tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22574679135978139102024-03-05T14:36:24.107+00:00Nathan FlynnStop Motion Animatior and Model Maker <br>Graduated from the University of Glamorgan.Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-62346565464446367822011-12-10T00:32:00.000+00:002011-12-10T01:12:13.749+00:00'Opening Night' Showreel<div style="text-align: left;">
Here's a short Showreel for 'Opening Night' that sums up a lot of the work we've done so far. Enjoy.<br />
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<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24292151?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><a href="http://vimeo.com/24292151">OPENING NIGHT Showreel</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4100782">Joshua Flynn</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Josh has written a more detailed post about our Showreel so hop over to his blog to learn more.<br />
<b><a href="http://joshua-flynn.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Joshua Flynn Blog</a></b></div>
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That's all for now. More in the New Year.<br />
Happy Holidays.<br />
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<br /></div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-37869479456161531302011-11-15T00:56:00.001+00:002011-11-15T18:14:24.034+00:00Ball & Socket Armatures - Finished<span style="font-size: small;"> After several weeks of work I've finally finished making my new ball and socket armatures. My plan is to replace the aluminium wire armatures that are currently in my 'Roy' and 'Elle' puppets. This should make them more resilient and professional. You can read about my aluminium wire armatures <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/03/character-armatures-continued.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The two armatures featured below follow identical designs but have different proportions to suit the male and female characters. I've wanted to make full ball and socket armatures for a long time and I really pleased with how these turned out. I got a little trigger happy with my camera so expect lots of pictures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>'Roy' Male Ball & Socket Armature</b></u></span><br />
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First of all we have Roy's new armature. He's build from a mixture of steel and K&S square brass tubing. It has 24 points of articulation that are controlled by 17 screws around the body for tension adjustments.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52oFqSKPgo0M-uctWG737K3rIYU9g0dQbfq0oab1loyLTLz1IDW_dUM4I3Xe2DqZCUoUJSD8MCWcgLt0zNE8Wn1mrVG5njKNQrEn_BPJTR4uSOBFvX5RqrdTIkcMkj0XQtq9s0R6UwdQ/s1600/Armatures+-+Roy+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52oFqSKPgo0M-uctWG737K3rIYU9g0dQbfq0oab1loyLTLz1IDW_dUM4I3Xe2DqZCUoUJSD8MCWcgLt0zNE8Wn1mrVG5njKNQrEn_BPJTR4uSOBFvX5RqrdTIkcMkj0XQtq9s0R6UwdQ/s320/Armatures+-+Roy+02.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cbSInJ7RNWlc1Yrs4ZITPouVwAiMqE24sDRkmjrHAOnQUpuFR13nWnV8whZqCak3i3Wps8e4eyYnotpMhVjz4Od4ztSB9A9ptQl0oyV5xQOIApG4JK5JLzCzoY4nWkmaUaU_GwAy3M4/s1600/Armatures+-+Roy+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cbSInJ7RNWlc1Yrs4ZITPouVwAiMqE24sDRkmjrHAOnQUpuFR13nWnV8whZqCak3i3Wps8e4eyYnotpMhVjz4Od4ztSB9A9ptQl0oyV5xQOIApG4JK5JLzCzoY4nWkmaUaU_GwAy3M4/s320/Armatures+-+Roy+03.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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He has a double ball and socket waist and sing ball jointed head, neck, shoulders, arms, hips, legs and ankles. His elbows, knees and toes and hinge joints.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoU2WQMBNJL2144WLFq2srms8k1UGWLs76tb1VHC37mxcn6WiTGmoqQQvfWhIPK46odXAG-XysCZqEKouY69qzBo7opEWDIPnQ-4OByPQsJzi7-9qdLtF-BQnd6EXBu4Tj2bHGtzoLDE/s1600/Armatures+-+Roy+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoU2WQMBNJL2144WLFq2srms8k1UGWLs76tb1VHC37mxcn6WiTGmoqQQvfWhIPK46odXAG-XysCZqEKouY69qzBo7opEWDIPnQ-4OByPQsJzi7-9qdLtF-BQnd6EXBu4Tj2bHGtzoLDE/s320/Armatures+-+Roy+04.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwWToD09zZVQYhLqORDnh9VfPO26VOiVJIf4w9vi6tJMwLOiI6-K-_CsEzIGnw3gcR-ux2o3qEValqSRHdSio1TStahFp-rs2O0Car7AAzZ07Qd2k2XqN1hEUChfmFO2GDrmhrUMmphc/s1600/Armatures+-+Roy+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwWToD09zZVQYhLqORDnh9VfPO26VOiVJIf4w9vi6tJMwLOiI6-K-_CsEzIGnw3gcR-ux2o3qEValqSRHdSio1TStahFp-rs2O0Car7AAzZ07Qd2k2XqN1hEUChfmFO2GDrmhrUMmphc/s320/Armatures+-+Roy+05.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
I tried to position the figure in interesting, dynamic poses but by the time I got to that last picture my creativity fizzled and I went for the cheesy 'whats that in the distance' pose. I kind of like it, plus his white hands make him look like a really skinny mime artist.<br />
The puppet wasn't tied down to the floor for these pictures. He's just balancing by himself. The feet have a M3 nuts in the toe to allow the character to be bolted to the set. Just like in my wire armatures the K&S allows the puppet to be disassembled. The feet and hands slide off for maintenance and repairs. The hands are made from aluminium wire with a Milliput palm. You can read about how I make puppet hands <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/02/puppet-hands.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMk4B86lJdMcK3SPgrN05EtznWSfOg-4U4zTQUFVvr8IBnpTZ543XhwwX6jIBvd8QVYGDEC7KxGfX4VMJ72ayvzoo84alxLFac6FdNrpJX5pr0fpPAkYKmpqzl5Jak6GF-MEPDg4EWwks/s1600/Armatures+-+Roy+turnaround.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMk4B86lJdMcK3SPgrN05EtznWSfOg-4U4zTQUFVvr8IBnpTZ543XhwwX6jIBvd8QVYGDEC7KxGfX4VMJ72ayvzoo84alxLFac6FdNrpJX5pr0fpPAkYKmpqzl5Jak6GF-MEPDg4EWwks/s400/Armatures+-+Roy+turnaround.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The turn around picture above shows the armature from various angles. click the image to embiggen!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>'Elle' Female Ball & Socket Armature</b></u></span><br />
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Now we move on to the female armature for 'Elle'. This was more challenging to make due to her slender physique. The hinge joints for the elbows and knees are made from a thinner steel to save as much space as possible.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOUeGgazs9PLNmm31ON3DQMW6st9Yd2ifG5jFwMt8RHjr4c6Ls4avS6pOFYYBfrg5MOsnJx-fl_ucGAjj4r0NEgIww_bgjlwq12O-21Q9PtblbdKywiesZ0HJfWUJmVXfCbP9s3driXI/s1600/Armatures+-+Elle+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOUeGgazs9PLNmm31ON3DQMW6st9Yd2ifG5jFwMt8RHjr4c6Ls4avS6pOFYYBfrg5MOsnJx-fl_ucGAjj4r0NEgIww_bgjlwq12O-21Q9PtblbdKywiesZ0HJfWUJmVXfCbP9s3driXI/s320/Armatures+-+Elle+04.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9PSFJ8wuu5jV_cU2py7iPinI6S_1XhpecxDdwQGX9ph2urCKPMdxzDgJ5ZQijFKh9Uwx17PqvqhPpO6UnpoakC58Viwxrl4CTUQv_dajus9mFkY4u5ESwJk_1Wun06DK9jKKH300754/s1600/Armatures+-+Elle+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9PSFJ8wuu5jV_cU2py7iPinI6S_1XhpecxDdwQGX9ph2urCKPMdxzDgJ5ZQijFKh9Uwx17PqvqhPpO6UnpoakC58Viwxrl4CTUQv_dajus9mFkY4u5ESwJk_1Wun06DK9jKKH300754/s320/Armatures+-+Elle+05.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
I tried to pose the armature to give it a more feminine vibe. If ,like my brother Josh, you find yourself thinking 'thats one sexy lookin armature' then I think you need to get out more.<br />
Both armatures have K&S tubing soldered onto the hips. These act as rig points just in case the puppet needs external support. ( For example if a character is jumping or running and needs to be held off the ground.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwPTiTneEF1d1CjzDdKCAqLr0ovubgb6-UQP-76SH1iY78bR4Pzaqjqp-xT0Haj13HrqixgukcsHKwA2ca7BKcV63sU8ZnfdbhSYnKfzXEtD4UScknUKcBdqUmIwFrale3dlLgMpqvOQ/s1600/Armatures+-+Elle+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwPTiTneEF1d1CjzDdKCAqLr0ovubgb6-UQP-76SH1iY78bR4Pzaqjqp-xT0Haj13HrqixgukcsHKwA2ca7BKcV63sU8ZnfdbhSYnKfzXEtD4UScknUKcBdqUmIwFrale3dlLgMpqvOQ/s320/Armatures+-+Elle+02.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
The biggest difference in this armature is the feet. 'Elle' wears high heels and her feet are much smaller than 'Roy's'. Its always very challenging building things to be smaller. To get around this problem I made a new ankle joint that wound fit inside her small feet. Because she's wearing heels there's no toe joint but there is an M3 nut for tie downs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3xcDdKv5ipseeGDV6wswQ7yjnCNtYKltPsdDaXaEf3TH6zUSH-uj9aipoZy65MaC39lPgBHTSd0D0DLFFjTIVEgAKiAiJ5kizHF0niGuyag3T4Nhk2I704kpiAyS9otWZZQIbGC9SU0/s1600/Armatures+-+Elle+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3xcDdKv5ipseeGDV6wswQ7yjnCNtYKltPsdDaXaEf3TH6zUSH-uj9aipoZy65MaC39lPgBHTSd0D0DLFFjTIVEgAKiAiJ5kizHF0niGuyag3T4Nhk2I704kpiAyS9otWZZQIbGC9SU0/s320/Armatures+-+Elle+03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In the picture above I was going for a casual sitting down look, rather than 'I hurt my knee'. You be the judge.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiTNcTqYukXQipbFu9CJcD9zAp-HtJ1vAvds6htn-0ZqYo3TBanYyty48U-YJio3DrTVl1JXvmOF6LR6x1dJUWIe5z2XnewoNdsO5AiaHqV0Z3mqUUeeqDmpip28mBr3HvdJnQrg2rz0/s1600/Armatures+-+Elle+turnaround.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiTNcTqYukXQipbFu9CJcD9zAp-HtJ1vAvds6htn-0ZqYo3TBanYyty48U-YJio3DrTVl1JXvmOF6LR6x1dJUWIe5z2XnewoNdsO5AiaHqV0Z3mqUUeeqDmpip28mBr3HvdJnQrg2rz0/s400/Armatures+-+Elle+turnaround.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Just like before, click the image to embiggen this cromulent turnaround picture!</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Comparison Shots</b></u></span><br />
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Finally he's some comparison shots so you can see the differences between the two armatures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEadEeWKfidtmW45A_u-QBAxL7RVpqx1Z2Cfy7cYf5qgScBSoj0gC1VStEJ3YdXWQvsSeXpWOCYNsQ-mdm9t4ID8mqDtfYMBnhFAUUeosIitYABTNkyQnu6gRWz8KNtTdScdn5UGEQ9E/s1600/Armatures+-+Roy+%2526+Elle+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEadEeWKfidtmW45A_u-QBAxL7RVpqx1Z2Cfy7cYf5qgScBSoj0gC1VStEJ3YdXWQvsSeXpWOCYNsQ-mdm9t4ID8mqDtfYMBnhFAUUeosIitYABTNkyQnu6gRWz8KNtTdScdn5UGEQ9E/s320/Armatures+-+Roy+%2526+Elle+01.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyQFSyWHxjRqDrJijcDZYr9Dhw24KmRM2v29Nv63MP6aa0mGiAOrTc__wexglvyXJRyoaw01HEusrmbl_iaI4l3l85DRZtw05_UaHP8wQ3Ipe4SCfj6W5Giha38iUWt2DIbBXlSl99wM/s1600/Armatures+-+Roy+%2526+Elle+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyQFSyWHxjRqDrJijcDZYr9Dhw24KmRM2v29Nv63MP6aa0mGiAOrTc__wexglvyXJRyoaw01HEusrmbl_iaI4l3l85DRZtw05_UaHP8wQ3Ipe4SCfj6W5Giha38iUWt2DIbBXlSl99wM/s320/Armatures+-+Roy+%2526+Elle+02.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Below I photographed them standing next to the wire puppets. Hopefully this shows how they fit inside the characters. My next stage is to start bulking out the armatures with foam and casting them inside new silicone limbs to make 'Roy & Elle Mark II'<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADfkhSCWDH094-JEKRIOFJ1O20ZHax3yHMLmBPy1UPsi_zUfM5gvR_nHlcO3LwZfFb_tqOtw_SbhiqQWTHwt9cVkBAwIEBKAQUd_8vZ_vi6jOCDPA1DCGJLsQxSmAo0LEByIlqI7wKI0/s1600/Armatures+-+Roy+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADfkhSCWDH094-JEKRIOFJ1O20ZHax3yHMLmBPy1UPsi_zUfM5gvR_nHlcO3LwZfFb_tqOtw_SbhiqQWTHwt9cVkBAwIEBKAQUd_8vZ_vi6jOCDPA1DCGJLsQxSmAo0LEByIlqI7wKI0/s320/Armatures+-+Roy+01.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnJDRMpxc1baoDVwsHJByaCWJm_9vjbXacsvgKhaFpUouijVWFQDgvN7uGp6BfAN4mX-ZXlgDkbOP4rKvlEmrvSrdP1MjwXptTtMpc4PI-Ol2r6ZmFB7XuNT5X7a1DKULukpcItTg_h8/s1600/Armatures+-+Elle+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnJDRMpxc1baoDVwsHJByaCWJm_9vjbXacsvgKhaFpUouijVWFQDgvN7uGp6BfAN4mX-ZXlgDkbOP4rKvlEmrvSrdP1MjwXptTtMpc4PI-Ol2r6ZmFB7XuNT5X7a1DKULukpcItTg_h8/s320/Armatures+-+Elle+01.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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That's all for today. Hope you found this post interesting.<br />
Stay tuned for more developments.<br />
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Nathan.<br />
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</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-668131411044571502011-11-06T23:14:00.002+00:002011-11-06T23:14:48.499+00:00Ball & Socket Armature - Hinge Joint<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Hinge Joints</b></u></span><br />
<br />In today's post I'll continue discussing the construction of my Ball & Socket Stop Motion armature. I'll be showing how to make a different kind of joint called a Hinge Joint. <br />
Hinge joints don't offer as much movement as Ball and socket joints, but they're perfect for creating elbow and knee articulation. Plus they're much simpler to make.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngclM-2Ox8Mri-x37Q1cdmTnyzmyHog5hS6lJfyymAP4moVYhoCIovCyKxjsIUYpLa0Kj1WyrEaLKVDtzW3UmEf1_nUUuS9phmRyr2zrSedY4Cy_HuLzSYRDlDEIMwbZp8E8JikGlMag/s1600/Hinge01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngclM-2Ox8Mri-x37Q1cdmTnyzmyHog5hS6lJfyymAP4moVYhoCIovCyKxjsIUYpLa0Kj1WyrEaLKVDtzW3UmEf1_nUUuS9phmRyr2zrSedY4Cy_HuLzSYRDlDEIMwbZp8E8JikGlMag/s200/Hinge01.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I'm making my hinge joints from steel bar. The materials and tools needed are similar to those used to make ball and socket joints. You can see/read about that in my previous post. <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/10/ball-sockets-armature-double-ball-joint.html">LINK</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNLlS9W7OtOmGYfG1sFvQgTSU4F6KAjcZnfnQ2F74RqNYffapXxkCucA8EgmzNqhkFiPjNsUuQC5-w4Mwcfx9vqV8zMDgZKZTVhqhfezhTUBsnIuM4MxobmecqplXzuN3I7nBvpsTdRI/s1600/Hinge02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNLlS9W7OtOmGYfG1sFvQgTSU4F6KAjcZnfnQ2F74RqNYffapXxkCucA8EgmzNqhkFiPjNsUuQC5-w4Mwcfx9vqV8zMDgZKZTVhqhfezhTUBsnIuM4MxobmecqplXzuN3I7nBvpsTdRI/s320/Hinge02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I start by cutting 3equal lengths of steel bar. Above you can see the steel bars along with the M2 nuts and bolts that will be used to hold them together.<br />
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Next I marked a dot on the steel about 4mm from the end. This is where the hole will be drilled for the bolt. Before drilling I made a centre punch on the surface to guide the drill bit.<br />
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I stacked and clamped the 3 bars together and held them in a vice while drilling. I started with a M1.5 drill bit and then expanded the hole to M2.<br />
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This gave me 3 identical steel bars, all with an 2mm hole drilled in one end.</div>
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I used a M2 nut and bolt to tie all the bars together. I then rounded the corners (seen above in the picture on the right). To do this I used a rotary tool and a reinforced cutting disk. (the same technique I used for making ball and socket plates in my last post.)<br />
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Next I loosened the bolts and rotated the middle bar so it was pointing in the opposite direction. I'm using K&S brass tubing to make my arms and legs so I cut the steel bar small enough to slot inside. This will be soldered together later.<br />
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I cut another small square of steel bar to go on the other end of the joint. This will be used to hold the two outer bars together and act as a tab to slot more K&S onto. I used a file to rough up the surfaces where each part will connected and applied soldering flux.<br />
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The rough surfaces help solder stick. Its also important to remove any dirt or grease to create a stronger join. I heated up the steel using my butane torch until the flux paste fizzed and then applied silver solder to the both side of the tab.<br />
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At this point I also soldered the nut onto the outer surface. This allows the joint to be loosened or tightened using just an Allen key. Above you can see the joint after being soldered.<br />
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The other end now needs to be cut smaller to allow it to slot onto the K&S. Also to give the joint a little more range of movement I marked where more steel can be removed. To do this I use the rotary tool and cutting disk. <br />
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Here is the joint after cutting. The change is only small but this allows the joint to bend into a smaller, acute angle. For example, If this joint was to be used as a elbow the character would now be able to touch their own shoulder. Or if this was a knee joint, the character could crouch down lower.<br />
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The final stage is to slot the joint into the K&S tubing and solder the join.</div>
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Wallah ! One hinge joint ready to be incorporated into a character armature. I will be using the one pictured above as a knee joint for my new 'Roy' (Mail Man) armature. I'm also using this kind of joint to make his elbows and toe joints. 'Elle's' knees and elbows will be made smaller with thinner steel bars.<br />
The excess bolt will be cut shorter later. I usually leave them on until I'm done.<br />
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Thanks for reading.Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-33544460514047896622011-10-27T23:19:00.003+01:002011-11-06T00:16:12.504+00:00Ball & Socket Armature - Double Ball Joint<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Double Ball Joint </b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></b></u></span><br />
This is going to be a monstrously long post so you might want to get comfortable.<br />
In this post I'll be demonstrating how to make a ball and socket joint. Its quite a complex process so bare with me.<br />
Ball joints are a more advanced method of making armatures. Unlike wire armatures, ball and sockets joints can be manipulated over and over again without wearing out and breaking. Another positive it that individual joints can be loosened or tightened to your desired tension. The down side to using ball joints is that they are time consuming and complicated to make. In the past I've made ball joints out of brass and used them in the necks of my puppets.<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can read about my old ball and socket joints <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/03/ball-socket-joints.html">HERE.</a></span></span><br />
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I plan to make new armatures for the characters 'Roy' and 'Elle'. This will hopefully give them a greater range of motion and I won't have to worry about wearing out the aluminium wire armature. I plan to achieve all the articulation with an mix of steel ball joints and hinges. I'm quite confident that my home made ball joints work, the challenge is making them small enough to fit inside my characters.<br />
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If you want to see some great examples of ball and socket joints then I'd recommend John Wright. His ball and socket joints are super high quality and used for many professional productions. John Wright Ball Joints can be found <a href="http://www.animationtoolkit.co.uk/categories/Ball-Joints/">HERE.</a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Tools & Machinery</b></u></span><br />
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Here are some of the tools that I will be using. Firstly a bench drill press. I recently invested in this specifically for making ball and socket joints. Its quite small so it doesn't take up too much space.<br />
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The bench drill gives a lot more control that a hand drill and most importantly it drills strait down at 90 degrees every time. This is crucial as any wobbly holes will reduce the quality of the joint. I also use a range of different sized drill bits. Its important that they are HSS (high speed steel) as they will be drilling into steel.<br />
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Above you can see a small vice I use for holding materials while I drill. Its screwed into a small wooden base so I can move it around while I'm working.</div>
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Finally, I use this rotary tool quite often at various stages. I have a collection of accessories that fit into the tool. pictured above is a reinforced cutting wheel.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Sandwich Plates</b></u></span><br />
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I start by making the plates that will hold the steel ball bearing. The size of the materials will vary depending on the size of the joint. Here I'm making a 5mm joint.<br />
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Above are the material for the plates. I use 6mm x 3mm steel bar (sold at B&Q in 1 meter lengths). The nuts and bolts are M2 (2mm). The bolts are called socket cap bolts and on the right is the Allen key that is used to tighten them.<br />
I started by cutting 2 small identical lengths of steel bar with a hack saw. <br />
Its easier to make the plates in batches so I've marked one of the bars to show where it will be divided. I will be focusing on the left section.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpD-d_h0hp5FmpkhgL1jQ80lTj7-TiuiSI9m4iuhiNlmf_2qwkv-qOIf0_AUHAOuws2ZXEGoD24M-Bhz6CHv7QjGT7wa9i6azKegVyOOB2zbUGAb5_d4KejwEnQWjKxvCzrYzvd3-wjs/s1600/B%2526S02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpD-d_h0hp5FmpkhgL1jQ80lTj7-TiuiSI9m4iuhiNlmf_2qwkv-qOIf0_AUHAOuws2ZXEGoD24M-Bhz6CHv7QjGT7wa9i6azKegVyOOB2zbUGAb5_d4KejwEnQWjKxvCzrYzvd3-wjs/s320/B%2526S02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Next I mark where holes will be drilled. In the left hand section you can see that there will be 3 holes. the middle hole will be for the bolt and the holes either side of it will hold the ball bearings. Its best to keep all the holes central. If they are too close to an edge the joint could be wonky or weakened. I usually measure all the marks to make sure everything will line up OK.<br />
