Process Blog – Rachel De Urioste

goldfishunderwater

Multimedia Artist/ Designer/ Fabricator
based in Atlanta
IATSE local 479

Come knock on the monster's door! I'm excited to

Happy World Puppetry Day! Here's a whale puppet I

Happy World Puppetry Day! Here's a whale puppet I made for Wondermore Kids a few months ago, puppeteered by @critterlabs and Carole D'Agostino. Thanks for bringing me in for a fun job @theavalanches_ !

I first got into puppet building through volunteering at Xperimental Puppetry Theater at @ctr_puppetry_arts back in 2014. Thanks to @theninjapuppet and @bloodymolly for giving me some of my earliest jobs. Puppet people are still my favorites--goofy, hardworking, innovative, kind and full of the biggest dreams ❤️

Last chance to see Tesla vs Edison! Only two ticke

Last chance to see Tesla vs Edison! Only two tickets left to tonight's show. Don't miss this unique experience.

📸 @staceybodeheadshots

Legs Legs Legs! Legs for days! These beauties were

Legs Legs Legs! Legs for days! These beauties were designed and CNC cut by @budgrubber for Tesla vs Edison, assembled and painted by the puppet shop.

I loved getting to spend time on all the beautiful details in this build. Only a few more days to catch the show! It's truly one of a kind, unhinged and delightful.

Tesla vs Edison is showing at @ctr_puppetry_arts through March 12th.

@thesmithsisdead @trickiivii @jschottstaedt @bigcat.tan
@chromynette

Shoes! Tiny puppet shoes! All the puppet shoes in

Shoes! Tiny puppet shoes! All the puppet shoes in Tesla vs Edison were designed by @budgrubber, sculpted, molded and cast by @trickiivii, and painted by me.

The shoes are cast in neoprene using plaster molds. To cast, the molds get filled and left for hours during what's called the dwell time. During the dwell time, water gets absorbed out of the neoprene into the plaster, causing a film of neoprene to gel along the surface. The longer the dwell time, the thicker the cast. The remaining neoprene gets recycled after the dwell time is up, and after the cast dries some, the cast can by demolded. Casts continue to shrink for a few days after demolding, as more water evaporates.

Magic!

📸 @staceybodeheadshots

Since I shared a regular size sandwich, have to sh

Since I shared a regular size sandwich, have to share this tiny one I made in back in 2017 too.

This one was needle felted and sewn together for my sculpture, Space Nugget. I love making tiny accessories for my gallery work.

Listen, you should hire me to make fake food. Mini

Listen, you should hire me to make fake food. Miniature slices of pie, gigantic beds of noodles with meatballs, even regular size sandwiches to throw around on stage. Imagination is the only limit!

There's something about making food you can't eat that just doesn't get old for me. Anyway, here's the sandwich I made for Tesla vs Edison. It's painted foam and fabric, handmade bologna that never gets old.

Tesla vs Edison runs through March 12th at @ctr_puppetry_arts

Fun fact, the pop up machine box classroom is base

Fun fact, the pop up machine box classroom is based off a real wood chest in the puppet shop! If you look closely, you can see the original in the background of the process videos.

@rachartmann and @gabbyscenic fabricated the box in the scene shop, then gave it to @thesmithsisdead and me to make the puppets.

These were a relativity fast build compared to the intricate Tesla and Edison puppets, taking days rather than months to fabricate.

I carved the torsos and heads out of foam, surfaced with paper tape and a mixture of spackle and gesso. The hands and feet are wood, the limbs were sewn by @thesmithsisdead, then attached by me with marionette string. There's a magnet in the desk, with a corresponding washer in the hands to make them snap into place. The handles in the back have pins in addition to glue to hold them in place. Live theater means repeated performances and use, so we try to build things as robust as possible.

Ingenious design by @budgrubber

Tesla vs Edison runs through March 12th at @ctr_puppetry_arts

Shout out to everyone who contributed to building

Shout out to everyone who contributed to building the beautiful set for Tesla vs Edison! I'm going to tag some of you, but I don't know everyone. Tag each other in the comments!

I hopped over to the scene shop for a day to help tone bottles to look like they belong in an old workshop and had a great time running wild outside the puppet shop.

Thanks to Technical Director Jeremy Villines, Assoc. TD Chris Moneymaker, and Scenic Charge @gabbyscenic for their beautiful work and great teamwork!

Set designed by Ryan Sbaratta
Show written, designed and directed by @budgrubber

@rachartmann @mhs1202 @jimothythepickle @ash_aka_bing @teeqhilla

📸 @staceybodeheadshots

Here they are, the stars of the show! My first tas

Here they are, the stars of the show! My first task when I got hired on was molding and casting the heads @budgrubber sculpted for Tesla and Edison. Swipe to see the process.

I made matrix molds-- a process where a rigid mold jacket is created first, then filled with silicone to create an inner jacket that has all the detail.

Because puppets need to be as light as possible, the heads are hollow (except for the stunt puppets, which are filled with foam to be more impact resistant). To do the hollow casting, I brushed layers of resin into the open molds and then ran resin along the seams after strapping the halves together.

