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I Live in a Small Town

"I Live in a Small Town" is a 17-scene exhibit I created for Providence Children's Museum, which featured 36 of my handcrafted finger puppets and hundreds of miniatures I've made or collected over the years. The exhibit was on display for four months and was well received by little kids and by big kids who are sometimes disguised as adults.

Below are some of the inhabitants who resided in the display boxes which measured 12 5/8" L x 6 3/4" H x 5 1/8"W -- now THAT'S a small town!

Designing thematically when it comes to puppets, I believe, makes for endless and richer storytelling possibilities as the characters interact with one another. Some of the themes I work with include: Little Paris, the Rodeo and Nursery Rhymes.

It was in the crafting of these puppets that their stories unfolded, which indicated to me where these guys would like to live -- what sorts of backdrops and props needed to be made -- in order to make their small world REAL.

Working on a miniature scale is both challenging and hugely rewarding to me as an artist. So, whether I'm working with fiber and fabrics, or with clay, wood, or wire, I am striving for a high level of detail, for impeccable craftsmanship, and for believability. The goal is ALWAYS to pull the viewer into the "story", and to delight.

April 16, 2012 in babycakes jr., Collecting, Crafty Projects, Exhibiting, Finger Puppets, Freaky Fingers Side Show, Little Paris, Miniatures | Permalink | Comments (0)

Flea Market Finds: Old Man Hand Puppet

The outdoor flea market started up again today!

I actually got this old man puppet for little less than $2.50. He's from the same manufacturer as the handmaiden puppet I got back in '09. She cost me $2 then, which I thought was a pretty good dealio. The guy selling the old man puppet told me initially, "$5!" when he saw me pick it up, then he said, "Put on a puppet show for me." I didn't have the nerve to tell him that THAT would cost HIM $5.

April 15, 2012 in Collecting | Permalink | Comments (2)

Teaching Cartooning this Summer at RISD CE!

I'll be teaching 2 cartooning classes over the course of 2 weeks this summer for RISD's Continuing Education program. The first is for children ages 9-12, which meets for 3 hours in the afternoon:

The second class is for teens, and meets for 3 hours in the morning:

Registration is already going on, so you can sign up NOW!

There are SO many great-sounding classes for kids going on at RISD this summer -- I wish I could take them!

April 12, 2012 in Classes, RISD, Teaching | Permalink | Comments (0)

Miniature Sweets

Have made some sweet items that I wanted to share with you!

The sundaes are made from polymer clay and pushpins -- I got the idea from this website.

Cotton candy is made from rolled bits of paper and is topped with felted wool roving.

Candied apples are made from polymer clay and wooden dowels, with the "candied" part made from liquid clay that's had pastel dust added for the coloring. The "nuts" on the other apples are brown and tan clays that have been chopped up.

Licorice sticks are made from polymer clay -- gel medium applied after baking for extra shininess.

Candy dots were made by applying dots of acrylic paint (via a toothpick) to strips of leftover sticker paper (you know, what's left after removing the sticker). I am pretty certain that I got the idea for making these dots from this YouTube channel that has a ton of great tutorials.

Fun, too, is just doing a Google image search on candies and candy shops to get ideas and figure out ways to make things with the stuff you have.

January 15, 2012 in Crafty Projects, Miniatures | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sketching: MODOK

So my take on this character will be: Humpty Dumpty Gone Bad.

December 27, 2011 in Doodles & Illustrations | Permalink | Comments (0)

Illustration Friday: SEPARATED

My finger puppets Ping & Pong were once again called into active duty to illuminate this week's word, as were the miniature glue bottles I'd made a while back. That's the great thing about having a ton of props -- you can just dig 'em up and use 'em at a moment's notice!

Other SEPARATEDs HERE.

December 12, 2011 in Crafty Projects, Doodles & Illustrations, Finger Puppets, Freaky Fingers Side Show, Illustration Friday, Miniatures | Permalink | Comments (1)