When I'm happy with the positioning of the holes I use a center punch to put a little dent into the steel. This acts as a guide for the drill bit and locates it to the right spot. Without the center punch the drill bit would skate on the surface and drift off course.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ewX4uVZQNquGu2m-hFoC6fgoclnHKgYQoo2oL2p7h0Ri0oeKEisSaXVxLhFbDAzkZgc9oN2cFddRIk22LmrpyhoaP4nVI7MNNE7S7_kr_aINov4yif6nTXZRJBGqZ9SOVb9-rokSflk/s1600/B%2526S03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ewX4uVZQNquGu2m-hFoC6fgoclnHKgYQoo2oL2p7h0Ri0oeKEisSaXVxLhFbDAzkZgc9oN2cFddRIk22LmrpyhoaP4nVI7MNNE7S7_kr_aINov4yif6nTXZRJBGqZ9SOVb9-rokSflk/s320/B%2526S03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I then clamped the two bars together making sure they lined up and the edges were flush. The blue vice holds the bars steady and the red G-clamp will stop them from separating when they are drilled.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEx8XuFjw-fD3CQ31TGURJuKr28GQE5UQcrMJnWRsd-9411scF4xpb-_qO1zwwxRCoExix1oJowmIrnkiV0pBbT2nXTXzIQwsk8swx6GZrnuXYAthf747uR0SY1QoOPHKHs-O-Ja7BUc/s1600/B%2526S04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEx8XuFjw-fD3CQ31TGURJuKr28GQE5UQcrMJnWRsd-9411scF4xpb-_qO1zwwxRCoExix1oJowmIrnkiV0pBbT2nXTXzIQwsk8swx6GZrnuXYAthf747uR0SY1QoOPHKHs-O-Ja7BUc/s320/B%2526S04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I used a M1.5 HSS drill bit to drill a pilot hole into the steel. Its best to take your time and drill in short bursts, removing any metal filings. Its also a good idea to use cutting lubricant. After drilling the first 3 holes I re drilled them, expanding them to M2.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY8UrqGD6itAgJRoiODiW5Esijp1Uh_M_yrr8fg8B1fp3Ab0ZU_iP9K7XpOZX6UP8HqqzXT1dXEuQFa7_biyX94GMR6CkQkYCjGdWkVX1HAu0MNPx4NoVGjL9hBr6FIztm1X8xlUD6iY/s1600/B%2526S05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY8UrqGD6itAgJRoiODiW5Esijp1Uh_M_yrr8fg8B1fp3Ab0ZU_iP9K7XpOZX6UP8HqqzXT1dXEuQFa7_biyX94GMR6CkQkYCjGdWkVX1HAu0MNPx4NoVGjL9hBr6FIztm1X8xlUD6iY/s320/B%2526S05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Once the holes where drilled I attached some of the nuts and bolts. These help to hold the 2 bars together. You don't want the bars to slip or the holes won't line up and the joint will be ruined.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwX5IJwURFuY2Dd6W_iTqof42Ibb4jvemBYxdDbzjyBNunvDGyXuadonRBevlX_OAx8eLHgMbzdq_K3vcnOnAlP87NrGfxpRf1Bw20qRqNVOCbI3rWXAgSavVXjVGkQTexYzyNJPlUFY/s1600/B%2526S06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwX5IJwURFuY2Dd6W_iTqof42Ibb4jvemBYxdDbzjyBNunvDGyXuadonRBevlX_OAx8eLHgMbzdq_K3vcnOnAlP87NrGfxpRf1Bw20qRqNVOCbI3rWXAgSavVXjVGkQTexYzyNJPlUFY/s320/B%2526S06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I then drilled the holes for the other joints using the same method.I kept the G clamp on until all the holes where finished and I could bolt them together. The next stage was to separate the 3 joints.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5j7nMqbVC9f0KSMfK-eBysPAW8A7mpAf_QBb_qHyNRuRSnAGdvGAvfgMDdWpHovoMkUnQbBvqejESej72ClVjCnjtL8IsQSfWJTfWFsFGCt1Px-1-sOBou-fcXsYczZq3fmH0zySXZw/s1600/B%2526S07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5j7nMqbVC9f0KSMfK-eBysPAW8A7mpAf_QBb_qHyNRuRSnAGdvGAvfgMDdWpHovoMkUnQbBvqejESej72ClVjCnjtL8IsQSfWJTfWFsFGCt1Px-1-sOBou-fcXsYczZq3fmH0zySXZw/s320/B%2526S07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Above are the 3 joints after they where cut with a hack saw. Its important not to mix up or rotate any of the plates or you might mess up the alignment. I draw black marks on the outside of each joint so I can remember how they line up. From now on I will just be showing the 3 hole joint that's at the front of the picture above.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsO4NbTcy3zoQkDGEE5MVoccxwguPPOnKTElOC8bO1eRrD9bmS5wShx3Vmr4P-Gb2WEgOpJCuNx_siLbGZprxjDDb1QIO_FfOC69PY2hQrHAsxao-IXJcPCCnlpTWIG7PbIM_1ah1yO4w/s1600/B%2526S08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsO4NbTcy3zoQkDGEE5MVoccxwguPPOnKTElOC8bO1eRrD9bmS5wShx3Vmr4P-Gb2WEgOpJCuNx_siLbGZprxjDDb1QIO_FfOC69PY2hQrHAsxao-IXJcPCCnlpTWIG7PbIM_1ah1yO4w/s320/B%2526S08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Next I round the ends. I secure the plates in the vice with one nut and bolt tied in the middle hole.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiakJ2OIj8_-m8_5Lus_H-bvnEdj8usFIfwEGbG_wguYSM8Y6BZdbWzrQxW9oZTOgRgIq8z3q01l4cBjvKvxXQr0o1iuVskSij04GTKaU9SGUh5bi9G2OI19XcNG4zuAzhSM6KXpv2iCQ/s1600/B%2526S09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiakJ2OIj8_-m8_5Lus_H-bvnEdj8usFIfwEGbG_wguYSM8Y6BZdbWzrQxW9oZTOgRgIq8z3q01l4cBjvKvxXQr0o1iuVskSij04GTKaU9SGUh5bi9G2OI19XcNG4zuAzhSM6KXpv2iCQ/s320/B%2526S09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The reinforced cutting wheel is great for cutting into the steel and shaping it. I use it on its fastest speed. Small sparks and metal specs fly from the metal so I recommend wearing goggles and a mask. ( I haven't mentioned any health and safety stuff before, but you should always take the necessary precautions when using tools and machinery).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVutOppApNCjsXojCwQCy8ChoRbbBsu6JTP3DkZb56Vw17KwrflXzOPYIhq7uqc-RqSTqX60xdEheK12AH42RAwuNvM5rkIG2WDVDmSblgBPmjIgDkqiE_m3EIc8ClJ1FHcBXGbrXtAg/s1600/B%2526S10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVutOppApNCjsXojCwQCy8ChoRbbBsu6JTP3DkZb56Vw17KwrflXzOPYIhq7uqc-RqSTqX60xdEheK12AH42RAwuNvM5rkIG2WDVDmSblgBPmjIgDkqiE_m3EIc8ClJ1FHcBXGbrXtAg/s320/B%2526S10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
After finishing one end I flipped the joint and rounded the other end. The rounded ends make the joints easier to handle and will give the joint more freedom to move.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbnCnJ7-dVSfAXX8eBxVLcbT4whoGLh6RULKa_ykBmqoaXfJCEOIcLm-BtbPi5G0ZVWf2YrYr9GfLl46usfrquvpiDalTOXeZQnI7QxftJZL_myhgah4Qj3RU_3Wrv4-Be21Hl0KrHLA/s1600/B%2526S11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbnCnJ7-dVSfAXX8eBxVLcbT4whoGLh6RULKa_ykBmqoaXfJCEOIcLm-BtbPi5G0ZVWf2YrYr9GfLl46usfrquvpiDalTOXeZQnI7QxftJZL_myhgah4Qj3RU_3Wrv4-Be21Hl0KrHLA/s400/B%2526S11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally the plates should be complete and ready to hold some ball bearings. Above you can see the two plates loosened and separated.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Drilling & Soldering Ball Bearings</b></u></span></div>
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Now that the plates are ready the next stage is to drill some steel ball bearings to go in them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ry5z8scdmnyHBMRhOaVGUFQf9r2qJoUr3ed0EWHXLOPYzTMBZ2tqjCLfvYWejsL87JjlCPtWP8GxBSFHh96gvh6ICCeMjZpEJG5lHWlCVe3RWFvL2DiTvGFriAe9A42jcU0WRguIKb8/s1600/B%2526S12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ry5z8scdmnyHBMRhOaVGUFQf9r2qJoUr3ed0EWHXLOPYzTMBZ2tqjCLfvYWejsL87JjlCPtWP8GxBSFHh96gvh6ICCeMjZpEJG5lHWlCVe3RWFvL2DiTvGFriAe9A42jcU0WRguIKb8/s320/B%2526S12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
For this I use 5mm stainless steel ball bearings and 1.5mm steel rod. The hardest part of this whole process is drilling ball bearings. Drilling straight into a sphere is tricky, and doing it at this scale can be a nightmare. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4OW1VEALof7XoT6O8hIX9V7DUzWSorjf3lbnI54tvnc-iNKbXleXLfAKLLm_jg4s-_naIjfqkydpqWTyOwgJNLGZ6dOJdtLa-9Bw-WpMq4cpx0upqFa9ilJizLEmsZOXht0fr3u6hLc/s1600/B%2526S13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4OW1VEALof7XoT6O8hIX9V7DUzWSorjf3lbnI54tvnc-iNKbXleXLfAKLLm_jg4s-_naIjfqkydpqWTyOwgJNLGZ6dOJdtLa-9Bw-WpMq4cpx0upqFa9ilJizLEmsZOXht0fr3u6hLc/s320/B%2526S13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
To hold the bearing steady I use some brass bar that has holes drilled into it. Much like the sandwich plates I just made, these will be used to clamp the ball on either side. If I tried to hold the bearing in a vice without the bars the ball would get scratched and likely spin loose when you try to drill it. Because brass is softer than steel it won't scratch the bearing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL-aL38YwZXb2h7Sgoz61pXV0gHRvgq9NkJMVYdaYZKbQpR1izjIev51WnDoLGtGBmkOByemIYGApdZeh6_OGXEJP5RVH37mMWmOWtNcL0WRHb0hcsreobebnoh36EI0qKst9IS1JvxY/s1600/B%2526S14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL-aL38YwZXb2h7Sgoz61pXV0gHRvgq9NkJMVYdaYZKbQpR1izjIev51WnDoLGtGBmkOByemIYGApdZeh6_OGXEJP5RVH37mMWmOWtNcL0WRHb0hcsreobebnoh36EI0qKst9IS1JvxY/s320/B%2526S14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
To make the ball easier to drill I flatten the top edge. A flat surface is much easier to drill into than a curved surface. I use the cutting wheel but you could also use file.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9y_ckHfDJqckrPqi_nZ5Mc2BcsyNBY15E7-DB9fE7a0z9jrORfSbIv7YfiKfRftlOP3VbjkjSg-G43-qNHlnnb2jMfW2gFHcXZFR2hUNtOpuDqKL2594cq6rDDDU-_Nm2vW0Gbwz1Os/s1600/B%2526S15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9y_ckHfDJqckrPqi_nZ5Mc2BcsyNBY15E7-DB9fE7a0z9jrORfSbIv7YfiKfRftlOP3VbjkjSg-G43-qNHlnnb2jMfW2gFHcXZFR2hUNtOpuDqKL2594cq6rDDDU-_Nm2vW0Gbwz1Os/s320/B%2526S15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Next I make a small dent in the centre where the hole will be drilled. This will guide the drill much line a centre punch would. To do this I use a small, pointed diamond cutting bit in the rotary tool.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3tu4ZoxjUVGrgHtGn57h-VXBF0Avx1mL21AMXWdXmi0GZuoG0astN2Q3SXWs4RV-ktp1ZdiA4q4invzYS6i9kDYXJTw9ztCTfwcITWMqh0lj7CgJkyBe2SbnJ3lpUKJ4Py6KhxAzIfA/s1600/B%2526S16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3tu4ZoxjUVGrgHtGn57h-VXBF0Avx1mL21AMXWdXmi0GZuoG0astN2Q3SXWs4RV-ktp1ZdiA4q4invzYS6i9kDYXJTw9ztCTfwcITWMqh0lj7CgJkyBe2SbnJ3lpUKJ4Py6KhxAzIfA/s320/B%2526S16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Next I expand the dent using a 1mm drill bit in the rotary tool.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenMAAZ03jhqpa0EFSClWTdrQdWDEju-2LCPFG68uuVhRHry8PM0di07PPUigNvOsw1c59lahp3facNH1P7PtaxlrpEd4l_3stFrszkWjRKfIKfQdM871b6HhJZ1wqyhCT4M6QqnsnFHU/s1600/B%2526S17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenMAAZ03jhqpa0EFSClWTdrQdWDEju-2LCPFG68uuVhRHry8PM0di07PPUigNvOsw1c59lahp3facNH1P7PtaxlrpEd4l_3stFrszkWjRKfIKfQdM871b6HhJZ1wqyhCT4M6QqnsnFHU/s320/B%2526S17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I then drill the bearing using a M1.5 HSS drill bit and the drill press. I once again drill in short bursts. I try to drill about 60% of the way through.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioH0x4lybxWyq9DWOvWJzqE94_P9wdxGZQUTQGSFJu9wBEpPVEJewgwICPcmS1rjN3y8oSjdmNpFpMX3fjU6Mc2P3nKaLNcc17xDq2B4psz_WbLyNnHj-Xwl3czVgRy_HjAVcWKraszRs/s1600/B%2526S18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioH0x4lybxWyq9DWOvWJzqE94_P9wdxGZQUTQGSFJu9wBEpPVEJewgwICPcmS1rjN3y8oSjdmNpFpMX3fjU6Mc2P3nKaLNcc17xDq2B4psz_WbLyNnHj-Xwl3czVgRy_HjAVcWKraszRs/s320/B%2526S18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finally I check to see if the steel rod fits. If the hole is too shallow I drill some more.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Soldering </b></u></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Next the ball bearing needs to be soldered onto the steel rod. The join
needs to be really strong as the ball and rod will be under huge
pressure when secured in the joint.</div>
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Above are the tools I use. On the left is a tub of flux which is used to help the solder fuse with the metal. At the top you can see some helping hands (small metal clips) that holds things in place while I work. The yellow reel holds Silver Solder wire. Mine is an acid core solder thats designed to be used with metal. Silver Solder is much stronger than soft solder (which is designed for electrical soldering.) My solder isn't ideal as its a little bit thick. The thinner solder is best for making ball and socket Joints. You can find Solder and Flux <a href="http://www.animationtoolkit.co.uk/categories/Silver-Soldering/">HERE</a><br />
At the bottom of the picture is a small butane torch that's used for heating up the metal and melting the solder. Finally you can see that everything is laying on grey brick. This acts as a heat proof surface that I work on. I don't want to burn down my desk.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RxCJ3saywikGaaqb7xhn2dnUBtmPpeoJTU7n-Vy149EmlQIeHcOJUKddUUFSo8iMCu38J-mFcesNhckIPNtHv2_ssk-DpU1acWpCVY_OQv0ZGDB1s7WMvtLAEwpmlEE6eqPvjqboHB4/s1600/B%2526S20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RxCJ3saywikGaaqb7xhn2dnUBtmPpeoJTU7n-Vy149EmlQIeHcOJUKddUUFSo8iMCu38J-mFcesNhckIPNtHv2_ssk-DpU1acWpCVY_OQv0ZGDB1s7WMvtLAEwpmlEE6eqPvjqboHB4/s320/B%2526S20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
First I roughed up the surface of the areas that will be joined. This helps the solder stick the the metal and gives it something to grab onto. To do this I used a file. You don't want any grease or dirt on the metal or it might prevent the solder from sicking.<br />
I then applied flux paste into the hole of the bearing and onto the end of the steel rod. I pushed the two parts together and used the helping hands to hold the parts on the surface.<br />
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Its difficult to take pictures while your soldering as my hands are busy holding the torch and the solder wire. I start by heating up the ball all around and keeping the flame moving. The white flux paste will fizz and turn clear. As this happens I dab the solder wire onto the join. The solder should melt and move around the flux into the join. The flux helps the solder to move and sometimes you can direct the solder using the heat.<br />
The bearing will start to glow a cherry pink. Once this happens I dunk the ball into some water and quench the heat.<br />
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After drying it down it should be cool. You can see in the picture above that the metal is darker and has fire scale on it.</div>
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I use some wire wool to clean of the dirt and shine the bearing up. Now that I've completed the first ball I repeat the process to make the second ball.</div>
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Above you can see the two balls ready to be assembled between the sandwich plates. After testing if everything works I usually solder the nut onto the outside of the sandwich plate to stop it from rotating. this will mean the joint can be tightened using just the Allen key in the socket cap screw. To neaten things up I cut off the excess bolt and give everything a quick polish.<br />
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Finally the ball and socket joint is complete and ready to be played with. It's wise to test the function of the joint before incorporating it into the rest of the armature and building a puppet around it. you wouldn't want to discover that one of the soldered parts was loose after all that work.<br />
I will be using this kind of ball and socket joint for the waist of my new armatures. Using these basic methods I will be making several different joints and I'll post details about them soon. I will probably continue with hinge joints.( Hopefully it will be a shorter post)<br />
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I hope people find this useful.<br />
Thanks for reading.Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-78224194215588112692011-09-20T13:14:00.001+01:002011-09-20T13:15:27.229+01:00SETS part deux<br />
In this post I will continue talking about the creation of the alleyway set. In my last post I showed how the basic wall structure and brick effect was made. Now I'll show how I added more details and finishing touches. <br />
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In the picture above you can see that there are a few more details added. A stage door was cut from MDF and painted purple. We used piano hinge to allow it to swing open. The steps under the door are also made from MDF and sprayed with a grey speckle paint ( like this one <a href="http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9254010&fh_location=//catalog01/en_GB/categories%3C%7B9372013%7D/categories%3C%7B9372030%7D/categories%3C%7B9372123%7D/specificationsProductType=spray_paints&tmcampid=4&tmad=c&ecamp=cse_go&CAWELAID=266948539">LINK</a> ). The spray paint gives a great stone texture and is much quicker than trying to create the effect by hand.<br />
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The door surround was cut from funky foam, sprayed with texture paint and stuck on with PVA glue. Next to the doorway is a mail shoot that the Mail Man will use to deliver a package into the theatre. The door for the shoot was cut from a sheet of aluminium. The handle and hinges are aluminium rod.<br />
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The picture above shows how the shoot opens. The stone frame for the shoot was made from funky foam in a similar way to the door. The only difference is the green corner sections that were sprayed with a different texture spray.</div>
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<u><b>GARBAGE </b></u> </div>
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In the design art you will notice that there are garbage cans, boxes and and other items in the alley way <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/08/sets.html">LINK</a>. These will help to dress the set and make things look more interesting. Because these are background items, I didn't want to spend too much time making them. <br />
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Most things are made from cheap materials and recycled parts. The trash cans are made from a thin plastic tray that held old paint brushes. The tray ways sprayed silver and wrapped around a plastic cup. The lids where made from funky foam and sprayed silver. The dumpster is made from foam board and another black plastic tray.<br />
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The garbage bags are made from garbage bags, wrapped and tied around scrunched up paper. Finally, the box was made from thin corrugated card. Most of these props wouldn't hold up well to scrutiny, but luckily they'll be in the background. They might look rubbish but hey, there meant to be garbage.<br />
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<u><b>The Lamp</b></u><br />
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Above the stage door is a spherical lamp. It was a bit of a challenge trying to figure out how to make this match Josh's designs and function correctly. First I decided to power the lamp using a 9volt battery. The down side to using batteries is that they can run out of power during animation, resulting in the light getting dimmer and dimmer. Replacing the batteries mid shot would cause the light to suddenly get too bright and would be very noticeable in the final animation. To avoid this I will have to turn the light off between the time I take each photograph. this will conserve the battery power and give a steady glow of light in the animation.<br />
Another alternative would be to power the light off the mains using a dc power adapter with the correct voltage. I've done this before to power the headlights of the truck in <a href="http://vimeo.com/12750138">STUMPED</a>.<br />
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For the bulb I used a small incandescent Christmas tree light.
Incandescent bulbs give a warm glow that matched the look we were hoping
for. LED's tend to give cooler colours.<br />
The round cover for the
bulb is made from a ping pong ball. The bulb fits through a hole in the
top. The sphere and bulb are supported by aluminium wire and a milliput
wall mount. (both painted black)<br />
The electrical wiring runs along
the aluminum wire and through the wall to the battery. The on/off switch
is located on the right hand side of the wall to give me easy access
while animating.<br />
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Above you can see all the parts assembled together. The door and mail shoot have text painted onto them using a stencil.<br />
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One of the final details to be added to this wall are some Theatre posters. Josh designed some nice little posters using some images of my Elle puppet. Above are the poster frames made from balsa wood.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUKBzTGiEuJtjmuOAn0sUccoyckMIeYwk15e-IvreXWooWyqL8OJOtvAemv-19jPeBDoPqW7dmEwLb5V1e0xiXaM1FvKOEIANAGmMhY7bv_I8CvfRMRg0LI7dMiNxvXNPUt8Mf05hJJ4/s1600/Sets2+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUKBzTGiEuJtjmuOAn0sUccoyckMIeYwk15e-IvreXWooWyqL8OJOtvAemv-19jPeBDoPqW7dmEwLb5V1e0xiXaM1FvKOEIANAGmMhY7bv_I8CvfRMRg0LI7dMiNxvXNPUt8Mf05hJJ4/s400/Sets2+10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally the balsa frames were painted red and the posters were stuck in place. these will be placed on the wall in the alleyway and in other locations around the theatre.</div>
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Recently I've been making new armatures for both the Elle (Actress) and Roy (Mail Man) puppets.</div>
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There's nothing wrong with the aluminium wire armatures that they currently have, but now that I've got a little more spare time, I've been getting creative and done something that I've wanted to do for a long time. So stay tuned to see how I've made full steel ball and socket armatures.</div>
