Stages and Pics

Remember how I said I was going to (eventually) put up pictures of the stage and puppets?

Ooo!

About freaking time!

So yeah. Finished all but two puppets. I'll finish the next one by Friday, and I hope to do the crocodile as quickly (sloppily) as I am able. Also, will be doing the tent part of the project soon. And write a paper.

Wahey.

Early Christmas Presents!

This year, I gave myself an early Christmas present!

My first fully completed puppet! With a hook, and all the fiddly bits done!

See! I do occasionally put fun pictures up!

So, it's Winter Break in America, which can only mean one thing: panicking to get all my work done and not spending any time having a proper 'break'. Except Christmas. But any who, I'm planning on having all the puppets with the heads done by tomorrow. Also going to measure dimensions to get the fabric tomorrow. And paint the Punch and Judy sign.

Oh, shut up Joey.

Oh man oh man oh man

Every day I'm mache-ing, sewing, ear-aching, worrying, panicking, schooling and blogging on Wednesdays. Seriously. I didn't have any time to set up the stage and take a picture, as over the weekend my ear infection that I thought had healed relapsed with interest, namely an outer ear infection as well as an inner and a burst eardrum. I also had plenty of  homework due at school this week. And I'm now working on four puppet costumes. Also, I am working on my second-to-last puppet head. And when I say 'working on' I mean mache mache mache. I have a break for two weeks starting Friday, though, so I'll have more time.

Setting the Stage for Victory!

Oh silly titles make me happy. Yeah, so this week I got an ear infection known as 'swimmer's ear', but I pushed through it because on Saturday I had a meeting with one of my committee members in order to build the Punch and Judy stage. We went to a hardware store and shopped around for PVC piping, PVC glue and other products to make an easily transportable stage. The building of the stage took around five hours and in the end we built a frame that isn't full but still usable. I will probably get a picture of it by next week. It can also be taken apart and put together in fifteen minutes!

But anyway, I have also been working on puppets. Nothing new.

I'm Sew Excited

So, what have I been up to this week? Why working on the puppets of course. Yes, I've finished another puppet head, namely the head of the doctor. Also, I have been working on the costumes. I have finished the undergarments of Punch's costume, and am now adding the details. I am have almost finished all of Judy's costume. All I need to do is attach the apron and the hat.

Additionally, I have planned out the Punch and Judy stage with my second committee member. I am planning on getting the materials and building the frame of the structure this Saturday. I may also get the red-and-white stripy material when I am shopping for supplies. I guess that's it.

Yays

Well, things have started to go back on track as I've almost finish my fourth puppet head and the three head's that I have already done are painted. I have also started work on the puppet costumes. I have almost finished stitching together Mr. Punches costume, I think it'll take maybe two, three days more. Then I'll probably start work on Judy's costume. I showed my work at school last week and people seemed to be impressed and supportive. I also am excited because we have two days off school this week, which I will probably spend working on the puppets and the stage. I am working on the stage this week, as well.

Paint-litical Speaking

Note to self: No political speaking puns are appreciated by anyone.

Either way, Thursday November 17th is the day of which my senior class has to make a speech about how much of our projects we have done. We're supposed to have done 50%. Aside from the tent and a few of the puppet heads, I've done about that much. Speaking of puppets, I had a meeting with one of my committee members about sewing the costumes. I have material for three of the puppets and a pattern for the body. This is going to help me out a lot.

Also, I am going to have a meeting with my other committee member soon. We're going to build the stage for Punch and Judy, and hopefully get it done quickly. I am also back to the grindstone of paper-mache. I need a large amount of time, maybe a day, to get a load of mache-ing done. Good thing thanksgiving is coming to give me two days I need *phew*. Also, I have painted the three puppet heads I have finished mache-ing, so all I need to do now is give them a hand-puppet body.

Argh!

So, the title may raise a ton of questions from you all. Mainly, what is making you go 'argh'? Well, readers, I have had some major setbacks this week. I haven't been able to work on puppet number four yet, as I forgot to bring my clay to school so I could make the base. I haven't taken off my other puppet head off it's stand, which has halted production on head number five. The only thing I've achieved is painting the head of Mr. Punch.

