Puppet Design

Fur and Eyes

2008-08-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

After carefully examining a lot of bee images, I realized that they are very fuzzy insects. In these drawings I was experimenting with the idea of making the Bobby Drone puppet furry. I thought that fur would make him look friendly and distinguish him from the shiny insects in our bug noir puppet show, Bugsy Brown: Private Fly. I also started to experiment with different sizes of eyes.

Man or Bee

2008-08-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

Part of the puppet design process was to determine how human the bug characters were going to be. While I like the design on the right, it was determined that he was a little too insect-like for a main character. The design on the left is closer to the direction I wanted to head. Although I abandoned the goggle idea for Bobby Drone, I revisited it when it came time to design Starfly.

First Stab or Sting

2008-08-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

This wacky first attempt at a bee design was my way of clearing out the creative cobwebs. As is usually the case, the first puppet design I do is light years away from how I hope the character will actually look. Putting these ideas down on paper helps me clarify the direction I want to go in... This obviously was not it.

Bee Inspiration

2008-08-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

Before I started designing the Space Bugs characters, I did some research online. I searched for insect and space images to help guide me visually. This compilation of images was my creative inspiration for the Queen’s best man, an adventurous bee named Bobby Drone.

Bee Hive Space Station

2008-08-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

I wanted everything in the Space Bugs universe to look like it was designed and built by insects. One idea that didn’t make it into the shows was this Bee Hive Space Station, which was to be the home of the queen bee. This design was based on the star base from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and a bee hive.

Space Bugs A to Z

2008-08-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

Space Bugs Alpha and Zeta are Swazzle's newest puppet shows, the prequel and sequel of a science fiction adventure that features a group of intergalactic insects on a mission to save the universe from the destructive and ravenous Robo-Locusts.

The live shows feature a variety of interesting puppet characters and exotic environments custom built by Swazzle. As puppet designer and set designer, it was my job to visualize the Space Bugs universe. Over the next few weeks I will share with you and discuss some of the designs I created for these unique puppet shows.

Space Bugs began its Southern California library tour on June 11 and will run until August 28. Check out Swazzle’s online schedule to find a performance near you.

New Grasshopper and Ants Card

2007-12-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

Grasshopper and Ants Chirstmas CardGrasshopper and
by

Swazzle

Get this custom card
at Zazzle

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T21:30:00.000-08:00

Freedom To Swazzle
by

Swazzle

Get this custom card
at Zazzle

Save Xmas Now!

2007-11-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas is under fire! The government threatens to ruin our beloved holiday with increased interference and overreaching regulation. While Americans go about their holiday shopping, a secretive federal organization known as the House for Organizing Holiday Opportunities and Happiness Oversight (H.O.H.O.H.O.) is co-opting Christmas to alter it forever.

In response, we are launching the SaveXmasNow.com podcast, which will run from November 23rd to December 25th. Watch as everyone’s favorite podcasting snowman and his snowball buddy Steve interview a range of holiday guests in a grassroots effort to save Christmas. The frozen friends will speak with reindeer, elves, members of the greater holiday community and Christmas’s new villain, Ronald Snow.

Spread the word, join the fight, and help Save Xmas Now!

Save Xmas Now was created by Sean Johnson, Patrick Johnson and Dylan Campbell, with creative development by Dan Clark and Don Asher, and features the performances of Sean Johnson, Patrick Johnson, Brian Clark, Felix Pire and Kevin Carlson.

Final Sugar Monster Design

2007-11-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here is the final Sugar Monster puppet design. The finished puppet is pink with lavender accents, not the the brown pictured here.

Hershey's Kiss

2007-11-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

For some of the puppet designs I incorporated elements reminiscent of familiar candy and junk food. Notice that this Sugar Monster is shaped like an elongated Hershey's Kiss, with a big curl at the top of the head. I based the color on cotton candy.