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Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-23999055345676264212011-08-02T21:54:00.001+01:002011-08-02T22:00:16.838+01:00SETS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hi, sorry I haven't posted any updates in a while. The last few weeks have been pretty busy. I finished my third year at Uni, went on holiday, had my graduation ceremony and I'm currently interning on a film in London. But don't worry, 'Opening Night' hasn't been abandoned, it's just on hold for a few weeks, and we will continue production soon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Until then I have lots of pictures documenting the construction of the sets that I can share. I'll be starting with 'The Alleyway' set. This is the first scene in the film and takes place in an alley next the the Theatre. This is where the stage door is located and a mail shoot.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepoLho1jhUNMoqrFyryyYOGQ4E23yMwvcjCx5e65cLQAL-01oDgsv4dyOB4gbJPMHCBAzmLUv9Ff1Ln3YARENA6jJqXlwIK-j9KBcwIOWs3VDC-xTLyV0w3q7ifqLH3nASi-ur_tC92w/s1600/SetsArt1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepoLho1jhUNMoqrFyryyYOGQ4E23yMwvcjCx5e65cLQAL-01oDgsv4dyOB4gbJPMHCBAzmLUv9Ff1Ln3YARENA6jJqXlwIK-j9KBcwIOWs3VDC-xTLyV0w3q7ifqLH3nASi-ur_tC92w/s320/SetsArt1.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above is a concept image made my Josh. It shows the look we're trying to achieve. The Mail Man will need to walk down part of the alley and interact with the door and mail shoot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi8oFjOma5ORdKRvbuI4gGrObM14SI6mJ1nmz23QbUJYa1pL6LYCvemObPRncPhkQPHHOYeOomydqBSdseZkf33pSdW-OYTC6iVlQX3fUqzY2KLdBhCxUyOCcOY6r_V6Ce-pOg_OdYm0/s1600/SetsArt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi8oFjOma5ORdKRvbuI4gGrObM14SI6mJ1nmz23QbUJYa1pL6LYCvemObPRncPhkQPHHOYeOomydqBSdseZkf33pSdW-OYTC6iVlQX3fUqzY2KLdBhCxUyOCcOY6r_V6Ce-pOg_OdYm0/s320/SetsArt2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">The alley is very long and narrow with several tall buildings in the distance that would take a lot of time and money to make. Since we don't have much time or money, we cheat.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzMw4MTPKduNovv-uXQDj-Pp-qs-59peMlgr87UfJudS1OUzNAZvN5-STj2d5L0iSeL2k6C3kLa1keENKUuzXjFHZGeR1NeyLZBTdowc_Gn9ae6Q7gtFJuwLvXcHjUGNPFH0Ax30vu-uU/s1600/Sets01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzMw4MTPKduNovv-uXQDj-Pp-qs-59peMlgr87UfJudS1OUzNAZvN5-STj2d5L0iSeL2k6C3kLa1keENKUuzXjFHZGeR1NeyLZBTdowc_Gn9ae6Q7gtFJuwLvXcHjUGNPFH0Ax30vu-uU/s320/Sets01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Above is a picture of the stage I made <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/04/stages-lights-and-costumes.html">earlier</a>. As you can see we don't have a huge ground surface to work with. The amount of work space is an important factor to consider when designing sets. Our solution was to make a small section of alleyway and digitally extend it later using green screens. I'll explain more about that later. In the limited space we do have, we made the parts of the alley that our Mail Man Puppet will need to interact with.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMw1m1SDcyUer-M76fPr9srkPEuXQ1RdluLbG-xNZlQ1T3eLs_AUoTBnLgQQ0s9Mxa_HL2Jr6_f7jDVnwJqTqLGIaZVoM_-n6Z4_Dp8KynzHS_rMzgE5KBaIPMQjSVgVEbW0m7kpMVS6A/s1600/Sets02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMw1m1SDcyUer-M76fPr9srkPEuXQ1RdluLbG-xNZlQ1T3eLs_AUoTBnLgQQ0s9Mxa_HL2Jr6_f7jDVnwJqTqLGIaZVoM_-n6Z4_Dp8KynzHS_rMzgE5KBaIPMQjSVgVEbW0m7kpMVS6A/s320/Sets02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We started by cutting a large MDF flat that will represent the wall of the theatre. We cut out a doorway and a square hole for the mail shoot, making sure they were in scale with our puppets. (we need our puppets to be able to fit through the doorway). To create the brick texture we spread a thin layer of multi purpose filler over the surface of the MDF.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Wsonk07zKhjRPPfC8x8-JEgRHOR4K66h8wtBmaDBWxqKZgesrhYdhiNEqYS7SZ5RsP-QHmn4Pg3PP-Usn0lSEQUp9gzHSur_gVrUjdPp39Z0YKG-ZkP4aW9z2YA2sgBAocNIy0uxUFQ/s1600/Sets03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Wsonk07zKhjRPPfC8x8-JEgRHOR4K66h8wtBmaDBWxqKZgesrhYdhiNEqYS7SZ5RsP-QHmn4Pg3PP-Usn0lSEQUp9gzHSur_gVrUjdPp39Z0YKG-ZkP4aW9z2YA2sgBAocNIy0uxUFQ/s320/Sets03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When the whole board was covered with a 3mm layer we pressed lines into the surface to represent bricks. We used rulers to ensure the lines were straight and had to work fast because the filler is air drying. While we were working we used a water spray to keep the filler damp. After about 3 hours the filler had set.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-3-Y1jiZvEEx6QdS-Sd5uyTYz17P22JhvGk-ALj5D3O7tZEz65qmDVr8e483V73twj4FdFn4j1V8Q2wvaG8h-1OZxmQX8U0SjE63HI4uqjICpQutVH4fJilWQ2iIFl85BRiuCE996jk/s1600/Sets04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-3-Y1jiZvEEx6QdS-Sd5uyTYz17P22JhvGk-ALj5D3O7tZEz65qmDVr8e483V73twj4FdFn4j1V8Q2wvaG8h-1OZxmQX8U0SjE63HI4uqjICpQutVH4fJilWQ2iIFl85BRiuCE996jk/s320/Sets04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The next stage was to paint the wall. We sprayed the whole surface with grey primer to create the grey concrete colour between bricks. Next we mixed up a terracotta colour in cheap poster paints and sponged it onto the surface in a 'dry brushing' technique. The idea was to colour the top surface of the bricks while leaving the gaps between them grey.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZUGeUTQ81mP95_lmdQXyYrn2mSz8rdCJzKxsh0rbMeSrifHUqniTRc_SOV5-tm2qG8-RzxV0Q5qzm3Nbe1Y39vh_1cUP-Xw2ZudgDWEusMtL_kC4USUOcU9ricx8Hg_58xy5F3yZakc/s1600/Sets05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZUGeUTQ81mP95_lmdQXyYrn2mSz8rdCJzKxsh0rbMeSrifHUqniTRc_SOV5-tm2qG8-RzxV0Q5qzm3Nbe1Y39vh_1cUP-Xw2ZudgDWEusMtL_kC4USUOcU9ricx8Hg_58xy5F3yZakc/s320/Sets05.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>Finally we painted lighter and darker colour variations to select bricks to make them look more diverse. These were painted with a brush in a random pattern. While painting we made sure the colours looked ok while they were under the studio lights. Different lights and bulbs can change the perceived colour of the wall. That's why is some of these pictures the bricks seem to change colour<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ066nGuaQoJkk_rTrkTmK7lkfDKaHSALp15AZ-TjW3my2y1qdDeinDce_xz9VDPSDY7BsvfNXvpPT4lrz0A_sjSMztqwhxk2HRe9brGQGTPtMX8o6enJTN2Z2yOC9BpqDP4QTOR2R8Q4/s1600/Sets06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ066nGuaQoJkk_rTrkTmK7lkfDKaHSALp15AZ-TjW3my2y1qdDeinDce_xz9VDPSDY7BsvfNXvpPT4lrz0A_sjSMztqwhxk2HRe9brGQGTPtMX8o6enJTN2Z2yOC9BpqDP4QTOR2R8Q4/s320/Sets06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here is the wall after it was painted. as you can see it has a purple-ish tint, which matches our design art. There is still a lot of details to add to the wall at this stage such as the door, door frame and mail shoot. I'll continue with that in my next post, as well as the wall on the other side of the alleyway.<br />
P.S I'll try and get <a href="http://joshua-flynn.blogspot.com/">Josh</a> to update his blog too. <br />
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That's all for now,<br />
Until next time.Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-13081672215995566552011-06-09T21:45:00.001+01:002011-06-09T21:47:00.167+01:00Theatre Usher UniformIn this post I'm going to be showing how I made the uniform for the Theatre Usher. The last time I posted about this character I described how I bulked out his armature using balsa wood and upholstery sponge<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPJS23IjwSXXWMbp7wA3GkwbzWVz_aif5RhcCS8gUGY5iLeCrSmHADb1my2dXm68fRqruVd0XWQZJbcUE-9swsaDR2VAp9PopF9C-9-TNsyYrtK3WTF4jsHXFBwN1VhLDjnLDs741KdI/s1600/Usher+Clothes+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPJS23IjwSXXWMbp7wA3GkwbzWVz_aif5RhcCS8gUGY5iLeCrSmHADb1my2dXm68fRqruVd0XWQZJbcUE-9swsaDR2VAp9PopF9C-9-TNsyYrtK3WTF4jsHXFBwN1VhLDjnLDs741KdI/s320/Usher+Clothes+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I the picture above you can see the bulked out puppet body laying next to a printed picture of the character maquette and some red material. I selected this material because its the perfect colour for the uniform. I also took into consideration the thickness of the fabric. Too thick and the clothes wouldn't be flexible enough to move with the puppet. Too thin and the clothes would move a little every time I position the puppet ( creating an unnatural 'boiling' effect in the animation)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLOsd6Q2Ptpfk2bcRrF2PoLrrm5LFvBv-7hahT0RS6RS5v5a7NNvdLaJml8PAeQBc1kCowUZOrukcnhgHLC-tQDSWFA9aSEOE0524tHgYdKoZO0yMK_r5xtdVuKQWTeQouQmm-BtvVL4/s1600/Usher+Clothes+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLOsd6Q2Ptpfk2bcRrF2PoLrrm5LFvBv-7hahT0RS6RS5v5a7NNvdLaJml8PAeQBc1kCowUZOrukcnhgHLC-tQDSWFA9aSEOE0524tHgYdKoZO0yMK_r5xtdVuKQWTeQouQmm-BtvVL4/s320/Usher+Clothes+02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As with the other puppets I've made, I used paper templates to help plan the shape of the clothes. I then traced the shapes onto the fabric and cut them out. It can be difficult getting the desired fit to a puppets clothing and there's a fine line between the puppet looking good and functioning properly. I often have to go back and make small alterations, that's why its useful having the templates. In the pic above you can see the puppet wearing his red trousers. If you compare his legs to Elle's It give you a sense of how bulky this character is. The puppets feet aren't seen much in the film so rather than sculpting and casting silicone shoes I used a quicker and simpler technique.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nCCbAhr4kKnX8448duMZQ-zAs4cW0EG9JGmRQt_CDdkMZUwsL_rd5uMkz62UaDHpnrIfwcDEn59nPJMg-o3OSvrd6uJsP6AnfcZRlkdgW_2AkpFYXAz0UrsnvUHjSy08swH3Hx9K_kc/s1600/Usher+Clothes+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nCCbAhr4kKnX8448duMZQ-zAs4cW0EG9JGmRQt_CDdkMZUwsL_rd5uMkz62UaDHpnrIfwcDEn59nPJMg-o3OSvrd6uJsP6AnfcZRlkdgW_2AkpFYXAz0UrsnvUHjSy08swH3Hx9K_kc/s320/Usher+Clothes+03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Using sharp scissors I cut some blue sponge to fit onto the armature feet. These where shaped to look like big blocky shoes. Next I mixed some black acrylic paint into liquid latex and painted a layer into the sponge. Above you can see the shoes after a few layers of latex. I left the latex to dry a little between layers. ( If latex is left to dry for too long the next layers wont stick and might separate.) After I painted the first few layers I started to dip the feet into the latex. This gave them a thicker coat and left no brush marks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7LVpM2qwIjwJypaR8tqqjK-dGT9Hscx-NYDIJ-gX3q0hqfE4-rnsfqUFAB2bwZn9DhC8A_i2LTrQD8XtnnqGSfcQuigMmKTzgb4_ltRmXpWHuPVBefKOWKL87yy7GluDkhvABF8UoKU/s1600/Usher+Clothes+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7LVpM2qwIjwJypaR8tqqjK-dGT9Hscx-NYDIJ-gX3q0hqfE4-rnsfqUFAB2bwZn9DhC8A_i2LTrQD8XtnnqGSfcQuigMmKTzgb4_ltRmXpWHuPVBefKOWKL87yy7GluDkhvABF8UoKU/s320/Usher+Clothes+04.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>After about 5 or 6 layers the latex built up a shiny flexible skin over the sponge. Finally I stuck the sponge to the armature feet using contact adhesive and added black 'Funky Foam' souls. These feet will still flex at the toe so the character can be animated walking. In the picture above you can also see a gold strip added to the trousers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6Lv7pGCeNs45D2tgmmQo7nbFHJ97NPPUIXDPboYUW4g6CkpSO1XB7lXtBUYotySnhedP8VW53y07wamCLLaK1rin1JAwylJcXaVkbyyh8XQGx6HVzWmjXvgP8v1ZpSHW_htqFoCh8kg/s1600/Usher+Clothes+07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6Lv7pGCeNs45D2tgmmQo7nbFHJ97NPPUIXDPboYUW4g6CkpSO1XB7lXtBUYotySnhedP8VW53y07wamCLLaK1rin1JAwylJcXaVkbyyh8XQGx6HVzWmjXvgP8v1ZpSHW_htqFoCh8kg/s320/Usher+Clothes+07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The gold trim is made from thin ribbon that I stuck onto the surface of the fabric. I use contacts adhesive to stick on extra details like collars, cuffs and buttons. Unlike superglue or PVA glue, contact adhesive doesn't soak through and stain the material. There are probably special fabric glues that would work but contact adhesive is fast to work with and holds up to constant handling.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_yKiG8iHZvxJpz5ZAPDtFp1mu_l0e-0_t9kAIEYhmkUhUav2WiklMhKyJdyl2sSyre8R9psE6SceqBcHLf8IOEYFulf98M29YgHfF6ndFQdx4QSN32vfeozdCYhhbXdSRvY6Wa_-DRc/s1600/Usher+Clothes+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_yKiG8iHZvxJpz5ZAPDtFp1mu_l0e-0_t9kAIEYhmkUhUav2WiklMhKyJdyl2sSyre8R9psE6SceqBcHLf8IOEYFulf98M29YgHfF6ndFQdx4QSN32vfeozdCYhhbXdSRvY6Wa_-DRc/s320/Usher+Clothes+05.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Above you can see the sleeve of the uniform with added detail to the cuff.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMctLspgXYQroiq-2BCpNu0Ye_ppmoK9sgGSXrc-x1kl4Wu9TEIK-EbxFxz9gD_v3FP9vZ3vPRdRYb2LLMVxhOB2TsYovParE0gns0QlOaQj0IvpbaMt_LiB8CmKHlzN0ilqMAEusUgQ/s1600/Usher+Clothes+06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMctLspgXYQroiq-2BCpNu0Ye_ppmoK9sgGSXrc-x1kl4Wu9TEIK-EbxFxz9gD_v3FP9vZ3vPRdRYb2LLMVxhOB2TsYovParE0gns0QlOaQj0IvpbaMt_LiB8CmKHlzN0ilqMAEusUgQ/s320/Usher+Clothes+06.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>Finally, here is a picture of puppet with an almost completed uniform. At this point I handed him over to Josh to continue with (<a href="http://joshua-flynn.blogspot.com/">visit Josh's Blog HERE)</a>. He'll be finishing the head first so that we can plot where to add the collar and finishing details like buttons. He'll probably want to post the details of how he finished the puppet so I'll leave it to him.<br />
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I think that's about it for puppet construction. In my next post I'll probably start talking about sets.<br />
Thanks for reading.Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-47464630283004268902011-05-27T03:10:00.003+01:002011-05-27T03:17:04.332+01:00Elle Puppet Finished<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Sorry I haven't posted any updates in a while. Both me and Josh have been busy shooting scenes for our film and I haven't had much spare time. What we've shot so far is looking very nice.<br />
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<u><b>Elle Puppet Finished</b></u><br />
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I've been working on this character for a long time now and I'm happy to show you the finished puppet.<br />
Below are some turn around photos I took. I posed the puppet to match my original Marquette. I feel that has become for signature stance.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiev6GHuIqEOCr9oblau1LLdEN3SyYA2am4aVCiuZ9wGMS9DBgVfF2yfUib0KEN1fANaKSHIZ4QFKMA3-Dl8m8uHw0jzKWq7lSDjBJSCEdck5VwTEGgnBL0cjCqqD3PoQR9VLGsuIzmXwo/s1600/Elle+Finished+Turnaround+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiev6GHuIqEOCr9oblau1LLdEN3SyYA2am4aVCiuZ9wGMS9DBgVfF2yfUib0KEN1fANaKSHIZ4QFKMA3-Dl8m8uHw0jzKWq7lSDjBJSCEdck5VwTEGgnBL0cjCqqD3PoQR9VLGsuIzmXwo/s400/Elle+Finished+Turnaround+01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIEOp-h-rktfta3CiJDSeKuPI8R6kPdHcabLqprVKi8ZuJA3_Qdi96eHNDi_M-vxpnU6p6Xp0HzIbojk4Va3zT8v4M2QJevc7BCTmPfgPgZcSQz9YYKCofbrEiB8-pfwacTvGRoNgTv8/s1600/Elle+Finished+Turnaround+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIEOp-h-rktfta3CiJDSeKuPI8R6kPdHcabLqprVKi8ZuJA3_Qdi96eHNDi_M-vxpnU6p6Xp0HzIbojk4Va3zT8v4M2QJevc7BCTmPfgPgZcSQz9YYKCofbrEiB8-pfwacTvGRoNgTv8/s400/Elle+Finished+Turnaround+02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In the pictures above you can see the small tie down hole in the shoe. The puppet was only anchored on one foot, but she balanced and held her weight fine. This was the first time I had posed the character in any extreme way to help preserve the life of the wire armature. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Expressions</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below are some different expressions I photographed. I wanted to experiment with the various facial combinations and display the puppets range of emotions. These pictures will be used on posters that appear in our film and used for promotion.( more on that later ).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0v_vvcSRy902Lpur2Vf6QTzUQe1CL33U78Zfc2BNApBSd_d85HRda4XQmCj_ox8LiPIApWsCVKKDnpinUJCZUZKMp0hUHEKFxkI1hVY35WpJdp_UAAskbMIUKXr0LLMcqyHq3exwjqE/s1600/Elle+Finished+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0v_vvcSRy902Lpur2Vf6QTzUQe1CL33U78Zfc2BNApBSd_d85HRda4XQmCj_ox8LiPIApWsCVKKDnpinUJCZUZKMp0hUHEKFxkI1hVY35WpJdp_UAAskbMIUKXr0LLMcqyHq3exwjqE/s320/Elle+Finished+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zYQsfkcohxm8LaNwiyQFNAbOfnRj5sfphwmUKi0Q-nkIDnZFMkSVYVCjfmj8cPAotn_8yLeE4_hckiwev0KWKNPCdduDYNcHSiNCSRdGcxoKiLBnhwRm67M1hybu1QalRk8tO1h3UWM/s1600/Elle+Finished+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zYQsfkcohxm8LaNwiyQFNAbOfnRj5sfphwmUKi0Q-nkIDnZFMkSVYVCjfmj8cPAotn_8yLeE4_hckiwev0KWKNPCdduDYNcHSiNCSRdGcxoKiLBnhwRm67M1hybu1QalRk8tO1h3UWM/s320/Elle+Finished+02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhal5KiQ4n9cWTV8NwPZv7krE0r-00lMXotWLR3gLFgRvzIzByJE-tkXKZL0uFfaxIq4O7011GSJMtKcncNd8eaeys0ZdBDlWFnrrvOG85gECaefD5lxVZDTssPAoUTOCOu-S3IKZZ1WSE/s1600/Elle+Finished+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhal5KiQ4n9cWTV8NwPZv7krE0r-00lMXotWLR3gLFgRvzIzByJE-tkXKZL0uFfaxIq4O7011GSJMtKcncNd8eaeys0ZdBDlWFnrrvOG85gECaefD5lxVZDTssPAoUTOCOu-S3IKZZ1WSE/s320/Elle+Finished+04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtn8UqhrEXR4tbnh2zCH2LNw_PxuwaAuPPr4I3Tpu0F3ywkDaYHxgX2Fy9x-cthiOzWi1EwFllblMwFGpJ4WzdOdRJBYPRxFmIfYfvuvDzUjIjzRjNXEU_AH5Hj2fDZOuf7juPT_kNOrE/s1600/Elle+Finshed+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtn8UqhrEXR4tbnh2zCH2LNw_PxuwaAuPPr4I3Tpu0F3ywkDaYHxgX2Fy9x-cthiOzWi1EwFllblMwFGpJ4WzdOdRJBYPRxFmIfYfvuvDzUjIjzRjNXEU_AH5Hj2fDZOuf7juPT_kNOrE/s320/Elle+Finshed+03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In my previous post I explained the process of painting the final details onto the face and hair. Since then I have also added a few more decorative components such as earrings and a necklace as well as practical elements like eyebrows and eyelids. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Eyebrows and Eyelids</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The eyebrows on this puppet are separate from the replacement brows. This will allow me to have small brow movements in between the more dramatic brow changes. The eyebrows pictured above are sculpted in Bake-n-Bend Sculpey. I chose this material because the eyebrows are very thin, and using a more solid material like regular Sculpey or Milliput would make them brittle and at risk of snapping. Another advantage of using bendy Sculpey was that I could pre-mix the clay to the right colour. In the past I've had trouble with paint scratching off eyebrows during animation. The eyebrows are stuck to the face using Tacky Wax. This is a translucent white wax and as the name suggests, its tacky. Its really good at holding the brows in place and unlike blue tack, it doesn't leave greasy marks. The wax allows the eyebrows to be pushed around the surface of the brow, sliding up and down without falling off.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuSPsM9Yi065inQWwScw5pDC5snzH882PLpPV5rEKfmuzfpW6XiscwcXpxvyx2g0zMacGeAmYulUdDFJVxnPWdTEe5MHdHxv6gok00L-bx1ViEYrv8W73VdslL3GJMB1R_HQktuqRvws/s1600/Elle+Finished+Head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuSPsM9Yi065inQWwScw5pDC5snzH882PLpPV5rEKfmuzfpW6XiscwcXpxvyx2g0zMacGeAmYulUdDFJVxnPWdTEe5MHdHxv6gok00L-bx1ViEYrv8W73VdslL3GJMB1R_HQktuqRvws/s400/Elle+Finished+Head.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've made a selection of differently shaped eyelids to help create different expressions and blinks. Creating eyelids for Elle was a bit more complicated than usual as she constantly has a set of black lashes visible. The set of lashes seen in the picture above are made from Bake-n-Bend Sculpey in the same way as the eyebrows. When Elle needs to blink, the lashes are removed and replaced with eyelids. Each set of eyelids has a new set of lashes sculpted onto them. To make the eyelids I covered a spare set of eyeballs with a thin layer of Milliput. I applied Vaseline between the two to stop them from sticking together. Once the Milliput had set I removed it from the ball and was left with a thin shell that fitted over the eyeball and matched the shape. I cut and shaped these shells to fit the puppets face and into a range of different sizes (fully closed, 1/2 closed, 1/4 closed etc.). So that I didn't get them mixed up I labeled the back of each eyelid with an arrow to tell me which way up they go and with an L or an R to indicate the left or right eye. Once I was happy with the shapes I added lashes to the edge of the eyelids, making sure they were all the same size, shape and length. I painted each eyelid using acrylic paints and added chalk pastel to give a green eye shadow effect. The eyelids stick to the eye balls with a small amount of Tacky Wax.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Jewellery</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The jewellery was very simple to make. The diamond earrings are small Swarovski crystals that my sister sourced for me. (my sister makes custom jewellery <a href="http://www.bluerosejewellery.co.uk/">http://www.bluerosejewellery.co.uk</a>)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The necklace and hair clip are made from Milliput that I carved and sanded into shape. I painted them with a metallic silver spray. The chain for the necklace is made from thin silver wire.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikslhg7JS9SyUI11ojDcb0jaeVASbehOLCE5gWdjV07TGXACNdml4zL-ywXNV86O5eAIHWBVPNjsVbfJy0rDylyTOihawIuClI0e6HsdkaLsokw15gc48sOTuCcoDWp8mVeF2XBPPhl4I/s1600/Elle+Ultimate+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikslhg7JS9SyUI11ojDcb0jaeVASbehOLCE5gWdjV07TGXACNdml4zL-ywXNV86O5eAIHWBVPNjsVbfJy0rDylyTOihawIuClI0e6HsdkaLsokw15gc48sOTuCcoDWp8mVeF2XBPPhl4I/s400/Elle+Ultimate+Image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Finally ,above is an 'Ultimate Image' That I created as part of my Uni course. It's intended to be used to help promote the University, as well as me and my work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's all for today. Next I will give an update on the Theatre Usher and will be showing how I made his uniform. Thanks for reading. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u><br />
