beetlegrass

Judge Righteous Dood

Have been planning/making a series of "Criminal Justice" finger puppets -- remember the miniature drug bust from awhile back? Someone has to adjudicate that & all the other cases in the Greater Beetlegrass area, and who better than the Honorable Judge Righteous Dood? (Or "Judge Righteous", as his TV-viewing fans call him.)

I watch a fair amount of TV court shows -- The People's Court, Judge Judy, Judge Mathis, & Judge Joe Brown. That's the extent of it. I DO NOT WATCH Judge Karen, because she doesn't even LOOK like a judge. With her bright lavendar robe, it's like a member of the church choir decided to take up the law.

 

I used a bit of needlefelting on Judge Righteous, building on what I had learned from Lou's bee skep hairdo from a couple of posts back. Gluing on the black Curly Hair ™ left a border of glue behind, which was shiny and visible and rage-causing. Rather than glue on even more Curly Hair ™ to cover this, decided to needlefelt in some white roving to give the judge a distinguished salt-and-pepper look. 

I like it!

A close-up of a hand to show the fingers stitched with a variegated embroidery floss. Essentially, the fingers are knots on top of knots on top of knots. The gavel can slide out.

Judge Righteous has a full docket this week, including one dog bite case, one cell phone case, and a disgruntled roommates case.

The name, concept & design of this puppet and his stories are the property of Megan E. Jeffery.
These images are © Megan E. Jeffery.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Afrin Commercial

Blocked nasal passages were never so cute.

Winter Song

Two beautiful voices in their own right (Sara Bareilles' & Ingrid Michaelson's) team up in this song that has been so sweetly animated. (Do I detect a little Mary Blair influence here?)

Winter Song video

Sketchbook Dump: Sketching from TV & Movies

It's been a while since I've posted stuff from my sketchbook, so I thought I'd share a little secret:
I often draw while watching television & movies. So that's the theme for today!
You'll soon see: I watch too much reality TV.

The above: Kate Winslet in the movie Enigma.

The above: Suede, one of the fashion designers from the most recent incarnation of Bravo TV's Project Runway. 

 

The above: Snoop Dog. Without hands for some reason. For no reason. Honest. 

The above: One of the real estate agents on that Bravo TV show about... real estate agents. This one is the guy who blow-dries his hair to dome-like perfection, and packs for trips by putting everything in individual Ziploc baggies.

The above: Not so much a "portrait" as it is a "caricature" inspired by that J.G. Wentworth commercial. You know the one. The full-blown opera.

"If you have long-term payments, but you need cash now!"
"Call J.G. Wentworth!"
"J.G. Wentworth!"
"8-7-7 CASH NOW!"
"8-7-7 CASH NOW!"

Then the soprano chimes in.

"I have an annuity..."

I can do all the parts.
Wanna hear?

The above: Dennis Farina. From some Law & Order episode when there was a marathon on. 

The above: A fuller-faced Dr. Drew Pinsky from VH1's Celebrity Rehab. Just LOOK @ the concern in his eyes!

The above: Steven Adler, one of the celebrities who's in the rehab. He's the drummer from Guns N' Roses. Or, as my sister Jane calls it: Buns N' Noses. 

The above: Another celebrity, Nikki McKibbin, who's a former American Idol contestant.

These images are © Megan E. Jeffery.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Figure Skating with Finger Puppets

Last night I went to a "special homecoming screening" of a feature film documentary, Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist.

Will Eisner (1917-2005) was a giant in the comic book world, and was the guy who coined the term "graphic novel" and "sequential art".

The documentary was directed/co-produced by Andrew D. Cooke, and written/co-produced by his brother, Jon B. Cooke (with whom I took a RISD CE comic book class).

They did a fantastic job with this film -- masterfully organizing drawings, photos, film clips, and audio- and videotaped interviews so that the story of a brilliant storyteller could shine through. Many other comic book greats were interviewed, which proved what an influential impact Eisner's career had on so many others.

This film not only paints a portrait of one man, but also gives as its contextual backdrop: the history of comics & comic books. So, can you tell? -- I liked it a lot!

Seeing this documentary is pretty timely, as the movie The Spirit (perhaps Eisner's best-known creation), is slated to hit the theaters Christmas Day. Frank Miller (Sin City), who is interviewed in the documentary, will be directing this major motion picture.

The documentary was screened at the Courthouse Center for the Arts (really nifty place) in West Kingston, RI. This should give you some indication of how passionate about graphic novels I've been of late: I traveled 1.5 hours (round-trip), to a place I've never been before, IN THE DARK, just to see this film.

And it sooooooo was worth it --  thanks for the invitation, Jon!

3 of the 4 things that I got at the flea market (@ Seekonk Speedway in MA) on Sunday.
(The remaining thing to be shown soon!)

 

Rubber bat: 25¢. Had to quick take the photos in between his falling off the background, where he was stuck with teacher's tack. Low tech & Low tack.
Filled the little bottles (& 1 perfume vial) that I had on hand with red stained glass window paint for some upcoming Halloweenie props.

