Simple Bird Puppets

As I was overcomplicating the design I started looking at some really simple design similar to old toys. I think that using a simple design like this would work better than what I was trying to create as all that the mechanism does is to make the wings move up and down. If I use a mechanism like this I could use the basic structure of the design then build on the structure to make it look more realistic and have a more interesting design that a simple one like these have.

 

Wing Mechanism 2

I tried to make another wing mechanism to make the wings move in and out similar to the other one but this time using split pins to make it easier for the wing to move. I first tried to make it out of paper but didn't get very far as the paper was to thin to work as it just flexed rather than moving the way i wanted it too. 

I then tried using balsa wood to make the prototype for the wing, the wood worked really well as it is really light but still quite strong. As for the design its self, the design works well but not quite how i wanted it to as it doesn't open and close fully, this is because of the way i attached the spring to the wood as i glued it on and doesn't allow the spring to move correctly.

Wing Mechanism

Again i had a go at making a mechanism for a wing of a bird puppet but instead this time i made the mechanism so that it would make the wings move up and down. I made it out of wire so that when you pulled down on a wire it would make the wings move up. The mechanism isn't very effective as it doesn't move much and isn't very strong, the reason that it doesn't work very well is because i tried to make the mechanism too complicated without using enough research in to real puppetry.  

Thoughts

I decided to stop focusing on making and the mechanics of the bird as I was spending to much time on it and not focusing on any of the other props. I have also stopped thinking about the wing as I was trying to make the wing in a much too complicated way even though the gold bird is only a small part of the story.

Instead of doing the wing I am going to go back through the story and start looking at design and the technical aspects to some of the other props that would be need for a production of the story. I have just started to draw some ideas for the hare and the fox but so far hasn't gone very well as I have done no research to back up my ideas meaning that I have very little knowledge of haw to make them. 

So I now need to chose some of the props that would be needed and do some research to back up the designs for them. 

Bird Movements

As I was having trouble creating the wings and getting the movements right I decided to look at how bird move and videos to see how they moved and what was the best way to recreate that movement. From looking at birds I found that the wings move up and down more that they move inwards and out from the body so when I am creating the mechanism I should not focus on the in and out movement as much and try to get the up movement.   

 

Targets

7/5/15

- Use the split pins to make a quick models of wings (keep the designs simple)
- Make a few other simple designs for the bird and wings
- Look at making designs for the other animals in the story and how the will be technically made.

Anamatronic Bird

Whilst looking around on the internet at mechanisms for bird wings I came across this video of a working wing mechanisms, the mechanism was made for "Waddleworth" and used in the move 102 Dalmatians. I wound this video useful as the mechanism moves in a very similar way to a bird moves in really life. This mechanism is too complicated for me to use for a puppet but I could experiment and try and adapt it so