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</div><span id="goog_2009459488"></span><span id="goog_2009459489"></span>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-27660579360755754762011-05-11T00:58:00.000+01:002011-05-11T00:58:59.512+01:00Puppet Progression - 'Elle' & 'Theatre Usher'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this post I'll be giving an update on the 'Elle' and 'Theatre Usher' Puppets.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In my previous posts I described how I made eyes for 'Elle' and showed the puppets head with the skin tone coloured faces. I will now show how I painted extra details onto the faces and hair.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9lqoLBovhG3maGcLWGI7K0HuA2GmgKNw3QwaCYUX_MIYvcMb7ZMX6CmyxHYLkym_f0ry52zDcxPChUCP3zIr-2I8c39FdLpWeqzblCfYrm8kdJkkSgJC79mI1Pvpv4A0mYflrGbFK-M/s1600/Ellepaint01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9lqoLBovhG3maGcLWGI7K0HuA2GmgKNw3QwaCYUX_MIYvcMb7ZMX6CmyxHYLkym_f0ry52zDcxPChUCP3zIr-2I8c39FdLpWeqzblCfYrm8kdJkkSgJC79mI1Pvpv4A0mYflrGbFK-M/s320/Ellepaint01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above are the lower face masks for the puppet. As you can see they are a consistent flesh colour. The lips, mouth and teeth need to be hand painted with acrylic paints.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WrhhC9daB_t2eXU-jbTPXl0JrAHhVhw9N6tlxLQKe_6GmyjUQZTib9I0kkfpVgDQ8GK_o4xWIfCIxN3fST7RqcL6nWB5g4KUJzRW4LIi2wWd7_rQpxYaHvXjbXl2LeOf5w_58OGxPVU/s1600/Ellepaint02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WrhhC9daB_t2eXU-jbTPXl0JrAHhVhw9N6tlxLQKe_6GmyjUQZTib9I0kkfpVgDQ8GK_o4xWIfCIxN3fST7RqcL6nWB5g4KUJzRW4LIi2wWd7_rQpxYaHvXjbXl2LeOf5w_58OGxPVU/s320/Ellepaint02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Firstly I painted the inside of the mouths a darker colour using a fine brush. Once that had fully dried I applied white to the teeth and finally red for the lips. It was really small work so I had to keep a steady hand. I used the smallest brush I have. Above is a picture of the masks with painted mouths.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next stage was to add colour to the cheeks and make-up around the eyes. These needed to be very subtle so I used chalk pastels. Unfortunately I completely forgot to take any pictures of the process. Luckily Josh took some photos did when he was painting the Mail Man puppet. Follow the link <a href="http://joshua-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/05/puppet-head-sculpt-mail-man-part-iv.html">HERE</a> to read his post.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I used the exact same process of applying the chalk powder to the face and sealing it with dull coat spray.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Adding pinks and reds to the face helps to give the skin some variation and makes it look more natural.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNN2XYg0NVIxw0R3A4XW_nnd7w6BdYrhM-9i6FUThFw_r4Di90gOkJFQPLjMQQR6XxdQ5p5eJR0vwWRiPtljIvdfT6X1hvUFCXW3yzdAUy-CyrOqXqFRlg3IN4NbxREu3RZdlctqMk4I/s1600/Ellepaint03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNN2XYg0NVIxw0R3A4XW_nnd7w6BdYrhM-9i6FUThFw_r4Di90gOkJFQPLjMQQR6XxdQ5p5eJR0vwWRiPtljIvdfT6X1hvUFCXW3yzdAUy-CyrOqXqFRlg3IN4NbxREu3RZdlctqMk4I/s320/Ellepaint03.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above is a full body shot of the puppet with the painted facial masks. I added some variations in colour to the hair to make it look less yellow and more blond. Regular paints aren't flexible and wouldn't stick to the silicone hair. To solve this problem I pigmented silicone and used that to paint onto the hair. I used a darker brown colour for the recessed areas and dry brushed a light yellow over everywhere else. This helped to bring out the detail in the sculpt. I added an accelerant to the catalyst to help the silicone cure faster. (roughly 30mins) so I had to work fast.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4N2LHapTa4lrA5LajACeMa67pryvQzQd3XxFN8GE6HtN1Lz4T-NPhoVHNJhreoxLfYlfqzTnxBwKQ7ZWKUDbzWJ-nYdDTm20vNEwG2s0Jfv8twqL4QHs9p0qcoXc1YSEXUJq3fx07dQ/s1600/Ellepaint04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4N2LHapTa4lrA5LajACeMa67pryvQzQd3XxFN8GE6HtN1Lz4T-NPhoVHNJhreoxLfYlfqzTnxBwKQ7ZWKUDbzWJ-nYdDTm20vNEwG2s0Jfv8twqL4QHs9p0qcoXc1YSEXUJq3fx07dQ/s320/Ellepaint04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvh2DeZsIbyF9Wrfh4Larj58WoVwYB43yEK69ygcc-RPSEft6hUCdMUEHAO43mk1ftSBNZELZnXnGKNPEUTg_e6QtIkpykfm-5QpUuZmzUhwzUWA9tFBBIHFiUZi4qnH6WZJtMrEvgjk/s1600/Ellepaint05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvh2DeZsIbyF9Wrfh4Larj58WoVwYB43yEK69ygcc-RPSEft6hUCdMUEHAO43mk1ftSBNZELZnXnGKNPEUTg_e6QtIkpykfm-5QpUuZmzUhwzUWA9tFBBIHFiUZi4qnH6WZJtMrEvgjk/s320/Ellepaint05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above are some pictures of 'Elle' with a selection of different expressions. At this stage she doesn't have any eyebrows, eye lashes or jewellery. They will be added next.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Theatre Usher</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now it's time to jump to a different character. I think the last post about the Usher was <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/03/character-armatures-continued.html">HERE</a> where I had made his wire armature. The next stage was to start bulking out his figure, and there was a lot of bulk to add to this chunky character. If you haven't seen it yet, you can view his design <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/02/character-line-out.html">HERE</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlakESPLmMA3uKK6fMIqgXULp98O_Wu9MPbo6up2R4j2Yx2GfPWWTQn0u6-XnKKYJgKPa_ijMsUqijuzJTJvp7C1DqlwjCVaojMPi_w1C2fjDaEYK17OWdF31GFrY2tZvWHVlT3VEvbI/s1600/Usher01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlakESPLmMA3uKK6fMIqgXULp98O_Wu9MPbo6up2R4j2Yx2GfPWWTQn0u6-XnKKYJgKPa_ijMsUqijuzJTJvp7C1DqlwjCVaojMPi_w1C2fjDaEYK17OWdF31GFrY2tZvWHVlT3VEvbI/s320/Usher01.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above you can see I've added blocks of balsa wood around the aluminium armature. These were made it two halves and sandwiched around the armature with epoxy resin glue. The balsa wood keeps the weight down and is easy to shape and sand. The puppets head will be half Sculpey and half plasticine. The back half of the head will be solid to give us something to push against while animating. The front half will be plasticine, allowing us to sculpt changes in expression. We decided to use this system because the Ushers expression doesn't change very much during the film. The plasticine can still be removed and replaced to create extreme changes in expression.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXT236heWeMHcLk8BvDlvneSyFDNXdAuFTv8t-kqWzdsZJTIQOiw0cUO0Z2QIuxjkOXFqp1uSIkB1ACGPELwLBN4hSklcJZ4oQMHK4iOgvrg8D_3Bu0s5wp9q6LBb4lg7vWKW_rywsrw/s1600/Usher02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXT236heWeMHcLk8BvDlvneSyFDNXdAuFTv8t-kqWzdsZJTIQOiw0cUO0Z2QIuxjkOXFqp1uSIkB1ACGPELwLBN4hSklcJZ4oQMHK4iOgvrg8D_3Bu0s5wp9q6LBb4lg7vWKW_rywsrw/s320/Usher02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Above is the puppet with soft sponge added to the arms and legs. Also the torso is covered with a thin white sponge that was cut to fit tightly around his body. The foam is cut and shaped with scissors and glued onto the armature with contact adhesive. The next stage for the Usher is to make his red suit and black shoes.<br />
<br />
I think that's enough for this post<br />
Thanks for reading.Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-18618952738283123762011-05-07T01:17:00.000+01:002011-05-07T01:17:57.196+01:00Paddle Ball Kid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this post I'll be showing the construction of another side character called Paddle Ball Kid.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Much like the 'Little Old Lady' character that I made earlier ( Link <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/04/little-old-lady.html">HERE</a>), Paddle Ball kid plays a small role in the film. Below is a storyboard panel that shows the design of the character. He is seen in the crowded theater lobby, batting his paddle ball with a hypnotized expression on his face.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GP27KS6H80a0l6uWVgZJ17hnKhTJDf6owa-1_HMzl2KIRuuTqc7xk-ZqdHcB2Sg7R2hmozZ5HhQ4FDkFIKN3kmtLNCNgB1LZEYyNCzeJ508W7W8n6h9b84m0ZXNrneGKqYeIqHDSbwU/s1600/Paddle+Ball+Kid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GP27KS6H80a0l6uWVgZJ17hnKhTJDf6owa-1_HMzl2KIRuuTqc7xk-ZqdHcB2Sg7R2hmozZ5HhQ4FDkFIKN3kmtLNCNgB1LZEYyNCzeJ508W7W8n6h9b84m0ZXNrneGKqYeIqHDSbwU/s320/Paddle+Ball+Kid.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As the characters is only seen briefly I didn't need to put too much detail into the construction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The character isn't required to move very much, so most of the puppet will be static.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h6oa3H7Rjtbexc7zRUqWb8zV6EC8oCWPrftIhLpQdIC8L5kms6Hg8iJg7Y5wmm4hvgVxmi3lRSWbENjpC95t2dYzyOMQc6TPEvtGjCfo5bFWUuOmaylqHCqmOEU1MCXLu-fyver-F38/s1600/Paddleballkid01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h6oa3H7Rjtbexc7zRUqWb8zV6EC8oCWPrftIhLpQdIC8L5kms6Hg8iJg7Y5wmm4hvgVxmi3lRSWbENjpC95t2dYzyOMQc6TPEvtGjCfo5bFWUuOmaylqHCqmOEU1MCXLu-fyver-F38/s320/Paddleballkid01.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above is the internal armature made from steel wire and Milliput. I have two K&S points in the chest to allow the arms and head to be removed. I attached a steel M3 nut to the foot to allow the character to be tied down to the base.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQopNEQ3ZBhuyjsT2Hxqr5aaiaRqNPrGxQX9Q2OIfixE49YGb7Ky2k4AKoeyehOnO1VuKFYya2OmXj_OX3E7sWBE8hpXjGjXeIuRnsxVFQpexCH70EHm93RsiXcVsUK5d1CkNbtuJYZQ/s1600/Paddleballkid02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQopNEQ3ZBhuyjsT2Hxqr5aaiaRqNPrGxQX9Q2OIfixE49YGb7Ky2k4AKoeyehOnO1VuKFYya2OmXj_OX3E7sWBE8hpXjGjXeIuRnsxVFQpexCH70EHm93RsiXcVsUK5d1CkNbtuJYZQ/s320/Paddleballkid02.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next I started to sculpt the character onto the armature using Super Sculpey Firm. The eyes are cast in urethane resin (the same size as the Mail Man's). Above you can see the finished head and the rough form of the body. I printed some of my drawn designs to help guide the sculpting process. Unlike all the other puppets so far, I didn't have a marquette to work from.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_08zAl1SNJpJk0Ibji-P2UVrLnVDzgqDKfEuz9-kpKO9X4wDHYiwpc-lAGO5p2lcrVs3hwt-WUMjMW7vPKUBHNq9PBPuTMWoSE-j9We3-mfagze3e6p-JvGWyD3oGJdnQnb6TkyHIPeM/s1600/Paddleballkid03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_08zAl1SNJpJk0Ibji-P2UVrLnVDzgqDKfEuz9-kpKO9X4wDHYiwpc-lAGO5p2lcrVs3hwt-WUMjMW7vPKUBHNq9PBPuTMWoSE-j9We3-mfagze3e6p-JvGWyD3oGJdnQnb6TkyHIPeM/s320/Paddleballkid03.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rather than trying to sculpt everything at once, I like to sculpt in layers. For example, I sculpted and baked the head bald, and then added the hair onto the solid surface. This helps to prevent me from squashing one area while focusing on another. In the picture above you can see the aluminium wire arm holding the bat. This is the only part of the puppet that will be animated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeC93JEylmPaoLcpo2Oj2RXPS-O-EJSJ_MYNuS4KLHfNzZCTRdzdQlqBKyhZqKr54YtvGrhLKtCSBh1OjnWTt3mdZqZeuEzAFzmM2q2gbqeJyyPxpZ46YjNbYWHoVHltOpZoDOrHWUm8/s1600/Paddleballkid04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeC93JEylmPaoLcpo2Oj2RXPS-O-EJSJ_MYNuS4KLHfNzZCTRdzdQlqBKyhZqKr54YtvGrhLKtCSBh1OjnWTt3mdZqZeuEzAFzmM2q2gbqeJyyPxpZ46YjNbYWHoVHltOpZoDOrHWUm8/s320/Paddleballkid04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">To allow the arm to flex with the aluminium wire I sculpted it in Bake-n-Bend Sculpey. Above is the finished sculpture including, arms, belt, bat and bow tie.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6E6VfXbPVxrJN47qCt8dZE_-hyPIFmnCf267QydPZ65kfSxCpNJBxqNJSdKqVcsLFD1gEkftj0sxmZ4u7ZhJs4Phmqfx72RHDm9K_kzze1bmxw92BNVXZVOpA-u-05SpUwJbA_2qz3vE/s1600/Paddleballkid05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6E6VfXbPVxrJN47qCt8dZE_-hyPIFmnCf267QydPZ65kfSxCpNJBxqNJSdKqVcsLFD1gEkftj0sxmZ4u7ZhJs4Phmqfx72RHDm9K_kzze1bmxw92BNVXZVOpA-u-05SpUwJbA_2qz3vE/s320/Paddleballkid05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The picture above shows how the character breaks apart into separate components. The head and right arm slot into place with K&S tubing. The other parts will be glued on after painting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYQ_q8CEDxv0aOwUe-53QWQ0IdJAqQ_6JMIh3yZ3gY361TAHesxYWVSOO3EZob_UT7Y2CPHdaT7utDtbNbTPWtjAKCfhAkOIrRlSD0G_sSWYUV1ZQD2suvSZgwiX1UAhAQdZglxg-HKU/s1600/Paddleballkid06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYQ_q8CEDxv0aOwUe-53QWQ0IdJAqQ_6JMIh3yZ3gY361TAHesxYWVSOO3EZob_UT7Y2CPHdaT7utDtbNbTPWtjAKCfhAkOIrRlSD0G_sSWYUV1ZQD2suvSZgwiX1UAhAQdZglxg-HKU/s320/Paddleballkid06.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The sculpture was primed white to prepare the surface for painting</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-MPQrD7Byzp24ikSleyV1WoWvBOBVY11Q7LcNQuS5tRxJ3XahjXD-7yOZLvLDMvKZdU_FToYeBSW5tDpaXaECqrBSCXfbFD2MsZuFnbq8qo9KUIOal_lJI0lWis_MxZzNAgmXqLXmiIU/s1600/Paddleballkid07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-MPQrD7Byzp24ikSleyV1WoWvBOBVY11Q7LcNQuS5tRxJ3XahjXD-7yOZLvLDMvKZdU_FToYeBSW5tDpaXaECqrBSCXfbFD2MsZuFnbq8qo9KUIOal_lJI0lWis_MxZzNAgmXqLXmiIU/s320/Paddleballkid07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I hand painted the puppet with acrylic paints and added shading with chalk pastels. Above are all the painted components ready to be assembled.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiMiEDUL6hCw_qyaw8XRCG-aaWyZYTFqe8-oQjzSafrZMZbJJd922jAqeokf7lhGNKoOxyPYRnads0DG6HErj7KNsArdDFa3eAoShA-b3LImNyB0CNjATvnr9EyCXZkRp9I22Ohi9l1w/s1600/Paddleballkid08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiMiEDUL6hCw_qyaw8XRCG-aaWyZYTFqe8-oQjzSafrZMZbJJd922jAqeokf7lhGNKoOxyPYRnads0DG6HErj7KNsArdDFa3eAoShA-b3LImNyB0CNjATvnr9EyCXZkRp9I22Ohi9l1w/s400/Paddleballkid08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Finally, here is the finished character ready to be filmed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3G7INqz2NGwfAZbXZ3vFIFDerHYANd60q7ov6e0JjizbDo8eFOOXkxQzURD9QG2PVdJx7eb4MNk6DJsS2fE59b_dSAwG5KVFDXyWaefmlYRIshATZubxD4lDgJEAtwZQnfgJqplJ90Y/s1600/Paddleballkid09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3G7INqz2NGwfAZbXZ3vFIFDerHYANd60q7ov6e0JjizbDo8eFOOXkxQzURD9QG2PVdJx7eb4MNk6DJsS2fE59b_dSAwG5KVFDXyWaefmlYRIshATZubxD4lDgJEAtwZQnfgJqplJ90Y/s320/Paddleballkid09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In my next post I'll show the updates to the 'Elle' puppet and the start of the bulky Theatre Usher.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for reading.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-13641813979253888952011-05-01T01:54:00.000+01:002011-05-01T01:54:32.278+01:00Eyes<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">To animate the characters eyes a pin will be inserted into a hole in the pupil to help roll the eye in its socket. This gives good control for subtle eye adjustments. In this post I'll be showing the process of finishing the eyes.</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4aK3lu2M20W5670LoEOcZCZBfJBe8reS1HgALan6qBuvYXOlDFTYkn7bd6J3y9cdU0xhbxIPLr-gLlK3jL_PqJr8QrtpJtXnQNU5p0vLkCOCzRsTK4-4FVjoOu4Rvq1t72hYfCEtico/s1600/Eyes01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4aK3lu2M20W5670LoEOcZCZBfJBe8reS1HgALan6qBuvYXOlDFTYkn7bd6J3y9cdU0xhbxIPLr-gLlK3jL_PqJr8QrtpJtXnQNU5p0vLkCOCzRsTK4-4FVjoOu4Rvq1t72hYfCEtico/s320/Eyes01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The first stage was to drill a small hole into the polyurethane eye balls I made earlier. I used the smallest drill bit I have, which is about the same diameter as a pin. I secured the ball into some Plasticine to hold it steady and drilled half way through.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiQYHgoKkg1N_yGQWw2nJ2z3fIbPiHfBn_GbAO4jvmtz3_d5YG_f8c0TFkcQf_92HmKeRUxj6jpCRh60LGHmHc4UfAadzNRlYv95XSYM9EqC3pxnakMcdrjEkwDbqjzCWWVoVKzZ9OqA/s1600/Eyes02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiQYHgoKkg1N_yGQWw2nJ2z3fIbPiHfBn_GbAO4jvmtz3_d5YG_f8c0TFkcQf_92HmKeRUxj6jpCRh60LGHmHc4UfAadzNRlYv95XSYM9EqC3pxnakMcdrjEkwDbqjzCWWVoVKzZ9OqA/s320/Eyes02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Next I made some concave circles to act as irises. I used a small spherical grinding piece and my rotary tool.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwuGDsPUa_ZCABhDrdqzOCksiXpU3GFXlPz1ormzi44ufyr2DqxRrT0uNUT5TGGLpWRxRGbehZ5FyxLxMQ2ue6eiTtNtcWJx2x8UYQ0Unu5D56tmW3Ff3j0KF7WDu3mSVlRKUhDVSwamM/s1600/Eyes03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwuGDsPUa_ZCABhDrdqzOCksiXpU3GFXlPz1ormzi44ufyr2DqxRrT0uNUT5TGGLpWRxRGbehZ5FyxLxMQ2ue6eiTtNtcWJx2x8UYQ0Unu5D56tmW3Ff3j0KF7WDu3mSVlRKUhDVSwamM/s320/Eyes03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In the picture above you can see the concave irises a little clearer. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcHXqNYoSQOiUwUTrvF6niXgt8g7-B03CCuJnzPpGhlLI1g7w9BUzANn3ns6dO0F6fyZDsEPLAdN6oXBatwbJdcGbmewedGlgVirk-eINqnPCM9JoliBGP7IGmg-PFUpm3V0DjhO1Jyo/s1600/Eyes04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcHXqNYoSQOiUwUTrvF6niXgt8g7-B03CCuJnzPpGhlLI1g7w9BUzANn3ns6dO0F6fyZDsEPLAdN6oXBatwbJdcGbmewedGlgVirk-eINqnPCM9JoliBGP7IGmg-PFUpm3V0DjhO1Jyo/s320/Eyes04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally I painted in the blue eye colours using a very fine brush. I started with a dark blue and then painted a lighter blue centre, leaving a ring of dark around the edge. Next I added some different shades of blue branching out from the centre and black for the pupil. After the paint had dried I added some gloss to catch the light.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These next pictures were taken before I did the eyes but I thought I'd post them just to show the puppet with the painted head. This I still a work in progress.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr60jvlYLHSux79tVXBf_pQjvJijl7wGi0JZWxxaO77fxVdOF8RREFxFphBulAG4Y1okOTIUU14pyr6AlLDNXNyRYG50QL6UpD3mTV64M0mZZgvLzPOt3VrjvEUO6fLZkrGyOO3BYj5SU/s1600/Eyes05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr60jvlYLHSux79tVXBf_pQjvJijl7wGi0JZWxxaO77fxVdOF8RREFxFphBulAG4Y1okOTIUU14pyr6AlLDNXNyRYG50QL6UpD3mTV64M0mZZgvLzPOt3VrjvEUO6fLZkrGyOO3BYj5SU/s320/Eyes05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPDgW9JLWBd4tIMJFpIVl1cl0St5p_LbweDjKpx_fWwFnVGJV2uw6kevrc_l4gEoejShMBmyoW9H7zJOJvXRj0hlPfE7gFU9GdDDGkILl-SkNCxB00tK74wZHZqkNOR8mfEJi_15M24g/s1600/Eyes06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPDgW9JLWBd4tIMJFpIVl1cl0St5p_LbweDjKpx_fWwFnVGJV2uw6kevrc_l4gEoejShMBmyoW9H7zJOJvXRj0hlPfE7gFU9GdDDGkILl-SkNCxB00tK74wZHZqkNOR8mfEJi_15M24g/s320/Eyes06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above are the Mail Man Puppets next to Elle to show their scale in comparison to each other.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In my next post I'll show how I've painted Elle's faces and hair and added some finishing details.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for looking.</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-35289535654993356302011-04-28T00:58:00.008+01:002011-04-28T01:09:28.298+01:00Little Old LadyThe three Main Characters in our film are 'Roy' the Mail Man, 'Elle'the Actress and the bulky Theatre Usher. These characters play crucial roles in the story, which is why both me and Josh are making fully articulated puppets of them. Side characters still need to made, but their construction can be more simplistic. In this post I'll be showing the construction of a secondary character from start to finish.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3m0KY7EZEH0dTOcAyd56c_EQsk51r5cLamhyphenhyphenDtTmhfMDuJCXqnR8_yjghBM_-PeSVOxHLEBGtzQ21htR5v6kOF4eMjmceKecrFzJBBY331Phso5YY3CYHvgGDc0ms2CeidWCBg0wKK3M/s1600/Little+old+lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3m0KY7EZEH0dTOcAyd56c_EQsk51r5cLamhyphenhyphenDtTmhfMDuJCXqnR8_yjghBM_-PeSVOxHLEBGtzQ21htR5v6kOF4eMjmceKecrFzJBBY331Phso5YY3CYHvgGDc0ms2CeidWCBg0wKK3M/s320/Little+old+lady.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This Little Old Lady is one of the side characters that 'Roy' runs into during the film. Above is the digitally painted Maquette showing the characters design.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUI7o403lQECXVf5ymPgxiub5xy1UM8GowlDg5aRs9p5Vm8SFFEBVI01Mb2x914uTaZvJZaKqGon6I6YOf5jf7-N8Ud_T5sAtSp_2uJmpOZXdPYK5vVK8V3q9FCIDf2HdRNTE6TMIBI8/s1600/OldLady01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUI7o403lQECXVf5ymPgxiub5xy1UM8GowlDg5aRs9p5Vm8SFFEBVI01Mb2x914uTaZvJZaKqGon6I6YOf5jf7-N8Ud_T5sAtSp_2uJmpOZXdPYK5vVK8V3q9FCIDf2HdRNTE6TMIBI8/s320/OldLady01.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started by making this armature, using the maquette as a guide. The character doesn't need to walk or move around too much so its designed to be mostly static. The only movable parts are the arms and neck. The feet have M3 nuts inside them to help bolt the puppet to the set floor. The legs are made from steel wire and larger parts of the character are bulked out with balsa wood. The arms and neck slot into the K&S points located in the chest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0Gu0tvcRZ3aDdFZmNnMD7uiyXRz638DO6_nWUFa1eu8zkvaa96KGqt1k7mfwhH0ywLsEBQ-aeU-aPQQ6oQYi27E5YdpzscPwcHED-hA5XRvXYwVrMGXM45QRcdi1q9Gx9SdVLu6oToA/s1600/OldLady02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0Gu0tvcRZ3aDdFZmNnMD7uiyXRz638DO6_nWUFa1eu8zkvaa96KGqt1k7mfwhH0ywLsEBQ-aeU-aPQQ6oQYi27E5YdpzscPwcHED-hA5XRvXYwVrMGXM45QRcdi1q9Gx9SdVLu6oToA/s320/OldLady02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After sanding the balsa wood into shape I started to apply clay onto the surface. I used Super Sculpey Firm and Liquid Sculpey to help the clay adhere to the balsa. Above you can see the original plasticine maquette to the left and the sculpt in progress on the right.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0L1Zb-luQF54QuICCso69nEgbJBLEN6Jl8y2p9eypDYORhsKehEvqTkIe7cXw__VWW-j4mfkbXmiFOBu5KVL4LiT5wdnwR8FsPRwbi2lSdpxzwkHtrSPQYzS4sdo1gHX1_bv9nKAnZ7E/s1600/OldLady03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0L1Zb-luQF54QuICCso69nEgbJBLEN6Jl8y2p9eypDYORhsKehEvqTkIe7cXw__VWW-j4mfkbXmiFOBu5KVL4LiT5wdnwR8FsPRwbi2lSdpxzwkHtrSPQYzS4sdo1gHX1_bv9nKAnZ7E/s320/OldLady03.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before sculpting the hair I baked the head. This gave me a solid surface to work on and meant I wouldn't accidentally squash the facial details while focusing on the hair. The arms are made from aluminium wire and 'Bake-n-Bend' Sculpey. This is a polymer clay that once baked in the oven becomes rubbery. This means the arms can be repositioned and animated to give a little wave.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQ6aYdSlxZ4HB6CV1jskrwIYNVcn5bpOmr4cmr7TlrO49ZfLJ-h3HidrR9PR7rBf7unwyZna0MeUVirR9NxZVjNux8sMYmx4QiI0Qkl6Q7kQ1g-XJnP-DKgLn2O6QiZld1yp-FqVrPb8/s1600/OldLady04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQ6aYdSlxZ4HB6CV1jskrwIYNVcn5bpOmr4cmr7TlrO49ZfLJ-h3HidrR9PR7rBf7unwyZna0MeUVirR9NxZVjNux8sMYmx4QiI0Qkl6Q7kQ1g-XJnP-DKgLn2O6QiZld1yp-FqVrPb8/s320/OldLady04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The glasses and her bag were sculpted separately. Instead of sculpting the dress I will be adding material around the balsa wood. using real fabric helps to add more texture to the character, rather than all solid painted surfaces.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JS2-6VPVWKF_OYK_jIP6hzklZchjF9LfniDpfzOjD2aVJgfLWZAD-u1rlAv5gQt12ONT57hyphenhypheno-p7C4kr8nkbB7oXZdf9Tz7y8Y0ng1U_iYwuOl-JF1hfmUr25esIhj8HjO8XsYUNBHk/s1600/OldLady05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JS2-6VPVWKF_OYK_jIP6hzklZchjF9LfniDpfzOjD2aVJgfLWZAD-u1rlAv5gQt12ONT57hyphenhypheno-p7C4kr8nkbB7oXZdf9Tz7y8Y0ng1U_iYwuOl-JF1hfmUr25esIhj8HjO8XsYUNBHk/s320/OldLady05.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above is the finished sculpture after being primed white ready for painting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7XUld41bLpzzcgLuKeWtCTXQydpk0XiNj_i5P59pnpalf47YGj6fyy9JLdeiwvg8-9LbzbeKeqJu0iMBbQk6IINbkHLhK9-YhFNfi0PTrmF4Ihe6Mfvj6RUQMNhrXbaVdXMJe4r7eWE/s1600/OldLady06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7XUld41bLpzzcgLuKeWtCTXQydpk0XiNj_i5P59pnpalf47YGj6fyy9JLdeiwvg8-9LbzbeKeqJu0iMBbQk6IINbkHLhK9-YhFNfi0PTrmF4Ihe6Mfvj6RUQMNhrXbaVdXMJe4r7eWE/s320/OldLady06.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I painted the figure by hand using acrylic paints. Plastic lenses were added to the glasses and glued onto the characters head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJYVCgWInYvMiDOYMciG13t3oHWPq7waFiIAb8XGVvxwRPVwhOwLckWhUU-N2NYIRsaG8XsjTC8Yha7530WyxoOVYYAbN4SyLdrUzgjQqg9WZ9XqdZO-gDPKJWVhbwN47yIJzVOKuLpE/s1600/OldLady07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJYVCgWInYvMiDOYMciG13t3oHWPq7waFiIAb8XGVvxwRPVwhOwLckWhUU-N2NYIRsaG8XsjTC8Yha7530WyxoOVYYAbN4SyLdrUzgjQqg9WZ9XqdZO-gDPKJWVhbwN47yIJzVOKuLpE/s320/OldLady07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Having the character break apart into separate components makes painting the character a lot easier. The pattern on the dress has changed slightly from my original design. We found a pink polka dot material that I feel fits the 50's theme a lot better. The dress was glued into place with contact adhesive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnubLRgEXN6DOlRRy_-c88n-fa1E711Hpodyr7qjUBtpnYHQHzhoah_SGhu-DXNlros7PU9_hf_VVI9ryHkNxt5yuQV5TpssGaLW9WeSVnTmHerArDXA4Brq86LWJ4c64cSwvgWxNmjGY/s1600/OldLady08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnubLRgEXN6DOlRRy_-c88n-fa1E711Hpodyr7qjUBtpnYHQHzhoah_SGhu-DXNlros7PU9_hf_VVI9ryHkNxt5yuQV5TpssGaLW9WeSVnTmHerArDXA4Brq86LWJ4c64cSwvgWxNmjGY/s400/OldLady08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally I assembled all the pieces together and the character was complete, ready for filming.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once I'd finished I realised the figure was able to balance on it's own without tie downs, so I took the pictures above.