janimations

2009-05-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it's 31 May 2009 and I haven't written anything since Christmas Day. I was made redundant from my full time job on 31 December 2008, and was working on a head of the Hood from Thunderbirds in my spare time, and then got ill, and have only just got back to working on another puppet, a Blue marionette Cat. It's cut out of lime and painted with Humbrol paints, and soon to be strung.

2008-12-25T02:42:00.001-08:00

This is my Slideshow at www.Flickr.com

2008-12-25T02:36:00.000-08:00

This is my Photostream at www.Flickr.com

www.flickr.com

Go to jan king1's photostream

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2008-10-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for many months, only because I have been working on the Storyboard for the film, and turning it into an Animatic. It's good, it works.
I have made one of two Emperor's Thrones, though, and have started on a table at which he is sitting.

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2008-07-20T12:37:00.001-07:00

Shoulder Joint for Imperial Dean

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2008-07-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

Set of the Mini Throne Room looking like a building site, and photos of a shoulder joint.

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2008-07-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

Have started work on the Small Throne Room. The picture in the middle is how it started, and the picture at the top is how it looks now with painted pillars.

SIMPLE ROD PUPPETS

2008-05-09T03:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I say simple, but they took me a whole Bank Holiday weekend of three days non-stop work to finish, and I'd already done most of the work on them!. Heads shaped out of fine blue polystyrene and covered with one layer of strips of newspaper and wallpaper paste. Painted with coat of white matt paint, two coats of flesh coloured acrylic, and a coat of Winsor and Newton Acrylic Gloss Varnish to give it a slight shine.

Specsavers Thunderbirds Commercial

2008-04-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to make anything lately, because I have been puppeteering on two TV commercials-the Specsavers Thunderbirds commercial, for British TV, and an Electrolux commercial for their new washing machine, with flying socks on strings, called Going Home.
The first one filmed in a studio in Clapham, South London over five days in March, and the Electrolux one in Lisbon, (because of the locations), over 3 days in April.
Specsavers on is out already, looks good, other one soon

2008-04-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

This is for Puppetgirl. It shows photos of the mechanisms inside Kevin's head; eyes and mouth.

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2008-03-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

Both hands

The Emperor's Nightingale

2008-02-24T05:55:00.000-08:00

Courtier's left hand

The Emperor's Nightingale

2008-02-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

Courtier with beginning of hand and arm. Hand is mixture of Sculpey and woodfiller on wire armature.

The Emperor's Nightingale

2008-01-20T13:33:00.000-08:00

Beginning of Corridor outside the Emperor's small Throne Room, looking like a building site.

The Emperor's Nightingale

2007-12-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

The Dragons painted

The Emperor's Nightingale

2007-12-10T14:08:00.000-08:00

Two plastiline Dragons to be part of the Emperor's Throne

The Emperor's Nightingale

2007-11-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

Almost finished Dragon Door sculpt

The Emperor's Nightingale

2007-11-09T12:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted for a long time. but it's because my computer's been ill.

I've just learned to use a sewing machine and started to make a costume for the First Courtier.

This is the first time I've sewn anything, the costumes I've made before I've just glued together.

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-09-05T13:51:00.001-07:00

Almost completed plastiline sculpt for the Dragon Door handle

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-09-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

Two shots of the nearly completed plastiline Dragon Door sculpt

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-08-27T02:59:00.001-07:00

This is Courtier 5, George, (they're getting names now), ready for plastering. The shims are cut from plastic tubs.

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-08-27T02:36:00.000-07:00

So, on Friday I had the first disaster with making moulds. I had finished the first Dragon relief, modelled in clay, for one of the doors, and made the mould for it in the same way as for the clay heads, in Plaster of Paris with the various release agents. Then I added the glass fibre mix to it and let it dry. And then tried to get the glass fibre out of the plaster mould. No way!! Finally I broke the plaster mould, which is what I have been doing with the head moulds, and the glass fibre shattered in several places. End of the Dragon.

