SKELETON MARIONETTE, PART 2
On the first page of this project, we discussed
Blocking out and Refining the pieces.
Now we're ready to progress.
ASSEMBLY
We'll start assembling the rib cage by cutting the individual ribs to length, then trimming the wires to
(roughly) 3/4". If you desire clean, straight edges on your ribs, now would be the time to address that issue.
The first (uppermost) two pairs of ribs were bent to approximate shape and positioned on the spine.
This is a slightly clumsy undertaking, as the rest of the latex chest piece is loose and flexible.
Take your time, and work in small increments ... back and forth ... until you get close.
Continue this procedure until you can no longer manage the whole assembly.
Although not the best picture, you can see cured polyurethane glue on the spine/rib intersection
of the first three ribs. Once this cured, we were able to install and glue the remaining ribs.
After the glue has had ample time to set, flip the whole spine/rib assembly over and re-glue the back
side of each joint. These connections need to be secured very well. When it's time to shape the chest,
you don't want to discover any weak or loose ribs.
We needed a combination of mechanical and chemical fasteners for this assembly.
Short lengths of armature wire, used as dowels, are inserted between parts to be joined.
With the aid of small spring clamps, the pieces are held in position for gluing
and cure.
Push the wire armature of each finger into the corresponding bone of the hand.
We didn't glue this joint in the event we wanted to change the position later on.
Instead, we brushed liquid latex over the entire arm, hand, and finger piece(s).
Future texturing and/or skinning will add a sufficient degree of durability to these bones.
A short length of wire is pushed through the foam shoulder blade and glued in place.
The ends of the wire are twisted into hooks. The twine pieces from the arm are
attached to the hooks, which are closed (bent into loose loops.)
The underside of the skull receives two home made hooks - created by bending armature wire to the desired shape.
Slightly oversized holes are drilled into the skull the same distance apart as the two lengths of twine in the spine.
Having two points of attachment here will virtually eliminate any twisting motion between the skull and spine.
in the event a twisting head motion is desired, it would be simple enough to tie the pieces together accordingly.
The holes are partially filled with polyurethane glue, the hooks are inserted, and this task is nearly complete.
In order to join the jaw and skull, we inserted a short length of armature wire, half into the jaw, half into the skull.
Liquid latex applied over the joint guarantees it will stay together and permit future adjustments.
The twine pieces from the spine are attached to the hooks at the base of the skull.
These hooks can be bent in order to properly align the skull (facing left to right, or tilted left to right.)
A third hook is fashioned and inserted/glued to the top of the skull.
The top hook was made a little "long," to be sure it is strong enough to support the weight of
the entire finished prop. The extra length here provides more glue surface for a stronger joint.
Above are in-progress photos of the prop so far.
FINISHING
Several coats of liquid latex were brushed/stippled over the entire foam skeleton.
This helped produce a uniform texture. After the latex fully dried, the skeleton was base coated white.
(2005) Skeleton Marionette, Test Flight 01 502 KB
Testing the prop on a Phantasmechanics-style flying rig before detailing/finishing.
This skeleton was first painted yellow... the neon yellow from the photo above.
This color looks fine under blacklight, but horrendous in daylight.
(Horrendous like the blue version of 2001.)
Since this project is supposed to be an exercise in improvement, a color change became a requirement.
Fluorescent paints seem to behave differently than non-reactive paints.
It's difficult to layer over one color without totally masking the glowing properties of the base color.
We decided to re-paint the skeleton in detail,
followed by light coats of "glow" paint. The glow paint dries almost clear, with a slight
light yellow tint. The result is a skeleton that looks good in daylight and glows nicely under blacklight.
Another option might have been to use "invisible u.v. paint."
These products are supposed to be clear in daylight conditions and glow under ultraviolet light.
Here are a few links to suppliers of invisible and visible u.v. paint products.
A couple of (burnt umber) washes are applied over the (new) white base color.
A dark brown color is mixed and airbrushed into recessed areas of the eye sockets and nasal cavity.
Careful shading using the same color adds some depth to the pieces.
A small detail brush is used to create the illusion that the teeth and some bones are separated.
In the photo of the Skeleton's left hand, (above)
You can see the twisted light gauge wire wrapped around the second finger.
This wire was twisted into a loop on the back side of the hand, where the
string from the crank mechanism is attached.
The photos above show the prop after the first coat of u.v. reactive paint is applied.
As advised by most scenic painters, we applied this color using an airbrush (in a dark room with
adequate ventilation) under blacklight. There is really no other way of knowing how the finish will appear.
Second, and possibly third coats of this color will provide better, or at least more even coverage.
Paint products used for this project:
Createx Pure Pigments (Yellow Ochre, Burnt Umber ...White, and Carbon Black - not shown)
Folk Art Blending Gel
Createx Translucent Extender
The white bottle in the center is "glow" paint.
This contains the same pigment, probably in powder form, as glow in the dark objects.
It "charges" when lit and will slowly release this energy in the absence of light.
It responds beautifully to blacklight, glowing a yellow/green.
Some sources for glow paint/powder:
RIT fabric whitener, emits a white/blue glow when exposed to blacklight
Neon Yellow and Neon Green craft paints. (not used after all...)
WINGS
We decided to make a pair of wings to justify this fellow's flight.
(If you're interested in seeing these wings during construction, there is a basic how-to here.)
These wings will move as though they're keeping the marionette afloat.
In order to ensure a semi-controlled range of motion, we made a simple hinge to attach the wing to the skeleton.
Leaving the bent wire loops loose, we positioned the hinge on the skeleton
and made adjustments until the fit was acceptable. It might take some time to get both sides aligned
and fine tuned.
Once satisfied with the placement of both wings, we tied the hinges securely to the ribs and
hung him up for a test flight.
The skeleton's head is attached to the third line of the crank mechanism.
The wings are attached to the frame - they won't lift or lower with the crank.
Find a (pivot) point on each wing - where the skeleton's torso is almost supported by the wings.
By doing this, you're holding the majority of the props weight by the wing lines.
The crank mechanism now has less weight to move.
In addition - the lifting and lowering of the torso now causes the wings to "flap."
After testing the motion of the wings on the prop, the hinges were glued to the rib area.
We don't want these to work themselves loose over time.
Photos of the Skeleton Marionette at its lowest and uppermost position(s).
2005 Skeleton Marionette Wing Test 548 KB
Video clip showing the testing of the prop in action, with newly added wings.
Cheesecloth, recycled from last years' haunt, was dyed a medium gray color using leftover paint washes.
Stretch it, break holes, pull strands ... basically destroy it, then position it carefully.
(Sounds strange, huh? ... )
The contrast between the "glow" paint and the RIT fabric whitener will make a nice effect.
We mixed the RIT whitener with water-based polyurethane, roughly 1:1, and airbrushed it onto the
cheesecloth. In the photo above, you can see the gray wash/dye glows a faint purple under blacklight.
The addition of the polyurethane introduces a binder (of sorts) for the RIT dye, and will also help glue the cheesecloth
to the prop. Once dry, it will slightly stiffen the fabric, depending on how much is applied.
The same paint is applied to the wing membranes.
Once the final painting steps are complete, the cheesecloth is "glued" in place using undiluted
water-based polyurethane. (It cures clear.)
Above - Photos of the marionette in the uppermost position,
One under blacklight, one in daylight.
The prop in the lower position - blacklight, daylight.
Short of replacing the crank-mechanism lines with something a little less visible, this
prop is done!