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We haven't given her a proper name yet. We just call her Little Old Lady. I'm open to any suggestions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for reading.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-36036767385487544132011-04-26T01:15:00.001+01:002011-04-26T01:19:58.512+01:00Replacement Puppet Faces<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this post I will be showing how I made replacement faces for the character 'Elle'.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Inspired by the system used in 'Coraline' we have chosen to make individual 'masks' that fit onto the puppets head. Each mask has a different sculpt to give the character a range of emotions and mouth shapes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Earlier in this blog I showed how I cast the puppets head and ten identical face masks. You can see that post <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/04/moulding-casting-head.html">HERE</a>. Also you can read about making faces for the Mail Man in Josh's blog <a href="http://joshua-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/04/puppet-head-sculpt-mail-man-part-iii.html">HERE</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0K57SlSYt3Ban0H3tYpq5ZffJ47plVwNERB-d8SOTHagJr8zSQ0BwvLiHqV0Cc9gy4Jw-SsHmsR1KtVC3T1D_jX6fmuO7ee_HGrrZs2Q9GyiSiLzbs8zd7Iw41bvKfBybgxIaJAvf9KA/s1600/Faces01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0K57SlSYt3Ban0H3tYpq5ZffJ47plVwNERB-d8SOTHagJr8zSQ0BwvLiHqV0Cc9gy4Jw-SsHmsR1KtVC3T1D_jX6fmuO7ee_HGrrZs2Q9GyiSiLzbs8zd7Iw41bvKfBybgxIaJAvf9KA/s320/Faces01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Firstly, I needed to solve the problem of sticking the masks to the head. They needed to be held firmly in a non-permanent way that allowed them to be removed and replaced during animation. The cleanest solution was to use small Neodymium magnets. I drilled two holes into the head that allowed the magnets to be counter sunk. One magnet below the eyes to hold the mouth masks and another on the forehead to hold the brow masks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxicLsaQzGQHytOcBPPGxiSqCiD4QQS2Js0sKuLS2Rw1Plq9HR0ai4ZrDPcAYfMPInG7KLV5PttrVU_gK0ZBEpTB_OSM2yZLUyM27M43wM7E_Yzq3BNNQGKyiwJWCgi8Yaz1jU3CZf18/s1600/Faces02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxicLsaQzGQHytOcBPPGxiSqCiD4QQS2Js0sKuLS2Rw1Plq9HR0ai4ZrDPcAYfMPInG7KLV5PttrVU_gK0ZBEpTB_OSM2yZLUyM27M43wM7E_Yzq3BNNQGKyiwJWCgi8Yaz1jU3CZf18/s320/Faces02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The magnets where glued into place with epoxy. Next I marked the location of the magnet onto the inside of each mask. This location indicated where a small amount of metal needed to be added. This is what the magnet would be attracted to, holding the mask in place against the head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FFOYhxskWuqQ3fVkOMWGsTJjx4MtwvZfBJfrOBt5ks2zhX7MWn5LsIRgKVP7RocpHUeOHmNBOa3tx0edoAQeTy0UvRUZIv6vmYgvRJl5zHld121ohy1kCz3ysxIXWct0lQnNFrRkl0E/s1600/Faces03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FFOYhxskWuqQ3fVkOMWGsTJjx4MtwvZfBJfrOBt5ks2zhX7MWn5LsIRgKVP7RocpHUeOHmNBOa3tx0edoAQeTy0UvRUZIv6vmYgvRJl5zHld121ohy1kCz3ysxIXWct0lQnNFrRkl0E/s320/Faces03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I cut the heads off some steel tacks and counter sunk them into the backs of the masks. The flat head and size of the tacks worked well with the magnets. If I had used to much metal the attraction to the magnet would have been too strong, making the faces difficult to remove. Not enough metal would mean the faces didn't stick. I added the tacks to all ten mouth masks and the three brow masks, gluing them into place using epoxy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUViDw9BPtJrOJyMFvfPWYgX_SxEaQmT-xIhkDnVAV6rqjI1qnpDk2-NTUxQDfpN2MBOq6HuAjVxsyL2NgcCop1L5BTlOvNmYDTpNoUwf37d515VeO72P1w_4qoU0ivc5aCHgFuOzYe4/s1600/Faces04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUViDw9BPtJrOJyMFvfPWYgX_SxEaQmT-xIhkDnVAV6rqjI1qnpDk2-NTUxQDfpN2MBOq6HuAjVxsyL2NgcCop1L5BTlOvNmYDTpNoUwf37d515VeO72P1w_4qoU0ivc5aCHgFuOzYe4/s320/Faces04.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next stage was to sculpt in the mouth details using Super Sculpey polymer clay. I started by sculpting the neutral mouth expression. In the picture above you can see the early stages of the sculpt. Also you can see some small progression with the dress.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkos3SJcUG-HhVcgDcM3u0kcJWUsDM7-2Y8x1eTgiXvHM3GNCKpA3_h9w0HMtJdZp0fx7lWn2FLP0f-X1ypSXQ7Me3qidyRcGqsAWgSZLGPwWWKt16eMy1TC0qiFaB7nE9S3VZyQRbk0/s1600/Faces05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkos3SJcUG-HhVcgDcM3u0kcJWUsDM7-2Y8x1eTgiXvHM3GNCKpA3_h9w0HMtJdZp0fx7lWn2FLP0f-X1ypSXQ7Me3qidyRcGqsAWgSZLGPwWWKt16eMy1TC0qiFaB7nE9S3VZyQRbk0/s320/Faces05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above are some more mouths sculpted. I'm only making the expressions that I need for this film so I've used the storyboards to help plan what mouth shapes are used. These include shocked, sad, bored and multiple different smiles. The three brows were sculpted into neutral, raised brow and frowning expressions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalENObG-dPJM-TsAUmpaTXZe4vtOMKrBaIBSXiVbQe0_D5NybQL9ujIkuli7yZNt8VHZu9qvxepKRKFgezkM2M91L_F-q2CNikZZWlQ5dRF5D6STKz6XN0IgPH2_Qsk7PltGP6yFK8iM/s1600/Faces06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalENObG-dPJM-TsAUmpaTXZe4vtOMKrBaIBSXiVbQe0_D5NybQL9ujIkuli7yZNt8VHZu9qvxepKRKFgezkM2M91L_F-q2CNikZZWlQ5dRF5D6STKz6XN0IgPH2_Qsk7PltGP6yFK8iM/s320/Faces06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While sculpting the mouths I kept checking to see if they worked on camera. I used my Canon DSLR connected to a laptop with Stop Motion Pro 7. This gave me a live view and I could flick between captured images to see if the faces worked in relation to each other. I took pictures of the head from the front and from the side. Any problems were easily identified and corrected before that clay was baked hard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtifV1tKGjF7SjZHslYoBMRnKoo8GAVLAuOESz5LTDBd52i_xj5d4i-Om3CJM9jvYthT_7spJeFWeu79813JH5MgT3qyfXcradiYlYHvHHW5ZyTYoDvQyNlhrPHyJNZ5IXBTA8oB5yVhk/s1600/Faces07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtifV1tKGjF7SjZHslYoBMRnKoo8GAVLAuOESz5LTDBd52i_xj5d4i-Om3CJM9jvYthT_7spJeFWeu79813JH5MgT3qyfXcradiYlYHvHHW5ZyTYoDvQyNlhrPHyJNZ5IXBTA8oB5yVhk/s320/Faces07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The picture above shows all the masks I've made for Elle including ten different mouths and three brows. After baking these were sanded smooth ready for priming.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuTUvsZOMiON6X32pqKWzShUHtj5AT3JXCL_Bh0jvoUR9WIhECik69rI8ySsvjGkqk4hkiqBh7fBWCgGJYyWn__aClb1ukKJcp1QdfYR-MUtIIizKkZgYobmBN_YR4ALP1It6SybWKOA/s1600/Faces08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuTUvsZOMiON6X32pqKWzShUHtj5AT3JXCL_Bh0jvoUR9WIhECik69rI8ySsvjGkqk4hkiqBh7fBWCgGJYyWn__aClb1ukKJcp1QdfYR-MUtIIizKkZgYobmBN_YR4ALP1It6SybWKOA/s320/Faces08.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I painted the masks and the head with a white primer spray paint. This gives a good base coat for the next layer of paint to stick to. I suspended each part away from the surface so avoid any paint pooling at the edges. Also I masked the back of each face to stop any paint from sticking there. Any paint of the back might cause unwanted friction when putting the faces onto the head. I covered the front of the head with masking tape for the same reason.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93ezDDC5UdSBIT_D-lr3_Y9TvNniVYbVPuQAd1hyezapsvvQYv1hyuaPaNSAeSp1nO8uOfFEmdEeiKkKxXTMgFGhIjun9dhztIuf2fgQoOHPHpgG7nQDJkch-Fqs1oi6RWbq7yT9V1Pk/s1600/Faces09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh93ezDDC5UdSBIT_D-lr3_Y9TvNniVYbVPuQAd1hyezapsvvQYv1hyuaPaNSAeSp1nO8uOfFEmdEeiKkKxXTMgFGhIjun9dhztIuf2fgQoOHPHpgG7nQDJkch-Fqs1oi6RWbq7yT9V1Pk/s320/Faces09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After applying a few layers of primer and allowing it to set, I added the skin tone colour. Again I used a spray can. This was to ensure that each mask was the same colour. Mixing the paint and brushing by hand might have led to unwanted variations in colour. Also this spray paint will hold up better to constant handling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made sure that I matched this colour when I pigmented the silicone used for the arms and legs so all the skin tones on the puppet will be consistent.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjledeNG13zaqnsFQHYY2LUh4BcjKFIydo5BgTXbP_MsViW8EnqzFMUe5_veknjfoY1yZq1BIR4f04OFqxl9HqlzhTHPEDvI43cRkjesaKFhSGO5oQoCs7nYNUjDSCY3DTjyf174FCbUNo/s1600/Faces10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjledeNG13zaqnsFQHYY2LUh4BcjKFIydo5BgTXbP_MsViW8EnqzFMUe5_veknjfoY1yZq1BIR4f04OFqxl9HqlzhTHPEDvI43cRkjesaKFhSGO5oQoCs7nYNUjDSCY3DTjyf174FCbUNo/s320/Faces10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above are all the components after being sprayed. The next stage will be to paint details like teeth, lips and make-up onto each mask.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for reading.</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-25088968164024756162011-04-24T00:01:00.003+01:002011-04-24T00:07:08.021+01:00Stages, Lights and Costumes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All my posts seem to have been about puppets recently, so I thought I'd show something different today.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pretty soon me and Josh are going to be making sets and we need a stage to build and film on. The stage needs to be very sturdy, any wobble would cause the sets to move and ruin a shot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We plan to shoot our film on two stages. One in our university and one at home in our garage. This means we can both be working on different scenes simultaneously. Our University has most of the equipment needed for filming but we need to assemble a second set to allow us to film in our garage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigK-qXTaav96Aww7Nv27mcITYMf1NXsueZCyFvuezqvGxBBSkYvGJuXMJ8yB3L_bMG4siawMxCGtAt64_nwjVwXEZt5eXJHpUJEzVJHe1aWae6Exbj5t9n5cSyBf1AjXlBx81WmozWvGk/s1600/Settable01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigK-qXTaav96Aww7Nv27mcITYMf1NXsueZCyFvuezqvGxBBSkYvGJuXMJ8yB3L_bMG4siawMxCGtAt64_nwjVwXEZt5eXJHpUJEzVJHe1aWae6Exbj5t9n5cSyBf1AjXlBx81WmozWvGk/s320/Settable01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Firstly we cleared a space wear the stage table would be built. Space is a bit tight so we had to build the table in situ. We cut all the legs, making sure they were the same length and braced them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5Hl57lxcMkxpIpLM-SQ_1hr2rX7Rhxqs4k33FIQ13_OWeawR50DXzcXVSlfG1lb9cqls16CpL_34crFBA6_vpiaRQ23a1G2vIIOrOi-4AIE0aG3B8gLUD5HsVvj0F9DnDDSRWqSLoM8/s1600/Settable02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5Hl57lxcMkxpIpLM-SQ_1hr2rX7Rhxqs4k33FIQ13_OWeawR50DXzcXVSlfG1lb9cqls16CpL_34crFBA6_vpiaRQ23a1G2vIIOrOi-4AIE0aG3B8gLUD5HsVvj0F9DnDDSRWqSLoM8/s320/Settable02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above you can see the frame for the table top to rest on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">( the exercise bike lives in the garage. we couldn't find a new home for it so we had to build the stage around it.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZp_OQsitsZ3OaQS4t7v4boRnbU8GIIxX_S8D1hPAqiSMhMb1SCNMhPOmq_nHSO4pdkCw2oZwhLlEovZBop2LzGibeySoFjbS0fZQqSRfHlVtrlurD2T7pSeEUVHpw904kQ7OrMophzYw/s1600/Settable03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZp_OQsitsZ3OaQS4t7v4boRnbU8GIIxX_S8D1hPAqiSMhMb1SCNMhPOmq_nHSO4pdkCw2oZwhLlEovZBop2LzGibeySoFjbS0fZQqSRfHlVtrlurD2T7pSeEUVHpw904kQ7OrMophzYw/s320/Settable03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Finally we attached the MDF board to make the table surface. The table feels really solid and heavy so there shouldn't be any problems with the set moving. The stage is roughly 6 feet wide giving us plenty of space to build sets on. Also the height of the table is important. Most stop motion animatiors prefer to work standing up. A higher working surface is more comfortable to work with.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5FlytXxbHGuPfuho6wZfu313qE1uNCCIpYFANijOpyTGlTNjiDY_DXy9wAujGu6ANOR03PF_sbS2WU1y5qXHd20lpaLDFxznMO0wBsgIlS0fk_zHQ_5aCzr5Zhd93WBTrDWndeyFN2c/s1600/Settable04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5FlytXxbHGuPfuho6wZfu313qE1uNCCIpYFANijOpyTGlTNjiDY_DXy9wAujGu6ANOR03PF_sbS2WU1y5qXHd20lpaLDFxznMO0wBsgIlS0fk_zHQ_5aCzr5Zhd93WBTrDWndeyFN2c/s320/Settable04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We will be blocking out the window to stop external light entering the garage. Any variable light such as sunlight would cause flicker in the animation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Lighting</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSE-R7bYesnhMDV7H560D7xX-3tXvuNvVxoFNNgNDXE4KPo6ebhMBuVuHUltM29or9o09SaGrMxeYzntBDNWeBfJaj_O6Ne1sBMwO1Fp6xKvTuWmlaActY4y4Pvm8fNVGR9Ri23zjgpQ/s1600/Lights01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSE-R7bYesnhMDV7H560D7xX-3tXvuNvVxoFNNgNDXE4KPo6ebhMBuVuHUltM29or9o09SaGrMxeYzntBDNWeBfJaj_O6Ne1sBMwO1Fp6xKvTuWmlaActY4y4Pvm8fNVGR9Ri23zjgpQ/s320/Lights01.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">To light our set we have purchased 3 red head spot lights. These are mounted on light stands and each has a dimmer. This will allow us to control the intensity of each light independently.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeR98xn0Li2L0nKGd32HO7GHH6pFjikcPckYRF8WBtOVmQQ2_CWkzJsRgESGubDU2XwVfFxIAuAt31L7rY2Md7BCOYDK-J5UFs-ONzPYa9rNN5G5wO6yS4YHRYTZ-K4yuNRd13XuN1ty0/s1600/Lights02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeR98xn0Li2L0nKGd32HO7GHH6pFjikcPckYRF8WBtOVmQQ2_CWkzJsRgESGubDU2XwVfFxIAuAt31L7rY2Md7BCOYDK-J5UFs-ONzPYa9rNN5G5wO6yS4YHRYTZ-K4yuNRd13XuN1ty0/s320/Lights02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Also the lights have a focus control and barn doors for fine tuning the light output.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><strong>Clothes</strong></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTp9d7df8E7FS6jCt4u190XIc0y1jRk1EY1vQGn0MfO3Q2MxkR8xHwoGkbcrCKxr7aurfsvZoO2ZLTQh5d1IoTWSZM44gl6R6nMv-H-EYNUh_PMWkWekudTRxCUMxyTiqreWUrcXW-O_Q/s1600/Clothes01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTp9d7df8E7FS6jCt4u190XIc0y1jRk1EY1vQGn0MfO3Q2MxkR8xHwoGkbcrCKxr7aurfsvZoO2ZLTQh5d1IoTWSZM44gl6R6nMv-H-EYNUh_PMWkWekudTRxCUMxyTiqreWUrcXW-O_Q/s320/Clothes01.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Time to get back to puppet construction. The puppets in our film have real fabric clothes, made in a similar way to regular clothes, only smaller. Above are the early stages of Elle's dress. It's made in two parts to allow the puppet to be dismantled. This makes it easier to get the cloths onto the puppet. The join at the waist will be disguised by a white ribbon belt. You can see the character design <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/01/maquettes-final-designs.html">HERE</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also you can see progress on the Mail Mans clothes <a href="http://joshua-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/04/puppet-clothing-mail-man.html">HERE</a> on Josh's blog.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hAT0_qRvp1XlsHmIeAxddyYFOIEQ10OtgaJ1VxHGoh_SGUoxKD0wL8K0DYVdgX4BVAmBsPyOzSQUXvaL-Z7WnxXv8QwkjVTRFt9VimLOeY5u9r3tBFHuHEWzMVqh9eIDzkqe603tbn8/s1600/Clothes02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hAT0_qRvp1XlsHmIeAxddyYFOIEQ10OtgaJ1VxHGoh_SGUoxKD0wL8K0DYVdgX4BVAmBsPyOzSQUXvaL-Z7WnxXv8QwkjVTRFt9VimLOeY5u9r3tBFHuHEWzMVqh9eIDzkqe603tbn8/s320/Clothes02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Finally, the picture above shows the puppet after being dismantled.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In my next post I will be showing how I made the replacement faces for the puppet and how they will attach to the head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for looking.</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-90312886844306513682011-04-22T00:18:00.001+01:002011-04-22T00:22:28.609+01:00Puppet Assembly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In my last post I cast out all the silicone components for the character 'Elle'.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After some quick clean up I assembled all the new parts together using the slot together K&S points that I designed into the armature.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSn5taNip10V2EyiKreKIW-r78UHv2dhnU-Eo_fkJI5pxst-2I1OhL28jiJiNn-gXBrVLrbBNhTZyh4xx_fCsDmvGsCjnDkBUca6-nWZwIyq9sjf3ZlduSSo_mIOzxO7LP0otzaKS438/s1600/Casting16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSn5taNip10V2EyiKreKIW-r78UHv2dhnU-Eo_fkJI5pxst-2I1OhL28jiJiNn-gXBrVLrbBNhTZyh4xx_fCsDmvGsCjnDkBUca6-nWZwIyq9sjf3ZlduSSo_mIOzxO7LP0otzaKS438/s400/Casting16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above is the puppet standing upright, being supported with steel wire at the hip rig point. I tested the knee and elbow joints to see if they flex correctly and everything is working nicely. Its best not to reposition the puppet too much before filming to extend the life of the aluminium wire.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LciQ5-tizOptKUJwUjCvZSjW7hXLHxZqscKYQwzWgQwCf5fFTb23RVGpUu_uQo1uUr1Nln2mAhqinlwDOgQ5Nw4y5NEHS0zjuvdFOKwElk40Kp5cy9uRkyRVdqGbAP6-wAyaXPxHeJI/s1600/Casting18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LciQ5-tizOptKUJwUjCvZSjW7hXLHxZqscKYQwzWgQwCf5fFTb23RVGpUu_uQo1uUr1Nln2mAhqinlwDOgQ5Nw4y5NEHS0zjuvdFOKwElk40Kp5cy9uRkyRVdqGbAP6-wAyaXPxHeJI/s320/Casting18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The hair is cast in yellow silicone with some aluminium wire inside. I will be painting onto the surface to bring out the details and make it appear more like blond hair. The only sponge padding needed was at the waist. This is a relatively small amount in caparison to the Mail Man puppets. You can read Josh's post about bulking out the puppet <a href="http://joshua-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/04/bulking-out-puppet-mail-man.html">HERE</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGnKQfC8MXTf2hfN-oplekFplUZe1W6AI3OK-g7xWXRZiAwOQVSeQACPEk3ZF3ypBh1nW0PpOBNKlRSLfq9QF9abgeQ_EzukeWT6oXh_HQ9p_WY4mLu514u6bGUAjiTlwnXseuvR2OcU/s1600/Casting11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGnKQfC8MXTf2hfN-oplekFplUZe1W6AI3OK-g7xWXRZiAwOQVSeQACPEk3ZF3ypBh1nW0PpOBNKlRSLfq9QF9abgeQ_EzukeWT6oXh_HQ9p_WY4mLu514u6bGUAjiTlwnXseuvR2OcU/s320/Casting11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of the Mail Man.... above are the feet I cast for him. Mixing the dark colour proved difficult as the original colour of my silicone is white. This meant I had to add a lot of black oil paints and I was concerned that adding too much would stop the silicone from curing. In the end everything worked fine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAjAG7Iq885ZruReE749883ca3_qGt69Tw2DMJb-5672s550W7W2gzObMsgZMZLzZ4cE5fBZGaiZ5tU5ZhWKk1a27d_MAQqORStCoE6SV-4tyRLGAOCZMb7Sq5oO06xTtT5dbaEzow4s/s1600/Casting12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAjAG7Iq885ZruReE749883ca3_qGt69Tw2DMJb-5672s550W7W2gzObMsgZMZLzZ4cE5fBZGaiZ5tU5ZhWKk1a27d_MAQqORStCoE6SV-4tyRLGAOCZMb7Sq5oO06xTtT5dbaEzow4s/s320/Casting12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above are the 2 pairs of shoes for the 2 identical Mail Man puppets. You might be able to spot two small air bubbles on the second shoe from the back. This is only a minor imperfection and can easily be filled with more silicone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvZTwLT8xlbR-AD7AlTSod2EFz9aRzMYvV5k5zFg9jbmHwA2Lo-UQ4VEcx6xoSmc1k4Zv7Q_KCGk7M6tthPFY0Ngc68EhoU2905iMv9eSZIjmWacKen35h1exGkNGFzMKapNrXoHqdsM/s1600/Casting13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvZTwLT8xlbR-AD7AlTSod2EFz9aRzMYvV5k5zFg9jbmHwA2Lo-UQ4VEcx6xoSmc1k4Zv7Q_KCGk7M6tthPFY0Ngc68EhoU2905iMv9eSZIjmWacKen35h1exGkNGFzMKapNrXoHqdsM/s320/Casting13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The final parts to be cast were the Theatre Usher's hands. As before the hand armature was suspended in the mold with the K&S at the wrists.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8WiUjt_jM288hP8lBbyQbXsCNA1QKDT0_ZYvZNUi_08Us3B6S5cZEzGITOwt02aC4q_cAj4-CkHe3eQ_HyXCDus4ip3yr89bZzrpNsTY2_RoShQ3h3z0JzkSx9xkfcRgzlBdnTrkIVg/s1600/Casting14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8WiUjt_jM288hP8lBbyQbXsCNA1QKDT0_ZYvZNUi_08Us3B6S5cZEzGITOwt02aC4q_cAj4-CkHe3eQ_HyXCDus4ip3yr89bZzrpNsTY2_RoShQ3h3z0JzkSx9xkfcRgzlBdnTrkIVg/s320/Casting14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The hands were cast in flesh tone silicone that will match the colour of the puppets face.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVK-aIiZPU3G0srR_BUwSUkfOxWsZ9wjjvhDKQkvFzwRgoWg27B0H-7x23hQ5X40Kveyyi6Z-Bu0XugKEZJubcQSiUSHYVoyoi82dlSn-FGQJ6lcITXmyajibxzpbXg_r5BD4Vue6Zv7I/s1600/Casting15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVK-aIiZPU3G0srR_BUwSUkfOxWsZ9wjjvhDKQkvFzwRgoWg27B0H-7x23hQ5X40Kveyyi6Z-Bu0XugKEZJubcQSiUSHYVoyoi82dlSn-FGQJ6lcITXmyajibxzpbXg_r5BD4Vue6Zv7I/s320/Casting15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Above are the hands with the excess silicone cut off. The seams still need to be cleaned up</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><strong>Trimming and Seaming</strong></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3HS_fgxIGrMs4q_C3Uby1arFCBjHMMfm540hR6NW7J4MwRVoh9lRYi2sB7Wlssy5eK5O999dWuiVxuVCEannLrSEifdXGNM5ZfkbzpajblzSjXcEKkuwLmJz2yGyHfSlQqRj1pMmE2o/s1600/Casting17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3HS_fgxIGrMs4q_C3Uby1arFCBjHMMfm540hR6NW7J4MwRVoh9lRYi2sB7Wlssy5eK5O999dWuiVxuVCEannLrSEifdXGNM5ZfkbzpajblzSjXcEKkuwLmJz2yGyHfSlQqRj1pMmE2o/s320/Casting17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In my last post I mentioned about 'Trimming and Seaming'. This is the process of cleaning and removing the seam lines caused by the two part moulds. There are lots of different techniques for this. I've been using the stone tool on my dremel to gently sand away the lines. Applying Vaseline to the stone tool helps to stop the silicone from snagging and slowly but surly the line reduces.<br />
Alternately, for a more professional finish, the seams can be cut away leaving a small trench. This trench is then filled with more silicone, masking the lines. Before the silicone fully cures talcum powder is added to the surface to stop the silicone from being shiny. Once everything is set, the talcum power washes away leaving a smooth and invisible seam. This method gives better results but is very time consuming.<br />
