some "professional" figures

I have been working on several different look alikes. More requests for full size figures and I had a chance to complete the first cast head from Braylu of my design. Here are three recent full size figures I made. I don't like using that terminology :professional size" Because as far as I'm concerned, any figure can be professional if he is paid for his work! Until then, they are all amateurs!

Piggies Body

I was trying to think of something different for a body. I received a Miles Kimballcatalogue in the mail and they had 17" Easter Eggs (hollow plastic) I bought two of them. I cut the top and the bottom off the egg and mounted a wood bottom and top on the open ends. I cut a neck hole in the top and glued them in place with hotmelt. I cut a square opening in the back for hand access and painted the egg the same color as the pigs head. I then made two little hooves out of wood and magic sculpt and connected them to some tube arms. I wanted the pig to have an extra animation so I connected cord to his arms an ran them over a small dowel on the top and drilled holes into the top for the cord to pass through.I tied them to a handle inside the body so the pig can raise or flap his arms together or individually. It's a great animation . I added little legs and here we are so far.

Finishing the pigs head

I added raising and lowering eyebrows by connecting a rod to the springthat connects the eyebrow linkage and ran it through a brass tube that runs down the back of the head post.

I used a red boa for his hair andeyebrows. Here is the finished product.

Pig Head mechanics

Inside the head you can see that I attached the eyes and the mouth with magic sculpt. Not too neat bt very functional.

I put eye screws in each eyeball and attached a looped "T" control bar to them.

I ran a tube up the headstick and into the head and made the "L" shaped rod controller that moves the eyes back and forth.

Two tubes were run through forehead and rods bent inside with a spring attached for the eyebrow control and eyebrows in the front.

I coated the eye brow rods with magic sculpt and feathered them to look like eyebrows.

I sanded the face real well and painted it and this is where we are so far.

building up the mouth

The next thing we do is build up the sides of the mouth with magic sculpt. Once it dries, I use a belt sander to make it flat on bothe sides. I slide it in the mouth cut out until I have a perfect fit.

Drill a hole through the jaw near the top of the rear of the jaw for your pivot bar.

first things first

I wanted to start the pighead from Brayly which I did. Then I was bogged down with Christmas orders so he will have to wait. Here is where I am so far.

After cutting out the eye holes and the jaw, I wanted a more comical look. Since the pig heads eyes are set more to the side of his head, I had to build up the sides to make the eyes appear on the front of his face. I used a 2" wooden doll head for the eyes and built up around them with magic sculpt. His eyes will be comically protruding when he is finished. Obviously from the picures, I haven't started sanding anything yet. I want to finish all the sculpting before I start getting dusty.

Making a Pig figure

Over the next few months I plan to make some figures from things I have purchased on the internet. The first is a Pig head from Braylu. I plan on making a full size comical pig figure.

The first thing I did was cut the eye holes and cut the jaw out.

When cutting the jaw, make sure you are as wide at the top as you are at the bottom otherwise the jaw will not move back and forth freely. If you make a mistake, you can always go back once you have the sides of the jaw completed and cut or build out the slot a little more.

extreme ventriloquism?

I received an email from the learning channel asking me if I would be on their show extreme hobbies and show how ventriloquism takes part in my life and interview friends and family about it. Wow! what a great opportunity to present ventriloquism in a positive light.

I thought about it and realized there was a person better qualified than I was to present our hobby.

I called Dan Willinger and told him of the letter I received and I guess in my excitement, I didn't think it out. Thank you for grounding me Dan.

Most shows like this try to present the person or the hobby in a negative or manic light. In my exuberance, I forgot that no matter how you try to present things, it will always come out the way the interviewer wants it to. After working for a Newspaper for almost 20 years, I should have seen that myself

I love ventriloquism and figure making and want everyone to enjoy it as much as I do. Therefore, I wouldn't accept an invitation that might try to ridicule it . It is a passion, not an extreme. Those of us who are part of this community already know that. Those who would like to get involved, there are alot of us out there such as Dan and Steve from Ventriloquist Central

Clinton Detweiler, Bob Albano, Al Stevens and a host of others out there that would be happy to welcome you and give you any help you might want. Myself included of course!

Above are a couple of heads I sculpted. I will be sending them to Buzz at Braylu who if he likes them, will cast them and offer them for sale as kits. The jaw has been sculpted separately and will be offered with them of course.

Danny Countess

I have been emailing back and forth with Actor Danny Countess. He is not only an accomplished actor, (I especially liked him as Sgt.Admonte in Rose of Death) but he is also an accomplished ventriloquist and figure maker.

He completed "Cecil" a figure he had been working on and sent some pictures I would like to share with you. Danny and I have become friends over the past couple of years through emailing back and forth. Danny is meticulous in his figure making as well as his acting and it truly shows in his work on and off screen!

Still working

I am ashamed of myself for not posting over the last few months. The loss of my father has changed my life and I don't have the drive i once had. I hope in time that will change.

I have been busy with my new job abd have had precious little time to work on vent figures.

I have only been making stage figures for the past year and have not kept up with my conversions. I will have a group of them to sell for the holidays.

Here are some examples of the figures I have made over the last 6 months.