Sunday, February 10, 2013

Giant Puppets!

The local convention center is having a grand opening event for the new atrium that has been constructed, and they ordered three giant puppets to perform at the event! Here is a post about how, step-by-step, Megan Dunn and I have been making them!


The back pack framed and arms are made with PVC glued together.First you apply a solvent to take the shiny coating off the surface of the pipe, and then you apply the glue, which actually dissolves the plastic on both the pipe and the connector, and welds the two together. Put the pieces together, push them firmly into one another and the turn the pieces slightly to smush the material together.The Short sections are for supporting the arms, the long section for the head. the tennis balls are to allow mobility on the joints.We made two pillow to cushion the shoulder and hips, and straps that were sewn through holes drilled in the frame so the puppeteer can comfortable wear the puppet.
The shape of the heads was made with hard-ware cloth wire mesh and a laregr piece of PVC pipe that slips over the neck pole is anchored at the top and bottom of the wire cage frame, so the heads can be taken on and off the back pack.

 Then we started decorating the heads and sewing the costumes, which are all separate re-moveable pieces that either tie on to the frame or the head, or slip down over the pole. Materials used include hot blue, paper and fabric.
 This is the beginning of what we call The Universal Being.
 Here is the yarn wig Megan made for the woman.

 She is the rainbow bearded pocket theater lady! her skirt has pockets to hold smaller puppets and also has two opening near the top so someone can be underneath the skirt and stick their hands up and out through the opening and perform a show with smaller puppets inside her arms, which are decorated like the curtains of a stage.

This is how Crazy House's frame looks.
Pants: The lady's face painted with finger nail polish on foam core.



We [ut it all together and got to the space, the new atrium at
The Classic Center:

Got Dressed.....And proceeded to have a blast!
"HERE COMES CRAZY HOUSE!" Megan Dunn! So Beautiful as the bearded Pocket theater lady!



































Thursday, April 26, 2012

I make clothes for everything, even aerial dance studios!

I like to think I can make clothes for anything, even poles......
But lately I have been working on a commission to make many custom fitted curtains for Canopy, an Athens renown aerial dance studio. http://www.canopystudio.com/
 The work to make the five major curtains Ben Austin and I did together just before thier spring show on April 15th and 16th, but they want the studio to be completed blacked out, so I am back at it making more smaller curtains that will hang statically, where as the large curtains pictured are all designed to be raised, lowered, opened and closed.

 Monkey has been helping all along the way.

 These don't really show the perfect fit and function of the curtains, but.... you get the idea.


He just lays at my feet while I sew and keeps me in my seat, working.
listening to GIRL TALK "Feed the Animals"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKqkcHvJN9k

also great!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J8kG7LMhnc