Sam Hale Interview Part 4
Sam Koji Hale is an illustrator, sculptor, puppet designer and builder. He has a master of fine arts in illustration from Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has designed and built puppets for a variety of film, video and theatre productions. His credits include Elf and Playhouse Disney's “Clay,” as well as Ahoy Captain Sid, which earned him two regional Emmy nominations. He received The Kennedy Center Award for his puppet design and construction on The Inland Emperor's New Clothes. Hale recently designed and built puppets for a Triumvirate Pi Theatre presentation of The Fox's Lantern (Kitsune No Chochin), a project he co-created and will puppeteer in.
Hale is Adjunct Professor of Theatre Arts at California State University San Bernardino. I asked him to share his thoughts on puppet design.
PJ: Describe your design process.
SH: I almost always start with broad strokes -- the big shapes for the characters. Then I work my way down to the details. Silhouettes are a great place to start, as well as basic shapes -- is it round, square, oval, triangular? I also keep in mind the relationships between the main characters, trying to introduce variety into their shapes so they’re visually interesting to look at side-by-side.
Once I’ve decided these basics, I think about what mood I’m trying to create with the character. What is the essence of that character? Is he/she/it happy, sad, angry, crazy? Then I do a series of drawings until I find a look that works well for the character demands.
For my own projects, I usually begin by drawing and complete the look in the sculpture phase. For clients, collaborators or directors, I work out everything in the drawing phase with their agreement before moving to the sculpture. Sometimes I incorporate caricatures of real people, most recently in my new show, The Fox Lantern, which includes a farmer based on artist Osamu Noguchi and a heartless government official who has elements of the current Vice President, Dick Something-or-other. Once the drawing is ready, I move to sculpting the character’s head.
Hale is Adjunct Professor of Theatre Arts at California State University San Bernardino. I asked him to share his thoughts on puppet design.
PJ: Describe your design process.
SH: I almost always start with broad strokes -- the big shapes for the characters. Then I work my way down to the details. Silhouettes are a great place to start, as well as basic shapes -- is it round, square, oval, triangular? I also keep in mind the relationships between the main characters, trying to introduce variety into their shapes so they’re visually interesting to look at side-by-side.
Once I’ve decided these basics, I think about what mood I’m trying to create with the character. What is the essence of that character? Is he/she/it happy, sad, angry, crazy? Then I do a series of drawings until I find a look that works well for the character demands.
For my own projects, I usually begin by drawing and complete the look in the sculpture phase. For clients, collaborators or directors, I work out everything in the drawing phase with their agreement before moving to the sculpture. Sometimes I incorporate caricatures of real people, most recently in my new show, The Fox Lantern, which includes a farmer based on artist Osamu Noguchi and a heartless government official who has elements of the current Vice President, Dick Something-or-other. Once the drawing is ready, I move to sculpting the character’s head.
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