Check it out...

My buddy Kevin just posted the segment we did with the youth at SPNN on puppets.
Have a look at the piece here on blip.
So proud to work with these amazingly talented teens!

It's a wrap!

Phew! Making a film is exhausting! It was getting where you couldn't tell when the day would end and the next would begin.
Paint was drying on the creature during 5 hour ride up to the shoot, but we made it. We had an awesome crew with a ton of creativity, and though it was super tricky and seemed like forever, we got some pretty sweet shots. Poor little critter came out lookin pretty rough, but otherwise held up well.
Now we just wait for a few months for editing magic and voila! We'll have a movie. After we release it I can post more pics of the complete creature.
Now for a little down time and dreaming about the next big project.

The creature within

Or in this case within the creature. Here's a peek at the mechanics behind this monster. Soon it will be alive! Muwahhahahaha!

we got pieces

OK, got the ball rolling on this crazy creature adventure. After a few squeemish days of aquatic anatomy study I began building this thing inside out. It's weird but I never really thought of crustaceans really having muscles like we do cause you don't really see any definition under the shell. Also if you wanna see something cool (and slightly disturbing) check out the colossal squid exhibition. So far the only thing I've had nightmares about is burning my hands with resin and not meeting the deadline!
The mechanics for this are coming along nicely. We have a cable system working for the legs, and a cool spine system my brother rigged up with a spring and some surgical tubing.

So far the materials used are 4 pounds of clay, two yards of wire, two rolls of aluminum foil, 7 glue sticks, a tube of epoxy putty, a package of guitar strings, and 6 pieces of K&S brass tube, and a oomoo silicon mold kit and the smoothcast 300 resin kit. Oh, and a few band-aids.
This has been a learning experience as all projects are. Mistakes happen, (particularly in the molding of this one) but if you hide them well enough no one will notice, right?
Next up I'll be experimenting with silicon casting.

A new exploration

Into my dark side. Creating an ominous creature for an independent film by Bob Kundrat titled "The Ice Fisherman", check out the details on our Kickstarter page here. I'm offering pieces of the creature for donations to the film of $150 or more if any one is interested.

It's a refreshing departure from my previous cutesy and much smaller scale puppets. The biggest challenge so far has been confronting some fear issues with things that creep and crawl. I thought for sure I'd be having nightmares from researching such bizarre creatures but have a new appreciation for the infinite complexity of life. Looking at images of spiders and shrimp smaller than a dime through and electron microscope, they're an entirely different creature on that scale, mind blowingly cool. Also, through this I've become more tolerant of the harsh un relenting winters known here in the upper mid west. With out it we'd have many more buzzy,bitey, and stingy things to make life miserable.

Here's some images from the concept and design phase. Right now I'm finalizing the full scale blue prints and getting ready to map out the armature for sculpting and the rigging for the cable controlled elements. Then I'll be getting into mold building and casting with silicone. I'm really excited to be working in silicone, looking forward to some neat translucent effects when it comes time to pigment the skin.
More to come!

(all original sketches and concept art property of Season Mustful to be used exclusively for "The Ice Fisherman" 20012)

Muppet Time!

My friend Kevin asked me to help one of his youth at Saint Paul News Network with a piece she was doing on puppetry. What a great excuse to make a puppet! The idea for this furry little guy began as a hood lining from a child's jacket. Then with some scrap foam, cereal boxes, and a couple old buttons slapped together with a bout 6 hot melt glue sticks, he kinda came together.
He gave the SPNN crew an introduction to TV puppetry and got them excited to create puppets of their own. I taught a workshop on puppet making with things you'd find in the recycle bin. The puppets they came up with were super creative.
Can't wait for the piece to air!

Cool Beans!

My pal Eric over at EG Design just put up a great post about our process of making "Counting on a Friend". Go have a look see, you just might get inspired!
http://www.eee-gee.blogspot.com/