Hey guys,

Here is my latest puppet, Pinky Punk. This was my first time working with Antron Fleece and using the Henson stitch. It was a blast, but nerve wracking! Especially the fleece dying. I was really nervous about it coming out all splotchy.



And here is a super short video I made in iMovie on Sat:



Things I tried that worked well:

-I used black jersey material as a liner inside the body cavity and it really makes the puppet feel more comfortable. Going to experiment with lining the neck and head as well.
-I used Crayola Model Magic again for the teeth. It dries "soft" and I am not afraid to close his mouth hard or let him bite things without them breaking. Secured soundly with superglue.
-Lightweight rope in the tail makes for great natural secondary movement.
-Used the hook end of some velcro to pull the seams out. Worked well and quickly.

Mistakes made and lessons learned:

-Like with my smaller puppets I put a light rope in the arms to help the bend shape. I feel like Pinky needs a more defined joint instead. The antron is "bunching" oddly with the rope.
-Got lazy and used polar fleece for the tounge. Looks cheap. Should have used antron.
-Pupil focus looks okay from straight on but quickly breaks when face is more than three quarters from camera. Unsure of a future solution for these ball eyes.
-Tried shaving the fleece but I pussied out after I shaved some too short on the foot. Might use an electric razor with a guard next time?

I think I will used Antron Fleece again for my next puppet (in some areas) and will hopefully get better at it!

-C

Whatever you think of it: I think it looks fab! I really love the use of the fur, especially on the tail. It just looks like some sort of animal you'd find on a TV show. I think you are right about the eyes, but not entirely sure if moving them further away from each other would be right. It's hard to tell with the camera angle.

Ah eyes, the eternal hell for puppet makers

EDITED TO ADD: I too love the teeth and think the detail on the molars is very good. I wish I had the patience for that level of detail.

Wow, you really are talented, Pinky Punk looks great.  I was checking out the pic and thinking 'how did she make the teeth?'... And then read on to find the answer.  Thank you for sharing what worked and didn't on this build, I found it very helpful.  I'm keen to try something with model magic myself now.  I love the use of black inside the mouth, and the fur looks fantastic.

Love it, love it. So much character.

Picking seams with a fine wire dog brush works well and can be used to smooth the look of the antron.

Julie

Sweet! I absolutely love him!  The eyes don't bother me at all. You know Cookie has off set crossed eyes. Really like the use of black around the detail of the inner mouth.

If you want a more defined arm or leg use some cotton and make a tube. Then half way down where you want the elbow sew two lines across the tube about 1/2" or so apart. Stuff the upper and lower halves pretty tight with fiber fill and you have nice "bones" to slide into your outer fleece. Leave a tag at the top so you can attach this into the body and still have movement.

 I love the personality coming through and it's awesome that the movement is so fluid. I think the close set eyes lends to the personality, he seems like he could be a bit crazy/wild, I got that from the eyes.lol

Great puppet and you are a great puppeter too, the moves looks very nature! Pretty good!

Thank you so very much for all of the compliments and the tips\advice, everyone. I love this forum. So helpful!

Way cool!  Great job!

Seriously impressive work. I just adore this guy!