So close I can taste it!!!

So Kendra and Rob say the new Elmwood site is almost done... And I keep smiling cuz I know it's gonna be awesome!!!

Treelo - The Collection

Treelo

Monday Song - Better

No one ever told me when
I was alone
They just thought I'd know better, better

The hardest part
This troubled heart
Has ever yet been through now
Was heal the scars
That got their start
Inside someone like you now
For had I known
Or I'd been shown
Back when how long it'd take me
To break the charms
That brought me harm
And all but would erase me
I never won
Or thought I could
No matter what you'd pay me
Replay the part
You stole my heart
I should have known you're crazy
If all I knew
Was that with you
I'd want someone to save me
It'd be enough
But just my luck
I fell in love and maybe

All that I wanted was...

Now I know you better
You know I know better
Now I know you better

So bittersweet
This tragedy
Won't ask for absolution
This melody
Inside of me
Still searches for solution
A twist of faith
A change of heart
Cures my infatuation
A broken heart
Provides the spark
For my determination
No one ever told me when
I was alone
They just thought I'd know better, better

All that I wanted was...

Now I know you better
You know I know better
Now I know you better

I never wanted you to be so full of anger
I never wanted you to be somebody else
I never wanted you to be someone afraid to know themselves
I only wanted you to see things for yourself

All that I wanted was...

Now I know you better
Now we all know better
All that I wanted was

If I were you
I'd manage to
Avoid the invitation
Of promised love
That can't keep up
With your adoration
Just use your head
And in the end
You'll find your inspiration
To choose your steps
And won't regret
This kind of aggravation

No one ever told me when
I was alone
They just thought I'd know better, better

Guns N' Roses

Tutter - The Collection

Tutter

Bear - The Collection

Bear

from Bear In The Big Blue House

Vitiligo

Totally off the topic of puppetry for a moment...

Every now and then it comes up in conversation. Usually when I see and old friend that hasn't seen me in ages or when someone new in my life gets brave enough to ask.
"What's up with your hands?"... Or something like that. Recently it's come up in a negative way, not by a friend or anything though, but enough to irk me a bit. I wrote about it on my old blog and explained it, but that blog is closed, so why not go over it again, and maybe go over it a bit more.
It's called Vitiligo.
The simple answers first.
- It's not contagious
- It doesn't hurt
- It is what made Micheal Jackson "go white"
- It's not hereditary.
- 1% of the population has vitiligo

So what is it? According to Google; "Vitiligo is a skin condition in which there is loss of pigment (color) from areas of skin, resulting in irregular white patches that feel like normal skin."

I'm losing the pigment in my skin. Slowly. In most people, like myself, it's first noticeable on the hands, feet, and face. Mostly on the hands for me at first. The skin looks like I got a bad sunburn, then it pealed off and left my skin pale and it just never tanned again. That's how it looks on most people, actually. It can happen suddenly or gradually. In my case it was very sudden. Early summer of 2005 I noticed it on my hands. For the summer it just looked like I tanned funny, and combined with the fact I did burn my hands I didn't think anything of it. Then my summer tan wore off and my hands were still lighter than my skin. Then I noticed it on my feet, and by the next summer I was diagnosed with vitiligo.
Is it treatable? Sure, but I don't want fake orange tans or skin grafts that will eventually turn back anyway...
Since I work so much with my hands a lot of people notice it, and on everyone our hands are always out there to be seen...

Normally I don't think much about it.

It's now caused spots on my neck, around my eyes, mouth, and a few other places, and my hands are whiter than ever. The past week or so it has been a bit of an issue. I've always notice people checking out my hands and so on, and not saying anything about it, but now I've been more or less victimized because of it. Being "different" than others can lead to prejudice, whether it's your religion, your sexual preference, or the most well known prejudice; your skin color. And that's me. Sure I'm a white guy getting whiter and some people (like Republicans*) may think this is great... But for lack of a better way to put it many people are freaked out by my freakyness. I won't get into the details as there are somethings I just won't get into on a blog.

