Fall Update

I've been really busy and I haven't updated my activities for a while...

I got to got to the John C. Campbell Folk School in western North Carolina for a week. I decided to try something new for me and a little outside my comfort zone. I learned to work with materials I don't usually touch...fleece...foam...GLUE!!! I took a hand and rod puppet (like a "Muppet") class from an extremely talented puppeteer, David Stephens. It was hard work and I learned quite a bit. The rabbit I made named "Moxie" was easier to complete.
(David Stepens-Below hard at work)                                                  (Moxie waiting for some personality)

 (Here is my little "Miso" bear helping me put together my puppets)

The 2nd one was a little harder to complete. I played around with a few ideas for characters. It wasn't until I said out loud  "I just took this class to make a generic puppet" that I got my inspiration. I decided to make a generic puppet. I gave him a nose designed from a nose design for a leather nose for a teddy bear turned up-side-down. Then I used 2 plastic egg halves for his eyes. I glued in his tongue and topped his head with a bandanna. His name is "GEN-ERIC!!"

(Gen-Eric's Brain)

 

(Gen-Eric's arms)

(Gen-Eric waiting for ssome personality)

(Moxie the purple rabbit, and Gen-Eric the generic puppet)

(Me and David and the class of Puppets)

Check out David Stephens' websites "David Stephens Banjolicious" and "All Hands Productions"

Now I'm busy getting ready for the rest of my shows...pandas...snowman bears...tiny companions...lucky charms...marionette... etc.

--November 10,

The Hunt Valley Christmas Holiday Teddy Bear Show and Sale Sunday, 10:00am-3:30pm.

Embassy Suites Baltimore North Hotel 213 International Circle, Hunt Valley, Maryland

--November 16 and 17, Fairfax Holiday Craft Show  Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm, at Fairfax High School, 3501 Rebel Run, Fairfax, VA 22030. 

--December 6-8, McLean Holiday Crafts Show, McLean Community Center.
1234 Ingleside Ave. McLean, VA 22101
Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m

Come Check us out!!

Back From the Folk School

What a wonderful week at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. Mostly Sunny and warm. Good and Plentiful food. Good times had by all!! Old and new friends, sage advice, and new skills (techniques). I want to take another class this year and a class for sure next year.

"Best Ever" was our class theme and this was the "best ever" class, "best ever" students (Joanna, Rita, me), and course...the best ever teacher Leslie Molen. I will highly recommend any of her classes anytime. In the past I've made a Santos Cage Doll and a marionette with Leslie--so this was my third class. We made a Chinese inspired needle sculpted doll-- Ling Li-Hua or Chun Woo. The basic doll is the same--it was the costuming that's different. I made a "hybrid" of sorts with the costuming--I made Ling Li's coat, shirt and pants and I made Chun Woo's hat and shoes--it all came out very cute. The new things I learned were needle sculpting the face, adding hand painted small wooden bead mounted on a toothpick into a socket, adding an overlay that covered the stitches and the eyeballs and then cutting away over the eyes to make the eye lids. Now I'm trying to figure out how I can use what I've learned with my bears!!

My plan is to sign up for a "Muppet" style puppet class in September.

 

 

-Me and Leslie

Next up for me and the bears will be the completion of my gallery piece for TBAI. Also my next show will be the DC Big Flea at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA July 20-21 2013. Check us out!!!