Just thinking now Na, I have a Burmese marionette puppet, Mr Mandolay (means crazy man I think). He's an antique which I've been told is about 75 years old. His cloths are so sun damaged they're breaking but more importantly, the string that controls his eyes is frayed - has been for years - and is hanging by a couple of threads. I have no idea how to pull him apart and repair him without risking him. Is this something you could fix if I brought him down? He has eleven strings including strings to operate his umbrella.

Thanks

Lizzie

Wow! You guys have an epic amount of info locked away in those heads! Thanks heaps for sharing. Okay, so I'm going to purchase the glue Scoob recommended only because I read about the Foam Glue on your website Na and couldn't purchase it from my local Spotlight.

Let us know how it goes. I'm always looking for good glues.

Na, I apologise that I've annoyed you  .

Don't feel too bad; like I said, tax time is making me weird. Normally I have an accountant who does it all for me, but this time did it myself. Going through the books is kind of scary, especially when I see way too much expenditure and not enough income. Actually, sales are - slowly - increasing, but not fast enough to catch up to bills. This is less about you and more about me

There were a couple of reasons I didn't purchase the pattern. For starters, I intentionally don't have a credit card so buying online is tricky for me.

That's probably a good idea. I used to offer different payment methods actually, but over time as I've moved over to various different sales venues I sort of stopped offering them. If you do ever decide to buy, just email or PM me, and I can arrange another method.

Secondly, I kinda wanted to work it out for myself. To be honest, the bit of interest to me was the mouth movement which I could kind of work out from your site but not in any great detail without buying the pattern.

You can actually download for free the part which explains how to make the mouth.

http://www.schoolofpuppetry.com.au/media/patterns/humanfoampuppetpattern%20partone.pdf

I guess also I'm incredibly impulsive when I'm feeling creative so had already purchased the fabric and got my foam freebies when I spied your site. At that point, I needed to run with it, not wait around and hassle a friend in to paying for it one their card!

Actually you sound a lot like me. One of the reasons I'm annoyed about the expenditure is I have a habit of buying stuff thinking I'll use it later and never do. Or I overspend on materials for prototypes. I'm totally impulsive on most everything I make, and when inspiration hits I don't want to wait around for things either. Probably why I work best on my own...

To compensate, next time I am in Melbourne I will look you up and purchase something from your shop. I really am sorry if you feel you've been taken advantage of - my intention was certainly to flatter. You should be proud of the site you have and heartened by the benefit it brings to amateurs like myself.

Oh not necessary - I don't feel as though I've been taken advantage of, the reason most of the stuff on the site is free is because I want it that way. I want to be able to share, not keep the info to myself. Like I said, I'm not as annoyed as the text makes me sound... Plus, the people I'm really pissed of at, and who have taken advantage, are the ones who recently have been plagiarising my work. There's a difference between not wanting to spend the money and work out something based on pics - I do that all the time - and copying somebody's work in order to get paid as a 'writer'. Trust me, that's who I save my anger for.

I'll also add that the site is getting more and more references every day, with various companies linking to it, along with a few articles listed on Wikipedia as references. I do feel flattered, and am really quite surprised that my 'little' site has garnered such attention. It really just started off as a blog I had paid for another project and had no use for it anymore, and decided to blog about my puppet builds. The crazy and natural growth over the years is both astounding to me and still something I have yet to get used to.

That's my long version of "thanks for the compliments"

If you do ever decide to buy, just email or PM me, and I can arrange another method.

Thanks Na. Might have a browse again now I know that!

Actually you sound a lot like me. One of the reasons I'm annoyed about the expenditure is I have a habit of buying stuff thinking I'll use it later and never do. Or I overspend on materials for prototypes. I'm totally impulsive on most everything I make, and when inspiration hits I don't want to wait around for things either. Probably why I work best on my own...

