Completed Second Puppet

This is my final puppet with a revised version of the head. I became inspired to change the look of it as well as the size after researching salamanders, frogs and other amphibians as the layout of their head (wide set beaded eyes and wide mouth) transfers well onto a toy or model that is designed to be appealing. It is touched upon in "Manwatching" by Desmond Morris that humans are attracted to dilated pupils (signals of attraction) and wide set eyes in females is particularly appealing to males. I have also noticed that many poluar animated and cartoon characters (such as "Toothless" from "How To Train Your Dragon"- based off a salamander) have this same head shape and follow these same codes of attraction.

The new head was made with polymer clay and sanded down to achieve an even finish. All details were hand sculpted before attachment to the body.

Storyboard Slideshow

Alice by Jan Svankmajer

Jan Svankmajer - Meat Love (1989)

Storyboard

I began storyboarding my animation to visual the appropriate camera angles to use and approximate times for each scene. I condensed my storyboard into a slideshow so i could approximate how long each scene would last and get a general idea of how long a shot would last. Visualizing my storyboard has helped me to clarify the meaning of my animation (language convergence and body language) and steering it away from becoming too "narrative" and becoming too disconnected or irrelevant from my initial learning agreement.

Conceptual Storyboard

Revised Character concepts

I did some drawings of my boyfriend's axolotl as a starting point to generate ideas for my second puppet. These drawings were a starting block to research other reptiles and amphibians. The resulting sketches inspired me to try drawing frogs and lizards. I found creatures such as salamanders had interesting head shapes, textures and features that could translate well into a puppet.
I found a very interesting website while research on endangered reptile and amphibian species, including the giant salamander, which can grow up to 6ft long (!!!!!!!)

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/edge-amphibians870.html#cr