This Is So Sad

When it comes to the Israeli/Palestinian Crisis, I don't know as much as I should about the conflict, but I tend to side with the Israelis on most issues (it's hard for me to find a way to support those who encourage the suicide bombing of buses full of children). However, I do know that neither side is purely in the right or free of abuses. Israel blockades Gaza for its own security; however, some unfortunate noncombatants that are affected are (beyond the women and children) the animals at the various zoos in Gaza. Beyond it being difficult to fund the feeding and upkeep of the specimens, there is the possibility of missiles raining down and killing them at any moment. Add to that the fact that they smuggle the animals in through the same tunnels that are used to funnel weapons. What it has left is a sad, sad state. Slate has an article about one zoo which, because it doesn't have $30,000 for a real zebra, paints a donkey with black stripes. They are also trying to sell their emaciated lion (for $700--less than a nice computer), since the cost for food is so high.


There are reports that some Israeli soldiers in the past have simply shot the animals for sport (similar to what the Taliban did at the Kabul Zoo). They claimed it was because Hamas fires rockets from civilian areas. However, most of the animals were simply shot at point-blank range. It's thoughtless carnage like that which I'll never be able to understand. Maybe it's because the natural world fascinates me so much, making it difficult for me to empathize with those who don't have a fundamental respect for wild creatures, but wanton killing and the decrepit states of these animals when they are still alive is really disappointing.

Reynard update, Part 2 (Fur)

Once I had finished the foam part of Reynard, I moved on to the fur. Since I couldn't find a nice reddish-orange at any craft or fabric stores around me, I ended up ordering a few yards from Israel (go figure) on eBay. Add to that the short, black and white fur and the long white fur that I bought at JoAnn's fabrics, and I was ready to go.

Now, I must admit something. I know that it is important and proper in the puppet world to make patterns of what you are doing so that you can recreate or fix it later. I think that's a great idea. However, I don't plan on implementing it in the near future. I work in an organic fashion (it helps allay the brutality of the rigamarole of my day job), and with the limited time that I have, I don't particularly want spend it making patterns. It will someday bite me in the derriere, but I don't really care right now. Instead, I make momentary patterns, use them as I need them, and then toss them. That's exactly what I've been doing with the fur on Reynard.

I started by making pieces that would have the correct lay of fur and pasting them on the fox.

I went next to the ears. Red foxes have a distinctive looking ear: white fur all around the middle, which is darker. I took the longer white fur and cut two pieces that would go on either side of a black stripe.


I then cut out the black back of the ear (which would fold over the white fur).


And, voilà!

I used Prismacolor markers to blend the fur into the ear.

I then put on the white fur for the mouth and added more of the Plasti-dip on the lip.


Once that had dried, I colored the fur and added a few more details. This is how he remains today. I plan to finish work on the eyes (using latex molds and rubber...I've had less than perfect results thus far) and the mouth and nose next. Then I'll go on to the neck and body. Hopefully it won't take quite as long as the head...

Reynard Update, Part 1

Months ago, I posted about a puppet that I'm working on. Lest you think I forgot, here is an update on where I am with it. Ruefully, I've had little time to work on him lately. He has no eyes or nose or inside of his mouth, but they are all in the works, so hopefully, in a few weeks, there will be more to speak of. Here's an outline of the process that I've gone through, though.

I began, as usual, with the wedge method. I then carved a snout and a jaw out of large blocks of foam, yielding this lovely specimen:



A little more adding-on, and he began to look like a fox:





I marked which direction the fur would grow with arrows on the foam, and then I colored darker and lighter areas where different colors of fur would go. I then used Plasti Dip (as far as I'm concerned, one of the puppet-maker's best friends) to 'paint' on the lower lip that canines (and felines) have.

More to come...

Strawberry Swing

Coldplay has a cool new video--animation by chalk. If you want to see a superhero get attacked by a squirrel with a meat grinder, this is the video for you.

It's Better Late Than Never

I had a hard time with getting Blogger to work on my old computer, but it still won't keep me from belatedly celebrating online that 40th anniversary of the first human footsteps on the moon.