I'm so pleased to hear I'm not alone in that. I'm forever chastising myself for lashing out on experimental designs. What sort of idiot buys high end fur for their first ever puppet?! My Lair room is full of fabrics, random bits of metal I've found, broken jewelry, old clothes I intend to cut up and so on. I have four sewing machines that I've picked up at garage sales etc 'just in case'. Worse still, my family have started supporting my habit and send me up ice cream buckets filled with random buttons, fabric offcuts, old curtains etc. In my defence, I do use it more often than not. Perhaps we could create a puppet challenge where everyone makes a character without purchasing new products?!

Plus, the people I'm really pissed of at, and who have taken advantage, are the ones who recently have been plagiarising my work. There's a difference between not wanting to spend the money and work out something based on pics - I do that all the time - and copying somebody's work in order to get paid as a 'writer'. Trust me, that's who I save my anger for.

That's appalling. I had a similar experience last year and it's terribly upsetting. A seemingly lovely person was set up next to me at an exhibition and a few weeks later, started selling products similar to mine. Fortunately, I'm known in the local craft community and the differences were obvious enough for people to know it wasn't my work and similarly themed enough to recognise I'd been ripped off. She didn't last very long which is just as well... I've never been compelled to hurt another person but I shamefully admit to fantasies of taking that chick down.  I imagine your work is copyrighted? Is there any legal stance you can take? I've looked at the copyrighting legislation for intellectual property in the past and it's hard to get your head around. Finding evidence of theft of ideas is impossibly difficult unless it's direct plagiarism.

I'll also add that the site is getting more and more references every day, with various companies linking to it, along with a few articles listed on Wikipedia as references. I do feel flattered, and am really quite surprised that my 'little' site has garnered such attention. It really just started off as a blog I had paid for another project and had no use for it anymore, and decided to blog about my puppet builds. The crazy and natural growth over the years is both astounding to me and still something I have yet to get used to.

It's amazing how the smallest of things can lead to something beyond your imagination. I hope you continue to experience growth in your site  - no doubt you will. Passion is infectious and your passion for what you do definitely comes through.

Your little kookabura is adorable!! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Na. Might have a browse again now I know that!

Please do!

I'm so pleased to hear I'm not alone in that. I'm forever chastising myself for lashing out on experimental designs. What sort of idiot buys high end fur for their first ever puppet?! My Lair room is full of fabrics, random bits of metal I've found, broken jewelry, old clothes I intend to cut up and so on. I have four sewing machines that I've picked up at garage sales etc 'just in case'.

Mmm, sadly (?) that sounds like my workspace. Granted, I've done very little building this year and more 'dumping of crap'. I'm trying to clean out a whole lot of junk from one room, but effectively moving half of it to another in the meantime. I also have a lot of stuff from a previous company/show which I can't get rid of because it's only partially owned by me. It takes up a lot of room.

Worse still, my family have started supporting my habit and send me up ice cream buckets filled with random buttons, fabric offcuts, old curtains etc. In my defence, I do use it more often than not. Perhaps we could create a puppet challenge where everyone makes a character without purchasing new products?!

Fortunately no one in my family brings random stuff, except for a few presents here and there from my presents. I'm glad they don't, I'd end up filling the whole house with crap, and I'm already 1/4 of the way there.

That's appalling. I had a similar experience last year and it's terribly upsetting. A seemingly lovely person was set up next to me at an exhibition and a few weeks later, started selling products similar to mine. Fortunately, I'm known in the local craft community and the differences were obvious enough for people to know it wasn't my work and similarly themed enough to recognise I'd been ripped off. She didn't last very long which is just as well... I've never been compelled to hurt another person but I shamefully admit to fantasies of taking that chick down.  I imagine your work is copyrighted? Is there any legal stance you can take? I've looked at the copyrighting legislation for intellectual property in the past and it's hard to get your head around. Finding evidence of theft of ideas is impossibly difficult unless it's direct plagiarism.

Sorry to hear that you've had similar problems. Seems as though most people I know have had their fair share of plagiarism, whether it's been a small thing - misuse of a photo - or large.

