CCGB #243

Puppets - part 2...

Well, here is our next puppet update.  I mentioned yesterday that my stitching left a lot to be desired - well, here's proof...

 

This is at the top of the head, where 3 seams come together.   As you can see, the seems are very visible - not only that, but they're staring to give (yes, my stitching really was that bad :blush:).  In the next picture, you'll see the side seam

 

This is on the left side of the puppet - if you were to look closer, you'd see the same thing here, trust me.  So as I mectioned yesterday, I re-stitched the right body seam using the Puppet Stitch....

 

...And here's the result!  A much better look to the seam, and it's twice as strong.  The downside to this method is the time taken - puppet stitch takes forever to do (especially with fur) - but it's worth it!  So it's back to the puppet to do the remaining seams, and then the ears/eyes/nose comes next!

PUPPETS!

As some of you may know, I love the Muppets, and I've been promosing myself to build my very own.  Well, my first prototype will soon be with us.  My original plan was to base him on my "Frankie" character....

 

For those who've never seen him before, Frankie was my Frankenstein's Monster - a wise cracking hamster with a large brain, who featured in my short lived "It's Alive" comic...

 So a few weeks back,  I grabbed a pattern, some brown fur and upholstery foam, and started work - and here is the result....

 

This first view, shows the puppet face on.  As you can see, there are no eyes yet, just the body and mouth...

 

I learned quite a bit doing just this basic puppet.  The first mistake was the mouth - you'll notice there is a ridge of felt rising up - that's because I used spray glue - great stuff, but far too strong and quick setting.  Next time, I'll use hi-tack fabric glue - gives me a bit of setting time and doesn't give me headaches (the fumes of the spray glue nearly blew my head off)...

The second mistake was the stitching.  Not only did I do it too loosely, but the stitch I used allowed the fabric to pull apart.  Later on tonight, I'll start re-stitching it using the puppet stitch...

 

The good news is that the little guy has a LOT of character!  Once I've restitched him, I'll be looking at his eyes, ears, nose and teeth next

 

 

The really interesting thing is... strange.  I put the puppet on, and it's really wierd, but he started to develop a character right there - and it wasn't Frankie.  This guy comes across as cool-smart, rather than sassy.  He may not even BE Frankie!  I won't know until he's further along.

CCGB #242

CCGB #241

Cultpens - Artist of the month!

My favorite online pen store has always been Cultpens, because they make a point of stocking all manner of weird, wonderful and hard to get items.  Well, this month, I'm their featured Artist of the Month, and I'm very excited!  As part of the honour, I designed their banner for this months blog...

 

It's made using my preferred CultPens products - Paper Mate Flairs (Nylon and Fine) and Koh-I-Noor polycolor pencils, and features a super hero pencil!  I could have done something a little more digital, but I wanted to show how good their products really are.  They seemed to like it!

While I'm at it, here's a caricature of UKIP's Nigel Farage...

See you soon everyone!