I'm pleased with the results I got using the dremel.<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">That's all for today, Thanks for reading.</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-84846816260988541242011-04-20T00:30:00.002+01:002011-04-20T00:42:46.778+01:00Casting - Puppet Body<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Now that I've finished making all the moulds for my puppet it's time to cast out all the body parts. To do this I suspend the wire armature parts inside the mould, and encase them in silicone.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Cleaning up the mould</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The original Plastiline sculpture of the body parts are destroyed when they are removed from the mould. This seems a bit strange at first considering all the time and effort that was put into sculpting them. But it's a necessary part of the process and the armature needs to be recovered.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Terracotta clay washes off the mould with warm water and Turpentine dissolves Plastiline. I use a stiff bristled brush to get into all the small crevasses.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">After all the mould is wiped clean I inspect the inner surface for any air bubbles and imperfections. These are filled with Milliput and sanded smooth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdJy2dPa10Wq6MsaJU8VdJSLkYkDbG6Fv6MWhPDB7geuo2pheEBaPwemqDOEkspiwv4aciHKbufLXvWRXodHgBgs95PFZE94f_ZHwosmEsBW8sOUW0Cdm6yHNi2lULx2qeaeMbspU3h0/s1600/Casting05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdJy2dPa10Wq6MsaJU8VdJSLkYkDbG6Fv6MWhPDB7geuo2pheEBaPwemqDOEkspiwv4aciHKbufLXvWRXodHgBgs95PFZE94f_ZHwosmEsBW8sOUW0Cdm6yHNi2lULx2qeaeMbspU3h0/s320/Casting05.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above is the mould for the legs after it was cleaned up. It's very important to clean the inner surface as any dirt or imperfections will show up on the castings later. I test fitted the armature back into the mould to make sure they still fit into place. I also made sure no parts were touching the edges where they shouldn't be. Its a good idea to practise putting the armature back into the mould, because when it comes time to cast you don't want to run into any problems.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the picture above you can see I've stuck some Cotton material to the upper legs. This is to help the silicone stick. Also I painted a layer of acrylic paint over all the K&S parts that will come in contact with silicone. I've hear that brass can react with some silicons and discolour it. The paint will act as a shield, just in case.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Casting</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJBLiiTODM994KfsJaHXnV3MPDuIRvMX2wZhHYMcGXWWPPaOcTt6933iqRnZWv2CLFW0TzrvrIMTEs3Wug7E1qYw1Cpi8uvwbazEuM9wWDB3l3GxmS1oYWcy5W9MTJLdmgYDYHzqDT7M/s1600/Casting06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJBLiiTODM994KfsJaHXnV3MPDuIRvMX2wZhHYMcGXWWPPaOcTt6933iqRnZWv2CLFW0TzrvrIMTEs3Wug7E1qYw1Cpi8uvwbazEuM9wWDB3l3GxmS1oYWcy5W9MTJLdmgYDYHzqDT7M/s320/Casting06.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Silicone I'm using it very soft and flexible. This is important because I don't want the silicone to fight back against the wire when I bend the puppet. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I pigment the silicone to the desired colour so that I don't have the paint it after casting. Painting silicone is difficult as most paint can't stick to silicone. Also the paint would have to be flexible and resist constant handling. Pigmenting the silicone is an easier option. To do this I add a small amount of oil paints. I try not to add more that 5% of paint to the silicone so that I don't mess up the chemistry. Adding too much could stop it from curing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the picture above I have painted the first layer of silicone into each half of the mould using a brush. I added white to the shoes and flesh colour on the rest of the leg. By letting this first layer set it will stop air bubbles from appearing on the outer surface of the legs. Also it will prevent the armature from touching the edge of the mould.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHj1dbCdYyCKoa2wgmPTjMapUnRja_15cQ-uwHsNAlPeHo_Wd2TNFyoG6uFXnXMC6Boq3J6_uro2dmaaLlaNb_r7I1qBtyCO5v5wF2OlCz_1CKPATD0h70DSfL-b8_sQQGytkoHpPqkk/s1600/Casting07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHj1dbCdYyCKoa2wgmPTjMapUnRja_15cQ-uwHsNAlPeHo_Wd2TNFyoG6uFXnXMC6Boq3J6_uro2dmaaLlaNb_r7I1qBtyCO5v5wF2OlCz_1CKPATD0h70DSfL-b8_sQQGytkoHpPqkk/s320/Casting07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above it the chest section of the armature resting in it's mould. Again the armature has cloth and paint applied onto it. Also I have wrapped cling film (saran wrap) around the ball and socket joints to stop the silicone from clogging the joint.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When casting I paint the first layer of flesh coloured silicone into both halves of the mould and let it set. I then top up the halves filling them all the way. While the silicone is still runny I slot the armature into one half of the mould causing it to overflow. This is good as it helps to reduce air bubbles. Its better to have too much than too little. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQMwiYgGlvhEktBqz53UfBeom1YHePCHvtsYDbx8-5l_NY4L_ekzD8wWI1L0oMRSVxYnnpUJk7sypa1hQL3XV6Ne2JFQs0RiBbR-ViCmXNwCacR_Nxe7r3ODrfsaVLE6A6I-hZFhB4Bk/s1600/Casting04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQMwiYgGlvhEktBqz53UfBeom1YHePCHvtsYDbx8-5l_NY4L_ekzD8wWI1L0oMRSVxYnnpUJk7sypa1hQL3XV6Ne2JFQs0RiBbR-ViCmXNwCacR_Nxe7r3ODrfsaVLE6A6I-hZFhB4Bk/s320/Casting04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next step is to quickly sandwich the two halves together and squeeze them tight using clamps. In the pic above I've used two clamps to hold the mould together. They stay on until the silicone has cured.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When the silicone it set ( roughly 4-5 hours) I gently open the mould using a screw driver for leverage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4UwqfVjaLLq46ah2A5c1RA_6_A_l9_DgCDxmRuuwVxENfgjh7B45s8DlXz-pgMpt0MIh5bnQduHkaB2nw4WY8-1sWhxLRMqjo7Q6yExUcgZPHC20z4t1Ak3jdAsWdo2PT445riEHfPM/s1600/Casting08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4UwqfVjaLLq46ah2A5c1RA_6_A_l9_DgCDxmRuuwVxENfgjh7B45s8DlXz-pgMpt0MIh5bnQduHkaB2nw4WY8-1sWhxLRMqjo7Q6yExUcgZPHC20z4t1Ak3jdAsWdo2PT445riEHfPM/s320/Casting08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above is the chest section after it was removed from the mould. As you can see it still has the thin film of excess silicone surrounding it. This is cut off with a small pair of scissors. The seam lines will need to be cleaned up in a process called 'Trimming and Seaming'.( more on that later )</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj214Aqgte5UcCHTO0gkJeui210MHPWiwQnEzLUgg251BxfrMfLOSCSV8Gf2ifhuEqz-loqTo9QqVcmbU-hxa2KOSR62lnp1hyphenhyphenFKMhyphenhyphenlRxA_Q1idPZG4j2cmR3vrWvxvVv7RdkZ-RWf_ag/s1600/Casting01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj214Aqgte5UcCHTO0gkJeui210MHPWiwQnEzLUgg251BxfrMfLOSCSV8Gf2ifhuEqz-loqTo9QqVcmbU-hxa2KOSR62lnp1hyphenhyphenFKMhyphenhyphenlRxA_Q1idPZG4j2cmR3vrWvxvVv7RdkZ-RWf_ag/s320/Casting01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The same process was used to cast all the puppets silicone parts. Above is the mould for the Mail Mans hands with the armatures resting in them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcpSuDTrJgRtVcnk5jgQ93WJf2O_EIvtDBodgtGF9cXf18YHyQ2isEVue2VCML0xxqRmck1WGL3znExH07SVfd196Ya3PCzI1IK6DgzCDDJBC3D0naStOyDsm9KV1e0ZYdqM4bCA894g/s1600/Casting02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcpSuDTrJgRtVcnk5jgQ93WJf2O_EIvtDBodgtGF9cXf18YHyQ2isEVue2VCML0xxqRmck1WGL3znExH07SVfd196Ya3PCzI1IK6DgzCDDJBC3D0naStOyDsm9KV1e0ZYdqM4bCA894g/s320/Casting02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are the cast hands after I separated the two halves of the mould.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxJ_7lc07atgF3f6qHdhnhT7rKy-nZTeKaRczg_R2t0UuRMfXD_IAZLSM-mgp3XalTBLTIMHdkHio5NsYr3d7U9zXZDpoctsNNsn0JM2PI_5RfDL2nKvAoWSJk6IVdSiPXwVFSHZmYeE/s1600/Casting03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxJ_7lc07atgF3f6qHdhnhT7rKy-nZTeKaRczg_R2t0UuRMfXD_IAZLSM-mgp3XalTBLTIMHdkHio5NsYr3d7U9zXZDpoctsNNsn0JM2PI_5RfDL2nKvAoWSJk6IVdSiPXwVFSHZmYeE/s320/Casting03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above are the hands in the early stages of trimming and seaming.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJTWlBxNmSP7H-MsL54nXfBaLBvA7ACZwQfwUh9mJwMI6xGhX04dLhJnsCQWEGvR3gMzlnu42ilalHQjIjPvIeLgWX2sTvKobZxOA86m1AKTvcQ9puveM0yHoWoYaqGN8Qt9alUpcFGQ/s1600/Casting09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJTWlBxNmSP7H-MsL54nXfBaLBvA7ACZwQfwUh9mJwMI6xGhX04dLhJnsCQWEGvR3gMzlnu42ilalHQjIjPvIeLgWX2sTvKobZxOA86m1AKTvcQ9puveM0yHoWoYaqGN8Qt9alUpcFGQ/s320/Casting09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are the Actresses hands after being cast. They were cast in the silicones natural white colour because the Actress 'Elle' is wearing elbow length gloves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiT8V_tV-QIk8209x063r9LM-J8gmrcxXRKJvRQQNZYMc3218aKsMDlOfJ-txkb8zA8mnj87s744AOGPGuXi8vkEswjElagO-eCZbD4V1kWE52rKasjFZBS_oeGce9ckpgVzhZTdBQtmU/s1600/Casting10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiT8V_tV-QIk8209x063r9LM-J8gmrcxXRKJvRQQNZYMc3218aKsMDlOfJ-txkb8zA8mnj87s744AOGPGuXi8vkEswjElagO-eCZbD4V1kWE52rKasjFZBS_oeGce9ckpgVzhZTdBQtmU/s320/Casting10.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="left">Finally here's a shot of the newly cast legs standing in front of their mould. They've had a little bit of clean up done but I will explain more about 'Trimming and Seaming' in my next post. Also I'll show all the parts assembled including the Hair.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Thanks for reading.</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-54429768798193917542011-04-18T00:42:00.002+01:002011-04-18T00:45:05.721+01:00Mould Making - Body<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">OK, Here's part two of my Mould Making Marathon.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">In my previous post I made two part moulds to cast shoes for the Mail Man and hands for the Theatre Usher.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">In this post I'm moulding parts for 'Elle' the Actress. Earlier I started to sculpt the body shapes onto the wire armature in grey Plastiline. You can see that post <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/03/sculpting-actress.html">HERE</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Below is the finished sculpt ready to be moulded.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgMD2snq5WLJW_wUQUPWbd6RovZlh8SfvxC2gWqN6SXXJ2GSy6MhnF-cQ8HRByXDH4Kro80pbBcxUaMcd8zPpRnij8R2k8Awb3bw6KT1tuGyBuju9ixq36JjLjHuDus3EXyayzilNxEU/s1600/Actress+Body+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgMD2snq5WLJW_wUQUPWbd6RovZlh8SfvxC2gWqN6SXXJ2GSy6MhnF-cQ8HRByXDH4Kro80pbBcxUaMcd8zPpRnij8R2k8Awb3bw6KT1tuGyBuju9ixq36JjLjHuDus3EXyayzilNxEU/s320/Actress+Body+01.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCFTMdhyphenhyphenTvUsKwx_K3_xBU8guxo6N5UqD-gzQKRnu5jATvUPQKHwG-3Jh1fv8Hz2Q6_1BvcmWIuy_JUuVkMTelrezfj5MwIysLbEThBMgC-sm2tJjQrCGwnlFiG-Msnw_B1Cb1sqryL8/s1600/Actress+Body+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCFTMdhyphenhyphenTvUsKwx_K3_xBU8guxo6N5UqD-gzQKRnu5jATvUPQKHwG-3Jh1fv8Hz2Q6_1BvcmWIuy_JUuVkMTelrezfj5MwIysLbEThBMgC-sm2tJjQrCGwnlFiG-Msnw_B1Cb1sqryL8/s320/Actress+Body+02.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The body breaks up into five sections. 2 legs, 2 arms and the chest section. All these will be cast in flexible silicone so rigid two part moulds are needed.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyNqN7f_6kYQIP7xK3paNgLBlVLi7eRpXYX0SNdfP4H9_xmVO1yoGGc9ouR3_YzJ3JLJktOhDJ9pzBnZ-r3Ctr3bRXwDpmmZs3WX2RmYlj3t5Cd__XDKpl0KdXKwGU-doHhr-9Ye3Xew/s1600/MouldingBody01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyNqN7f_6kYQIP7xK3paNgLBlVLi7eRpXYX0SNdfP4H9_xmVO1yoGGc9ouR3_YzJ3JLJktOhDJ9pzBnZ-r3Ctr3bRXwDpmmZs3WX2RmYlj3t5Cd__XDKpl0KdXKwGU-doHhr-9Ye3Xew/s320/MouldingBody01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm moulding both legs together in the same mould. This saves on time and the materials used. It also makes it easier to cast both legs at the same time. The split line will run down the inside and outside of each leg and around the base of the shoe.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSroYHEOvxJFBhfZ6aQWMQ08Q7Kz9lA5xkQ0U1TL2NKgeQxisykUkAtWSbfjZKQ93vVRVqDqcU5We2HmPH3vOYu4_w1JhcQ6hd7hDEAZ_R97-FAAaJlcuPRB6xQHCH5nB0Xi0GVZW1-Q/s1600/MouldingBody02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSroYHEOvxJFBhfZ6aQWMQ08Q7Kz9lA5xkQ0U1TL2NKgeQxisykUkAtWSbfjZKQ93vVRVqDqcU5We2HmPH3vOYu4_w1JhcQ6hd7hDEAZ_R97-FAAaJlcuPRB6xQHCH5nB0Xi0GVZW1-Q/s320/MouldingBody02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As before I added plasticine keys and built a foam board box around the clay. The biggest difference with this mould is that the clay wall was built up higher against the sole of the shoes. I had to be careful that this still allowed the two half of the mould to be separated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8EiCGWyAlr-A-VADjn7COYJ75vlgoPywU56IyzTKE1IfuDnVrSltsrDYTaXyZQnH1iJeAUp1nBY-sgBpXK3uhxNOrOuu_Wiu-biItTEHgow9BYKIvzz_NtTmAkeZh6jtPujhywK8D8Q/s1600/MouldingBody03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8EiCGWyAlr-A-VADjn7COYJ75vlgoPywU56IyzTKE1IfuDnVrSltsrDYTaXyZQnH1iJeAUp1nBY-sgBpXK3uhxNOrOuu_Wiu-biItTEHgow9BYKIvzz_NtTmAkeZh6jtPujhywK8D8Q/s320/MouldingBody03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above are the legs ready to have the second half of the mould added.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMn87IsaWnH-WrTWeePfb4KhdIrPOvCF-EP-3zdU8dq2TI8Djtb14KnuUQ4vG75Z9O0qWY1jJ6Zu_ax_ohTPfMefufjsz7hn-3yD__6t9xgp_HaUY0JWs_YQ4r-JaQ0w5vAayEvA_KRI/s1600/MouldingBody04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMn87IsaWnH-WrTWeePfb4KhdIrPOvCF-EP-3zdU8dq2TI8Djtb14KnuUQ4vG75Z9O0qWY1jJ6Zu_ax_ohTPfMefufjsz7hn-3yD__6t9xgp_HaUY0JWs_YQ4r-JaQ0w5vAayEvA_KRI/s320/MouldingBody04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The chest is made in the same way. You may have noticed that I added K&S to the arms. The K&S helps to suspend the armature in the mould when its time to cast. I add Vaseline to the K&S to stop it from sticking to the polyurethane resin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3z494oEAOULHfDoj_nK1HybXRKBOFYmEwIQWf4W1iqCayNAPfXSxvomdxZAkzw_feXGNBrN2PcHUl_cULLbC1gmvZE00Yt7fd4oPdWgcZ7U1fVpRw6YkLbqkIN2SU6fyMpLPOtBig4MA/s1600/MouldingBody05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3z494oEAOULHfDoj_nK1HybXRKBOFYmEwIQWf4W1iqCayNAPfXSxvomdxZAkzw_feXGNBrN2PcHUl_cULLbC1gmvZE00Yt7fd4oPdWgcZ7U1fVpRw6YkLbqkIN2SU6fyMpLPOtBig4MA/s320/MouldingBody05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Below is a close up picture of the arms ready to be moulded. They are elbow length gloves and will be cast in white silicone. I forgot to take any pictures while I was moulding these so you'll have to take my work for it.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMksVvFS8NgLbq-Tgx1ZwC1P37xFvFRW-As3SI6Io910pk2GqjPifbsMgMyC1ZF3-eiyaNlWtOP5X2EShalVdpfra66lTw-h8pGwyMeJkgkClXLZDIG4RXgUmk6pD1KBZLfIca_cKrGc/s1600/Actress+Body+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMksVvFS8NgLbq-Tgx1ZwC1P37xFvFRW-As3SI6Io910pk2GqjPifbsMgMyC1ZF3-eiyaNlWtOP5X2EShalVdpfra66lTw-h8pGwyMeJkgkClXLZDIG4RXgUmk6pD1KBZLfIca_cKrGc/s320/Actress+Body+03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Hair Sculpt</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The final part of the actress puppet to be moulded was the hair. I decided to cast it in silicone because I want the hair to have some movement. I hope that by having wire inside a silicone hair piece, I will be able to give the hair some bounce when animating.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-W_Bya11RjaC0admlakIJAGoV9hndgmXRf3xZaobV9EiGrgbKGE8fvKnmFFC5DswQStN02Iz-0rheemC67b1jC2rqFI6ORsHzDgdEvxpgfF7DALg2K0fSxp44EQ4yeth5gs9GqJFX-U/s1600/Actress+Hair+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-W_Bya11RjaC0admlakIJAGoV9hndgmXRf3xZaobV9EiGrgbKGE8fvKnmFFC5DswQStN02Iz-0rheemC67b1jC2rqFI6ORsHzDgdEvxpgfF7DALg2K0fSxp44EQ4yeth5gs9GqJFX-U/s320/Actress+Hair+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1uFm1ThIzt8BS0gb39-nd7tHAkGbH9yok9RtlGI8DcumIBed0IP1KlrKBnioYPQBGZu_T19c5nVuNeLqCCuAgfeA0OAbtcx_ObS9f49v1EdqdUfeL5bYOozXmEHMR9sEqu4HY-Jgnzd8/s1600/Actress+Hair+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1uFm1ThIzt8BS0gb39-nd7tHAkGbH9yok9RtlGI8DcumIBed0IP1KlrKBnioYPQBGZu_T19c5nVuNeLqCCuAgfeA0OAbtcx_ObS9f49v1EdqdUfeL5bYOozXmEHMR9sEqu4HY-Jgnzd8/s320/Actress+Hair+02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above is the final sculpt for the hair. Its made in Plastiline and attaches to the back of the head with K&S. Once again I made a two part mould. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2ksOAkGt3Vpxq7ut_atbE8tys13ceOPzX2rOrD-w5lPkZfs-SOOkAwa5iQ8C3NQHaV495CqCgTdsHhmX1OU3GZmDoW5OVzcn3T_3TL3CmhBecn5CCWb_4FEBb8P3VQ9GXLHT5n9KF04/s1600/MouldingBody06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2ksOAkGt3Vpxq7ut_atbE8tys13ceOPzX2rOrD-w5lPkZfs-SOOkAwa5iQ8C3NQHaV495CqCgTdsHhmX1OU3GZmDoW5OVzcn3T_3TL3CmhBecn5CCWb_4FEBb8P3VQ9GXLHT5n9KF04/s320/MouldingBody06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The sculpture featured some small undercuts but because I'm casting in a soft and flexible silicone they didn't cause any problems.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHpFHALVmDwXoVTRjnBqGExyvOJDd_qGo6RMZJUg7AsJmHqkplUuJEl4RSUk1C0LYEjydrRJLkZ7Eb55dnhPbzzL93CB2qcsrd5kXFAeV4TzgqoyBJpJShrwjFjZEzQbfQvEtoRUqYp0/s1600/MouldingBody07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHpFHALVmDwXoVTRjnBqGExyvOJDd_qGo6RMZJUg7AsJmHqkplUuJEl4RSUk1C0LYEjydrRJLkZ7Eb55dnhPbzzL93CB2qcsrd5kXFAeV4TzgqoyBJpJShrwjFjZEzQbfQvEtoRUqYp0/s320/MouldingBody07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That's the end of my mould making marathon. I now feel much more confident at making two part moulds, but I'm glad I can now move on and concentrate on other aspects for puppet building.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I thinks that enough for today.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next I'll be using the moulds I've made and casting all the body parts in coloured silicone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for looking.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left"></div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-2106588852572231382011-04-15T00:17:00.004+01:002011-04-16T13:50:48.990+01:00Mould Making - Hands & FeetIts time to start a Mould Making Marathon. <br />
A lot of the characters in our film require flexible body parts. Our three main characters need silicone components including hands, feet, arms, legs, necks and even hair. That means a lot of rigid two part moulds need to be made, and the process of making them can be very delicate and time consuming.<br />
The duty of moulding and casting all these parts has fallen to me (Josh craftily escaped).<br />
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I've spent nearly two weeks moulding and casting all the parts for the puppets. Its an exhausting process but the results are looking good. I'm going to spread the whole moulding and casting process over a few posts, starting with Hands and Feet.<br />
In this post I will be moulding a pair of hands for the Theatre Usher and feet for the Mail Man.<br />
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You can see my earlier post about moulding the Mail Mans hands <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/02/hands-part-2.html">HERE</a> and I'm using the same technique.<br />
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<strong><u>Theatre Usher Hands</u></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzZffTlm2QrL0cVbHJc5Etm4rZ7kN0teWltMZRp4N0OH_YdnR9Jv0Ly_UXRZ5l906xNnTK_fhV5d_vIm9_7iKw6py2MVIZZAj8zWZjdeZoqAcYXRCha0OUq-4_5p131uEqZwzExeFhhk/s1600/MouldingHands01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzZffTlm2QrL0cVbHJc5Etm4rZ7kN0teWltMZRp4N0OH_YdnR9Jv0Ly_UXRZ5l906xNnTK_fhV5d_vIm9_7iKw6py2MVIZZAj8zWZjdeZoqAcYXRCha0OUq-4_5p131uEqZwzExeFhhk/s320/MouldingHands01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above you can see the Theatre Ushers hands that were sculpted by Josh. They were sculpted in Plastiline over the wire hand armature. These hands are chunkier and larger than the Mail Mans due to the Ushers larger size. You can see the characters design <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/02/character-line-out.html">HERE</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A wall of terracotta clay is built up around the sculpt, half submerging the hands. The hard part is getting between each finger. It takes a lot of patience. I've used yellow Plasticine blocks to act as 'keys'. These tapered blocks will help the two halves of the mould line up and fit together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0s94R18HcaZF86yO75nDXm4n45GkPs__8wSTwJMvrHjPdCUpkFm1AQZKIlNnI-Z39f76FsQg29uYHYPDIoamZt_ktDbk1UXeI_TbjOOQcUwnTfZZ43mMoQJpwb4aWN6b49S_V__YPUpw/s1600/MouldingHands02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0s94R18HcaZF86yO75nDXm4n45GkPs__8wSTwJMvrHjPdCUpkFm1AQZKIlNnI-Z39f76FsQg29uYHYPDIoamZt_ktDbk1UXeI_TbjOOQcUwnTfZZ43mMoQJpwb4aWN6b49S_V__YPUpw/s320/MouldingHands02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A foam board box was built around the clay and hot glued together (making sure its water tight). I applied Vaseline to the inner edges of the box and sprayed 3 layers of wax release agent over the sculpt. Release agent stops the resin from sticking to the clay. Once that had set, I poured Polyurethane Resin into the box and used a brush to make sure no air bubbles stuck to the sculpture surface. I topped up the resin, filling the box up roughly 1cm above the hands.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76Er3ty07ySx-9BnLe6jYRKLvkZ0V1L2MUWRxD1chfcMIv3DVc0OMlsZXpCX-h-SP0ipXlQ6fkInAw7qBXwmgMT6E_wegdUcOqHZTX78Zy37UqAFgOkd4B3MSKB6m2s8YuSEUUHCfBRo/s1600/MouldingHands03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76Er3ty07ySx-9BnLe6jYRKLvkZ0V1L2MUWRxD1chfcMIv3DVc0OMlsZXpCX-h-SP0ipXlQ6fkInAw7qBXwmgMT6E_wegdUcOqHZTX78Zy37UqAFgOkd4B3MSKB6m2s8YuSEUUHCfBRo/s320/MouldingHands03.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">After the resin had cured I removed the foamboard box and flipped everything over. The terracotta clay was peeled away leaving the sculpted hands half submerged in the resin. Any remaining clay was washed away with water and a soft brush.. Above you can see the hands in the resin. I added more plasticine to the mould surface leaving a 1cm gap around the sculpture. These will lower the contact surface area of the mould, making it easier to separate the two halves. A new foam board box was then built around the mould.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF81iCBv8C9WtmEaPAU6kW4oajZQDrU5fRqUj-vMyxbSDBQQEtJYJHyfB2vv6cSXmAeIVaw1e9IlvtyC1yzr35c_qsKa5m6-oVfSs76eLcHrGUXHCaGE21UDld4OcJIduRhY_wgVJCkDk/s1600/MouldingHands04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF81iCBv8C9WtmEaPAU6kW4oajZQDrU5fRqUj-vMyxbSDBQQEtJYJHyfB2vv6cSXmAeIVaw1e9IlvtyC1yzr35c_qsKa5m6-oVfSs76eLcHrGUXHCaGE21UDld4OcJIduRhY_wgVJCkDk/s320/MouldingHands04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After spraying the surface with 3 more coats of wax release agent, I poured the second polyurethane half. It's very important to use release spray. If I didn't the two resin halves would fuse together trapping the sculpture inside.Once that had set I removed the mould from the box and gently pried the two halves apart. The plastiline sculpture was removed from the resin and the mould was cleaned with Turpentine. Turps melts away clays like plasticine and plastiline. I will explain more about that later when I post about casting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Mail Man Feet.