My Uncle Oswald - ARCHICAD Set Design

        I experienced problems with the round set almost straight away. I struggled to grasp the process of drawing perspective in a curved room. However, fortunately, as an architectural technician, my Dad was in a position to offer assistance, by constructing my floor plan as a virtual 3D space using ARCHICAD software. Not only does this allow a camera to move around inside the set and render images from various different angles (much like Maya), but it also provides a clearer view of how the set might look once built, and make adjustments to any measurements and dimensions before committing to build the actual set.

Golden Dragon - Air Brushing

        The only problem with my plan to knit the entire Golden Dragon is that so far none of the yarns I have been able to source have knitted up looking suitably gold, coming out rather more mustard yellow or sandy brown. How might it be possible to make the knitted yearns appear more metallic and golden?

        I distinctly remember many years ago visiting the V&A and seeing a knitted dress which appeared to have had silver foil melted to it. Yet unfortuately I did not make a note of the designer to research how this technique was achieved. Surely the heat required to actually melt the foil would cause damage to the soft yarn? 

         Perhaps then painting the knitting would be the best solution. Painting the material manually with a brush might apply too thick a coat, causing the paint to seep into the yarn, causing it to stiffen and lose flexibility when dry (and flexibility was one of the key features which led me to knitting in the first place. Then perhaps spray paint? But again, spray paint can be quite forceful, meaning the knitting may become saturated, when ideally what I am looking for is a metallic sheen on the surface of the wool.

        An air brush seemed to provide solution, offering a little more control than a spray paint, and compatible with oil, acrylic or enamel paints. I decided to test this method using some of the knitting samples I had already produced.

        While the effect of the airbrush (using Humbrol acrylic paint) does not show up particularly well in the above image, there is a slight metallic coating. It was only after painting that I realised I had mixed the suggested paint ratios incorrectly, making the paint used here far more dilute. Perhaps with a stronger paint mixture, or indeed more coats (or a different gold paint) a brighter, more noticeable effect could be achieved. What I am pleased about is that the paint remained on the surface of the samples, not soaking all the way through, which means that despite being a little stiffer, the knitting has maintained its flexibility.

My Uncle Oswald Initial Character Designs

        When designing the characters of Oswald and Yasmin, I took a great amount of inspiration from fashion illustrations of the period, as well as the artwork of Mucha, Klimt and Beardsley. Beardsley in particular seems an apt fit, whose work has been descried as having an emphasis on the grotesque, the decadent and the erotic, three features which Dahl's story also embodies.

        What drew me to these styles was the somewhat exaggerated body shapes, especially evident in the fashion illustrations as well as Beardsley's work. The elongated, curving bodies, pointed features and flowing costumes mirror the organic lines and natural motif of Art Nouveau. Combined with the rich colours employed by Klimt and Mucha, these characteristics denote a sense of luxury, grandeur and beauty, which I feel suits the characters of Oswald and Yasmin very well.

        Having thoroughly read and re-read Dahl's story for any description hinting at the two protagonists' appearance and character, I began to sketch out some initial ideas, attempting to incorporate features of the aforementioned artists. However, although it was tempting to get carried away with the exaggerated shapes, creating incredibly tall and slender characters, it was important to bear in mind that these characters will exist as puppets, not hand drawn characters who can bend the laws of physics. Make the body shapes too ridiculous and the armature may be unable to support the puppet.

        I hope that with these designs I have managed to find the correct balance between the distinctive elongated style seen in may early 20th Century illustrations, and the necessary practicalities of building a puppet. Although the majority of the costumes her for Yasmin's character are quite revealing, as I develop this character further I feel it would be sensible to attempt to give her clothing which cover more of her skin. This is due to the fact that visible skin will be harder to achieve than a clothed body. I would have to consider using a silicone skin or other material, which may be subject to damage and wear through contact with mine or any other animators' hands.

Golden Dragon Knitted Scales Tests

        Last year I conducted tests for ways in which to make scales using gold chocolate foil and thin card. While I was pleased with the outcome of these tests, upon further consideration it has occurred to me that this technique would result in a rather stiff puppet, unless individual 'scales' could be attached to a more flexible material beneath. This would be incredibly fiddly and time consuming. On the more flexible and mobile areas, there might also be the risk of the overlapping scales catching on one another.

        So I began to think of other ways in which I could create golden scales. As I had already intended on using knitting for the soft underbelly of the dragon I began to consider whether knitting might not be a suitable option for the whole puppet. After all, there are an infinite variety of stitches which produce so many textures there were bound to be some which could create the impression of scales. Also, as the story is aimed at children, and the dragon a comforting and amiable character (rather than dangerous or intimidating), the knitting may bring a necessary softness to the puppet.  