I'm also wiggin' out because next week is the week where I have to have 50% OF MY PROJECT DONE. Oh snap. I'm really worried, because I'm pretty sure if I'm given a few more weeks and have my committee meetings soon, I can get over 80% of the project done. But no, instead I'm feeling more anxiety than I've felt in weeks. I thought writing the blog today would help, but for some reason, I'm getting more worried by the second.

Painting and Pictures

Ta-da! Finally figured out how to upload photos onto the blog. This one is Mr. Punch! At least, before I paper mache'd him. It was taken maybe 1, 11/2 months ago, when I was just starting out.

This is today. This is the policeman puppet. I am glad to say he's number four. It's making me increasingly happy when I can say I'm 1/4 done with the puppets.

This month, I will be working not only on the puppet heads, but also the stage and the puppet costumes. I have a little over 2 months left, so it's scramble time.

Sigh

Mache mache mache mache mache. Mache.

So that's how I'm doing on the puppet head front. Onto other things.

I'm going to email my committee members soon about meeting them individually next month so I can start work on such things as puppet costumes and the actual stage for P&J.

Short post. Sorry. Oh well.

Juggling

No, I am not talking about literal juggling (though it is in the same field as puppets).

I am talking about having finished my first puppet head, yet still needing to work on getting out the vaseline, sticking it back together and repaper-macheing the head back together. On top of that, I am working a little more on my second head, as I have done the minimum of seven layers but I still want to do some extra to make it sturdy. Finally, I am working on my third puppet head. I am starting to do the clay head of our dear Judy!

I am also a bit more confident on finishing the project in time.

I haven't made any headway on Punch's voice, so I am starting to create my own voice for Punch. If I happen to stumble across something while practicing, great. If not, I still have a voice. 

Not much else...

YES!

Well, achievement unlocked, I've finished my first puppet head! Go me!

Also my committee meeting went well. I talked timelines with my members and they listened and suggested things, like DON'T DO A SWAZZLE IT COULD KILL YOU. I agree with them, so I am looking into other options. Also, I now have stores to go to in  order to do puppet costumes and I will probably start work on the Punch and Judy stage soon. I also have a clear view on what I'm doing now and I feel very motivated. This is a good thing since motivation helps with patience mache.

To round it off, I am also faster and better with the mache.

Things are looking up, peeps.

The Mache! The Horror!

Paper mache: A lesson on perseverance

Oh man. The amount of time put into putting paper mache on these clay models, you need plenty of patience. It takes hours in order to do one layer, and it takes a minimum of seven layers in order to make it thick enough to use. This is mind-bending. Also, the second puppet I'm making has had a problem in that I brought the wrong type of paper in, and it started flaking off. Luckily, I saved it by using the right kind, but it was a setback. I mean, I learned from making my first puppet to keep track of the amount of layers you have already put on. I am sure that I have done seven layers, and I'm stopping after the next one I'm doing, but I'm still unsure.

Now that's out of the way

I am having my first committee meeting on Friday. I'm going to get some feedback from my two committee people who have done work with masks, puppets and building. I am also going to listen to what they have to say. My advisor will be there to keep us on track. This is going to give me the power for the rest of the project! Now all I need is a guitar solo playing me to victory!

You know what? Writing this blog makes me psyched for this project and fills me with so much happiness.

Puppets Some More

Yep. More news on puppets.

I have started mache-ing the other puppet I have at school. I have done one layer. I am currently confused on where I am with the other one, since I seemed to have done more than I thought. I think I've done three layers, but I know that I have done more because I've been working at it for hours. This is an important lesson called "Keep Track of Where You Are." Speaking of keeping track, I'm not touching base on how this is a day late.

Instead, I'll lead into the fact that I'm going supply shopping soon! Hooray! I have found out how to make a slapstick thanks to this handy-dandy site here. I also need supplies for the materials used to make the costumes for the puppets. Also, I am planning to make the crocodile, but I need gloves and two sturdy boards for what is needed.

The Puppet Process

Last week I said that I had started making the puppets. Today, I am going to talk about how I am making them.