I just figured if you're reading this blog you either know me or know my work and have seen the glow in the dark hands... So I'd fill ya in... I won't eat your babies in their sleep, and even though your religion may say so, I haven't made a deal with the devil... Yet.
I'm just fading away, hahaha...



*That's a joke...

Carly - Redone

Carly

Mouth Puppet

She was previously posted, but I made some changes... Sometimes when they're done... They really arent! Now I'd say she's done!

She appears in the music video "Jade" click the pic below to check it out!

Sifl & Olly - United States of Whatever Video

LOVED Sifl and Ollie!

Monday Song - Landed

I had another blog (that I've closed) and on that blog I used to do a thing called "The Monday Morning Song In My Head".
I've decided to start that again here on Puppet A Day. I don't now if I'll do it every Monday, but I'm gonna try.
Yes, I am aware it's not directly puppetry related, but music is so important to what I do. When I'm writing I have music going, when I'm sketching I have music going, and when I'm making puppets I always have music going... So for me music is puppet related...

So with that little intro... Here's the Monday Song In My Head:

We'd hit the bottom
I thought it was my fault
And in a way I guess it was
I'm just now finding out
What it was all about

We'd moved to the west coast
Away from everyone
She never told me that you called
Back when I was still
I was still in love

'Till I opened my eyes and walked out the door
And the clouds came tumbling down
And it's bye-bye goodbye I tried
And I twisted it wrong just to make it right
I had to leave myself behind
And I've been flying high all night

So come pick me up
I've landed...

The daily dramas
She made from nothing
So nothing ever made it right

She liked to push me
And talk me back down
'Till I believed I was the crazy one
And in a way
I guess I was

'Till I opened my eyes and walked out the door
And the clouds came tumbling down
And it's bye-bye goodbye I tried
Treading the sea of a troubled mind
I had to leave myself behind
Singin' bye-bye goodbye I tried

If you wrote me off
I'd understand it
'Cause I've been on
Some other planet
So come pick me up
I've landed...

And you will be so
Happy to know
I've come alone
It's over

And I opened my eyes and walked out the door
And the clouds came tumbling down
And it's bye-bye goodbye I tried
Down comes the reign of the telephone czar
It's okay to call
And I will answer for myself
Come pick me up...
I've landed.

Ben Folds

STRINGS Movie Trailer

Steve gets hype!

Andrew over at the awesome Puppetvison Blog gave

"Steve the Vampire Who Goes To a Role-playing Game"

a little love...

Thanks man!

Read his post here

And read here's a link to the previous posts about Steve on Puppetvision...

Strings

Strings

2004

Overview from IMDB: Strings is a mythological story about the son of a king, Hal Tara, who sets out on a journey to revenge the death of his father. To his surprise he discovers the truth of his own people - and where he expects it least - he finds true love.

OK, so that's the very short version, but to really tell more gives way too much away.
I first saw "Strings" at the 2005 Puppeteers of America National Puppetry Festival in St. Paul, and I was amazed.
I was baffled that no America studio wanted to pick this film up for distribution in the US. And then the more I thought about I realized I was foolish for thinking any studio would want it. No major stars, no explosions, and 'shutter' it's puppets whose mouths don't even move! (Smell the sarcasm)

Anyway... We've all seen marionettes, whether it's Team America, Thunderbirds, or the amazing work of Bil Baird, but never have marionettes been used in film with this much strength. The story is more than solid, and in a classic fantasy film way. It's about redemption and peace, not just for one man, but for two waring societies. Legend says the director Anders Ronnow Klarlund got the idea for making the film after 9/11, and it shows in the story and execution.
The puppets by master Bernd Ogrodnik are simply amazing. They move so fluidly and smooth. Some have seen this film and thought it was computer animation. These marionettes move in a real fashion. There is weight when they walk, there is emotion in their movements. One of the great things about the film is that the strings themselves are part of the story. The strings are there, and without them they (the characters) die. I liked this, it gave the film another depth by acknowledging that they are puppets (even if the word is never used). And the materials used in making the marionettes are natural, which is fitting for the films world.