        The best knitting stitch which I was aware of is a berry stitch, which incorporates rows and rows of small bobbles. However, it seemed a shame to abandon the idea of using the god foil entirely. I had the idea of placing the foil beneath a piece of lace knitting, which has a delicate pattern of loops and holes, hopefully letting through glimpses of the gold beneath. The samples which I created were perhaps knitted on too small needles, meaning the holes are too small for foil to show through. I will need to experiment with thicker needles. Yet the idea of creating the dragon from a variety of lace, berry, moss and cable stitching has grown on me. I believe it could produce a charming (and flexible) result.

My Uncle Oswald - Props Research

        In much the same way that I scoured Dahl's story for descriptions of Oswald and Yasmin, once I had selected the scene which I felt would best translate into a set for the two puppet to inhabit, I carefully read the passage of the book and made notes on any description Dahl gave, either of the scene itself, or any specific props which would inhabit said set.

        The items which Dahl specifically makes mention of, which are integral to the plot and must be included are the cases which contain his scientific equipment (including vials, flasks, test tubes and a microscope), which are disguised as leather suit cases and travelling cases, a small box of round chocolate truffles from Prestat, and a biscuit tin of powdered blister beetle (the powerful aphrodisiac which make's Oswald's scheme possible). The cases in particular are important, not only because for containing the aforementioned equipment, but because their presence will help define the set as a hotel room, rather than a room in a house.

        However, these are only the items specifically mentioned. For the set to properly evoke the feel of a luxury hotel room there are numerous other items to consider, from furniture to curtains, wallpaper, lamps, pictures, carpets, ornaments, travelling paraphernalia, and architectural features such as skirting, dado rails and cornicing. Fortunately my research into Art Nouveau had uncovered examples of nearly all of these items, being as it was an artistic movement which influenced both decorative and applied arts.

        Another key prop which appears in the novel in a chaise longue. Although I have taken it out of its original context, to place in the hotel room (it appears in a separate scene of the story) I felt it was such a stylish prop, and so synonymous with the story (it adorns the cover of my copy of the book) that it would be a shame not to include it. And a chaise longue is so much more interesting than an average sofa.

        Unfortunately the elaborate curves characteristic of Art Nouveau may prove troublesome and fiddly, so it may be necessary to simplify the shapes. This is more of an issue where the furniture curves in three dimensions (the laser cutter can cut fairly elaborate shapes in two dimensions). Jewellery making wire could however be used to recreate the gilded embellishments. Another thing to bear in mind is the angle from which a prop will be viewed. There is little point in producing a beautifully finished prop, when most of it will be hidden from view.

        As time is rapidly passing it may be prudent to prioritise the props, concentrating on the main and most important items first, rather than getting distracted by smaller, incidental objects. There are a few items, predominantly the scientific equipment and glassware, which may be beyond my current capabilities as a model maker. However, I have discovered a dolls house supplier in York which stock such items, although on a slightly smaller scale than I desire. However the fact that such things exist may mean that slightly larger versions are available. Yet these scale items are pricey, so it would be worth my while to model as much as possible myself.

My Uncle Oswald Initial Set Design

        The scene which I have chosen from My Uncle Oswald upon which to base my set and scene takes place in Madrid's Ritz Hotel, where Oswald and Yasmin have installed themselves in order to steal the seaman of King Alfonso XII of Spain. That it takes place in a specific, extant location means that I have some excellent reference material to work with when planning the shape and layout of the set. While many of the photographs available of this hotel show it in a fairly modern condition, it is not hard to imagine it in its early 20th Century glory. The Ritz was and is synonymous with opulence and luxury, making it just the sort of establishment that Oswald would feel at home in.

        In spite of the vivid pictures painted by Dahl's novels, he gives remarkably sparse descriptions of the physical appearance of either his characters of locations, allowing the reader to fill in the blanks. This allows a certain amount of freedom on my part, to imagine how the hotel room of the Ritz might by laid out and decorated. One of the few descriptions makes plain that Oswald and Yasmin have separate rooms, which combined with Oswald's wealth and the amount of sensitive scientific equipment the pair bring with them makes me imagine a suite of connected rooms, allowing the pair privacy in which to avoid prying eyes.

