in Miami. While I have seen a video on doing this
>with paper mache, I very quickly decided that I didn't want to spend the
>time paper mache requires. 
>  I decided to use sheet foam rubber as the construction material, which
>would be supported with inside pipes. I used carpet padding foam, and I had
>found some yellow colored stuff, which could be re-colored with spray paint
>fairly easily. It is glued with contact cement and is farily quick to
>assemble. If you haven't worked with this material, another local puppeteer
>should be able to show you.

Hi Joe -

re: construction with sheet foam rubber:

it's my ambition to get so good at visualizing the planes of the face, 
that I will be able to grab a few sheets of scrap carpet underlay and 
some contact glue, and within a few hours,
create a fully recognizable (and completely squashable) political 
caricature of anybody needed that day. Topical characters are often 
needed at short notice. This model would then be surfaced and 
weatherproofed, perhaps with a latex 'skin'.

This would fulfill my ideal concerns of being virtually free, quick, 
light and completely portable.

In experimenting I've found it difficult to make specific features of a 
caricature keep their shape without using an internal armature.  Could 
the features be "drawn" in stiff wire, as a base for modeling the foam 
over? This has worked well for making hands etc.

dan
vancouver
foolish-AT-smartt.com




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