Gioconda smile

 

I might frame this puppet version of Mona Lisa and place it on the wall of my set.

The smile is also a reference to my storyline.

Latex mask

 

I have nearly finished my latex mask. The last layers were made using latex mixed with a skin tone acrcylic paint. I am probably going to cut around the edges and attach a string or elastic so it can be fixed onto my puppet. The mask has a rough finish to it: this gives it a slightly creepy feel and adds a dark tone to the animation.

Green Zorro!

 

There he is My Green Zorro!

This is the hat from one of my previeus posts: I painted it with black acrylic.

...another delight by Josef Frank

 

How not to fall completely in love with it ?!

How Beautiful !!!

 

This is a textile design by Josef Frank (July 15, 1885, in Baden bei Wien – January 8, 1967, in Stockholm).

It is so magical and full of light that it's a pure delight to loose onself into this pattern.

Animated invite

 

My short animated invite has been completed. I am considering printing each frame of this sequence so that the animation appens in my puppets hands rather than been digitally added. An animation within an animation!

 

A hat like Zorro's !

 

I choose Zorro has one of the dressing up costumes to make for my puppet. I remember watching the  tv series when I was only a child and I used to love the black cape and mask...a little bit of an old fashioned hero that gallops away in his dark horse!

On the left I have started making the hat: I built the shape with some thick paper and I have glued some layers of tissue paper. My next step will be to paint it with some black acrylic.

Human mask for my Puppet

 

I have been working on my story board and I have reached a more defined storyline.

My green puppet Gustave has been invited to a dressing up party and he wants to impress. He is going to be trying out a human costume and a Zorro costume...

In this photos I used clay to make a human mask. This has been covered with cling film and then Latex and white tissue paper has been layered . Before applying each layer I had to wait for it to be dry. I have added some skin tone acrilic paint to the latex and I am waiting to see the final result.

 

One more...

Another little character for my artist book project.

A crown for a fairy

 

I had fun making a crown for my green fairy!

Mini characters together

 

This is just to give an idea of how the mini characters look next to each other. I have two more characters to design before I start working on how to compose the page.They are all standing in front of a transparent dome...

 

Fairy Greenmother

 

My green puppet has been invited to a dressing up Party!

The image hasn't been finalized yet...the fairy is missing a crown and I need a little bit more work on the wand.

When she waves her wand the letters could move and a different writing could come up...maybe " prize for the best costume"?

I am looking forward to make the different outfits for Mr Puppet...

The Devil's Ball by Ladislas Starewicz

I find this animation by  Ladislas Starewicz very interesting. The characters in this second part (The Devil's Ball)are very quirky and unusual. It astonish me how he manages to animate all sorts of different materials.

Green fairy

 

 I have been considering various ideas for my story line and I have decided that I am going to let my puppet change outfits becouse he has been invited to a dressing up party.

I have been working on creating a little party invitation for my Green puppet.   I designed a Green fairy which waves her wand. It has been fun working on this little caracter and I m looking forward to have the rest of the invitation completed.

Images 35 Exhibition at Kirby Gallery

Here is the website of the organizers of this very interesting exhibition  http://www.aoiimages.com/

 
 Illustrators that I really liked are:
 Christiane Engel http://www.desertfriends.com/folio/book-covers/ 
 Holly Trill with her Beatle Wallpaper http://www.hollytrill.co.uk/#Wallpapers
and Serge Seidlitz http://www.sergeseidlitz.com/index.php

Abstract film by Oskar Fischinger

 

While doing some research for my essay I have come across this beautiful film by Oskar Fischinger.

Oskar Fischinger (22 June 1900 — 31 January 1967) was a German-American abstract animator, filmmaker, and painter. He made over 50 short animated films, and painted c. 800 canvases.

This is the only abstract animation I could retrive on you tube.

Hello!

Mr Puppet says hello! His eyes are nearly complete.

The red pupils are only temporary: I intend to use wider black pupils for him. 

Green puppets eye making

                      

On the left you can see the shape of the eye that as been be stiched to my character (right). I made my eye with fabric filled in with wadding: I intend to use a pin shaped pupil so I can move it according to where the puppet is looking.

Hands completed

knitted shape for fingers

 

This is the knitted shape I utilized to cover the metal structure of the fingers.

Four Fingers

                         

I am pleased with my puppets four finger hand. I am working on his right hand at the moment. As you can see from the photo above, the internal structure of the fingers is made of thin wire which has been securely attached to a metal loop in its hand main body. My next step is knitting a finger shaped pattern that will be then carefully stiched over the metal wire.

Green puppet-work in progress

 

I am making a new puppet for a short animation. The character as had his arms and legs made and also one of his hands! It is becoming more alive as it goes along....soon it will start telling me what to do!

Hand drawing from my sketchbook

 

These are the first pencil drawn sketches of two of my mini characters already developed.

…and another one…

Pointy hair and stripy jacket

 

Front Page temporary design

This is a possible solution for the front page of my new artist book project.

I am going to try a brick wall background rather than the bark textured one used in this image. The shape relationship between the round red dots and a rectangular pattern migth work better.

Ponytail Mini-character

 

 

 

I like the curls!

Another mini character for my Artist book project.

Mini caracters for artist book project

This is one of the mini character designs I'm working on for my new Artist book idea.

The image has been first hand drawn, then the lines have been traced in Illustrator for a smooth clean line and then futher developed in Photoshop. The caracter will be finalized once it has been placed in the composition with the other mini caracters.