WWF - Hand Crafting Part II

        While Rebecca began the unenviable task of arranging our assembled photographed and scanned objects into the final compositions, I had a couple more key objects to create. 

        The first was the lumberjack. The challenge was to create a figure who was appealing, with visible depth and texture, yet maintain a simple silhouette, which immediately conveys his trade. Rebecca had already taken care of fashioning him a wonderful chainsaw, so I focused solely upon the character. I decided that the best way to achieve the balance of texture and simplicity was by using high quality materials and strong shapes. I began by cutting the individual body parts from card: a round head, a domed torso, square leg (he only needed one as he would be shown in profile) and simple foot. Each was then covered with fabric: pink fleece for the face, grey fleece for his hat and trousers (rolled in places to give the illusion of folds in his clothing), and leather boots. 

        The distinctive lumberjack shirt was the greatest challenge. I had considered attempting to find a checked fabric, but every pattern was too large for my small scale lumberjack. No doubt a recurring problem for the costume makers of stop motion puppets. Instead I selected a blue and red velvet ribbon and determined to make my own checkered pattern. However, it was quite frustrating trying to persuade the ribbon to stick to the card base, as too much glue would soak through the velvet and ruin the texture. Yet this was nothing compared to the frustration of hand crafting a fishing net.

        Rebecca and I had settled on a palette of green and blues for the net, similar to those used for real fishing nets. One of our tutors questioned why we did not just use a real net, but aside from not wanting to buy one, we felt that the scale and aesthetic would not match the rest of our assets. And we did not comprehend how much trouble it would cause. I believed that wool would be the best material option, as its flexibility would make it easy lay in the correct position to resemble a net. This attribute also made it near impossible to hold in place while tying the numerous strands together at the correct points. I would have needed about four pairs of hands to make it easier.

        To add a little more interest to the net, I wanted to wrap the blue wool with green embroidery thread, to create a woven look. This would also have benefited from several extra pairs of hands to hold the wool taught. Eventually the task was complete, and Rebecca at least was pleased with the results.

        The final asset I was charged with creating was the ominous smokey hands which are surrounding the globe to represent CO2 emissions. I though that the hands Rebecca had created worked well, but she requested that I redid them. After sketching the rough shape of the hands, I worked over them with charcoal, to achieve an appropriately gloomy and oppressive atmosphere. I had hope to use chalk to add highlights, similar to the white accents Rebecca had used.

My smokey hands...

...and Rebecca's

        The chalk did not show up strongly against the charcoal, so I instead opted to be sparing with the charcoal, and use the paper beneath as highlights, and use a combination of soft smudges and harsh strokes to create the impression of a cloud in the shape of hands.