        What stood out to me about this hotel, aside from the sumptuous and palatial decor, was the rounded turret on the corner. A round set would, in my opinion be more aesthetically pleasing and interesting than a standard square room, devoid of dark, dingy corners, particularly with the three floor length windows which can be seen above. However, building in the round does present a number of issues, the most obvious being that sheets of plywood (one of the predominant set building materials) is not curved, it is flat. While it is possible to bend plywood into a curve, it will be more labour intensive and time consuming than working with flat walls. With this in mind I also sketched out the floor plan for a similar room, with three straight walls. By cutting diagonally across the corner, it is still more dynamic than a room of right angles, yet may be simpler to construct than the rounded version. However, it still seems a little flat by comparison. Another solution, for producing a dynamic set which more closely resembles the round room is to create a hexagonal or even octagonal shape.

My Uncle Oswald - Costume Research

        Researching the fashions of 1919, the period in which the majority of My Uncle Oswald is set, proved more troublesome than I initially anticipated. The majority of fashion and costume books which I managed to uncover seemed to focus either upon the clothing of the Edwardian and earlier Art Noveau period, or on the Art Deco and flapper styles which evolved throughout the 1920s. There seemed to be something of a gap where the fashions of the latter part of the 1910s ought to have been. This is perhaps due to the advent of World War One, when less attention was given over to clothing and beauty.

        Fortunately, I did discover one book which showed pages from a (albeit American) clothing catalogue, which at least gave me an indication of the shapes not only of women's blouses, skirt, dresses and coats, but also shoes, coats and men's suits. As they are illustrations from a catalogue, they also give detail regarding the kinds of fabrics which were in vogue. These images will be invaluable to me when it comes to sketching out costume ideas for Oswald and Yasmin.

        Aside from the catalogue images, I did come across a small number of other helpful sources in other books. Nestled in among the Edwardian and Deco styles was the ocassional illustration or photograph of a garment from 1919 or 1920. For women's fashion, Vionnet seems to be a prominent designer of the period, with her ankle length dresses in shades of soft pink, in light, diaphonous fabrics, cut in layer and ruffles.

        Having not found all too many useful books to use as costume reference, I then turned to cinema and television, for examples of recreated early 20th century fashion. The grand scale blockbusters Titanic and The Great Gatsby were both slightly outside the required time period (one too early, the other too late), but that does not mean that I cannot incorporate elements from each as and when appropriate, using a little artistic license. After all, both have stunning costume and production design. Perhaps the most useful reference I found was Peaky Blinders, particularly for its focus on male fashions. Most sources tend to place an emphasis on female fashions and styles, but one of my puppets is a male, and what's more, he is the main protagonist, so it was frustrating when browsing through books when there were few or no pictures demonstrating the changes in the cut of men's suits from year to year. Of course, there are also some wonderfully costumed women in Peaky Blinders, who also model the hair and beauty trends of the era.

        I also began a Pinterest board, on which  could gather together various references and images which I cam across which may help or inspire me during this project.

Rumplestiltskin Character Turnarounds

        Having taken on the constructive feedback given to me by Becky regarding the initial character designs I presented to her, I was able to begin work on the final character turnarounds, confident that I had a stronger idea of what she was seeking in these designs. Having a turnaround showing the character from all angles is important when modelling a character, as I have discovered from my own attempts at sculpting a model from a single image. It allows the artist to see the shape of the figure in three dimensions, and the volume and weight of a character.

To match his profession, the Miller could have dusty residue on his
clothes, and hand prints on his apron.

        I faced a certain amount of difficulty in combining the stooped, scrawny body of one design with the broad, triangular head of another. I found it hard to overcome the impression that the latter needs a stockier body. Consequently, I struggled to balance the head and body, eventually padding out the body a little more, to prevent the puppet seeming too top heavy. This issue may be something I need to explore in future, stepping out of my comfort zone in terms of experimenting with body and head shapes, and how the two might be combined.

        The daughter proved less troublesome, as being a 'pretty' character, there is less exaggeration and extremism in either her head or body shape. The only issue I encountered was with the colour palette. As the characters hair needed to be chestnut brown, this ended up being quite close in colour to the hair band and bodice (a similar problem can be seen with the lack of contrast between the Miller's breeches and apron). However, when it comes to costuming, Becky will be able to select fabrics and materials which work well together.

To match her bare feet, the Miller's Daughter could have scuffs and dirt
marks on her feet and ankles.

        Although I managed to incorporate almost all of Becky's suggestions and requirements, I did experience a brief period of worry that these designs would not meet her expectations, and that I would have to rework everything. This would have been problematic, as I was already slightly behind my schedule of completing these designs for the end of February. Fortunately Becky was pleased with both characters. I look forward to seeing how they look as both sculpted models and finished puppets.