J.K.Woodward Gallery: Hurricane Relief Prints

J.K.Woodward Gallery: Hurricane Relief Prints

Crafty Tuesday: The DragonCon 2012 Art Show list

I did my paperwork for the DragonCon Art Show this morning. I figure I should get it done before I leave again. (Side note: If you need to get in touch with me at SDCC, I have my cellphone with me. The number hasn’t changed since 1998 I think. If you need it, send me a message and I’ll get it to you.) So here is the Class for the DragonCon Art Show 2012 (some will be showing at Shoreleave if I have a space there) Nick Furry (Peter’s idea. I think it is brilliant.) The Vampire (think Dark Shadows) The Werewolf (think original Dark Shadows) 2 Phluzzies (since they are my signature piece) The Beast (x-men first class blue version) The Shape Shifter (think X-men First Class) A Calot (John Carter of Mars) Dolls Steamed Dragon Steamed Goblin Steamed Lion Steamed Tiger Steamed Bear (had to be done) I will also have Caroline’s costume for Shoreleave which is probably the simplest one she has wanted to do ever. And I will have some puppets to build for the puppet slam at DragonCon. I am still sorting out what I am doing for that. I am hoping that inspiration strikes soon. On top of that are the various things I am going to need for panels and the like. The build starts after I get back from SDCC so I am doing all my thinking and research now. So there it is my goals for this year. I might have a piece or two at Peter’s table depending on what I do. I am grateful for the creative spirit and the people who encourage me to use it.

Crafty Tuesday:The Nifty Things that have happened because of my work Edition

Puppets and dolls have been my doorway to some pretty interesting adventures and have lead to some great friendships. So in no particular order except when it is in order Because of a Sandman Puppet, I met Neil Gaiman and this time he remembered me. I had met Neil before during his first Sandman tour which was when the first graphic novel came out at the comic book shop, Whirlygig Comics in New Haven, that I use to work at. He remembers the shop because of an interesting story that happened there which I can confirm was true because I was there when it happened but I left no impression what so ever (which is a good thing during a whirlwind tour). But this time it was a DragonCon back when I was the tech director. I had, for a lark, made a Sandman puppet with LEDs for eyes and feathers for hair. Jill Thompson saw the puppet in passing and asked for a closer look. She asked if Neil had seen it. No, said I. He must, said she. So we arranged a time for me to be where Neil was. He loved the puppet a lot. I made him one and promised that those would be the only two unless I rebuilt mine. I would not sell anymore. Not that I haven’t had requests for them but I promised Neil and I keep my promises. The Doctor Who puppets have led to some interesting conversations and some adventures in their own. A number of the Doctors have their puppets and I owe Colin Baker his which I will get to him soon I hope. The most recent was the puppet that started it all which was the Paul McGann Doctor. Since that TV movie was the impetus for me even starting to make the Doctor Who puppets, getting the puppet to Paul just seemed like a good thing to do. I know he liked it. I got the same kind of bear hug I got from Neil when I told him that I could make him a Sandman puppet. I met the Frouds through a doll making course that a fellow puppeteer informed me about. I met Wendy and Toby and was introduced to Brian at San Diego. Since then I have taken Wendy’s course a number of time when it is in my area. I always learn something and Wendy pushes me as an artist. She knows what I have done and believes I can do better. I remember once I tried to slide some hands by her and she made me go make them again because she knew I could do better. I have been introduced as a puppeteer to others which leads to all kinds of interesting conversation with all kinds of interesting people. Last year I participated in the Puppet Slam at DragonCon and had a blast. I hope to do so this year as well. I just got the most twisted Idea….. And finally and most important, if I hadn’t made a set of Klingon Puppets back at the Atlanta Fantasy Fair, I wouldn’t be sitting here typing this. Those puppets introduced me to my husband and led me to the life I have today which I wouldn’t trade for the world. I am grateful that puppets and dolls have lead me such interesting places.

