carnival of insects venice

I recently saw an advert for cannon sureshot featuring some amazing giant insect puppets in Venice. With a bit of hunting a found some more clips and images (click the photo link below or follow the address)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7OcwKzbN5c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECBBCHIuI3A

I love giant puppets so was instantly captivated by these, especially the preying mantis. I'm not working on anything at the moment and in fact have been too busy to really feel motivated but I now have an urge to amke a steam punk insect automata. I have a vague idea so far on making the legs move but will have to experiment.

I know who I am!

Tesla Guard

I am really pleased with this figure now, partly because it took me so long to decide on the final look but mostly because I've used and refined some new techniques to get the Steam Punk look I want.

I'm not sure who this is?

Some time ago I saw a design for a scary looking docotor, very Frankenstein looking, with weird goggles, a long coat and strange mechanical instruments for a hand. I liked the idea of a mad steampunk scientist and started developing a head with weird bits coming out for eyes. As you can see it's gone through various incarnations and now looks more like a guard than a scientist.

I like all the funky helmet bits which give him character even though he has no face. The face mesh is one of those cones used for wool or thread cut up

I've realised that the best steam punk effects come from simple bits of palstic carefully cut and glued together, rather than trying to actually sculpt shapes which then tend to look too organic.

The almost complete figure will be holding a spear/cattle prod attached to his back pack. I saw a fab design for this in Mike Mignola's Witchfinder graphic novel.

When it came to making the gauntlets and the leather cowl (you can't se the latter in the photos) I tried using a different technique. Normally I would make them from card but I wnated something that looked more like giant rubber gloves. After a few experiments I hit upon using wire mesh. I've had this stuff around for ages and a colleague of mine uses it a lot, covered in tissue, but I've never got to grips with it. I covered a section in wide masking tape on both sides and coated it with PVA. This proved very flexible and gave a good finish. I will be using more of this!

The Highwayman

He is now pretty much finished although with a new name. He was originally going to be standing at the controls of somethink suitably steam punky, I even had a great wheel, bit like a ships helm in my box of bits but it blocked too much of the figure.

Really pleased with the gun though as it is nice and crisp (lots of funky bits glued together!

I think the figure is a bit stiff though and his hat looks wrong from the side

World of Froud

I was very happy this morning to discover that I've been selected to be this month's Froudian artist of the Month on Brian Froud's website The World of Froud

The Captain's Leather Coat

The coat is made from pieces of thin corrugated card carefully shaped, scored and bent to create the required form. The edges are reinforced with thin wire ans the whole thing is covered in gaffa tape and pva and tissue to make it strong and flexible.

This piece is not finished. The arms, shoulders etc will be added once it has been attached to the body.

I'll paint it with layered washes of brown and black acrylic and pva to give it the old worn leather look.

The Captain continued

The figure is now developing some character. The eyes have been covered with goggles made from bits of plastic and plastiroc. A jacket inspired by Robert De Niro's in Stardust has been made from card and splitpins with a few bits of brass for the buckle on the shoulder strap. I can now add the coat which is partly made over this and give him arms.

Steam Punk Captain

This figure is now taking shape, for a while I had no clear idea of what he was going to be. He was based on an idea for a Victorian figure with big moustache and top hat. Originally the goggles (all Steam punk figures need goggles!) were going to be on the hat but not sure now.

I've created the basic coat shape and now need to decide on the collar, probably a big one and maybe big drapes over the shoulder.

He's built on a base so I can add some kind of control levers as if he was at the helm of a ship

the finished heads, they only took a couple of hours each to make, I wonder if they will sell?

new designs

I wanted to do some smaller work which can be sold at a lower price than my figurative work. Here you can see 2 treesprite heads, made from twisted wire and fimo with beads for eyes. They are on a baking tray waiting to go in the oven. They were only quick experiments and took less than an hour each to make. They have little loops on the back so they can be hung on a wall.