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About the Process
We make all of our original
sculptures with a polymer clay called Super Sculpey.
(In the picture to the left you see many of Debra's original sculptures
including a Dragon, our Stone Elf, Clown, Tom Foolery, Jasper the Java Cat,
and a couple of Fairies.)
We make molds from the
original pieces and then cast duplicates of them in durable material called
resin.
The parts are then ground,
carved, drilled, linked, dyed, painted, dressed and then strung as a
marionette.
The top mold in Eric's
hand, shown in the photo at left, is for a Puss in Boots head. |
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| Controller for Winged
Creatures |
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At
left is our standard airplane style controller for winged creatures, including:
Dragons,
Fairies,
Birds,
Gargoyle A pair of
crossed strings join to a bead near one leg string which causes the wings to flap when pulled. |
| How to
use a Dragon Wings Marionette
with standard airplane
controller |
| Hold the wooden
controller mechanism parallel to the ground and allow the creature's feet to just barely
touch the floor. Rocking the controller from side to side will cause the puppet to
walk (winged beasts will flap as they walk). If
your marionette is equiped to fly, there is also a bead to pull that allows you to flap the
wings without walking.
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The hands are connected to a
removable
control rod. |
By placing a finger between the head strings
and moving
it from side to side
you can make the head move. |
| The back has two strings, upper and lower, which allow
the creature to bend and lower its head. Tilting the entire controller mechanism
forward causes a more severe bow. Short tugs on the upper back string will cause
the marionette to chuckle. |
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If you own one of our marionettes with a
modified or experimental controller it may look and operate quite
differently than the description above. We would be happy to explain,
please contact the artists (bottom of
page) NEW
Videos of our Knight, Dragon, Jester Cat, Skeletons and Duck marionette
puppets dancing can be viewed, at: MD2004PhotosPage
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CAUTION:
Never lay marionettes down with the strings outstretched.
How to Wrap and Pack your
Marionette |
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When not using
your marionette it's best
to HANG IT FROM A HOOK!
If no hook is available, wrap it up and set it down as follows:
1. Hold the controller in one
hand and spin the creature around with the other so that the strings twist
into a rope.
2. Take hold of the rope
and pull up
and over the back part of the wooden controller mechanism. Wrap rope
around and around overlapping itself until puppet is about four inches
from controller
4. Lay marionette down gently
and place controller on top of it, making sure the cup hook is facing up.
5. To unwrap, unwind the
strings from the tail section until marionette is hanging free. Spin the
marionette the opposite direction.
To
pack your marionette for shipping or travel
follow 1 through 3 above, then place the creature in center
of bubble wrap or other cushiony material. Fold the packing material
over the creature and then lay the controller on top with cup hook facing
up. Wrap this bundle in another layer of packing material and choose
your shipping/travel container based upon this size. For short/local
trips a paper bag is acceptable, but a box is best overall.
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Marionette Untangling,
Restringing and Restoration Services
Should your marionette become hopelessly tangled
you may ship it to us and we will make it nice again.
1. SIMPLE
UNTANGLING of OUR marionette;
1st time is free (you simply pay postage - approx. $8).
2nd
and subsequent times is $10, plus postage.
2. RESTRINGING
of any of OUR marionettes (if the tangle is so bad that we have to cut the strings and start over)
is $20, plus postage (approx. $8).
3. BROKEN
PIECES? MAULED BY A DOG? CHEWED ON BY A TODDLER?
We'd be happy to give you an estimate on fixing your marionette's
particular problem(s).
4. RESTRINGING
a marionette made by someone
else that is tangled or has broken strings, starting at $50 (plus
postage which will depend on marionette size).
5. RESTORATION of old or damaged marionettes made by someone
else is possible, rates vary according to complexity, please contact Eric or
Debra to inquire.
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