Crafty Tuesday: Taking Account of what I have to do and when

OK I am falling further behind on several things so I am writing this out in the open so that I can hold myself accountable for what I need to do over the next two weeks and beyond. Here is what I owe people and am behind on Two Victorian Paperdolls part of a ATC swap. I did these once and I got back half of the envelope in the mail with no dolls. Looks like it got caught in something and dragged all over the place. This is an evening project I can do while watching TV, I just need to get the pieces together and do it and send it off to the poor person who has been waiting about 2 months for this doll. My part of a three way doll swap. Sorry Nan and Jeri, I have totally fallen down on this one. This is next after my show on Thursday. I will get things out to Jeri by Monday. Also by Monday I want to finish my Chamber of Secrets Swap with Lisa. I have it more than half done. It is a glow-in the dark Basilisk Tooth with a smaller tooth to be worn as a charm. It is on top of a chest that will house the tooth. (For the VI: this is a picture of a large tooth that I made to look like the Basilisk Tooth from Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets. It is an off white. Below it is a smaller “tooth” with a hole to run a chain through. These are on top of a chest that I have painted to look aged. It is a brown chest with bronze strapping.) All I need to do is the interior of the chest and I am done and this can go off to its new owner who I hope likes it. The BIG PROJECT is Field Day (Yes, it is that time of year) We are doing an ocean themed variety show. Here is what I have completed. One Octopus in Orange and Yellow (For the VI: this is an Orange and Yellow Octopus puppet set up on a bunch of boxes to show off the arms) What I need to do is 3 little Fishies 2 Clams Outfits for 5 puppets 2 more fish puppets Scenery Make sure I have my clip lights and bulbs in place and everything else I bring to the party. After I catch up on all that, then I will be full tilt into DragonCon. I am grateful for what we did get done yesterday.

Crafty Tuesday: A Few Answers to a Couple of Questions

I am taking this from questions that I got at the blogs, by e-mail, and from a conversation I had the other day with my bowling league. 1) Why do you share so much of your work? Probably because I was raised by teachers who believe that teaching others is a calling and I have that calling. I know there are people who carry how they do something close to the vest. I figure, especially for the puppets, that I would rather have that knowledge out there and growing rather than all to myself. I have learned so much from so many and I want to share that knowledge with others. I think the only things I don’t show are things that I learned that I promised not to show and I respect the people who taught me to keep their trust by not telling. I figure if what I do inspires someone else, then I have done something good in the world. 2) Have you ever built a full-body puppet (like Sweetums)? And how long did it take? Yes I have several times. Most of them are for costume calls at various conventions. I made a Stitch in an Elvis costume for a Buffy sketch. I made a Disney Beast for Beauty and the Beasts. I built a dinosaur and rebuilt some full body dino puppets. How long did it take? Well depends on when it was in my build career. I have learned tricks that over time makes it easier to construct. But I would say a couple of days if that is all that I am doing. 3) How do you decide what to work on next? It starts with the most pressing deadline and goes from there. If there isn’t a pressing deadline then it is whatever won’t go away from my head. This past year I made the Chuck and Eric puppets because they wouldn’t go away. Sometimes something just strikes my fancy and it gets made. Other times I try things I haven’t done before just to see if I can do them. 4) What do you make your puppets out of like the Purple People Eater? The puppet I am talking about I use fleece over ¼ to ½ inch foam. The foam allows me to create a structure to put the fleece over that maintains the shape of the puppet. I used pretty much the standard fleece that you can get at just about any fabric store. The holy grail of puppet fleece is Antron Fleece which can be dyed just about any color you want and hides the seams beautifully. However it is very expensive about 25 a yard rather than from 8 to 3 a yard depending if you have a coupon. I love it but it puts too much cost to a puppet that I am selling to the general public. It is a little different on the commissioned pieces. The horn was made out of white Crayola model magic which I then painted to make it look more like bone (picked that trick up at the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA) and refined the trick due to things I learned from the Frouds. The “fur” is a feather boa which has made my life so much easier in terms of puppet hair. The mouth is thick cardboard covered by red cloth. The one eye is a piece of craft foam and a black sharpie with a piece of purple fabric for the eyelid. 5) What did you learn over time that you wished you had known when you started? For the puppets it was that unless I was going to redress the puppet, I didn’t have to make all the buttonholes for the clothing. That took a long time and really don’t add anything to the look of the finished puppet. Most of the rest have been things that were more valuable because I learned from them so I know why I don’t do it another way. 6) How long does it take you to make a puppet? Well the Purple People Eater was done in less than 8 hours and I had to pattern part of him. But that was an extreme example. For a basic puppet including a t-shirt and the hand rods, I have it down to 4 hours but that is after a lot of practice. Things that can slow me down are having to create patterns from scratch, having to go get more fabric to finish up, or not being able to find that one thing I need to finish the puppet properly. So I don’t start until I have all my pieces that I need to do the whole project so I don’t get frustrated half way through. 7) Which is easier, costumes for puppets or people? For me it has to be puppets but then I was building clothing for puppets way before I made anything for people. There is the matter of scale and puppet details can be very very tiny but it is worth it for the whole effect. I have gotten good at people sized clothing but it takes a lot longer to do a shirt for a human than it does for a puppet. I do enjoy the challenge of making a costume and figuring out ways to recreate the look of something. 8) What are you working on next? This would have been a different answer a week ago but right now it is puppets for Field Day where we are doing a show that takes place under the sea. I need to make and refurbish a number of puppets for it. Fortunately I had done a show like it many moons ago so I know how I am going to build everything. Two weeks for all that. So that is going to be my next couple of Crafty Tuesdays. I am grateful for all the questions I was asked. It gave me things to think about. (I am still taking questions if you got them)

Crafty Tuesday: Ask Me a Question

What do you want to know about my work? I really am interested in what people find interesting about crafty Tuesday (or if anyone is reading this at all) So ask me a question and I will, if I can, answer it. I am grateful for growing plants.