In my case I discovered four plagiarists. One is more recent and is to do with using images. I've had this happen before, but didn't really think much of it since they hotlinked and I replaced the image a while after. Images are really easy to steal without credit, particularly if they're not watermarked and in many cases my old photos are not.

The second case was a spam blogger, who repurposes content just so they appear legit whilst aiming to advertise whatever crap they're getting paid to advertise.

The third was Ehow.com and their sub-sites, for which they have taken down *some* of the contested content but not all. I have not actually received a reply for them, despite various methods, so let's just say their customer service sucks as much as their writers do and leave it at that.

The last was a Philippine puppetry company who in their reply to me, called me both inexperienced and incorrect, despite me having tons of proof (their site copied word for word, compared to Ehow which 'reworked' a lot of content) and them not having a site at the time I had posted my article. I noticed them removing the content a week or so after I sent a request for removal, even though two weeks later they responded with complete animosity and demanded an apology. Suffice to say I wasn't inclined, if the matter hadn't annoyed me, their reply certainly was beyond rude. They basically outright lied right to my face.

Fortunately in the weeks after discovering more and more plagiarism, I found an amazingly helpful website which explained all sorts of things I could do to protect myself and defend my copyright. My work is copyrighted yes - it's automatic whether or not I put info on my site, which I do - but people tend to ignore it or not know that it applies. Legally, I'm on relatively good footing. Evidence of theft is pretty easy, as most of the plagiarists haven't bothered to do anything but tweak a few words here and there; originality is more of a concern, but luckily the site's fairly well documented in many ways. I haven't registered my work with any government agency or whatnot, but the site/s have been around long enough to end up in the "Wayback Machine", an archive of websites. It takes a copy of your site over regular periods and saves it; a virtual history book, even if you change something or the site no longer exists.

The second thing which works in my favour is that international lines may not necessarily apply. In the case of American sites and American web hosts, they must submit to the DMCA, an act of law which ensures that US sites/hosts must deal with all issues of plagiarism no matter where in the world the accuser lives. This means that even though a site is run by someone in say, the Phillipines, if they buy hosting through an American web host, you can still get action. You can even go through the American copyrights agency - I forget what it's actually called - and register you work, no matter your country of origin.

By far the most effective thing I've found to do is to have as much info as possible about my site an what other people have done with my content when I discovered it. Getting them to take it down is tricky depending on what they're using it for - I clearly scared the Phillipino guy, but the spam blog is another matter - but there are numerous, numerous steps before you exhaust them all.

It's amazing how the smallest of things can lead to something beyond your imagination. I hope you continue to experience growth in your site  - no doubt you will. Passion is infectious and your passion for what you do definitely comes through.

Thanks - the growth is actually happening in spite of me, which sounds weird. I took a break from updating it in September, because I'd be doing 5 times a week for a whole year up til then. I stopped for a month and discovered I'd gotten 500 more hits per day just by *not* posting. The thing really does have a life of its own.

Experiencing that level of plagiarism in dreadful Na. I never ceased to be amazed by the lows some people will stoop to. I am pleased you've had some victories though. I'm interested to learn more about water marking images and how easily/or not this is done.

Finally I have completed my third puppet and the first one using fleece and sewing by hand. I would be lying if I didn't say I'm a little disappointed in myself but have learned some pretty awesome lessons which is always worthwhile. I have made the decision to purchase a basic pattern as my designs are all resulting in enormous characters (this one wasn't deliberate ). I have much to learn about proportions and sculpting spherical shapes. I did wonder though... if I purchase a basic pattern which gives a head shape and body shape for foam only, can I still claim the finished work as my own? I intend to add future puppets to my existing business but do not wish to do so if that's fraudulent or plagiarist in any way.







Thanks as always for all your info and encouragement. Lizzie

Experiencing that level of plagiarism in dreadful Na. I never ceased to be amazed by the lows some people will stoop to. I am pleased you've had some victories though. I'm interested to learn more about water marking images and how easily/or not this is done.