Little cow: $1.

Liberty Bell: $1. Got this because American history has really captured my interest of late, and will want to be working on some characters in this vein. Just watched HBO's John Adams, starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney. Excellent work. Highly recommend.
See if your library has it -- mine did!

This group of items: $2.25.

The concept & design of these puppets and their stories are the property of Megan E. Jeffery.
These images are © Megan E. Jeffery.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Made some miniature indian corn this weekend while watching Dances With Wolves, amongst other activities. (DId I hear Cloris Leachman is going to be on Dances With Wolves this season? Ha.)
Hard to believe that movie is 18 years old now. Man is that a good film.

The inspiration for the corn was the raffia, purchased last year cuz I thought it'd make great corn husks. Then came the dilemma of how to make the corn.That was accomplished thru the use of small felted wool sausage shapes, and rows of seed beads. I anchored the rows together by stitching over them, and hiding the thread in between the beads.

I tore strips of raffia between 1/2" and 3/4" in width (length around 5", but you'll cut down to size) for the corn husks, gluing them in a star-like formation, as shown here. A total of 6-8 each -- 2 to hang on the cob itself, and 4-6 to be gathered up on top. I stitched this star to the corn cob (from the center point), because sometimes glue can lead to your downfall. Tie the top husks together with a skinny strand of raffia, then cut and shape the husk ends to emulate real corn husks. Keep scale in mind.

The concept & design of this project are the property of Megan E. Jeffery.
These images are © Megan E. Jeffery.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Another Exciting Adventure starring Me, My Car, & Mapquest

Last night I went to a "special homecoming screening" of a feature film documentary, Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist.

Will Eisner (1917-2005) was a giant in the comic book world, and was the guy who coined the term "graphic novel" and "sequential art".

The documentary was directed/co-produced by Andrew D. Cooke, and written/co-produced by his brother, Jon B. Cooke (with whom I took a RISD CE comic book class).

They did a fantastic job with this film -- masterfully organizing drawings, photos, film clips, and audio- and videotaped interviews so that the story of a brilliant storyteller could shine through. Many other comic book greats were interviewed, which proved what an influential impact Eisner's career had on so many others.

This film not only paints a portrait of one man, but also gives as its contextual backdrop: the history of comics & comic books. So, can you tell? -- I liked it a lot!

Seeing this documentary is pretty timely, as the movie The Spirit (perhaps Eisner's best-known creation), is slated to hit the theaters Christmas Day. Frank Miller (Sin City), who is interviewed in the documentary, will be directing this major motion picture.

The documentary was screened at the Courthouse Center for the Arts (really nifty place) in West Kingston, RI. This should give you some indication of how passionate about graphic novels I've been of late: I traveled 1.5 hours (round-trip), to a place I've never been before, IN THE DARK, just to see this film.

And it sooooooo was worth it --  thanks for the invitation, Jon!

Flea Market Ketchup

3 of the 4 things that I got at the flea market (@ Seekonk Speedway in MA) on Sunday.
(The remaining thing to be shown soon!)

 

Rubber bat: 25¢. Had to quick take the photos in between his falling off the background, where he was stuck with teacher's tack. Low tech & Low tack.
Filled the little bottles (& 1 perfume vial) that I had on hand with red stained glass window paint for some upcoming Halloweenie props.

Little cow: $1.

Liberty Bell: $1. Got this because American history has really captured my interest of late, and will want to be working on some characters in this vein. Just watched HBO's John Adams, starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney. Excellent work. Highly recommend.
See if your library has it -- mine did!

This group of items: $2.25.

The concept & design of these puppets and their stories are the property of Megan E. Jeffery.
These images are © Megan E. Jeffery.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Miniature Indian Corn

Made some miniature indian corn this weekend while watching Dances With Wolves, amongst other activities. (DId I hear Cloris Leachman is going to be on Dances With Wolves this season? Ha.)
Hard to believe that movie is 18 years old now. Man is that a good film.

The inspiration for the corn was the raffia, purchased last year cuz I thought it'd make great corn husks. Then came the dilemma of how to make the corn.That was accomplished thru the use of small felted wool sausage shapes, and rows of seed beads. I anchored the rows together by stitching over them, and hiding the thread in between the beads.

I tore strips of raffia between 1/2" and 3/4" in width (length around 5", but you'll cut down to size) for the corn husks, gluing them in a star-like formation, as shown here. A total of 6-8 each -- 2 to hang on the cob itself, and 4-6 to be gathered up on top. I stitched this star to the corn cob (from the center point), because sometimes glue can lead to your downfall. Tie the top husks together with a skinny strand of raffia, then cut and shape the husk ends to emulate real corn husks. Keep scale in mind.

The concept & design of this project are the property of Megan E. Jeffery.
These images are © Megan E. Jeffery.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Time for a Commercial Break -- Extra Fruit Sensations

Time for a Commercial Break -- Hershey's