Crafty Tuesday: Musing on Tabling Things

DragonCon is 114 days away. Yikes! There are things before that including Shore leave which is August 3-5th this year because San Diego Comic Con moved its dates. Now in thinking my way through what I am going to bring I also have to start thinking about displaying the objects I am going to be selling. Presentation is important in an art show as the objects themselves as I have learned over the years. The customer has to be able to see what they are buying clearly. And tables are not exactly set up for that. This is something that I have learned over the years. When you get a table at most Art Show at Science Fiction Conventions, it is 6 ft. x 30" with a white table cloth or possibly a plastic table cloth with some form of cover all around the table(s). There are variations and it is good to consult your Art Show Director as to the size of the table you are getting so you can plan. A trick I learned a while back was to measure out with masking tape the area I was going to be putting my objects d’art. Then try to put them all in there and see if it works. Too crowded can be as bad as too few items. Also remember that you need room for the bid sheets and for the customers to be able to mark the bid sheets. If they are so smack against the front of the table, it makes it hard to bid. Also makes sure that it is very clear which bid sheet goes with which object. I had a problem one year in that I was not clear which Phluzzie went with which bid sheet. Now I tend to put the number on the puppet so it is pretty clear which sheet they go with. There are ways of getting more out of your table. You can choose the cloth that you put your art on and use that. You can have stands that allow you to present the objects at different heights so it is visually more interesting at a casual glance. You need that first look to make the person want to take a closer look. I tend to do that by having something that people find amusing so they have to take a closer look. It is one of the reasons I put the Phluzzies in every year. One caveat I would put on the display, remember that it is traveling with you or your art and it is returning unless you are selling the display with the objects. So think about weight and packing when piecing it together. I have found the cardboard can be your friend in this and you either take it back home or recycle it at the convention. Assume at some point your table is going to get bumped into and make sure that nothing topples over. Also assume breezes as people walk by. It is good to have a business card available for people who might not buy right then but down the road they might want to get in touch with you. I need to redo mine since some phone numbers have changed as has some of the other contact information. The presentation is important but one needs to create the objects to show first. I am grateful for what I have learned over the years about presenting my work to the public. And since I am still learning, any clever ideas I should think about?

Crafty Tuesday: The Rainy Day and My Brain is Dead Edition

So here is a picture of Fig in her Ennui pose to make up for it. (for the VI: This is my black and white cat stretched out on the sofa. At her head you can see the backside of Caroline’s stuff moose. She has a blue pillow behind her that she is using for support. On the pillow is Caroline’s copy of the graphic novel of “the Last Unicorn”. Her front right paw is across her face.) Maybe it is the rain, which I am not complaining about because we really need it, but I have been staring at a blank screen for a while now. I did my usual tricks of poking around the internet to see if something causes me to come up with a topic. Nada. I have two projects in the hopper right now that I am hoping to have done by the end of the week. First one is replacement ATC dolls for the ones that I got half the envelope back but no dolls from the post office. Looks like it got caught in something. Then I am doing a dolly round-robin so I need to get my blank doll ready to rock and roll. And onto either dolls or puppets. Part of it is that I have too many ideas and but at the same time my mind is a blank. I think I need to just sit down and sort out my ideas. I do want to stretch myself as an artist but I also need to get stuff done rather than just think about it. Short version not feeling very crafty today. I am grateful for distractions that turn into useful ideas.