I think part of the problem is misinformation or disinterest. People seem to think that something is only copyrighted if it has a watermark, etc. which is of course, incorrect. Then you have the issue of 'fair use' or satire which muddies the water; then you have international law and people thinking they can get away with it because of borders. And so on. I genuinely believe some people are just misguided or don't understand the actual issue of copyright; others are plain dishonest.

As for the issue of watermarking, it's very easy to do. Grab a paint or photo shopping program (I use a free one called Paint.net. It can be found at http://www.getpaint.net/). Open the image file in your program. Create a new layer (this should be explained in your 'help' area of said program), and select the 'text' tool. Write something on the new layer, such as 'copyright 2011 [your name here]' or whatever. This is best done using black or white text, depending on the overall colouring of your image.

Next, change the opacity of the layer - this is usually done via the properties of the layer, again something explained in your 'help' file. I usually use an opacity of 50%.

Save the file as a .png (save it as a new image just in case you want the original without watermarks). When saving the program will ask if you want to merge layers, select 'yes'.

Voila! A watermarked image.

Finally I have completed my third puppet and the first one using fleece and sewing by hand. I would be lying if I didn't say I'm a little disappointed in myself but have learned some pretty awesome lessons which is always worthwhile. I have made the decision to purchase a basic pattern as my designs are all resulting in enormous characters (this one wasn't deliberate ). I have much to learn about proportions and sculpting spherical shapes. I did wonder though... if I purchase a basic pattern which gives a head shape and body shape for foam only, can I still claim the finished work as my own? I intend to add future puppets to my existing business but do not wish to do so if that's fraudulent or plagiarist in any way.

That's a great puppet! I love the ribs on the body - did you carve it or add pieces on?

I think everyone learns from each puppet they make. I've never made a puppet without some form of mistake, even if no one else notices it but me. There's always something to improve. Sizes are difficult too, but I think a general rule of thumb is to make puppets larger than intended: partly because as you build the materials seem to shrink due to adding pieces together; partly because a puppet that seems large when you're sitting next to it will appear small from further away (ie. from an audience's POV)

In terms of copyrights, I can only speak for myself, but the patterns themselves are copyrighted, but not the resulting characters. Each person's copyrights will be different, so double check before using them; but as far as I'm aware, other puppet makers have similar policies. The general idea is that we want people to use their puppets, but we don't want people to copy and paste our patterns/instructions and sell it as their own. The important part is also that while we give instructions and basic patterns, they generally are open-ended in terms of character design, which means we can't really claim copyright over resulting puppets anyway.

As always Na, I'm in awe of your knowledge. Watermarking was something I had never considered until recently and typically of me, hadn't yet looked at. I learned the other day that a colleague's daughter had joined the Lizzie's Lair Facebook page and downloaded photos of my designs to create her own screensaver. Whilst flattered, it got me thinking about how truly unprotected my work is. Facebook has been an awesome platform for spreading the word about my business but it's not in any way secure in terms of privacy, downloads etc. Not that I envision anyone would intentionally misuse my humble designs/images but I guess you never can tell. Thanks for the heads up on how this is done.

The ribs were pretty basic. I constructed them separately and attached them to the underside of the fabric prior to sewing the body - meaning they were easy to sew by hand. They are probably the thing I like most about this puppet - I had such high hopes for him but alas, my vision didn't quite come to fruition.

Thanks for your perspective on copyrights. I have looked at images people have submitted by using the same basic puppet design on Project Puppet and kind of assumed it would be okay but thought it best to clarify. To be honest, I think if I followed a pattern once it would be all I need. I'm not someone that particularly likes patterns. As I've said previously, the challenge is half the fun but right now, I think it may be the best way to learn more.

Also, I was thinking about your other post. It's difficult for me to see the thickness of the document holders you were using for your shadow puppet, but I have seen some available in much bigger sizes than A4. A mate of mine is an artist and she has sleeves for each of her works. I have no idea where she sourced them, how costly they might be or whether they would in any way work for you but it might be worth looking in to. Next time I see her I'll grab some details.

Thanks

Lizzie