I’m in tech this week, so you’ll have to bear with me as my posts descend into Twitter updates. 14:01 The perfect blood spatter turns out to be from a nasal douche. # 19:20 Waiting for the train that will not come. # 19:27 Of course, as soon as I commented on the lack of […]
Twitters for 1-31-091 Read More »
I’m in tech this week, so you’ll have to bear with me as my posts descend into Twitter updates. 13:01 There is a certain cognitive disconnect about shopping for squirt guns while it is snowing. # 20:34 Sewing the dog’s pelvis on. # 22:04 We’ve decided the spatter pattern is not as good from the
Twitters for 1-30-09 Read More »
This is my least favorite part of the process. It is the very definition of the word tedious. It’s so dull, I don’t even want to write a post about it, but here I go. Because the dog is supposed to be a springer spaniel, it calls for two colors of fur, each of which
Hair of the spaniel Read More »
I have come to the conclusion that I will never, ever finish putting all the hair on this dog. It’s 2:30 a.m. I have to go back tomorrow to put more on. I’ll show you photos later, if I don’t go insane first.
The spaniel’s name, by the way, is Lady. I use quarter inch “crap” foam to put muscle on her skull. We call it crap foam to distinguish it from reticulated foam, which is strong and durable. Crap foam tears easily, oxidizes quickly, but is very lightweight and cheap. It’s also fairly stretchy. Lady doesn’t need
Muscle and skin for the spaniel Read More »
First of all, you should know that I did not pick up the shotguns today. There’s some additional paperwork that I needed, so hopefully that will be taken care of tomorrow. Meanwhile, here’s some of the dog activity. I’m actually farther along than this but I forgot to take pictures. What you are looking at
More fun with spaniels Read More »
Since we have some new readers, let me catch you up a bit. When my bio says that I’m a professional puppeteer, it really means it. So after feeling like a rock star this weekend, I’ve come back to the grind of daily routine, which happens to include building a springer spaniel. To do that,
The dog skull arrives Read More »
For a new show at Rattlestick Theater, I’m building a wounded springer spaniel. To start, I drew out a scale drawing of the dog for a pattern, which I then traced onto ethafoam. The piece here is Lady’s spine from the base of her neck to the tip of her tail. I build the curvature
Springer Spaniel Build: Day One Read More »
I’m only home for fifteen days this month. Yesterday was the only full day that Rob and I will have together until August 11th. He’s leaving to go to Canaan for a film shoot today and returns the 17th, the day that I leave for Readercon. We might overlap that day, but likely not. I
Fifteen Days in July Read More »
Okay. You people asked for it. Here are photos of the dead dog I built. This is the initial blood look, working with the idea that the dog has been hit by a car recently. Most animals killed by cars die from broken necks or internal bleeding. There’s very little visible damage. We needed gore.
Dead dog photos from Bad Jazz Read More »
I finished the dog today. Finally. The consensus was that it needed to be gorier, but since I hadn’t built it that way, there were limits to what I could do without rebuilding. For instance, exposed bone wasn’t an option… wait a minute. There’s a real skull in there. So, I dislocated the jaw and
Today started with me sleeping through my alarm, though waking up in enough time to make the 8:15 train to Saratoga if I hurried. I ran out the door, struggling along with pounds of Shimmer magazines in my backpack, and came down to the steps of the subway station just as the train I needed
World Fantasy and Dead Dogs Read More »
I started by taking a drawing of a dog’s skeleton and enlarging it to fit the skull that I had. I simplified the basic shapes to come up with the pattern for the dog. Next I carved a spine of polyethalene, which is a very light and firm foam. Notice how I made the ribs
Building the dead dog Read More »
I’m too fatigued to generate content today, though I still have lovely photos of the dead dog process. Meanwhile, listen to this podcast of The Moon by Jodi Eichelberger and Mark LaPierre.