I have started sculpting the Dragon relief again, in Plastiline, and will make a silicone rubber mould for the flexibility, and the need to make more than one cast from the mould. Hey ho.

I do like sculpting in clay for the heads, though, shapes come out of the clay at you, and clay is so soft for the modelling tools.

The photo shows the beginning of the second Dragon sculpt.

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-08-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

Plaster of Paris on top half of Courtier 4s Head

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-08-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Plastic shims around Courtier 4 Head

2007-08-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

A Bit more of Courtier 4 and the Dragon Door

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-08-11T02:52:00.000-07:00

Beginning of Dragon Door Sculpt

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-08-11T02:50:00.000-07:00

Beginning of Sculpt of Courtier 4

2007-08-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Courtier 3 straight out of mould

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-07-15T05:11:00.000-07:00

Courtier 2 with eyes

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-07-15T04:04:00.000-07:00

Beginning of Sculpt and nearly end of Sculpt for Courtier 3. Head is about 9cm from chin to top of head. The clay which I am using at the moment is called Newclay.

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-07-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

Undercoat on Courtier 2s Head

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-06-17T14:03:00.001-07:00

Courtier 2 head out of the Mould

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-06-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

Courtier 2 mould with Gelcoat and then Matting

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-06-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

The photo is looking into the mould, the face is not coming out towards you. It may not look like it in the photo, but the plaster mould has been painted with three or four layers of shellac, to seal the plaster, two layers of wax polish, left to dry and polished each time, and two layers of Unibond PVA Adhesive and Sealer, to provide a barrier to the glass fibre gelcoat which will be applied next.

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-06-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Mould for Courtier 2 Head

THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE

2007-06-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

Almost Finished Courtier 1 Head

The Emperor's Nightingale

2007-05-27T13:01:00.001-07:00

Beginning of Hair for Courtier 1

The Emperor's Nightingale

2007-05-27T12:58:00.001-07:00

Beginning of body for Courtier 1

The Emperor's Nightingale

2007-05-27T12:52:00.001-07:00

Beginning of Sculpt of Courtier 2

Animated Fairy

2007-05-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

An Idea for an Animated Fairy I have been working on

Ear Sculpt

2007-05-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Ears sculpted in Plastiline for Imperial Dean

Hand Sculpt

2007-05-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hands sculpted in Plastiline for Imperial Dean

2007-04-27T00:23:00.000-07:00

A Marionette Cat. Made from hardwood.

Neck Joint

2007-04-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

This is the bit that makes the head go up and down. Two strings come down from the front and back of the ball on the neck joint and round the pulley wheel.

Imperial Dean's Neck Joint-Mark 2

2007-04-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

New supports for side to side head movement of Imperial Dean puppet

i've been thinking

2007-04-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

Short Puppet Film about High Tech Research and Development in a Factory. Puppets as used in The Appraisal. The model keyboard and computer screen had various pipes embedded in them, attached to a piece of hose pipe, attached to the cold water tap.

The Appraisal

2007-04-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

A puppet film, based on the high-powered world of factory life.It was shot on miniDV in one day in July 2006 and edited over a two week period on Pinnacle, version 8.
The puppets were worked from underneath, lip synched to pre recording on tape. Puppets heads cast in glass fibre, mouth movement done manually, Kevin's eyes moved by a servo motor controlled by radio control

2007-04-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

The idea of the neck joint for this rod puppet is that the ball allows up and down head movement, and the wooden ring allows side to side movement.

2007-04-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

Working on a neck joint and the body for the Imperial Dean in The Emperor's Nightingale

2007-04-09T01:56:00.000-07:00

Working on the puppets and storyboard for a half hour puppet film, The Emperor's Nightingale, adapted from the story by Hans Andersen.

This is a foam latex head of the Usher in the pilot film. He has two sevo motors inside, one working the lower lip, and the other the top lip.