Wizard (Father Earth) Puppet updated 5/13

[Steph Laberis]

I wish I had earlier process photos to show y'all, but I've only just started documenting my work in stages.

Despite the title, this guy will be "Father Earth" when he's done. This will be a rod puppet like my others, although he's slightly bigger. The head and upper torso and the hands (not shown because I broke one of 'em :eek: ) are super sculpey with acrylic.

He vaguely reminds me of Shel Silverstein...

http://flyingclam.com/photos/wizardfronta.jpg

http://flyingclam.com/photos/wizardsmirk.jpg

http://flyingclam.com/photos/wizardside.jpg

Signature on the back (http://flyingclam.com/photos/wizardback.jpg)

This is a very special gift for my Dad, who to me is very wise, nurturing and one helluva gardener. He's also been pestering me for a puppet for over a year now. The back is stamped with my trademark seal (one of my grandma's buttons)

Any feedback would be welcome - I should have pics of him in costume soon... I spent all afternoon dyeing the fabric.

[Scotty]

Awesome! The fact that it is for your Father makes it even better. I love the profile shot there...it looks so...."whispy".:thumbsup:

[n69n]

really beautiful. because you can see so much love & feeling has gone into it.

[Steph Laberis]

I have some more pics of Father Earth to show. He's got his basic cloak now, mostly made of cheesecloth and guaze. I went through SO much dye to get this dang pallette!

I have to add little burlap bags of seeds and saplings to his scarf. I also have to carve him a walking stick. I'm really enjoying working on him because with him, it's all about the detailing. :D

http://flyingclam.com/photos/bigpics/fearthfull.jpg

http://flyingclam.com/photos/bigpics/fearthback.jpg

Here is is, looking like a God/Moses cliche hybrid. Puppets are neat!

http://flyingclam.com/photos/bigpics/fearthfront.jpg

And a detail...

http://flyingclam.com/photos/bigpics/fearthclose.jpg

And a detail of his robes. Is it wrong to feel passionate about cheesecloth?

http://flyingclam.com/photos/bigpics/fearthrobe.jpg

Feedback and criticism are always welcome. Just try to lay off the "Moses" comments ;-)

[nofingers]

i wish i had that kind of patience. looking really good

[jcdied4me]

This is awesome. I am very glad for this forum. I get to see what all can be done with sculpting. You are very talented. I love it.

The only thing I could, maybe, point out is the right hand/wrist is bugging me. I think it is bent far beyond where someone would want to bend it. But, of course it is up to you and what you had in mind :). I hope this helps. Looking forward to seeing more. Take care.

[Steph Laberis]

nofingers: Hey, thanks! The patience comes a lot easier when you're really enjoying what you're sculpting. Plus, I like to work with fabric so when the sculpey starts giving me a hard time, I can distract myself with the sewing.

jcdied4me: Thanks for commenting! Good point about that wrist. The thing is, the only parts of him that are sculpted are the head/torso and the hands up tp the wrist. The idea was to let the fabric serve as arms, which worked fine in the past when there were less layers of clothing, but now sagging fabric has become an issue.

Any suggestions what I could use to suggest the shape of an arm without restricting movement?

[jcdied4me]

How exactly is everything connected? Are all the parts separate... meaning are they not connected by a armature? I see two metal rods that seem to be holding up the hands and one for the head... is this right?

Well, if what I said was right then I would say to try using some string to eliminate the sagging. Just tie it from the metal bars and then use some tinfoil around the string to give it volume. That’s what I would try. My suggestion may sound weak but it's because I haven’t been sculpting long to try all the possibilities. Let me know how it goes and what other ways you would think about doing this.

Good luck

[Scotty]

OH YES! This very cool. All this mixed media in one sculpt is inspirational...keep it up! You'll figure out all the kinks, and it'll be awesome. :chug: