And for my first puppet...Animal!

[charlie bird]

just curious as to where you got the ostridge feathers ....They usually dont sell them as individual um...what do you call them...Ill make somethin up..."hairs",if that makes anny sense

 

[ashkent]

I bought them as full spandosas (I dont think that's actually the word but it's close enough) on ebay - the huge ones that are used for burlesque and wedding table decorations. Then I just used a penknife tp slice up the central spine of the feather to end up with a load of individual feathers. The good thing was that the end that was cut was thin and quite firm so it made it easier to thread too.
The main problem I had was finding the right colour - how many different shaded of hot pink do people need?? lol

 

[The Shoe Fairy]

Is each feather simply mounted in the underside of the felt/fleece on top of the foam head or are they more firmly attached; eg. with glue.

 

[ashkent]

They are glued on the underside. The only thing I had to make sure was not to overdo the glue - it was one of the firm hold spray glues I was using - or I'm guessing it would have been too stiff to get into the shape to go on the foam skull. It was basically making sure there was just enough to make sure they stuck - which didn't seem to be a problem as I always had bit of feather that i couldn't unstick from my fingers. lol

 

[Puppetainer]

Wow. A truly amazing accomplishment! As others have mentioned you set the bar pretty high for yourself for your very first puppet. But as high as that bar was you just went right over it! Great job! I still haven't taken any photos of my first puppet build. Not something I'd be proud to share. Keep up the great work!

 

[ashkent]

@puppetainer: thanks for the compliments. I agree that there are a load of simpler puppets I could have used for my first...where's the fun in simple though? lol. It was the purely selfish reason of always loving Animal and as a child wishing i could have one that made me take it on. That's the thing as a child there are so many things like this you want but of course its very unlikely you'd be able to make one. For me, when some people say it's childish to like muppets they either haven't been that child when they were young and probably spent their whole time reading science books, or they don't get what imaginiation is for.

Another reason I wanted to make him now is that my first child is on the way and just because I couldn't have an Animal as a kid, why shouldn't they. I'm just hoping he keeps them entertained when they're a little older.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

That's awesome looking!!

 

[Puppetainer]

Oh ashkent I wouldn't worry at all about folks who find any of it childish. I'm sure great people like Walt Disney or Jim Henson were thought of as childish by some but thank God they were! The world could use a few more adults who haven't lost touch with the magic of their childhood experiences! So I say kudos to you and keep the magic alive my friend!

 

[ashkent]

Puppetainer, don't worry - i'm straight from the school of thought CS Lewis followed when he put in the dedication in Lion, witch wardrobe which said something like you get older and leave behind childish things, but one day you will be old enough to lose your fear of being childish. I just never bothered leaving them behind lol

 

[ashkent]

Just finished the torso, arms and legs for the full "poser" style body. And just as an added quirk I think i'm the first person to give Animal ribs! lol