Crafty Tuesday: National Day of Puppetry is Saturday

I can’t currently find my old portfolio that had all the photos I wanted to scan. But when I do, I’ll post them here. Anyway, Saturday is a National Day of Puppetry. I plan to take that day and build some sort of random puppet. Also Caroline and I are going to pull out our What-nots and improve with each other. Puppets are an art form and a very varied art form indeed. All cultures seem to have some form of puppetry within them. Puppets can be as simple or complex as one would like to make it. And they are only limited by your imagination (and physics but even then you can cheat a little). So to get ready celebrate National Day of Puppetry, I suggest building a puppet. Here are some links for some puppets that are easy to make and can be a spring board to so much more. Crayola has a page dedicated to NDoP with a number of links to some pretty cool puppets that are print, color, and go. Crayola NDoP page The Disney Family Fun site has a lot of puppet ideas and patterns. I like this one because it is really a jumping off point for the imagination. Paper Finger Puppets Instructables has a number of people who have put up tutorials on how to make all kinds of puppets. Instructables search There is a lot to poke through there. Legends and Lore have a pretty good site for both parents and teachers with a couple of puppet ideas and links Legends and Lore site As to Puppets as Art, here are a couple of places to go look at puppets and puppetry. Center for Puppetry Arts Museum page with its virtual museum Puppeteers of America have a site with lots of information and lots of links to all kinds of puppets and puppeteers. Puppeteers of America> The Jim Henson Foundation is a great way to keep up on all things puppets. They have all kinds of information on their site and the photos are quite lovely. The Jim Henson Foundation website And one of the best link sites for Puppetry is maintained by the Barones. SageCraft Puppetry Page So there are some places to start. I encourage all of you to do something on NDoP. Let’s keep this art form alive. I am grateful that I have puppets in my life.

Crafty Tuesday: It Sure Looked Strange to me

Ariel needed a puppet for her Chorus Concert to be used in a song. She knew I had built one before but I honestly couldn’t remember where it was or what condition it was in when she was home for break. I think I may have sold it since this was about 5 to 6 years ago. So I agreed that I would build her another one for the concert. I had a bit of a brain slip and found myself looking at a 48 hour window to complete the critter. (For the VI: This is a photo of a one eyed, one horn flying purple people eater puppet. The purple puppet is sitting on a black stool. There is green foam behind it. The puppet has one eye in the middle of it’s face. The horn is yellowish and on top of the head surrounded by a purple feather boa. There are pieces of the feather boa on both wrists. There are wings that attach under the arms and to the body.) The basic puppet itself is pretty much like the Phluzzies that I make for conventions. The basic puppet body with the one big eye. (For the VI: This is the purple puppet on the black stool with the eye in the middle of the face. The eyelid is made of purple felt. The mouth is open and the interior is made of red material) The horn is made of Crayola Model Magic and is probably the most delicate part of the puppet since I didn’t have a ton of time to let it dry. I painted it yellow and then stippled it with burnt umber and sponged the excess off to give it more of an organic look. (For the VI: Same puppet only there is now a twisted yellow horn on top of the critter head) I added part of a feather boa to give it a little more movement. There are pieces of the same boa around the wrists of the puppet (For the VI: The same puppet but on a wooden floor. The horn is surrounded by purple feathers now) The puppet spread out so you can see the wings. (For the VI: same puppet laid out on the floor with its arms out to show off the wings that are bat like and under the arms. The wings are purple too but a darker purple than the body) It went off to Ariel this morning. I am grateful that I could pull this off in time reminding me that I do know what I am doing.

Crafty Tuesday: 142 Days til Dragoncon 2012

I believe the paperwork has been turned in or will be turned in today that will declare that we are coming to DragonCon.

DragonCon is really my end point of the year for making my kind of art. All things (conventions) lead to DragonCon for me. I am crossing my fingers that I will have room in the Art Show this year. I think I have everything sorted out on that front but not positive yet.

I have one and half projects to do before diving in. I am making a One-eyed, One Horned Flying Purple People Eater for Ariel and I have to remake a piece that got destroyed in the mail.

I have a number of things I am thinking of building for DragonCon. I think a plush calot is a must probably with maybe a baby Thark puppet since John Carter of Mars came out this year.

So here is my question gentle reader, out of all the stuff you have seen me make, what do you think I should make for DragonCon this year?

I will give you a couple that are being contemplated.

Beast and Mystique are the next Xs to be thought about as in First Class outfits.

The Calot

The Thark Baby

A couple of Fluzzies

Another type of stuffed animal that is an experiment that will either go in or drop out.

The Steam-punk Anthro-animals

And may be that set of Firefly hand puppets I keep thinking about doing but never doing.

I have also been thinking of mask making and a couple of fleece hat ideas that are totally worked out yet.

This will be on top of a couple of costumes that are still solidifying and whatever I am doing for the puppet slam this year.

However, I do want your thoughts on the matter.

Pictures of the Purple People Eater will probably be posted next week.

I am grateful for feedback and ideas that others give me. It really does help the thought process.

