Cuplog

Talk Like a Pirate Day was not much of a celebration for me. I failed to find the type of string I needed for the pirate marionette (I may have to order it), and I realized I am completely at sea as to how to costume it. This is supposedly National Sewing Month (as I learned upon visiting a fabric store), but I have neither knowledge nor a sewing machine. I must look into getting a cheap sewing machine as soon as possible, especially since I have many glove puppets that are ready to have their bodies made (or soon will be).

I thought about posting some photographs of puppets in progress, including the Mr. Punch and the Doctor I finished painting, but I’m having second thoughts about displaying them before they are complete. Perhaps if I had photographs of each stage of their creation I would post them, but just their headless selves? No, I think I’ll wait until I can present them in their full glory (or infamy, depending on one’s point of view).

Talk Like a Pirate Day is tomorrow (19 September), so I hope to have the pirate marionette finished today. I have a long way to go, and I am further frustrated by a desire to make a new head, since I made a mistake with the armature. I also need to shop for string — I hope to find Spiderwire.

I have finished painting three glove puppet heads and am in the midst of finishing a fourth. The hardest part for me is coming up: sewing the bodies.

There is so much to do, but I already want to work on several other things immediately, such as making a Judy puppet, making half of the puppets for the Halloween play, making new Wicked Witch of the West and Flying Monkey puppets, revising the Harry Potter puppet play, and writing several new puppet plays. In addition to the Halloween play, Daniel and I are discussing plans for a Mayan marionette play, and I’m still devising a plot for a science fiction parody that I hope to present at some conventions by next summer.

So, why am I sitting here writing this when I ought to be working on puppets?

Be seeing you…       :-?

Yesterday, I made a fourth Punch puppet head, and this will be the last one of Mr. Punch for a long time. It is the only one that truly looks like Punch, but the others are not a total loss. One will be painted appropriately and used as a goblin, imp, or or other mischievous creature; one will be used as an Igor for the Halloween puppet show I am working on; and the third, well, that remains to be seen. Now all I need to do is remake a Judy puppet (the first one is all wrong) and then I’ll have all the characters needed to perform The Comical Tragedy and Tragical Comedy of Punch & Judy.

The Halloween puppet show to which I alluded is the next big project I decided to undertake as of yesterday. There will be many puppets, at least two puppeteers probably, a larger puppet stage, and hopefully some sound effects or even music. It is untitled at this point, but I can reveal that it will include several famous movie monsters and many more real monsters! As Count Floyd would say, “Oooooooh, scary!” The trick is: Will it be finished before Halloween? And where will I perform it? Bah, technicalities!