</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0sFFk9X242CHW82opTtemciHXRNAT05lswk2tPCbPzw7rT7-usCSue57VFnCatClSZhdpSS-2TwgqrRExJj-ezO8zNHJsdPQpTkvhKqIBpSeC0KiyqNMEDcAj9VX1nXDeMO-XpgMQH4/s1600/MouldingFeet01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0sFFk9X242CHW82opTtemciHXRNAT05lswk2tPCbPzw7rT7-usCSue57VFnCatClSZhdpSS-2TwgqrRExJj-ezO8zNHJsdPQpTkvhKqIBpSeC0KiyqNMEDcAj9VX1nXDeMO-XpgMQH4/s320/MouldingFeet01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As you can see above, Josh has sculpted a nice pair of shoes over the feet armatures I made earlier.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You can read Josh's post about sculpting the feet <a href="http://joshua-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/03/sculpting-puppet-feet.html">HERE</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLakZAU_pdKdM0KeJjqA0wWXFtW1fayCS94PLDMsGmlYWoISn9q2u_DnmKd6fE3nQ00XW2Ve5BZpPojdz1HoFKsVkwy3-LV0blsUPxMtUOJzAV6ESWQXsRDzhK1odsJFZiqeuvdS4bZM/s1600/MouldingFeet02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLakZAU_pdKdM0KeJjqA0wWXFtW1fayCS94PLDMsGmlYWoISn9q2u_DnmKd6fE3nQ00XW2Ve5BZpPojdz1HoFKsVkwy3-LV0blsUPxMtUOJzAV6ESWQXsRDzhK1odsJFZiqeuvdS4bZM/s320/MouldingFeet02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Choosing where the split line will be is an important part of mould making. A seam line will be visible on the silicone castings. These are found where the two halves of the mould meet. Its best to try and disguise them so they won't be visible, but its also important that the two halves of the mould are able to be separated. This means there can't be any large undercuts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The split line for the feet is concealed along the sole of the shoe. As before the clay was surrounded by a foam board box and release agent was added.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxbXFgnbHC-LLlFOjJVIQgNe_KOv56myQQU5NzvMbcttt7xFeyy5wvklb5Hb9owfKugEalTPj16ys1OgC45c19cYgWXGi5XJbN2l8vQS0d6qT5wYB3Vy12Vp_CiV9hbKLCr5j9D4MQy4/s1600/MouldingFeet03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxbXFgnbHC-LLlFOjJVIQgNe_KOv56myQQU5NzvMbcttt7xFeyy5wvklb5Hb9owfKugEalTPj16ys1OgC45c19cYgWXGi5XJbN2l8vQS0d6qT5wYB3Vy12Vp_CiV9hbKLCr5j9D4MQy4/s320/MouldingFeet03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above you can see the mould ready for the second half of the resin to be poured.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpWzhDAG4647NqCbeU7fXbh8tU6P7AFhRokHmFXsZ2fkOuniEmPy6_OrW4RoplLZpyqcyQdeDJTnVM8pBHPVcXx43iesftyK0zCtcskY53fS_9mivF7tm6UwWOLRM-faEAJRUGptIUzw/s1600/MouldingFeet04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpWzhDAG4647NqCbeU7fXbh8tU6P7AFhRokHmFXsZ2fkOuniEmPy6_OrW4RoplLZpyqcyQdeDJTnVM8pBHPVcXx43iesftyK0zCtcskY53fS_9mivF7tm6UwWOLRM-faEAJRUGptIUzw/s320/MouldingFeet04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Polyurethane resin is mixed in equal parts. Once it has set it turns an ivory colour. The resin cures quite quickly but the the mould making process is still very lengthily.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These two moulds are the first of many. I will be posting more pictures of the mould making process and they were all made using this general technique. In my next post I will show the finished sculpture of the actresses body parts and the moulding process.</div><div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-28665582916101321312011-04-12T01:37:00.003+01:002011-04-12T01:50:21.355+01:00Moulding & Casting - HeadIn this Post I'll be continuing the process of creating the head for the Actress (Elle) Puppet. In my previous post I completed the master sculpt of the head and facial masks. I will now be moulding those parts and casting out plastic copies.<br />
You can see Josh's post about Moulding and Casting the Mail Man's heads <a href="http://joshua-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/03/puppet-head-sculpt-mail-man-part-ii.html">HERE</a>. I will be using the same process.<br />
A general rule for mould making is -<br />
When casting hard objects, a soft mould is needed. When casting soft objects, a hard mould is needed.<br />
<br />
As my head sculpt is hard and I will be casting copies in solid plastic, I will be moulding the heads in soft silicone.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvfKPWKdY45lNtjVsuvllne96iuh_ornMbFHJ_CYLnONmpAAVcywH7dpZ78fXc_sKpLM7hO6ubJLC23vJ0Q6nxlnKi64ImUNOy-Oo5KbvKDA_gbE59_QIqjg6ErU70U1L8wYrMhAnHcc/s1600/MouldingH01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvfKPWKdY45lNtjVsuvllne96iuh_ornMbFHJ_CYLnONmpAAVcywH7dpZ78fXc_sKpLM7hO6ubJLC23vJ0Q6nxlnKi64ImUNOy-Oo5KbvKDA_gbE59_QIqjg6ErU70U1L8wYrMhAnHcc/s320/MouldingH01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Firstly I decided where the 'pour spout' will be located. The pour spout is the cone shaped hole in the mould where the resin will poured in later. I start by making a small cone of baked sculpey and gluing it the the sculpture using a glue gun. The hot glue holds onto the sculpt securely but can be removed easily later without damaging the head. In the picture above you can see the pour spout located under the head. The second function of the pour spout is to suspend the sculpture up off the surface.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Locating where to put the spout is very important. When it is cut off later it might leave a visible mark. Therefore its best to put it somewhere where there's no detail and it won't be seen. I've chosen to put it on the top of the head where it will be covered by hair.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another important consideration is air bubbles. If the spout is incorrectly placed then air can get trapped in the mould causing voids in the castings. If the pour spout is positioned in the 'highest point' then air will be able to flow out of the mould without getting trapped.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbiRxAzd-mIAA_EDts-0uJjEwt_3QKpWBq-sk-mYFpIRN5bD0e3gM0przlp6Vg5eSifWpopOy9dENChnltqzwy_BH7ixKeT_i6Pok1Wmm4TISNlB-8XVfZ9-BOc69XveHYHEdhpevdJE/s1600/MouldingH02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbiRxAzd-mIAA_EDts-0uJjEwt_3QKpWBq-sk-mYFpIRN5bD0e3gM0przlp6Vg5eSifWpopOy9dENChnltqzwy_BH7ixKeT_i6Pok1Wmm4TISNlB-8XVfZ9-BOc69XveHYHEdhpevdJE/s320/MouldingH02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I built a box around the sculpture made from foam board. The sides are glued together with hot glue to create a water tight seal. I left a gap of about 1cm around the head so that the silicone mould will have sturdy sides. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHMPyRyPzSOG9Bn08MmG2WebPO1ry2uLy7BDSriiC7AEIDgBloEKAoerbe1EuwQ3wJN70ja4deh-OmNzmJP7w_QpRZjA5TctC3sVMgsYlSPGrGVx_RYzghCrKzZWGN6TCtVaDSwSeolw/s1600/MouldingH03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHMPyRyPzSOG9Bn08MmG2WebPO1ry2uLy7BDSriiC7AEIDgBloEKAoerbe1EuwQ3wJN70ja4deh-OmNzmJP7w_QpRZjA5TctC3sVMgsYlSPGrGVx_RYzghCrKzZWGN6TCtVaDSwSeolw/s320/MouldingH03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The silicone I'm using is white in colour and cures in 24 hours with 5% catalyst. When mixing the two parts together small air bubbles are introduced. These annoying bubbles can cause problems later and without a vacuum chamber they are difficult to get rid of. My solution is to paint a layer of silicone onto the sculpture and let that set. This helps to capture all the details and reduces bubbles on the surface. I then top up the mould box with silicone. I pour it in a thin stream into a corner of the box (not directly onto the sculpt).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Using this method means any bubbles that are in the mould won't touch the surface of the sculpture and therefore shouldn't cause any problems.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUX5rpZRRLS3SUqO170Z1RKKmcuEE3nFRSEvK-_-ZaduXamPLgPym-enRjf4Bhuba3aRivQ69v98o_BuMXlt8Peua9ytvsq-yPXTFEkgkfX9HTWDKcTMWbQvFWP-kxr_Nx2zowOY72uI/s1600/MouldingH04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUX5rpZRRLS3SUqO170Z1RKKmcuEE3nFRSEvK-_-ZaduXamPLgPym-enRjf4Bhuba3aRivQ69v98o_BuMXlt8Peua9ytvsq-yPXTFEkgkfX9HTWDKcTMWbQvFWP-kxr_Nx2zowOY72uI/s320/MouldingH04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once them silicone has set I removed it from the foam board box. Using a scalpel I now have to remove the master sculpt from the silicone. I cut along the back edge in a zig zag pattern and then bend the mould open to remove the sculpt. Cutting only the back edge reduces the amount of visible seam lines on the castings. The zig zag pattern will help the mould line up when it closes back up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmkbYf6o5UEYzZWFCmDRYUTzpUNlpiAbcyHz2OK2XfY6ej0W-jE0TaArOG_D_TBDvx0RenfqCbbrrFOPTfirRd1tCZBseI9ysTIDN38kk2ZrxnTdab-Tn9oF2nDVcC3TAffrfQLtxPVg/s1600/MouldingH05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmkbYf6o5UEYzZWFCmDRYUTzpUNlpiAbcyHz2OK2XfY6ej0W-jE0TaArOG_D_TBDvx0RenfqCbbrrFOPTfirRd1tCZBseI9ysTIDN38kk2ZrxnTdab-Tn9oF2nDVcC3TAffrfQLtxPVg/s320/MouldingH05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To cast the head I used Polyurethane (Fast Cast) Resin. This is a two part resin that mixes together in equal parts and cures in 30 mins. No mould release is needed. The resin is most fluid and viscous in the first minuet of mixing so I had to work fast and get the resin mixed and poured into the mould as quickly as I could. (There was no time to take a picture). I gently shake, rotate and tap the mould to coax any bubbles out. After about 3 minuets the resin starts to thicken up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmkbYf6o5UEYzZWFCmDRYUTzpUNlpiAbcyHz2OK2XfY6ej0W-jE0TaArOG_D_TBDvx0RenfqCbbrrFOPTfirRd1tCZBseI9ysTIDN38kk2ZrxnTdab-Tn9oF2nDVcC3TAffrfQLtxPVg/s1600/MouldingH05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmkbYf6o5UEYzZWFCmDRYUTzpUNlpiAbcyHz2OK2XfY6ej0W-jE0TaArOG_D_TBDvx0RenfqCbbrrFOPTfirRd1tCZBseI9ysTIDN38kk2ZrxnTdab-Tn9oF2nDVcC3TAffrfQLtxPVg/s320/MouldingH05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above is my first casting next to the master sculpture. I cut the pour spout off the top of the head and lightly sanded away the seam line. The fast cast copy of the head is much lighter than the original. Weight is always an issue for stop motion puppets in the fight against gravity. Another positive is that fast cast is much stronger than the sculpey original meaning it is much less likely to break during filming.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAt1rRfM7n0CHL_3hDezQccndVUQSaE4bld9qaRynV5gREMgp_p8ZAk7vXF6t6Z1dqBMniWlB00ABDao2s7kFqV0NekXDdHEvHjUYtTtsODsdJlwvkfa1AkZqH8mtMXCJFOtCEfbN0_Iw/s1600/MouldingH06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAt1rRfM7n0CHL_3hDezQccndVUQSaE4bld9qaRynV5gREMgp_p8ZAk7vXF6t6Z1dqBMniWlB00ABDao2s7kFqV0NekXDdHEvHjUYtTtsODsdJlwvkfa1AkZqH8mtMXCJFOtCEfbN0_Iw/s320/MouldingH06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above you can see that the silicone eye socket and eyes fit snugly into place, just as they did in the original head. I repeated this method to mould and cast the brow and mouth masks. I've cast 10 copies of the mouth and 3 brows that I will use to make all the different facial expressions required for the film.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The masks fit into place neatly but I will be adding a magnet system to hold them in place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvJHgvGW3nw9G8Ow_fSc9K6OiWC_JCRmNJ6IxHXcoL8nYzhFq42rlIwWqx_cngKr_v5GF2mwr9gakh9YaLPc-WZ6aJwrtWftqo4kr1BH06f5LEtAWhaDVlq9ieMVWpfqDfbRhuIMZuaE/s1600/MouldingH07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvJHgvGW3nw9G8Ow_fSc9K6OiWC_JCRmNJ6IxHXcoL8nYzhFq42rlIwWqx_cngKr_v5GF2mwr9gakh9YaLPc-WZ6aJwrtWftqo4kr1BH06f5LEtAWhaDVlq9ieMVWpfqDfbRhuIMZuaE/s320/MouldingH07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In by next post I will be doing more mould making, only this time they will be hard Polyurethane moulds for casting flexible silicone body parts.</div><div align="left"></div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com115tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-74645955607941954972011-04-07T01:08:00.000+01:002011-04-07T01:08:58.166+01:00Puppet Head Sculpt - Actress Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today's post is part 2 of the puppet head construction for 'Elle'. This is the part I really enjoy as it mostly consists of sculpting. Sculpting is a hobby of mine and you can see some of my work on my website <a href="http://sculpt-double.co.uk/">Sculpt-Double.co.uk</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Tools</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxcYufES08E4b6_xTH42LbBuOv2rFXjtwIBm-DZTEihl993xP8BSaDN9VDH2yl1Vl-PQAIQmRt56WzY2j1UQ-V4OiRJsL70WbMucdnOeWUHvx05Q9SKXmelyFGQbf4GOULn6eVutTTos/s1600/Tools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxcYufES08E4b6_xTH42LbBuOv2rFXjtwIBm-DZTEihl993xP8BSaDN9VDH2yl1Vl-PQAIQmRt56WzY2j1UQ-V4OiRJsL70WbMucdnOeWUHvx05Q9SKXmelyFGQbf4GOULn6eVutTTos/s320/Tools.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above is a picture of the tools I use for sculpting. Firstly on the left are some different clays. Super Sculpey Firm is a grey polymer clay that can be baked hard in an oven. I use this most often and it's great for capturing detail. Next is Milliput epoxy putty. It comes in two parts and cures hard in about 5 hours when mixed together. I use this because its really strong and good for strengthening and sticking together armatures. The ball of grey clay is Plastiline. It's a non drying clay very similar to plasticine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've collected a lot of different tools for sculpting, but pictured above are the only four tools I ever seem to use. On the left is a scalpel used for cutting and carving the clay. Next is a playing dart without it's flight ( my favourite and most used tool). The tapered point works great for sculpting in details. The red plastic tool I use for roughing out shapes and smoothing surfaces. Finally the last tool is a pin with a home made Milliput handle. This is used for really small, fine details.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wouldn't recommend spending lots of money on expensive sculpting tools. Often found items and home-made tools do the job. To smooth out clay I often just use my thumb and fine brushes but it requires a lot of time and patience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Sculpting the face</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_HKkodZGUzJNOL697kjJ15ok3TtasJQqB0_S0l21QQlWggi-FSk3PCFP0gXT11Mw5JyV-JUtgQkxuZUlc-S7-9_VuHVpFsZ-Wm_wNQJJTLvKn6dkAbWBWTim_9m6McsSq1-8_ZLrKBeM/s1600/Face01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_HKkodZGUzJNOL697kjJ15ok3TtasJQqB0_S0l21QQlWggi-FSk3PCFP0gXT11Mw5JyV-JUtgQkxuZUlc-S7-9_VuHVpFsZ-Wm_wNQJJTLvKn6dkAbWBWTim_9m6McsSq1-8_ZLrKBeM/s320/Face01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the picture above you can see I have roughed out the face onto the Milliput masks. For this I used Sculpey Firm. I've added features like the ears and nose and marked where the mouth will be.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLQirc_9CE_YOXxiM73kLM4r5qK6KLu-A7Ay_Z7pCr0sV5ncaQT2obky_bLvySpg0xvaYL7igxImB1g4ZR8QsduxsF81zjq7G-8XCzNIq3Qn2z1G0p6jQ7VkUxh2TK-rDgLiMEUbVzcM/s1600/Face02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLQirc_9CE_YOXxiM73kLM4r5qK6KLu-A7Ay_Z7pCr0sV5ncaQT2obky_bLvySpg0xvaYL7igxImB1g4ZR8QsduxsF81zjq7G-8XCzNIq3Qn2z1G0p6jQ7VkUxh2TK-rDgLiMEUbVzcM/s320/Face02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this profile shot you can see the seem lines where the different parts of the face will separate. Below are the two mask pieces away from the head core.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkaBaQsKzSzHBVLRagULzFMCfyXsBBE2c10p9lhrbvjrG015AuSUf5dUsSAE30IoZVJdZsTfvDefRO0cAhm35_8DVHJVyn95UTd8Zgp_yiT7c20SA8lN9d3bA3TmWKN7TAiYFL0LIZrg/s1600/Face03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtkaBaQsKzSzHBVLRagULzFMCfyXsBBE2c10p9lhrbvjrG015AuSUf5dUsSAE30IoZVJdZsTfvDefRO0cAhm35_8DVHJVyn95UTd8Zgp_yiT7c20SA8lN9d3bA3TmWKN7TAiYFL0LIZrg/s320/Face03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyVUdhY6FRZXd-IIxmQwbX7ZHFti8v-ziO_zTDj5IGqX3OEUfdrFipUJnvsvCxE88rpBtETXq9z_wKs6P9y-P6uKs3QJpF9-Po8AsRKcy8P7GcoVekeGyAlUD3Gt12VtHlvfG8AHTCco/s1600/Face04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyVUdhY6FRZXd-IIxmQwbX7ZHFti8v-ziO_zTDj5IGqX3OEUfdrFipUJnvsvCxE88rpBtETXq9z_wKs6P9y-P6uKs3QJpF9-Po8AsRKcy8P7GcoVekeGyAlUD3Gt12VtHlvfG8AHTCco/s320/Face04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above are all the different head components so far. Rather than sculpting multiple replacement mouths from scratch, I will be moulding and casting out copies of one mouth and sculpting alterations onto the casts. This way the shape of the nose and cheeks will stay consistent and only the mouth shapes and jaw will change.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKRQZEM3JFJu6D7I46dVi1Orh9OP689PkugaClG95w1qVSzzQlSl7LDl29363Uzz8aHpJFMaxjVpuqOztLJDnmZrJAsho-2RVo9450EUxQ-Olzx5UH7nLi3j6TosgLjqJmT1kkTqqOaM/s1600/Face05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKRQZEM3JFJu6D7I46dVi1Orh9OP689PkugaClG95w1qVSzzQlSl7LDl29363Uzz8aHpJFMaxjVpuqOztLJDnmZrJAsho-2RVo9450EUxQ-Olzx5UH7nLi3j6TosgLjqJmT1kkTqqOaM/s320/Face05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 'master' face above has no lips sculpted so that they can be added to the casts later. I have added a set of upper teeth because whenever they are visible they should stay constant in a fixed position.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWK2wvtPKRG8bs_TiHhyphenhyphenMrK7o6IxF7KkrtsiRtRbUbBaX2r4wwYAyi7JZ4OaRx2BVIncrw5pGCECPzu-mLBoeLly5Hz3ybmHJKCcBNbB2Hjgia7pIdKta-T8bY2wModyZpT3HaY3ogjk/s1600/Face06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWK2wvtPKRG8bs_TiHhyphenhyphenMrK7o6IxF7KkrtsiRtRbUbBaX2r4wwYAyi7JZ4OaRx2BVIncrw5pGCECPzu-mLBoeLly5Hz3ybmHJKCcBNbB2Hjgia7pIdKta-T8bY2wModyZpT3HaY3ogjk/s320/Face06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At this point the head and masks have been baked hard. Above you can see the rough sculpt for her hair. This is made from Plastiline and slots onto the head with K&S. The hair (once finished) will be moulded and cast in silicone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPKGWyxqL9U1PGcqK-ErGrppMZtCmreLHIX2iM964YcEs80XCvggO4vJu-l11x9eomhZ_pJw5aD1fpxDD6ERXw6GgG7d0B5DQ8Td9SxzmiF3BaiiU361ZN4isvL2OEKSvSwDFfEyCANA/s1600/Face07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPKGWyxqL9U1PGcqK-ErGrppMZtCmreLHIX2iM964YcEs80XCvggO4vJu-l11x9eomhZ_pJw5aD1fpxDD6ERXw6GgG7d0B5DQ8Td9SxzmiF3BaiiU361ZN4isvL2OEKSvSwDFfEyCANA/s320/Face07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5g-ohfNzRVFURlgOXBhu6svkvfoPZ0gWWX0NlsY4ivBVh9FmwtOrWY7BEoATSHi77zopSI5k5r-EJEXWzctUjsYgyi9deZZAcWa5_9kiULKxj-JrNrMZCBr5hh4dTQkHoZb2gOC0kEQ/s1600/Face08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5g-ohfNzRVFURlgOXBhu6svkvfoPZ0gWWX0NlsY4ivBVh9FmwtOrWY7BEoATSHi77zopSI5k5r-EJEXWzctUjsYgyi9deZZAcWa5_9kiULKxj-JrNrMZCBr5hh4dTQkHoZb2gOC0kEQ/s400/Face08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Because part of the hair covers the upper half of the face, the brow mask is reshaped to follow the hair line. This allows it to be removed from the face more easily.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRMd7g4_CzWcs1fptJ1Mx5iES0BpyN94HhHchZKDe_Ka2xfJ_7IvQdqGHWKxRs3dUvaxN9oq_zXtQcNX35u2T9EhxWQhMjBMOh1GSbr_TnhQ-uHQDMvUVXLSUqO8Y4DAwVC9sp3zULfg/s1600/Face09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRMd7g4_CzWcs1fptJ1Mx5iES0BpyN94HhHchZKDe_Ka2xfJ_7IvQdqGHWKxRs3dUvaxN9oq_zXtQcNX35u2T9EhxWQhMjBMOh1GSbr_TnhQ-uHQDMvUVXLSUqO8Y4DAwVC9sp3zULfg/s320/Face09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Finally here is the finished (master) head sculpt ready to be moulded. My next post will show the molding and casting process.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2NTbY3Z0rgMbKQbz9u_-DGxNAT3FqRgXaaP6awdBKLdtQoRFmoJ_aViBeJfrVNfQG4D3PvWOk59NGWn-dHEA2ya7j1lzeaItQkFanKPQK5oHlaZ2Vvlk3Pe-OE6X-dFZC_PzV1gjoQs/s1600/Face10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2NTbY3Z0rgMbKQbz9u_-DGxNAT3FqRgXaaP6awdBKLdtQoRFmoJ_aViBeJfrVNfQG4D3PvWOk59NGWn-dHEA2ya7j1lzeaItQkFanKPQK5oHlaZ2Vvlk3Pe-OE6X-dFZC_PzV1gjoQs/s320/Face10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-42487940389013560922011-04-04T23:15:00.002+01:002011-04-05T00:13:03.828+01:00Puppet Head Sculpt - Actress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzIjCmQZzuuL5dk8kADlom6KO2e-YgzVhs6L3equlsZwlg4hLNFh5kUpS6DNAgrrqmJ3Qv33Mtn7ushWwiLanbFMZe2Bbp7bZcNFb1k3jCEvol0_1QMolxSqFem8jJ2XKdcrVgea6k40/s1600/Head00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzIjCmQZzuuL5dk8kADlom6KO2e-YgzVhs6L3equlsZwlg4hLNFh5kUpS6DNAgrrqmJ3Qv33Mtn7ushWwiLanbFMZe2Bbp7bZcNFb1k3jCEvol0_1QMolxSqFem8jJ2XKdcrVgea6k40/s320/Head00.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Today's post is dedicated to the process of making the head for the character 'Elle'. I feel this is the most important part of a stop motion puppet and the hardest to make. A characters face will be under the most scrutiny from the audience and manufacturing it to express a wide range of expressions requires a lot of problem solving.<br />
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Both Josh and I made the decision to make solid, plastic heads that will use a system of replaceable masks to allow us to change the characters expression. We were inspired by the stop mo film 'Coraline' which used a similar technique to make the title characters faces. Unlike 'Coraline' we will be sculpting each facial expressions by hand. (we can't afford fancy 3d printers)<br />
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I enjoy using the replacement animation technique as it speeds up the animation process. adjusting a plasticine face between shots can lead to the characters face going 'off model' and the clay tends to get dirty.<br />
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I will be using the same process as Josh used to create the Mail Man Puppets head. You can see his pictures on his blog here.<a href="http://joshua-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/03/puppet-head-sculpt-mail-man.html">http://joshua-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/03/puppet-head-sculpt-mail-man.html</a><br />