The film is dark, as the subject matter also is. And it's also very touching. It doesn't have a Hollywood ending. And I love it.
I know this has been a vague review, I just don't want to spoil the film for ya... So go out now and buy it!

5 Stars out of 5

Farooq Qaisar "The Jim Henson of Pakistan"

Click here for a

CNN article/video featuring Farooq Qaisar and his amazing puppets!

Spa'am - The Collection

Spa'am

Finger Puppet

Kermit as Capt. Smolett - The Collection

Kermit as seen in Muppet Treasure Island

Rhymes With Orange

Check out this fun comic strip by Hillary B. Price, click on the comic to check out her website!

Mike

Mike

Mouth Puppet

This is a portrait of my brother Michael. I plan on building a better one and lightweight wheelchair for it 2011 for a flick I have in mind.  So I guess this is a rough draft!

Here's Tugger (and Ripper's butt) handing in the studio with the puppet.

I do commissions!
Portraits, monsters, original designs...
Need a puppet? Shoot me a message:
jon(at)elmwoodproductions(dot)com

Denise

Denise
Mouth Puppet

Dave the Beautiful Dog

Dave the Beautiful Dog

Mouth Puppet

Betsy

Betsy

Mouth Puppet

Seth

Seth

Mouth Puppet

Brie

Brie

Mouth Puppet from the series Animal Behavior

This is a rebuild of the other Brie puppet. When I started writing Animal Behavior I knew that I wanted this to be the same character as the girl in the Simon's Lament video. But as I begain to build the cats and the Jon puppets it was clear the old Brie puppet would be too small. So I made this new one. I like this one better too!

Here's the preview for the show!

Brie with Jon and Tugger and Ripper

Toe

Toe

Finger Puppet from Animal Behavior

Tac

Tac

Finger Puppet from Animal Behavior

Tic

Tic

Finger Puppet from the series Animal Behavior

Ladybug - The Collection

Ladybug

Finger Puppet

New Hat!

Brie got this for me in Disney World! Yeah, she's the best

Street Gang

Today I'm doing a quick review of the book Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis.

Two major books came out to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Sesame Street being broadcast. Street Gang is the first and the second is A Celebration of 40 Years of Life On The Street by Louise Gikow. Both books are exhaustive in the amount of information on Sesame Street. And both books are wholly different. Street Gang covers Sesame Street for the adult reader, and A Celebration is more of a coffee table, colorful book for everyone. I'll review A Celebration later.

Side note... Both books were given to me as gifts from Brie. Brie is awesome.

So, Street Gang.

Written by Michael Davis, (TV Guide, Chicago Sun Times) and authorized by Sesame Workshop covers it all. Literally. From the genesis of the idea of a show for kids mimicking current advertising techniques to the politics involved in public television, to the downfall of "David" to Jim Henson's sudden death, to the reign of Elmo, and it does so in a matter of fact (yet fun) warts and all style.

The good, the bad, and the Muppety.

I really enjoyed the book. It took me a bout a week of casual reading to get through it, and I would recommend it to people interested in television history and production, along with Muppet/Sesame Street fans. But this is no kids book. There are 'dark" parts. Cast member Northern (David) Calloway's decent into mental illness is well chronicled also some of Jim Henson's regrets and creator Joan Ganz Cooney's first failed marriage are covered. But for any bad thing there is you get hundreds of pages of good. If you want to give a kid a Sesame Street book go for "A Celebration" and keep "Street Gang" for yourself.

Since it's first hardcover publication in fall 2008 a second edition has been released in paperback, with some new sections and corrections. Either version is great.

4 out of 5 stars

Top Image - Hardcover, from Muppet Central
Bottom Image - Paperback, From MuppetWiki

Jim Henson on Making Muppets 1969

From October 2008 to October 2009 I posted a puppet a day that I (or other members of The Elmwood Puppets) built.

Now Jim Henson and Don Sahlin and a few friends show you how to do it!

Video from 1969, Iowa Public Television

And more of The Elmwood Puppets coming soon!!!

Rowlf the Dog - The Collection

Rowlf

Finger Puppet