Seuss Puppet Help

[Mr.Penguin]

I'm planning on making a puppet version of the Elephant-Bird (aka Morton) from Horton Hatches the Egg. The one problem I have is...I have no idea where to start! I was thinking about sculpting foam to make it, but I have no idea how to go about that. We have two Project Puppet patterns (sock puppet and punto), but I wouldn't know how to modify them or make one of my own. (and my mom doesn't want to sew without a pattern). His head and body are pretty much circles, and he needs a small mouth.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm120/ZipMartin/Iandrawings147.jpg

Does anyone have any ideas on what I should do? The best techniques or anything? MANY thanks in advance!

P.S. I made a Little Kangaroo puppet for my school's production of Suessical that I'll be posting pictures of soon [I hope].

P.P.S. Oh, and can anybody help me find good fur for puppet versions of these guys:
http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs23/f/2008/006/a/7/The_Movie_Rats_by_ZipMartin.jpg

 

[Mr.Penguin]

New question: I think I can use the sock puppet pattern, but how would I add a round foam head to the top (so it's round)?

Thanks.

 

[Kevin the Frog]

I think you will have to do some modification to the sock puppet pattern as well, including widening and enlarging the head and adding some foam inside for shape. The Roly Pattern has a nice round shape similar to the elephant, but that would mean you would have to buy another pattern. You may be better off modifying the Punto pattern to have a wider and rounder face versus using the sock puppet pattern.

You could use the sock puppet pattern as a base for the rats I think, maybe scale it a little smaller and extend the top / nose section. There are several people on here that have built nice rats, propologist has posted a picture showing a cool mouth mech like Pepe has which would be a whole different beast.

 

[Dagger Claws]

Hey there

I've worked on two productions of "Seussical." If only Project Puppet was around then!

I agree with Kevin; using one of the foam patterns from Project Puppet would give you a nice shape to jump off from. Plus, the Punto and Rotundo have fleece covering patterns that you can buy as well to cover your heads with.

Something to keep in mind with building moving mouth hand puppets out of foam is that most heads are really simple shapes with features added to them. Take a look at most Muppet and Sesame Street characters or even the guys from Avenue Q; they all have heads that are basic simple shapes with eyes, ears, and noses attatched. Take a look at Project Puppet's Blog page, they have a tutorial on adding features to one of their Simple Series puppets. It's a nice inside look at how you can create something for your own puppet.

Yes, there are characters with heads that aren't simple balls, tubes, or cones. But by mastering those simple patterns and shapes they will enable you to takle more complicated facial features and head designs in your future building. In some cases, adding large foam facial pieces like jowls, foreheads, nose bridges, and other facial "padding" onto a simple head will create a look that has more "character" to it. Covering the whole head in either fabric, painting, or dying the foam you use will blend your edges and disguise your use of seperate pieces of foam.

I wouldn't suggest carving a head this time around if you haven't done it in the past. You no doubt have a budget that might limit the amount of foam you can buy, and any extra if a mistake is made and you need to start over. Also, your time is incredibly important and you're working in a set time to get things done for this show. Let me tell you that it REALLY STINKS when you're almost done working on something and have to scrap it because there was a mistake made and you can't start over again because you're in a time crunch You can always work on carving on your own time, and when you're at a point in which you're comfortable with your progress, you can apply it to a "paying gig."

 

[Dagger Claws]

P.s.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got on building moving mouth hand puppets was from Nick Barone in California. He taught me to think of the features and bits and pieces you're adding to your head as if you were building with LEGOs. You're just adding and combining all these individual pieces to make one consistant thing.

When I heard that, it was like tumblers turning in a lock. I could look beyond what I was building, and be able to break down facial features into the fundamental parts, build those parts, and then assemble them.

If you're carving a head, however, it's a different matter; instead of adding to your head, you are taking away from the foam block and shaping the features.

 

[wes]

I found this :http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Morton_the_Elephant_Bird

It may help!

It looks like it's fleeced coverd, with a foam base!

 

[Mr.Penguin]

I think you will have to do some modification to the sock puppet pattern as well, including widening and enlarging the head and adding some foam inside for shape. The Roly Pattern has a nice round shape similar to the elephant, but that would mean you would have to buy another pattern. You may be better off modifying the Punto pattern to have a wider and rounder face versus using the sock puppet pattern.

You could use the sock puppet pattern as a base for the rats I think, maybe scale it a little smaller and extend the top / nose section. There are several people on here that have built nice rats, propologist has posted a picture showing a cool mouth mech like Pepe has which would be a whole different beast.

Thank you, I can try that! How exactly would you give the Punto a different head? (I'm very new to changing patterns )

Yeah, I was thinking of using the sock pattern for the rats too. What I was asking about was fur, though.^^ I just didn't want to start two threads.

 

[Mr.Penguin]

And thanks for all the great advice Dagger Claws! And to Wes for the picuture!

 

[FraggleRocker64]

as for the fur, i would just take a trip to the craft store to see what i could find! look for a very short fur!

 

[Mr.Penguin]

Thanks. Unfortunatley, Reno has no really good fabric/craft stores. I'm going to keep lookin, though!