To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2008 22:53:40 -0500
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Sculpting wood (tips?)


Hi Caro.
Thanks for the details!
Your examples about wood grain are making it very easy to understand.

The tip of cutting both faces of wood so that they are perfectly flat makes 
a lot of sense.
I don't have a planing machine, nor access to one, but for the small pieces 
I need to make, I'll make a stationary sandingblock on my worknbench, and 
sand each piece's face until they lie perfectly flat.

During the short holliday break, I spent hours drawing variations of the 
puppet head I want to make, and some body parts as well. As a result, aftre 
these sessions, my drawing skills are back, full strenght! It feels great, 
and I shan't let them fade away ever again.

I'm not yet sure how the tentacle-like body will work yet, I need to study 
one more form of such movements before making a first phsycial attempt in 
wood. The form I need to study is the toy snake we sometimes ee in dolalr 
stores, made of pieces of wood split in half and re-assembled over a single 
strap running through each, making a very snake-like movement. Depending on 
the type of strap, I'm guessing some alteral movement would be possible as 
well.

Mary, you mention a puppet from the show The Star Keeper, from Theatre de 
l'Oeil.
Have you seen the show, or just the website?

I have not seen the show yet, although it has been high on my list of shows 
to see, for a few years.
It just never was doable, with my schedule, somehow.
Still, I have had the occasion to try two of the marionettes a few years 
ago, and wow, what beauties, and what smooth precise movements! I don't 
remember how the body of the star keeper was made, though. He was an 
anthropomorphised worm (upper body is human-like, lower body is worm-like), 
but I didn't think of examining his inner workings. Which would have been 
diffucult at any case, his fabric skin or costume seemed quite permanently 
attached, if I remember correctly.
I can ask the puppeteers, I know two of them.
Thanks for that lead!













----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Caro Stewart" <taocila-AT-yahoo.com>
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 12:53 PM
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Sculpting wood (tips?)


Mathieu,
Both ends of the wood blocks have to be cut perfectly square, so the glue 
will not show. Usually, it's not hard to carve the glue line, unless is 
thick. A thick glue line (in places) results when the ends of the blocks are 
not cut perfectly square.
It's common sense, when you glue the two pieces of wood, make sure the long 
grains get connected on the glue line and run along or parallel, depending 
what you need to carve. Think of the block of wood as you think of your 
palm, with the fingers close together. The fingers are the long grains. Take 
then a chisel and start carving :O) You want a wider piece of wood, then 
imagine your both palms, facing up glued along the little finger line.
About carving perpendicular on the grains... Let's say you have some thick 
wooden dowel around and think about cutting a small piece. Do not draw the 
puppet head on the circle end for you cannot carve it. It might split if you 
were able to carve it, which I doubt. Even the wooden rings cannot be made 
of dowel ends for they split, too.
You probably think of carving a puppet from that table leg you have. Measure 
the length of the head and that appropriate length from the table leg. Draw 
the face on one side and the profile on the lateral sides and start carving.
Yes, is better to carve a body part from a single piece of wood, since some 
wood show really pretty grains, but glued wood it will not split on you. If 
the wood comes from the same table leg do not worry about the look for that 
wood has the same kind of grains and color. Try to avoid gluing together 
different types of wood or you'll end up with different strengths. That 
could be frustrating when carving. When I carved my Arlechino shoes, I made 
sure the pine was the back of the shoe for is harder to carve than red 
cedar, the front of the shoe.
For the disks: lay a piece of table leg in your palm, the grains running the 
same direction with your fingers, and draw the circle or circles as many as 
you need.
I think I saw a similar puppet as the one you want to make: the worm from 
"The light keeper" - Le Theatre de L'oeiul.
For an unknown reason to me, I cannot see the pictures today.

Carolina

--- On Tue, 12/23/08, Mathieu René <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca> wrote:

From: Mathieu René <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca>
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Sculpting wood (tips?)
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Date: Tuesday, December 23, 2008, 1:07 PM

When glueing wood to make blocks for sculpting, is there a recommended
position, so that the joint lines will not show or be problematic in
carving?

Is the glue line harder to carve than the wood itself?

My tendency would be to avoid glue lines directly in front of the face,
unless the puppet is relatively big.
Because of this, I think I'd go for a single piece of wood when making
small
and medium heads.
Or am I being too cautious?

My other concern is the appearance of the wood parts together. Even if all
the wood comes from the same piece before gluing, my guess is there might be
differences in coloring.
Which might be detrimental to the look, if it wasn't meant as part of the
design.


For my first puppet fully in carved wood, the possibly glued parts would
only be the disks that will form the torso (elongated torso, like a giant
tentacle. No legs. The rest is human-like).




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