For those of you who haven’t heard, Pasha Romanowski of Project Puppet fame has recently started an interactive puppet building website called Puppetsmith. You can become a member and join a rapidly growing community of puppet builders that are sharing tips and techniques. Pasha is updating the blog regularly with great tutorials–both as blog posts and videos.

As a part of this endeavor, Puppetsmith is now selling a dog puppet pattern from legendary puppet builder Terry Angus. This is a great pattern, and I have the good fortune of being able to take you through the process of building this dog puppet. It’s quite an honor to be the first guest builder at Puppetsmith.

If you’d like to follow along with me, all you have to do is become a member (just $10 a month) and purchase the pattern. We’ve only just begun so there’s plenty of time to jump in and learn some great puppet building techniques.

So don’t wait–meet me over at Puppetsmith today!

Tags: Projects, Puppet People // Add Comment »

I recently collaborated with Church on the Move in Tulsa, OK to build some puppets for their Kid’s Ministry. They had designed some really fun woodland characters, and I had the joy of bringing them to three dimensional life. I can’t wait to see them in action, and I really hope the kids enjoy spending time with them as much as I did.

Raccoon:

Fox:

Porcupine:

Owl:

Tags: Projects // 8 Comments »

I was recently commissioned by TED UK to design and build puppets for a new show that they have developed called “Bugz”. It was an extremely fun project–I’ve always wanted to build bug puppets. The characters include Barney the bee, Antonio the ant, Dottie the ladybug, and Cleo the caterpillar. Below are the finished products:

Tags: Projects // 5 Comments »

Not long ago, I was approached by a client who’s brother was getting married. He wanted puppet versions of his brother and soon to be sister-in-law that he could use during the best man speech, and then to give as gifts. I was very happy to oblige, and below you’ll see what we came up with.

Here is the happy couple:

And here are their fleecy counterparts:

Tags: Projects, Thistledown Stuff // 1 Comment »

We’ve recently posted a new album on Facebook documenting the building of the dragon puppet for Cory Godbey. If you’re on Facebook and haven’t “Liked” Thistledown Puppets yet, what are you waiting for?

Tags: Projects, Thistledown Stuff // 2 Comments »

From our workshop to your home—we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

Tags: General Stuff, Thistledown Stuff // 1 Comment »

With the official opening of Give: A Christmas Musical just a couple weeks away (go buy tickets now!), I thought I’d introduce you to the talented people I’ve had the honor of spending a bunch of time with. So here is the cast in alphabetical order:

Philip Hatter (“Alley Cat,” Puppet Performer and Voice) is a seasoned puppet builder and performer and is the founder of Thistledown Puppets. He most recently was seen performing as “Pig” in Bull: A Puppet Musical and is excited to offer his craft and expertise to GIVE.

Jessie Hatter (“Mommy”) is a new Mommy in real life. She is fairly new to Roanoke theater and most recently performed as “Ewe” in Bull: A Puppet Musical. She is excited to be on stage again with the cast of GIVE.

Elizabeth Jones (“Allie Mouse,” Puppet Performer and Voice) Elizabeth Matthews Jones is a graduate student at Hollins University studying Creative Writing and Theatre, and is extremely honored to be a part of the world premier of GIVE.

Aimee Perkins (“DeeDee,” Puppet Performer and Voice) Aimee Perkins is so thrilled to be working on a project with the wonderful and talented A.D. Lucas. She has been in several shows in Roanoke, and is so happy to be working with such a wonderfully talented bunch.

Aaron Sifford (“Bobby,” Puppet Performer and Voice) Aaron is a local actor who is extremely excited to be a part of this production. Aaron has appeared in several shows here in the valley, the most recent being as “The Padre” in Man of La Mancha at Showtimers.

Josh Taylor (“Daddy”) Josh is so excited to be a part of this incredible show … even though he doesn’t get to be a puppet … this time! Josh has appeared in several local productions since moving to Roanoke, most recently performed roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Violet. Other credits include “George” in Our Town, “Sky Masterson” in Guys and Dolls, and the “Teen Angel” in Grease.

Alex Lucas (Playwright, Director) Alex D. Lucas is a playwright, lyricist, and composer living and working in Roanoke, VA. His most recent musical play Bull: A Puppet Musical premiered right here at the Dumas Center as a part of the Roanoke Arts Festival in 2008. That play has been produced and performed over the past two years in Greece. GIVE, Lucas’s second musical, represents a two-and-a-half year process of development that started as an idea to raise money for those in need during the holidays.

Tags: General Stuff, Projects, Thistledown Stuff // Add Comment »

Tickets for Give: A Christmas Musical are on sale now! You can buy them online here. The dates are December 10th, 11th, 17th, and 18th. We will be performing at the Barlow Auditorium at the Dumas Center–the venue for Bull: A Puppet Musical two years ago.

The show is really coming together. Alex has put a lot of work into this show–over two years to be exact. It’s so fun, and different from anything I’ve worked on before. It combines live actors and puppets, and the cast is so talented and amazing. I really think this show could become a local holiday tradition. So if you’re going to be in the Roanoke area next month, do yourself a favor and come out an see it. If you’d like, you can follow the progress on the show’s blog, or on Twitter. Below are some images of the four puppets that will appearing in the show:

Tags: Projects, Thistledown Stuff // 4 Comments »

I recently worked with Rondal Scott over at Strange Kids Club to bring his blog’s namesake to life. To quote the blog: Strange Kids Club is a horror infused blog of pop culture retro geekdom hosted by graphic designer and copywriter Rondal Scott III – a daily dose of adolescent enthusiasm for B-movie monsters, movie trailers, classic wrestling match-ups, comics, exclusive interviews and unbelievably cool toys.

The Strange Kid–a quirky, comical, and slightly creepy kid–was a super fun character to bring to life. Rondal has plans to use him in a series on the site in the near future, and I can’t wait to see him in action. Until then, you can see some pics of the puppet below:

Tags: Projects // 6 Comments »

This Christmas season, Thistledown Puppets will be designing, building, and performing four puppets for a new musical entitled “Give!” written and directed by our good friend Alex (A.D.) Lucas. The show will be performed here locally in Roanoke–in the same venue where Bull: A Puppet Musical (also written by Mr. Lucas) was staged a couple of years ago. Give! is currently in pre-production, and after a couple of readings of the play, I can tell you that I am really excited to be a part of it.

If you have plans to be in southwest Virginia this Christmas season, you won’t want to miss it. For more information on the show, visit the website or the blog.

Stay tuned for puppet designs and images…

Tags: General Stuff, Projects // Add Comment »