Crafty Tuesday: Some Ideas on How to Defeat the Blank

There are times when, in the creative process, you just draw a blank. (Actually I’d love to see what some of my artist friends would do with the prompt draw a blank). The creative muse sometimes just wanders off for a pee and a smoke before the next act (obscure Monty Python reference kind of sort of). Or your motivation decided to get up and leave for a play date with another motivation that is a friend of theirs.

My suggestion is step away for a little while but only a little while. Don’t give up on what you are doing but take a breath and let it out. Go do some dishes or some other task that needs doing to give your brain a break.

Put down the thing that is frustrating you and pick up something else you are working on. Or start something else. I have a number of pieces that are in various stages of done and there are one or two that are my go to when I get frustrated or feel I have nothing left in the tank. These are my anything goes pieces that will probably never be shown but allow me to practice various techniques. Call them my Franken-pieces.

I find that if sculpting is driving me crazy then try pattern drafting or sewing something else or even knitting. Sometimes if pattern drafting is driving me daft, I sculpt whatever to shake my brain loose.

And then there are the times when there are deadlines and one don’t have the leisure of a blank. Those are the times where one just buckles down and keeps going until the project is done. Might not be perfect but it does what it needs to do. And some times just muscling through is the perfect way to get rid of the blank.

So what do you do to get rid of the blank?

I am grateful for the ability to just do when it needs to be done.

Crafty Tuesday : A Few Books I am looking at

Consider this sort of a book review of random books I am using for my next couple of projects and some books that are in print and useful to me and I hope to you as well.

One general sewing book that is new to me and I have found very informative is Sarai Mitnick’s The Colette Sewing Handbook. It has very clear direction for pattern making and how to think about the shape of a garment. The information on darts is worth its weight in gold to me. The book’s author assumes that the reader is a beginner but don’t let that stop you from taking a look at this book. She also has some good advise to think about how you view clothing and what works for you. It is also one of the clearest explanations of what all those strange markings on a pattern pieces are.

In the realm of men’s fashion, I found The Victorian Tailor by Jason Maclochlainn very useful but it does assume a certain knowledge of patterns and pattern making. It is also interesting in the historical context that it presents. Again not for the beginner but if you have put a couple patterns together, this book is an interesting read.

If your interest goes towards steampunk but you haven’t a clue or a little clue as to how to make the gadgets that go with the look, I can recommend Steampunk: Gears, Gadgets and Gizmos by Thomas Willeford. These projects are great jumping off points for bigger ideas and the “where to find your gears” section is very useful. The author is a first class scrounger but also gives modern alternatives that you can find in your local hardware shop or fabric store.

In the realm of puppetry I really like 10-minute puppets by Noel MacNeal who is better known to many as Bear from Bear in the Big Blue House. The puppets are simple but the principles can be used to create more complicated puppets. Most of the materials are easy to find and this is a great book for teachers looking to put puppets in the classroom.

John E. Kennedy has two books out that I find useful but you have to read them in order since one builds on things from the other. Puppet Mania is a great book for the beginning puppet builder. He lays out a lot of the basic techniques that you need to make more complicated puppets. His follow up book, Puppet Planet builds on the first book and gives more advanced techniques to be used.

These are books that I know are still in print. Next week I think are some treasures that are out of print but I use all the time.

I am grateful for books that I can currently get my hands on.

Crafty Tuesday This Week on Thursday

Rather busy the past couple of days but I thought I would get this one in before the end of the week.

I had two new pieces in the Art Show at LunaCon this year.

One was a griffin and the other a Calot.

The griffin was at Caroline’s request. She wanted a griffin baby based on the Skylanders’ character Sonic Boom’s babies. After drafting the patterns, I decided to make another one for sale. It took me a bit to get the legs the way I wanted them so that the critter would stand up without help or plushie flop.

(For the Visually Impaired: This is a griffin. It is blue with a yellow beak. The tail has a little black fur tuft to give it a lion-like look. The wings are blue as well. The eyes are green with large pupils. It has long triangular ears on top of its head.)

The calot (which is from John Carter/Barsoom) was put together pretty fast but I used what I have learned from other stuff animals, I was able to make the pattern in good time. The skin was a lucky find at the fabric store. I thought about adding fangs but I am still of two minds about that. It has 6 six legs rather than 10 because I tried 10 and it was way too crowded so I understand why Disney used 6. I think the purple tongue makes it work.

(For the Visually Impaired: This is a calot. Its skin is a brown sandy color with some slightly darker splotches at random places. He is “sitting” up on a plexiglass stand. He has 6 legs and a horseshoe nose. He has a purple tongue sticking out of his mouth)

So those are the new characters to the group.

This week was regroup week before I start on the next set of projects.