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<strong><u>Head Core.</u></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVxF1z-B2QV3q8J18PKl1NP9vVmfdMzkaQaIA01gGwcO1DhXbEbrfP1HTdA_x4US7YzWXdyy7QgN7LPtJrum_Asc9o-MoaQ8yEI2tPiosiKX37ZOZIok7wMPsABqO933Wzseag9i0plY/s1600/Head01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVxF1z-B2QV3q8J18PKl1NP9vVmfdMzkaQaIA01gGwcO1DhXbEbrfP1HTdA_x4US7YzWXdyy7QgN7LPtJrum_Asc9o-MoaQ8yEI2tPiosiKX37ZOZIok7wMPsABqO933Wzseag9i0plY/s320/Head01.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started by making a solid core for the rest of the head to be built around. Above you can see a Milliput cap that slots over the neck and into K&S. I will want the head to slide on and off the neck in order to change face expressions while filming. The K&S locates the head to the correct position.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Eyes and Eye Sockets</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Earlier in this blog I explained how I moulded various sized eye balls to be cast out and used in this film.<a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/02/eye-balls.html">Link</a> Below you can see some of the eyes I cast. At this point they still had the excess pour spouts attached. They will be cut off and smoothed away later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKwn9hek9VKZxnbmm-5Lw0525mV_X-zFIi9qXpTwxCp2dxVP8b8vAY3TZJexRpHQ8zxd78dYeM7QMkMknXiB3N-9M-DGkvopHx4t5uqti2lvLPYOhGH08M7a6ghHW-VQ_3fPEQbrUisso/s1600/Head08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKwn9hek9VKZxnbmm-5Lw0525mV_X-zFIi9qXpTwxCp2dxVP8b8vAY3TZJexRpHQ8zxd78dYeM7QMkMknXiB3N-9M-DGkvopHx4t5uqti2lvLPYOhGH08M7a6ghHW-VQ_3fPEQbrUisso/s320/Head08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To keep the eyes securely in place I have made silicone eye sockets. I was worried that the fast cast eyes would slide around or fall out of the fast cast head. The silicone socket grips the eyes and holds them in the head nicely. To make the socket, I sculpted the shape in plasticine with the eyes in place. I then poured a plaster mould trapping the eyes inside. When i flipped the mould and removed the plasticine it left the correct size negative space for the silicone to be cast.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLLybJEjNOJdM7-iH_xd6f7dBlCT97ZUprOc4f8EjANrzPj_ki7jQaDznrDpyk19xwNOMxUedzNQhg89KeaCK5rx8jSaJlRgtVJMfOqgVng-QBKpnZupHJSrjbYHXoHRfH-SwzyGH7bI/s1600/Head02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLLybJEjNOJdM7-iH_xd6f7dBlCT97ZUprOc4f8EjANrzPj_ki7jQaDznrDpyk19xwNOMxUedzNQhg89KeaCK5rx8jSaJlRgtVJMfOqgVng-QBKpnZupHJSrjbYHXoHRfH-SwzyGH7bI/s320/Head02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above is the silicone eyes sockets that will slot into the head core. The eyes still roll in the sockets and they are unlikely to slip during filming.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Sculpting the Head Core.</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next I started to sculpt the characters head around the Milliput head core. I'm using Sculpey firm. Usually I would need to keep the weight down by blocking out the head with balsa wood. As I will be casting this head in fast cast resin (Polyurethane), I don't have to worry about using heavy clay.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhg8z5JA3zGADfangwt_xdiX3QDLW9I9HfRPrQXmCrrGWL_kV9rNHVR9v6pQhyphenhyphenkGJ-Aojvft0ML7nu78UNDs7Fyi7ZHCaJKliZLWxud2I_aMEdyPhEdFg7aIU5FUNMLeQTL4aiRk3AUs/s1600/Head03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhg8z5JA3zGADfangwt_xdiX3QDLW9I9HfRPrQXmCrrGWL_kV9rNHVR9v6pQhyphenhyphenkGJ-Aojvft0ML7nu78UNDs7Fyi7ZHCaJKliZLWxud2I_aMEdyPhEdFg7aIU5FUNMLeQTL4aiRk3AUs/s320/Head03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As you can see I have added a space for the eye socket to slot into. Also I have added a K&S rig point and gap at the back of the head for the hair to slot into. The hair will be a separate silicone component.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7ef96rmoBzjPkqc2Iex9rKTr6PYd6ih-qwJKmB5x7Cz25ciLMshsxWOyaV1mGJRVkp7oFAwu8mXevGNu1A8cOmhGjrFXu4dTpKaDbJrcximMDGgExzqWdSpBJdIzaFqfp_zlFuSuHWc/s1600/Head04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7ef96rmoBzjPkqc2Iex9rKTr6PYd6ih-qwJKmB5x7Cz25ciLMshsxWOyaV1mGJRVkp7oFAwu8mXevGNu1A8cOmhGjrFXu4dTpKaDbJrcximMDGgExzqWdSpBJdIzaFqfp_zlFuSuHWc/s320/Head04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above is the head with the eye socket. You can also see the circular space where the neck slots in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyf7MEl-eaBSQSER6WCKQYxk1Oda4gfzZXviLeLL5atIF3XldyrP7a7QV3UPFLE3QyeQo0vqb5_75Yc_PQSG1OCxDFJaZRNhwaM2H1Gwv54uoQkNo9ArASEr8o7o_PGMlOC18Yb9Qb160/s1600/Head05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyf7MEl-eaBSQSER6WCKQYxk1Oda4gfzZXviLeLL5atIF3XldyrP7a7QV3UPFLE3QyeQo0vqb5_75Yc_PQSG1OCxDFJaZRNhwaM2H1Gwv54uoQkNo9ArASEr8o7o_PGMlOC18Yb9Qb160/s320/Head05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The shape and finish of this is not too important as the facial details and overall shape of the head will be sculpted into the removable face masks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4apvgOJ_n7vsYRQ7VW9TdKXz_0iXJqiz38kNp0X_y1yux5I0fsbtr1224TV8acrAFo0jxPnWrasI8fgog3siNwXXBsTzVn9RWGf7QED3GkcaelhzMsML442tIQjgQeaOv464MYq9UoGA/s1600/Head06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4apvgOJ_n7vsYRQ7VW9TdKXz_0iXJqiz38kNp0X_y1yux5I0fsbtr1224TV8acrAFo0jxPnWrasI8fgog3siNwXXBsTzVn9RWGf7QED3GkcaelhzMsML442tIQjgQeaOv464MYq9UoGA/s320/Head06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After baking the head I roughly sculpted a thin layer of Milliput over the face. These act as a solid base for me to sculpt the face onto. The faces will be divided into two parts. Brows and Mouths.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RanTq8Lghn1JWmpnl64A44-g1e-DUeg5lqZgZPLlt2_NaAO4mA5wCKD3NP9njgRQJm3HeSqdiewmDOW0JHHbw8frSAS5vonE4K9X4Em-naZjY5qaSq7kTXkspz39B-_Wgz4Otq2X8N8/s1600/Head07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RanTq8Lghn1JWmpnl64A44-g1e-DUeg5lqZgZPLlt2_NaAO4mA5wCKD3NP9njgRQJm3HeSqdiewmDOW0JHHbw8frSAS5vonE4K9X4Em-naZjY5qaSq7kTXkspz39B-_Wgz4Otq2X8N8/s320/Head07.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I applied Vasaline between the two materials to top them from sticking. Once the Milliput was cured I removed them from the head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That enough for now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My next post will continue with the puppet head construction. More pictures soon.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-25713770756885816362011-03-29T23:59:00.001+01:002011-03-30T23:56:42.783+01:00Sculpting - Actress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next stage in the puppet construction process is to sculpt the shape of the character onto the armature.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At this point Josh will be working on the Mail Man puppet and I will be focusing on 'Elle' the Actress.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this post I will show the process of sculpting the characters body, ready to be moulded and cast in silicone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPnGu5IOXVqe85OarxK-8vqkgHSIoq_1RVpCBMyz8fwtO2MH1BtCpPulaz7UUsXQZV2nTNWx97QPRxf2ernSBWvd8EW1Fq16S_HwMFLpSGU5XPH1IuArCvqnXFIWD_PTWCHf-Aa-tYW0/s1600/Sculpting01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPnGu5IOXVqe85OarxK-8vqkgHSIoq_1RVpCBMyz8fwtO2MH1BtCpPulaz7UUsXQZV2nTNWx97QPRxf2ernSBWvd8EW1Fq16S_HwMFLpSGU5XPH1IuArCvqnXFIWD_PTWCHf-Aa-tYW0/s320/Sculpting01.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am using plastiline which is a soft malluable clay similar to plasticine. I apply the clay around the armature, making sure that the right areas line up. For example I ensure that I sculpt the knee in the same area that the armature is designed to bend.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNltFxUMGgzjpWNUx9ZZTZsighG1m6ZJF7IcI7L9wPU2LdQwtZ3V2qBecpVStvMFRLwUE8xqUZ8pG5mxRGtlPMjIezTmFSWqXTSygho7am8eiIAgmoy3fQyL8ewOtYv56rjk81hRbzmAo/s1600/Sculpting02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNltFxUMGgzjpWNUx9ZZTZsighG1m6ZJF7IcI7L9wPU2LdQwtZ3V2qBecpVStvMFRLwUE8xqUZ8pG5mxRGtlPMjIezTmFSWqXTSygho7am8eiIAgmoy3fQyL8ewOtYv56rjk81hRbzmAo/s320/Sculpting02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I will only be sculpting the parts of the puppet that are exposed and therefore need to be cast in silicone. Areas that are covered by clothes will be bulked out and shaped using sponge. Most on the Mail Mans body will be made this way. I will be casting six silicone parts for the actress - 2 legs, 2 arms, 1shoulders and neck and 1 hair piece.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I like to rough out the entire figure so that I can see if the proportions are working. I then go back and add details. I print out a lot of reference pictures and pin them around my desk so I can always keep checking my sculpt in comparision the the maquette I made earlier.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9i84lr-puRJ82dSIpc3V-y80KTXd4dXiz3rL4KUXRqT9nUWYgGRzbwTLYNL4f2WUuhDfzBMdWPhITIOZqYOEsX2DV9Rhd3KYnbtnKP8wVmmymqsdZsFaxdlP5EME_8pmkprjzOMgmSg/s1600/Sculpting03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9i84lr-puRJ82dSIpc3V-y80KTXd4dXiz3rL4KUXRqT9nUWYgGRzbwTLYNL4f2WUuhDfzBMdWPhITIOZqYOEsX2DV9Rhd3KYnbtnKP8wVmmymqsdZsFaxdlP5EME_8pmkprjzOMgmSg/s320/Sculpting03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The above picture shows the process of sculpting the arms.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRvulet0QuLK9_jrVCmyCHlT32siofF1BKvS3whokqf-KMEMLVD02HPXble8Nkc5snF1pAE37TOYbEv9pQql5rTZAkZXlWKbG5ZJhxULmm1jjjzOPn68-orEgKQPwv-ne57sIW7H_3QE/s1600/Sculpting04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRvulet0QuLK9_jrVCmyCHlT32siofF1BKvS3whokqf-KMEMLVD02HPXble8Nkc5snF1pAE37TOYbEv9pQql5rTZAkZXlWKbG5ZJhxULmm1jjjzOPn68-orEgKQPwv-ne57sIW7H_3QE/s320/Sculpting04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The forearms connect to the the rest of the arm at the elbow. Finally here are some turn around pictures showing the progress so far. The sculpt still needs to be smoothed and cleaned up. Also I will add detail the the shoes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQUO0nkHNCddENfqWi2sdegzkluteTuWMRcbqZYUQSaDb0MfPvgMOY0lOd0oOvfP9g0d2tKr6cNwUY0dA2ATh-B1I4YVTS7hwu4npKCI2sjF2dgd8zCU16Felf4DHd9ws_XEo3gv_RYE/s1600/Sculpting05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQUO0nkHNCddENfqWi2sdegzkluteTuWMRcbqZYUQSaDb0MfPvgMOY0lOd0oOvfP9g0d2tKr6cNwUY0dA2ATh-B1I4YVTS7hwu4npKCI2sjF2dgd8zCU16Felf4DHd9ws_XEo3gv_RYE/s320/Sculpting05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSghpZF6zDh6ZQlQiUqoXTLyFEzh8OOv0kk1_nDtNjUPKuifO2rnNP85xys5d6GbY4_XotpbvbhraA94RWnSaII26NwCAKcYZz6wfySf8rTIZkfKf0Z2FhVAS9wW2whQyy3dh5dM6Zuw/s1600/Sculpting06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSghpZF6zDh6ZQlQiUqoXTLyFEzh8OOv0kk1_nDtNjUPKuifO2rnNP85xys5d6GbY4_XotpbvbhraA94RWnSaII26NwCAKcYZz6wfySf8rTIZkfKf0Z2FhVAS9wW2whQyy3dh5dM6Zuw/s320/Sculpting06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sqWQjWWGF5FQl1-uKCIA5zuFTmCxJa7lcRyhClzi2dj2dT0xZRIs3NNZmoZWZPFpMVlMCHyChzpISW6yZvrKhhjdVGK15bBvTCHDKIrIXi3bVwXncKxiYZBk8MGjlY2XLZ6eIB25zWs/s1600/Sculpting07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sqWQjWWGF5FQl1-uKCIA5zuFTmCxJa7lcRyhClzi2dj2dT0xZRIs3NNZmoZWZPFpMVlMCHyChzpISW6yZvrKhhjdVGK15bBvTCHDKIrIXi3bVwXncKxiYZBk8MGjlY2XLZ6eIB25zWs/s320/Sculpting07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Next I will be sculpting the actresses head and showing how I plan to create different facial expressions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-25876053131181510692011-03-21T00:46:00.000+00:002011-03-21T00:46:32.020+00:00Ball & Socket JointsBall and socket joints are used in puppet armatures as an alternative to aluminium wire. The advantage of using them is that they will not snap like wire, and their tension can be controlled to tighten or loosen the joint.<br />
Unfortunatley they are dificult and expensive to make.<br />
I've decided to use ball and socket joints at the necks of my characters because I feel they give good smooth movments that can't be created using wire. As most attention is paid to the characters faces I need the heads to have controlled subtle movments. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwJrrpFMhVa9sVreg959Y_xaEtqIMZp7syp2zGVL4fQywxs04q0JpJvYCuy9YqtfHeg0RKCM2yta2YkXEGJjhr6ah7Nl9typr8uq3yfdChHb_Z9xmZJzmlV0ZNunacktclCK2D3X456c/s1600/Ball%2526SocketJoints01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwJrrpFMhVa9sVreg959Y_xaEtqIMZp7syp2zGVL4fQywxs04q0JpJvYCuy9YqtfHeg0RKCM2yta2YkXEGJjhr6ah7Nl9typr8uq3yfdChHb_Z9xmZJzmlV0ZNunacktclCK2D3X456c/s320/Ball%2526SocketJoints01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above are a selection of ball and socket joints that I have manufactured. On the left is a larger joint made from brass. This one is for the Theatre Usher. The other three are made from brass and steel and are for the two Mail Men and the Actress.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dZkLZl1A67a1oiR9FpDy_g8ebG9oxo0iCSCyfOw-fgdMjPdkS9VhlpbUGyAmnaxQCP7ukT676v09fy9uNUGqDhG0JW-hmbsThAEo05j3kk7ritAVjho9LZ5-4F30-uoza3Qcz203Aps/s1600/Ball%2526SocketJoints02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dZkLZl1A67a1oiR9FpDy_g8ebG9oxo0iCSCyfOw-fgdMjPdkS9VhlpbUGyAmnaxQCP7ukT676v09fy9uNUGqDhG0JW-hmbsThAEo05j3kk7ritAVjho9LZ5-4F30-uoza3Qcz203Aps/s320/Ball%2526SocketJoints02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For the chunkier joint I used solid brass beads soldered onto brass rod. The sandwich plated are drilled brass bar, threaded on one side for the bolt to tie into.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUR0ND61kq5xvqIeSYWAvIkBkX9W6pkiLRskbKsTni9Lnb662yHpy5rPcEd-UayoAp59Tt_ToOF6WDsREdHExQB6hjcqwleXgAaqh2bMc8_TGoAaUynkX51zctE_qfVH4DxHtmCUmhl8/s1600/Ball%2526SocketJoints03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUR0ND61kq5xvqIeSYWAvIkBkX9W6pkiLRskbKsTni9Lnb662yHpy5rPcEd-UayoAp59Tt_ToOF6WDsREdHExQB6hjcqwleXgAaqh2bMc8_TGoAaUynkX51zctE_qfVH4DxHtmCUmhl8/s320/Ball%2526SocketJoints03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These smaller joints are made from 5mm steel ball bearings that I drilled and soldered steel rod into. Its important not to scratch the ball bearings otherwise they will not give a smooth motion. The side plates are again made using drilled brass bar. The plates are held together using M2 nuts and bolts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_JBZ4CpWz_T5mzRreTeaM-y5Wj5LfxmAfq-D8Q5L-K_SIDftGvF56rqFmQSdkXRClgeRDe80VHF6p2ACVoFxloHB1yMKpuzejfLwYHwT9CiHHf_kiOt-vK-jsETqTD2T3LwP-HiFqH8/s1600/Ball%2526SocketJoints04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_JBZ4CpWz_T5mzRreTeaM-y5Wj5LfxmAfq-D8Q5L-K_SIDftGvF56rqFmQSdkXRClgeRDe80VHF6p2ACVoFxloHB1yMKpuzejfLwYHwT9CiHHf_kiOt-vK-jsETqTD2T3LwP-HiFqH8/s320/Ball%2526SocketJoints04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On either end of the joints I soldered K&S to alow them to slot onto the shoulders and the head. To see the joints on the puppet armatures check my previous post.</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-33436467727968981092011-03-16T00:12:00.000+00:002011-03-16T00:12:02.353+00:00Character Armatures Continued<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below are the finished wire armatures of the three main characters in my film. From right to left these are the Actress (Elle), the Mail Man (Roy) and the Theatre Usher. Each armature is constructed using the same principles of twisted aluminium wire and K&S tubing for replaceable limbs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfPTtt20xNv3SoEJflgkN-2P7AfuqpisijLjOu_gpbsMKg-pifVLBfPlukpU0OaP13W04cmDNOzkNm751ksEubqS3aOu7YoDezjNMWXoH_1F27U6BsLCEyI9X2XyMv2T9gbIZsWbdfek/s1600/Character+Armatures07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfPTtt20xNv3SoEJflgkN-2P7AfuqpisijLjOu_gpbsMKg-pifVLBfPlukpU0OaP13W04cmDNOzkNm751ksEubqS3aOu7YoDezjNMWXoH_1F27U6BsLCEyI9X2XyMv2T9gbIZsWbdfek/s320/Character+Armatures07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below is the armature for Roy the <br />
Mail Man. This is one of two identical armatures I've made of this character.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HZOKLGoMGEH8jCS57TH_9K4GubRjkXr-BCZK7uL6doMT1-orj2bucPJlBAmEyjynBoD5Swtk4HMJKrOF9lDoeI22Ta2AY5-XF8JNPEZKLrEtGP2KEyPpCACHTZrJWxTI1rZSAGC__gw/s1600/Character+Armatures08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HZOKLGoMGEH8jCS57TH_9K4GubRjkXr-BCZK7uL6doMT1-orj2bucPJlBAmEyjynBoD5Swtk4HMJKrOF9lDoeI22Ta2AY5-XF8JNPEZKLrEtGP2KEyPpCACHTZrJWxTI1rZSAGC__gw/s320/Character+Armatures08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Next is the armature for Elle the Actress. She has a for feminine figure</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXw0rdUiL0Qs1KZ7hn5NLDyhDbhuOGn1iMbdzjim6WVZTMB9xGz6NnZ0ebPl5qP-xIwo01ZOzJevgPOWR1gvOGDBfoHxASfe09jU5VY8vF0EdTjLCBnMCaydEWmjJukjD6clSARA7ZTA/s1600/Character+Armatures09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXw0rdUiL0Qs1KZ7hn5NLDyhDbhuOGn1iMbdzjim6WVZTMB9xGz6NnZ0ebPl5qP-xIwo01ZOzJevgPOWR1gvOGDBfoHxASfe09jU5VY8vF0EdTjLCBnMCaydEWmjJukjD6clSARA7ZTA/s320/Character+Armatures09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I added steel wire to the feet to act as heels. These will strengthen the feet and give me a base to work on when I sculpt the shoes later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7itthBhIgxO7CvOEh3RQHWeny2DQL6m_1lWMUNi7X8byZAgRY0_U2QRmH3qIeQP_4c5D-m8cpOm6dYms6H9VKT0bCJ9op3edk7DcskpOuycDJfM8ZlwdTwKmi3uuN1Q14ZSQLUl_sW7U/s1600/Actress+feet..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7itthBhIgxO7CvOEh3RQHWeny2DQL6m_1lWMUNi7X8byZAgRY0_U2QRmH3qIeQP_4c5D-m8cpOm6dYms6H9VKT0bCJ9op3edk7DcskpOuycDJfM8ZlwdTwKmi3uuN1Q14ZSQLUl_sW7U/s320/Actress+feet..jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Theatre Usher's armature is a lot bulkier than the others. I used thicker twists of wire to help support the puppets larger size. At this stage the character looks short compared to the others. When the puppet is bulked out and his large shoulders are added he will end up being the biggest character in the film.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ri2qnbzNZSkrQ9ljei2f6Y89KebuWJqQMBrvQYxHpduIkzfWMKJEW228MflUF_pVNx_MaLx8HrcaCgEzjjbWSPMvufJWqtmdZ-CeWgWk57qEyrBe9CIkAAcMl_Aml_INwODmaz5i1_I/s1600/Character+Armatures10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ri2qnbzNZSkrQ9ljei2f6Y89KebuWJqQMBrvQYxHpduIkzfWMKJEW228MflUF_pVNx_MaLx8HrcaCgEzjjbWSPMvufJWqtmdZ-CeWgWk57qEyrBe9CIkAAcMl_Aml_INwODmaz5i1_I/s320/Character+Armatures10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You might noticed that these puppets have ball and socket joints for necks. In my next post I will explain how I made them and why I decided to use them at the neck.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2257467913597813910.post-8886625734455221602011-03-10T19:21:00.001+00:002011-04-24T00:11:16.685+01:00Character ArmaturesIn this post I will be showing how the characters armatures are constructed. I'm making a total of 4 armatures - 2x Mail Man 1x Actress and 1x Theatre Usher. Each armature is made with the same materials and techniques but the proportions change depending on the characters shape and size.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I used the Armature design sheets (posted earlier in this blog) as a guide for cutting out all the components. They also ensure that the puppets will be the correct scale.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhBFPxOJO5HYSMq7xQIqLi5XtE5J5gwtHWcOMDUjvNDHn9kk1d9hDsZlgiGjNENeAwOgolrQgAN7pzuHi6zwX8039veZHGqAJJ_RPDxSHeOHfkiMicLwDphBJGThXIwarYOIsFoC1_cQ/s1600/Character+Armatures01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhBFPxOJO5HYSMq7xQIqLi5XtE5J5gwtHWcOMDUjvNDHn9kk1d9hDsZlgiGjNENeAwOgolrQgAN7pzuHi6zwX8039veZHGqAJJ_RPDxSHeOHfkiMicLwDphBJGThXIwarYOIsFoC1_cQ/s320/Character+Armatures01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">First I cut all the components ensuring that they are the correct length. The K&S Brass tubing allows limbs to be disassembled. The aluminium tubing keeps parts of the arms and legs ridged so they can only bend in the areas I want them too. Above are the parts for the first Mail Man.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJus6b6S_I3OTX9hxlnoaC-c-eiJ7HXxeqoFUKdhEg7y570otjUWHYsPjIdgnroSSuR6f2LwvCAEZk39whZcvSnkHIqUPbR5pwdqbvUU6osnXzQGt7lQ9a8rXrFLTNM4XLT_QzUSOWoI/s1600/Character+Armatures02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJus6b6S_I3OTX9hxlnoaC-c-eiJ7HXxeqoFUKdhEg7y570otjUWHYsPjIdgnroSSuR6f2LwvCAEZk39whZcvSnkHIqUPbR5pwdqbvUU6osnXzQGt7lQ9a8rXrFLTNM4XLT_QzUSOWoI/s320/Character+Armatures02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Above are some of the components laid out for the Actress armature. Unlike the Mail Man, who's feet are removable at the ankles, her feet and legs will be one part.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYB4r2MfxTLF-K4i4NrwHIiJnIAJqrzf1ZFh3517ok8r1nfENsPWk6qYTj9xkBUKHd7SQTgDH1M3hvuX_yD1Y31e1kE4IwZ7sm3KzfijSdjJMQz-XRvvytvVJunXblyEYy0GnrOFHLFM/s1600/Character+Armatures03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYB4r2MfxTLF-K4i4NrwHIiJnIAJqrzf1ZFh3517ok8r1nfENsPWk6qYTj9xkBUKHd7SQTgDH1M3hvuX_yD1Y31e1kE4IwZ7sm3KzfijSdjJMQz-XRvvytvVJunXblyEYy0GnrOFHLFM/s320/Character+Armatures03.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvEuu10A4cWWGy8uy0_Qt13IxDSuD_vnSsnlBnWO5yNW9R9KU3NFIckDY4dyWshOMRos3EG3WV1DxbrFJyNBRuDN1ba9_TYT5AMrrKIeJ7mXHsHSslX_vZ8vhmC5-LvnWXNnR5DdJrEQ/s1600/Character+Armatures04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvEuu10A4cWWGy8uy0_Qt13IxDSuD_vnSsnlBnWO5yNW9R9KU3NFIckDY4dyWshOMRos3EG3WV1DxbrFJyNBRuDN1ba9_TYT5AMrrKIeJ7mXHsHSslX_vZ8vhmC5-LvnWXNnR5DdJrEQ/s320/Character+Armatures04.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">The next stage is to twist the Aluminium wire and glue all the parts together. I used a double twist of 2mm Aluminium wire for the arms and a triple twist for the legs. The exposed areas of wire are covered with heat shrink tubing to protect them from scratches. Any nicks or dents will shorten the life of the wire. Above are the Mail Man armature (right) and Actress armature after they have been assembled and glued together with epoxy. Each has two K&S rig points at the waist just in case the puppets will need external support later on.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXW1HiZQ0ZaICPaXYFNmG9yWJ-QfEfg5OwEVrPreq7AOvStu6MdGDefKEpE7vZsCfJrKy0lKLmLw8outqBkSoXbxxe_dAa7OZFNjwjNTFpJ4o6Sb9cXxH1QBiOpIFxIN5YAOe6aY80pk/s1600/Character+Armatures05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXW1HiZQ0ZaICPaXYFNmG9yWJ-QfEfg5OwEVrPreq7AOvStu6MdGDefKEpE7vZsCfJrKy0lKLmLw8outqBkSoXbxxe_dAa7OZFNjwjNTFpJ4o6Sb9cXxH1QBiOpIFxIN5YAOe6aY80pk/s320/Character+Armatures05.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Yd7CADFRPp1snwl60mgjzHqE3miDqo5ORJF9GapLKkjsl2vNPTr-zFF8JRNxRr8q7zSF_xaVpuzz3mg4NfPXkapdVh1C7vgmgzWC7CDX4rAT3Ei7tGH3UVv0ToGNuqwynbTm95SD0zM/s1600/Character+Armatures06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Yd7CADFRPp1snwl60mgjzHqE3miDqo5ORJF9GapLKkjsl2vNPTr-zFF8JRNxRr8q7zSF_xaVpuzz3mg4NfPXkapdVh1C7vgmgzWC7CDX4rAT3Ei7tGH3UVv0ToGNuqwynbTm95SD0zM/s320/Character+Armatures06.jpg" width="312" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
The hands are made in a similar way to the test I did earlier. <a href="http://nathan-flynn.blogspot.com/2011/02/puppet-hands.html">Link</a><br />
This time I used a smaller M2 Nut in the palm to save space. The actresses fingers are very thin, so I used a single wire for each finger instead a two.<br />
I my next post I will show the complete armatures for the Actress, Usher and the two identical Mail Man Puppets.<br />
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</div>Nathan Flynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14746824929399852353noreply@blogger.com9