Well, I'll try to move this along a little faster now that the video is published. As I was putting this post together I realized that the "Rum and Paper Mache" video is actually a better tool for showing how I made this marionette than these blog posts. Perhaps some of you noticed, the time-lapse (building) part of the video is a little slower than usual. That's because the video was much longer than usual. That's because I was not allowed to alter the music as part of the license agreement (totally understandable). So the build was a little slower and therefore much easier to follow. If you really do want to know how I made these puppets just watch the video closely. It's all there.
Anyway, here is what I did next. For some reason I decided to put the head on last. I don't know why. I cut open the last segment of the body and pulled out the wad of paper. I stuck the jaws into the hole and taped them.
Then I used hot glue to attach the eyes. I crumpled paper and used masking tape to build cheeks and brows and a nose. I cut holes for nostrils and ears. I added ears. These are basically little wings. I added Fimo horns along the nose and above the eyes. Again, the video shows these steps very clearly along with the addition of the "cloth mache" pictured below.
I added the cloth mache. I made two tongues, one that would stick straight out, and one that was bent (like it would be after a few drinks). They were long and I just pushed each one into the back of the neck as I needed them. I decided to add more horns on the jowls and the chin.
I finished adding the cloth mache to the rest of the head. I also put a few small scales on the nose. Likewise, I added scales over the rest of the dragon's body. Yes, this takes a lot of time. But it is worth it I think.
Finally, what would be a post without my assistant, Eddie. Here he is with the dragon...
...and trying out some of the furniture. He liked the couch because it was soft. He thinks I got it for him. Same with the grandfather clock although he only knows "breakfast" and "dinner" when it comes to time. This brings up something interesting. I bought this furniture online. They are for dolls. I got the one on the left because it looked really used, I mean used like you'd see at your grandmother's house. It was threadbare in places, stained, and just looked old. Now here's my question to you all. How do DOLLS wear out doll furniture? Do they spill their drinks? How does doll furniture get used enough to be threadbare? Personally, I think it's evidence that dolls party at night.
Thank you for your patience! Next I'll talk about painting. See you then.
