Statement of Intent

Subjects & Themes

Broadly speaking, what are you interested in studying and why?

I wish to use this opportunity to focus upon model making and character building, without the pressure of having to then animate, composite and edit an animated film. I wish to immerse myself in the processes, from design, through material tests, moquettes, armatures and the final surface design. I aim to build a portfolio of work which demonstrates my skills and abilities.

By constructing a number of different puppets, both animal and human, from different stories and narratives, the resultant portfolio should demonstrate a range of styles, techniques and materials, which should show my versatility and range of abilities.

Statement of Intent

The predominant project in this brief will be in designing and constructing the central characters from Roald Dahl's short story for adults, My Uncle Oswald. This story focuses on the unscrupulous efforts of the titular Oswald to make his millions by building up a sperm bank of the greatest artists and geniuses alive in early twentieth century Europe. He is assisted in his endeavours by an equally unprincipled young woman, Yasmin Howcomely. Aside from designing and constructing these two central characters, I aim to select a scene from the story and construct a set and appropriate props. The story is set on the cusp of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods, with the characters preferring the heights of luxury, which should allow for interesting and sumptuous art design. Branching out into sets and props will also allow me to build upon the experience I gained with the laser cutter during CoP3.

The second project will be to complete the stop motion stag puppet I began as part of CoP3. While in that module I focused on the underlying structure and articulation of the armature, in this module I will work on the puppet's surface design, showing my ability to work with quadruped puppets as well as human figures. The character designs and underlying structure of this puppet is already completed.

The third project will be the creation of the Golden Dragon, a puppet which Fiona asked me to make for a proposed collaborative project as part of last year's PPP. While the collaboration is on hold, I undertook a series of material tests for the puppet and am eager to carry on with its design and construction. Again, this puppet will be require a different armature shape and construction to either a standard biped or quadruped. It will require wings (which could potentially replace the forelegs) and an articulate tail. 

Each of these projects will require me to work with different techniques and materials, to achieve fur, antlers, scales and smooth human skin, encouraging me to step outside of my comfort zone and think laterally in order to overcome the challenges and obstacles which working with each of there materials may entail. I also feel I need to stretch myself in terms of style, and prove my own versatility.

I have also agreed to undertake two character designs for Becky Gilby's stop motion animation of Rumplestiltskin. While Cara has already designed the King and Rumplestiltskin himself, my job will be to design the Miller and his young daughter, who is tasked with spinning straw into gold. It is important that these designs clearly communicate the key attributes of these characters, and I will need to show all angles and perhaps a turnaround of each character for Becky to model. As with my own aforementioned characters, it is important that during the design process I consider how the characters will translate to 3D figures, and how the inner armatures may affect their design. 

Explain how this will be developing your specialist practice

This will develop my specialist practice by enabling me to spend a significant amount of time designing, sculpting, mould making and casting. It will provide the opportunity to develop my existing skills, but also to work with a range of materials and techniques (both familiar and less so) and put into practice some of the knowledge gained whilst researching CoP3, such as the advice and techniques discussed by Barry Purves, Animation Toolkit and the speakers at the Meet The Puppetmasters event.

Producing a range of different puppets in different styles will also assist in allowing me to gain valuable experience in working with a variety of materials, rather than a single technique.

Resources & Workshops - What do you need and by when?

I will need to make use of the ceramics workshop for all mold making and casting, the laser cutters for cutting sets and props in a variety of materials, and potentially the digital print resource, which would enable patterns and images to be printed not only to paper but also on to cloth and fabrics, which may come in useful for soft furnishings, wallpaper, carpets and other set dressing.

It has also been brought to my attention that the CNC machine may be useful for cutting props which have been modelled in Maya.

While I am used to the ceramics and laser workshops, the other resources are unfamiliar, so I will need to quickly establish their opening times, complete any necessary inductions and determine as soon as possible what I will need to produce in each.

Will you be working on a group project or brief?

For the most part I will be working alone, taking on the design and construction of the puppets myself.

However, I have the responsibility of designing two characters for Becky, so will need to ensure I meet any deadlines set by her, and fit this work around my own schedule and proposed milestones, so that nothing gets neglected.

There is also a possibility I will enlist the help of someone more specialist to assist with costumes, and a photographer and animator to help with testing the movement of the puppets (animation tests), and recording good quality stills of my work which can be used in a portfolio.

Are there any stakeholders in your project?

The main stakeholder in this project will be Becky Gilby, for whom I will be designing two characters for her stop motion interpretation of the classic fairytale Rumplestiltskin. I have agreed that these designs will be completed by the end of February, to allow her to proceed with the construction of these puppets. I have been provided with a rough treatment of the story, and description of each character and their necessary characteristics. I will consult with Becky during the design process in order to receive feedback and ensure she is satisfied with the designs, but also take inspiration from the designs already completed by Cara Lambert, to ensure continuity and that the characters all sit well alongside one another.

I have also considered the possibility of enlisting the help of fashion or Vis Com students who may be interested in creating costumes for my human characters, to achieve a more professional finish than I may be capable of.

Recording my work has also been a problem in the past, so it may be prudent to request the assistance of a photography in order to create some portfolio worthy stills of my characters and set. 

Although I do not wish to create a full animation with my puppets, I will also need to produce tests to demonstrate the success of their performance capabilities.