Wizard of Oz Puppets

A few months back I was ask to create a couple of puppets for a theatrical version of Wizard of Oz. They needed a small model of Dorothy's house that could spin as if it is in a tornado, a steampunk crow for the Scarecrow scene and a hot air balloon with the wizard inside. Below are some progress shots of the crow and finished pictures of each puppet.

The Steampunk Crow Puppet

This is the beak control I built for the puppet. 

This is the wiring I did to give the crow his body shape. I used wire so it was super light and didn't add any weight to the puppet.

I used craft foam for the feathers and beak. I love craft foam because you can form it to almost any shape and it's super light. I cut a ping pong ball in half for the eyes. This is also where I rigged up the wings to flap using filament line. I didn't want to use real feathers since this is a Oz crow, and it can have a whimsical look. 

Here's the finished puppet. I added blue paint to give the illusion of feathers. I made them more prominent since it had to read from a distance. I also used screw head metal brads. It gives the added effect of screws without weight and also helps with the steampunk look.

Hot Air Balloon and Wizard Puppet

Here's the finished puppet. I used foam core to make the under frame of the balloon. I then stretched canvas over it. I found a perfect small basket and a small fabric doll at Goodwill. From the top of the balloon to the bottom of the pole was around 13.5 ft tall. I also rigged up the Wizard so he could bounce around in the basket making him look alive while it goes across the stage.

Here is the close-up of the Wizard. I used a picture of the actor in costume to match the small version.

Spinning House

Here is a quick picture of the house. I used the blue print to the actual house and scaled it down so it was correct. I added a light from inside so the windows would light up as it is spinning.

Knee Deep in Pumpkins!

Yesterday and today I am working on a pumpkin photo shoot. This time of year it is really hard to find pumpkins, so I went to the International Farmer's Market here in Atlanta to find something to use as a pumpkin. This place is AWESOME! You can find all kinds of exotic fruits and vegetables here.

Check out their Facebook page for more info:

www.facebook.com/BufordHighwayFarmersMarket

I bought all kinds of gourds and squash that could be color corrected by the retouchers to look like a pumpkin. The main challenge was finding stuff with the same skin texture as a pumpkin. Below are some of my finds.

Crime & Punishment Shiv

A few months ago a project came in where the client needed a shiv made. They had a picture they found online and they wanted to match it pretty closely. Below are some progress shots ending in the final Ad.

Here is the shiv the client found online that they wanted to match.

I walked up the street to a scrap metal yard to find something that I could use for the blade of the shiv. I had so much fun looking through everything trying to find just the right piece of metal. I found this curved piece that was the right size and had just enough rust. I'm not sure what it is though...

Here is a progress shot after I straightened the metal bar out and cut the blade. I used a circular sander to give the blade it's sharp looking edge.

Here's how the finished shiv turned out. It's very close to the reference photo. I used black gaff tape and muslin fabric to create the handle. I added some brown and orange paint to finish off the look.

And here's the final Ad.

Boston Magazine April 2014 Cover

The past few months have been crazy busy with all kinds of crazy prop projects going on. A few weeks ago I worked with a GREAT retoucher/photographer Patrick White (www.patrick-white.com) on the cover image for Boston Magazine's Boston Marathon. I used shoe laces and wire to spell out the word RUN. Check out the link below to see a peak of how it turned out www.bostonmagazine.com/issue/boston-april-2014/!