One of the best things you'll ever read about puppet design

[Buck-Beaver]

I know, I know the title of thread promises a lot, but I am really serious. If anybody struggles to build better, original (i.e. not from a stock pattern...not that there's anything wrong with stock patterns) puppets Check out this post from John K's blog about construction in drawing & animation. Once someone can master the concepts he's talking about on paper (I haven't yet myself) I think they'll find it much easier to build much better puppets with foam, fleece, etc.

John - who created Ren & Stimpy - is very opinionated, but really knows his stuff. Since I started reading his theories and applying the concepts he talks about to puppetry a few years ago it was one of the things that totally changed the way the I think about puppet design & building. If you're in to art/design/animation I'd recommend checking out his blog daily.

He's a big puppet fan too apparently.

 

[Toasty]

Good stuff, Andrew. I, too, follow John's blog almost daily. The amount of info and lessons and mentoring he provides is priceless (and even more so since he doesn't charge a dime to visitors and his "students").

 

[staceyrebecca]

OH, I have that book those images are from...I'll have to dig it out.

 

[dwmckim]

Wow -never knew John K was that into puppets, but it makes sense that he would have a lot of great insights - as far as animation goes, he was definately an original - whereas most animation studios place so much emphasis on the model sheets and pre-approved (almost cookie cutter) looks, John K has a personal policy which he tended to enforce on the rest of the Ren & Stimpy staff, that he would not draw a character with the same expression twice - and when one figures the sheer number of drawings in animation, that's quite a hefty goal!