Sketch Of The Week

Here is another dog drawing I did as I designed characters for our new show Rex and Boots Super Sleuths.

2-D vs. 3-D

A character with huge ears, a three-foot-long neck and tiny arms may look great on paper, but it might be challenging to build in the real world. When designing your puppet, consider how it will look in three dimensions. It might be helpful to build a small mockup before you commit to a particularly challenging design.

Draw From Nature 3

You can find inspiration for your puppet in the natural world around you. Gather a collection of sticks, rocks, flowers and pine cones and examine them from different angles. Look for unusual shapes and textures that you can incorporate in your puppet design. To design a robotic character, gather various manmade materials, like nuts, bolts and busted bits of hardware.

Happy Holidays

Draw From Nature 2

When designing a puppet that is an imaginary creature, like a monster or an alien, start by studying -- you guessed it -- real animals. In nature you will find ideas that are more inventive and bizarre than anything you could think up. Try combining three or four animals to make one completely new creature.

Draw From Nature 1

When designing a puppet based on a specific animal, start by studying that animal. Even if your final design is going to be abstract, it's important to understand which basic shapes and forms make up that animal. I usually draw a few sketches from nature books or images I've found online before I start my actual design.

Opposite Hand

If you find your puppet designs just aren't turning out right, try drawing with your opposite hand. This will guarantee your designs won't turn out right, but it will also guarantee you'll draw some interesting shapes that could be developed into dynamic puppet designs. Rumor has it that members of the design team for Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas were encouraged to draw with their opposite hands.

Fun With Color

When designing puppets, try to explore all the different color possibilities. Ed Eyth, a talented illustrator and artist, uses color in very creative ways. Here are some of his character designs for Jim Henson's Animal Jam. Just because it's a panda or a koala doesn't mean it has to be black and white or gray.

Sketch Of The Week 1

Here is a dog drawing I did as I prepared to design characters for our new show Rex and Boots Super Sleuths.

Colored Paper

I love drawing on colored paper because it feels like half the drawing is already done. All I have to do is add the highlights and shadows.

50 Monsters

One way to get the creative wheels turning is to set an unrealistic goal. For example, try drawing 50 monsters. If you get stuck, look at what your previous designs had in common and draw something completely different. Here, I noticed that monsters 1 through 6 had very boxy faces, so I drew monster 7 with a long face.

Draw Bad Designs

When it's time to design a new puppet, the first thing I do is push the bad designs out of the way. Bad designs tend to back up in my pencil, and if I don't get rid of them, they bog me down. The best way to get rid of a bad design is to put it on paper. I usually discard the first few pages of designs, like these right here.

Hi!

Greetings, anonymous readers, and welcome to Puppet Design!

Here I will share my thoughts about successful puppet design, pass on techniques I've learned over the years and offer suggestions for getting the creative wheels turning. I will also share artwork from illustrators, artists and designers whose work has inspired me.