Puppets in Exeter

I was very lucky to get the opportunity to sit in on some undergraduate puppetry sessions at Exeter University recently. Led by the brilliant Cariad  Astles, I got a real insight into performing with puppets and working out what makes a good performance and puppetry piece.

Really interesting, and extremely useful for a kids puppet show project I have got on the bubble… I managed to sketch some of the students rehearsing with their puppets, great body poses and faces. Here they are, and pictures of the puppets they were using.

Print & Collage Pictures

This is a lovely, accessible way to make beautiful prints, and used by a lot of illustrators to create fascinating and bold images.

Using simple materials: black poster paint, corks, bubblewrap, sponges and corrugated cardboard, we printed onto A4 paper creating beautifully patterned sheets. After drying we cut the paper into shapes to make people, bird, insect and flower images. The results were lovely, well done guys!

Printing & Collage
Printmaking

“The White Frontier”

This was a really interesting piece to work on –  a monoprint based on the Inuit exhibit at Exeter museum – it’s part of  group entry with Double Elephant Studio for a show there. The exhibit is pretty small, but contains amazing things like waterproof parkas made entirely from seal gut, plus toys and artefacts made by Inuit people in the 19th century using tusks and bones. Nothing wasted!

Doing more research online I came to understand the ultimate impact of contact with European traders and explorers which the print I made is based on. The Inuit have lost so much, especially in the past 100 or so years.

The White Frontier – monoprint
Dog sled wooden to
Sealskin toy kayak
Inuit seal-gut parka
Inuit dolls
Inuit artefact
Sealskin boots

Shellies animation at the Beacon Centre, Exeter

Another lovely morning with the families at the Beacon Centre yesterday making a very sweet little shell creatures animation 🙂

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Lumen Nature Prints and Painting

The beautiful sunny weather in Honiton yesterday was perfect for a nature walk and creating lumen prints 🙂

Using just sunlight, the lumen prints were made by exposing leaves, twigs, grasses and flowers onto black and white photography paper for just a few minutes. A quick dip in fixer and the images are set.

The Imaginary Library

And we’re off! I’ve started planning in earnest for my latest project “The Imaginary Library”. It’s a children’s show, and will feature puppetry, projection mapped animation and a live score. I’ve managed to get a crack team together so it’s all quite exciting 🙂

Concept drawings below – now for the Arts Council application. Chocks away!

The Imaginary Library – Concept drawing
The Imaginary Library – Concept drawing
Preparatory drawing for ‘The Library’ animation