Sculpting Foam

[hugothehippo]

in the book jim henson: the works i seem to recall a menion of foam being sclupted with only a pair of scissors? is this correct? to make a muppet head they just simply cut away at a block of foam until they get a sphere?

 

[scarylarrywolf]

in the book jim henson: the works i seem to recall a menion of foam being sclupted with only a pair of scissors? is this correct? to make a muppet head they just simply cut away at a block of foam until they get a sphere?

I believe this is true. On page 116 of "The Works" is a picture of Ed Christie in the workshop with a ball of foam and some scissors -- and I don't know what else he'd be doing with those two things. It is very time consuming, which is why nowadays they usually use a mold to form the heads (i.e. Miss Piggy, Statler, Waldorf).

Which bring up the question how do you mold foam? Foam rubber, at least, seems like it would stick to a mold. Do they use a denser latex os something?

--"Scary" Larry Wolf

 

[hugothehippo]

does foam rubber last? i thought contemporary foam rubber while very flexible has a short life-span and will deteriote after a couple of weeks?

searching google groups brought up http://www.burmanfoam.com/
apparently they can help, but you might have to buy something first? i dunno as i haven't enquired or bought anything from there.

 

[scarylarrywolf]

It really depends on what you do with the foam. If you're using it on the interior to give the puppet form and body, the generic foam from Jo-Ann fabrics works like a charm. I used it for the puppet in my avitar, whose body I reconstructed a year ago, and it's held up fine.

If you're gonna keep the foam naked on the outside of the puppet, it won't last so long, simply because it's more exposed to the elements. It also has a tendency to distort in color. If you were to spray paint the foam it would decrease it's life span even more because the paint hards the foam so when you try to bend it, it rubs the paint off -- it's just a mess. So I recommend, if you're exposing the foam, to dye in before you start cutting on it, assuming you want it colored.

The foam that work for me in regard to sculpting was purchased at an appholstry shop. I don't know if it was "Scott foam" or not (that's what the Muppets use), but it was just a big 2 X 2 block of foam. It worked for me!

Also, when you start making your first cuts, be sure to make them with an electric knife (the king used for cutting turkey). It shaves of a much finer layer than scissors will to give you the basic shape you need to work with.

Hope I've been helpful and not too confusing.

--"Scary" Larry Wolf

 

[Buck-Beaver]

does foam rubber last? i thought contemporary foam rubber while very flexible has a short life-span and will deteriote after a couple of weeks?

The question "does foam rubber last" is a good one, but it really depends on what type of foam you are using. Generally speaking, regular old cheap polyfoam (the stuff you buy at upholstry stores that cushions are made from) can last 10 - 15 years if the puppets are not in regular use and the foam is not completely exposed. A variety of factors, including exposure to the elements and spray paint (like Larry mentioned) can drastically reduce the life expentcy of a foam puppet.

Reticulated foam (the harder-to-find yellow or black foam air conditioner filters are made from) seems to last about 5 - 10 years. I have a few puppets made from this that are around 5 years old and they show no signs of decay, but they are rarely used and stored carefully.

GM Foam, foam latex and similar materials (the kinds used for special FX make-up and animatronic puppets) reportedly only last around 5 years. I have seen puppets made from plain old latex (the kind you can buy in most art supply stores) that are 7 or 8 years old and in great shape.

All foams break down eventually. It seems to be the higher "quality" the material the less time it lasts. There was a thorough discussion of this subject on the Puptcrit list recently, alot of the people there have been doing puppetry much longer than me so they may have a better perspective on this. You may want to check out the Puptcrit Archives here for more info. I think the title of the thread is "Foam puppets: life expectancy:.

I hope that helps!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Which bring up the question how do you mold foam? Foam rubber, at least, seems like it would stick to a mold. Do they use a denser latex os something?

There is an overview of how this type of puppet is created by Snap Dragon Puppets here. Their process is very similar to the one used by the Muppets I believe.

Various types of foam can be purchased in liquid form, then cast as descibed here. I don't have much experience with the process because the chemicals are extremely toxic and I'd rather not work with them.

 

[primig2000]

a very good way to shape foam

There is an overview of how this type of puppet is created by Snap Dragon Puppets here. Their process is very similar to the one used by the Muppets I believe.

Various types of foam can be purchased in liquid form, then cast as descibed here. I don't have much experience with the process because the chemicals are extremely toxic and I'd rather not work with them.

my english ist very bad, sorry. i hope you can understand me. the last way is not a scissor to shape foam. after this you can use a elektric haircutter to make it perfect. you need long time to shape, but after this work the foam is perfect ;-) ;-)
don`t forget to oil the scissors before use it