There's always experimentation to find the best compromise between weight and impact resistance for each puppet, based on how they will be performed. I ended up using 3 different resins on these full size puppets.

Puppets designed, sculpted and painted by @budgrubber

Built and assembled by the puppet shop @thesmithsisdead @trickiivii @jschottstaedt @bigcat.tan @chromybot

Tesla vs Edison runs through March 12th at @ctr_puppetry_arts Don't miss it!

📸 @staceybodeheadshots

As proud as I am of the way this show looks, it's

As proud as I am of the way this show looks, it's nothing without our amazing puppeteers. I can't tell you how cool it is to see our sculpture come to life!

Tesla vs Edison runs through March 12 @ctr_puppetry_arts

📸 @staceybodeheadshots

@budgrubber @alexbburnette @mosegoes @jkrakovsky

Mark Twain appreciation post! Because puppets are

Mark Twain appreciation post! Because puppets are not people, we often make multiples of the same character to perform different actions. In this case, there are 4 Twains, all made for a specific purpose in the show.

Also, I loved making that butterfly. Must flap freely!

The show runs through March 12th. Don't miss it!!

Designed by @budgrubber and built by the puppet shop @thesmithsisdead @trickiivii @jschottstaedt @chromybot @bigcat.tan

📸 @staceybodeheadshots

As a fabrication artist, I work on teams of all si

As a fabrication artist, I work on teams of all sizes under tight deadlines and limited budgets to make magic happen. I'm so incredibly grateful to my coworkers for giving their best, working hard and doing it with kindness.

Our shop manager at the CPA recently moved on to a new job opportunity, and even though she doesn't like being tagged here, I still want to take a minute to publicly thank her for all her hard work over the past decade. Carole, you're an amazing teammate, artist, boss and friend. I've learned so much from you, and even though you're already missed, I'm excited to see where this new path takes you.

Also, I'm making thank-you stickers! If you worked on Tesla vs Edison, I'll send you one in the mail or drop them at the CPA for you to pick up. DM me if you want one, and THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK 💗

Swipe to see the original drawing and thumbnail sketches.

Pigeon. Oh, how we all loved pigeon. Designed by @

Pigeon. Oh, how we all loved pigeon. Designed by @budgrubber to have life-like movement and the sweetest little face, this puppet was a group effort.

I got to sculpt, mold and cast the head and feet. @chromynette worked on the CNC cutting of the body, I assembled them and did the base paint and trigger construction. @thesmithsisdead added the body rings and did the final paint detailing. @mosegoes puppeteered and brought sweet pigeon to life. Puppet show!

Tesla vs Edison runs through March 12th @ctr_puppetry_arts

Set photos by @staceybodeheadshots

You guys, staff preview of Tesla vs Edison last ni

You guys, staff preview of Tesla vs Edison last night was magical. Go get your tickets now! It opens tonight, Feb 22- Mar 12. @budgrubber not only designed, wrote, built and directed the show, he's also performing in it! It's been wonderful seeing his vision come to life.

We all worked really hard and had a great time making beautiful art. This show has been years in the making, and it's rewarding to see it come together. So many people worked to make this happen, but I have to give an extra shout out to my core puppet building crew. You guys made coming into work each day a delight and I'm really proud how of how well we worked together. You're all so talented! I'll be sharing more photos soon!

@thesmithsisdead @jschottstaedt @trickiivii

Tickets for Tesla Vs Edison are on sale now at the

Tickets for Tesla Vs Edison are on sale now at the Center for Puppetry Arts! Feb 22 - Mar 12, 18+ Come see what we've been working on. It's a weird, entertaining, beautiful show. Things light up and transform, and there's the sweetest little pigeon. It's gonna be magic!

I had such a great time at the Fernbank Tiny Doors

I had such a great time at the Fernbank Tiny Doors reveal last night! It's hard to top dinosaurs in terms of cuteness.

8 years ago I met Karen, the artist behind Tiny Doors ATL, at a business workshop. Her first doors were made of wood. I mentioned that I do molding and casting, telling her to reach out if she ever found a need. I didn't think I'd ever hear from her again, but not long after that, she brought me on to mold and cast her doors so that she could make them more durable and grow the project.

Since then, I've worked on countless projects with Karen. Murals, film projects, miniatures, and of course Tiny Doors. The Georgia Aquarium, Botanical Gardens, The Center for Puppetry Arts and so many more of my favorite places. She's become one of my closest friends, and I'm so grateful we've gotten to grow together and continue to grow. Thanks for making me part of your art family, @karenandersonsinger ! You're genuine, hardworking, kind, and so very talented. Let's keep making cool stuff till we're old ladies making cool stuff!!

Another nice day outside painting with friends. Th

Another nice day outside painting with friends. Thanks for having me @gafilms! ☀️🚂🛤️

Rainbow blend 🌈

Rainbow blend 🌈

Load More... Follow on Instagram