Zazzle Design: S.T. Lewis

2007-11-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

My Zazzle Design pick of the week is this cool tyrannosaurus rex greeting card created by S.T. Lewis. I love the shape of the dinosaur’s head and his funny expression. He looks like he lumbered straight out of an animated movie. Click on the image to buy one for yourself, or click here to see other products available at the S.T. Lewis Cartoons and Things online store.

Female Sugar Monster

2007-11-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

I always imagined the Sugar Monster as a female character. In this puppet design I tried playing up the traditional female design characteristics, giving her full lips and large eyelashes. I also experimented with the horns, making them wavy and dragon-like.

Cute And Cuddly

2007-10-31T07:34:00.000-07:00

In this Sugar Monster puppet design my goal was to create a character that was cute and cuddly, but obviously wired. I thought it would be funny if the Sugar Monster was short and bouncy with a long tail.

Striped Candy Horns

2007-10-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

The client found Sugar Monster No. 1 the most appealing because of the cotton candy-like body and the striped candy horns. Using this illustration as a starting point, I developed a bunch of variations, playing with the shape of the nose, the color, and the scale of the body.

Holiday Card Template Contest

2007-10-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

Here is my submission for Zazzle's new Holiday Card Template Contest. Click on the image to rate my design, or to buy a card.

Sugar Monster Choices

2007-10-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a group of Sugar Monsters that I assembled for the client. When designing a puppet for someone else, it’s important to present them with a wide range of choices to help focus their vision of the character. These illustrations served as a starting point for the design process of the Sugar Monster.

Sock Monsters

2007-10-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for this week’s Drawer Geeks challenge, “Universal Monsters.” To see all the other submissions, click here.

Zazzle Design: Haikoo Zoo

2007-10-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

Swazzle’s online store is hosted by Zazzle (no relation), a marketplace on the Web that features customizable products designed by artists, illustrators, photographers and everyday people. At Zazzle you can buy T-shirts, mugs, mousepads, prints and more.

Every week I’ll post a favorite Zazzle product that I’ve found, in a series called "Zazzle Design." I think you’ll be impressed by the immense talent that exists in the Zazzle community.

My first Zazzle Design pick is this adorable mousepad created by Haikoo Zoo. Click on the image to buy one for yourself, or click here to see other products available at Haikoo Zoo’s online store.

Jib Jab Debuts Line of Sendable Puppet Shorts

2007-10-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

Jib Jab, the Internet company perhaps best known for the satirical political short "This Land," introduced a line of "sendable" shorts today including the puppet series Greetings From Hell, directed by Nate Pacheco.

The shorts follow Satan and his minions as they go about the day-to-day business of running Hell. All the puppets were built by Nate Pacheco and performed by Sean Johnson and myself. We performed the puppets in front of a blue screen to a prerecorded voice track, often shooting characters separately that were later composited together.

Visit JibJab.com to e-mail a Greetings From Hell short to your friends.

Jeff's Monsters

2007-10-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

Along with the rabbit family, Aventuras Saludables also features three wacky monsters: Captain Candy, Slugzilla and Quickie. Before the monsters had names, they were referred to as The Sugar Monster, The Lazy Monster and The Fast Food Monster. Here is an initial sketch of the monsters done by talented character designer and story artist Jeff Pidgeon. Jeff has had an incredible career in the field of animation, and we were honored that he contributed to the creative development of this puppet show.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrf Card

2007-10-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

Send your fellow buccaneers this cool Halloween card available at the Swazzle Store!

Rabbit Puppets!

2007-10-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

The rabbit family is complete, with eyes, ears, noses and teeth. The costumes were made by Bethan Land, whose credits include Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Seabiscuit and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Pablito's Face

2007-10-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Pablito’s face nears completion. The fur on the bridge of his nose was carefully trimmed to create a graduated look.

Flowbee

2007-10-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

Once the foam build was complete, the rabbit puppets were covered in high-quality store-bought fur. The fur would eventually be trimmed down with a Flowbee. The hands were covered in Antron fleece that was dyed to match the color of the body.