So, what I've been doing is using a special type of clay and modeling the heads of the puppets. I make sure not to have any indented features on their faces before I Vaseline them (it is necessary to Vaseline the puppets so that when you paper mache them you can part the paper from the model). The way I paper mache the puppet is that I use wallpaper paste and thick brown paper. The wallpaper paste is stickier and thicker then the normal mix for paper mache. After they have had seven layers (or more) of paper mache put on them, that's when I am allowed to remove them. 

And that's all I've done on the puppets so far.

Also, STILL NO SWAZZLE! But on a lighter note, I found a site to make Mr. Punch's slapstick, and I have finished my version of the Punch and Judy script. It is taking on the traditional plot, including the doctor. I didn't mention him in my last post, and I realized I wanted him in the show, so now that random extra is going to be the doctor.

So far, no panic.

The Past Week

This week, I have written half the script and started making the puppets.

I am planning on making seven puppets, although if I run out of time, I don't have to make one of them. Putting time aside however, I am going to make the puppets Punch, Judy, Constable, Joey the Clown, the Crocodile, the Devil and a Random Puppet only getting one line. And yes, if I have no time, the one-liner has got to go. I am working on Punch at the moment, and Constable's baton. The way I'm making the puppets is by creating a clay model, spreading it with vaseline and covering it with paper mache. I will paint them after I'm done.

The script is doing well, and I have changed some of the words to make it more understandable. Don't worry, I'm not changing much, I promise I'm not butchering the story. In fact, the plot has had nothing changed (that's right, the baby still dies).

But I still have no Swazzle. I will try again to get the Swazzle sorted this next week but if I don't, then I may consider not using one. I really want to though.

School: The Project Begins

Officially, anyway.

So school started today. Woohoo. This means I'm a real senior and this project has started. I'm, of course, already worried about not being able to finish multiple components of the project. Not to worry though, as I am meeting with my advisor on Friday to talk about the project and to check if all the violence of P&J is school-appropriate (I think it'll be fine).

And, unfortunately, I have been unable to find any more sites on crafting a Swazzle. So the site you hopefully saw on my last blog is the only indication on how to make a Swazzle. All the other sites are on using a Swazzle and other people using Swazzle's and some things I heard weren't very encouraging (you aren't a true professional until you've swallowed your Swazzle twice, they say).

I've been thinking about puppets some more, and I found this site showing some. I must decipher the ones that are good for the show and the ones that are too unpolitically-correct.

Still can't start writing the script until I replace my computer.

Scripts and New Goal

I plan to start writing my script some time in the next two weeks. I'm planning on looking at the live performances and scripts online so I can see some typical P&J things. There may be some pieces of the script that I will have to adjust for American audiences. But I won't take away the violence as it is pretty much the P&J plot. This clip of a typical show is an example how violence is the plot.

The clip also gave me a new goal. I was thinking about Mr. Punch's voice and how it surely couldn't be created by anyones voice alone. I looked up Mr. Punch's voice and found out there is something that is made to create the voice of Mr. Punch. It's called a Swazzle. It goes in your mouth and makes vibrations as you speak to make the voice of Mr. Punch. If I want to do a complete Punch and Judy show, then I will need to make myself a Swazzle. Luckily, I found this site showing how to make myself a Swazzle. I will have to make it soon, as apparently you need to practice using it as it's very hard to use.

Welcome to That's The Way To Do It!

I am a senior in high school, and as a senior, I must do a project. It could be anything, but I am choosing to create a full Punch and Judy show, from the puppets to the tent to the script. For you see, Punch and Judy is a puppet show that entertains Brits everywhere. With its politically incorrect violence and its overdramatic characters in the cast, it is hard not to enjoy.

I also found a very informative essay here.

I remember watching it when a wee lass in England, now I am going to replicate it in America. So here is what I hope to achieve:

-Create a full cast of P&J puppets

-Build a traditional P&J tent

-Write an accurate P&J script (and find out how politically incorrect I can make it in the States)

-Write an essay on this experience and P&J history

-Write on the blog once a week

I’m sure that I will probably miss the last one a few times. I hope you enjoy my writing this blog; that it is interesting and happily follow as I explore the wonders of Punch and Judy!