In this blog post, you’ll get to “Meet The Illustrator”. The person who creates our wonderful images for all our Christmas productions with DerbyLIVE and this year’s summer outdoor adventure for families, “Here Be Dragons!”
Welcome, Andy. He runs Karate Graphics based at Friar Gate in Derby. I got to ask him some questions and here’s what he said:
What inspires your Creativity? I am often inspired by something that will catch my eye or things that stand out from the normal. Quirky cartoons and stories, popular culture.. Things that are a little bit macabre too! Visually I try to keep abreast of what other illustrators are doing. Growing up I was a big fan of the Tintin and Asterisk books and these still influence me today.
Andy’s initial sketch drawings for “Here Be Dragons!”
How did you become an Illustrator? I have always loved drawing. I studied fine art at college and then went on to complete city and guilds and evening classes in desktop publishing, Web design, Illustrator (software) and Photoshop. I then got unpaid work illustrating a magazine and from that set up my own graphic design company which eventually became me doing my illustrations!
Andy’s initial sketch drawings for “Here Be Dragons!”
What Type of Projects do you enjoy and why? I enjoy most of the work I do. I enjoy working in a variety of styles as I think it keeps the work fresh. Projects, where I have some creative influence, can be nice as opposed to “draw this like this”. But, those too are rewarding in there own way.
Andy’s initial sketch drawings for “Here Be Dragons!”
Looking back, what advice would you have given yourself when you were just starting out in your career? I guess I probably wouldn’t have listened to myself, but I’ll have a go: Learn to take criticism – not everyone’s vision is the same and if someone is paying you, they’re the boss! Having said that people will come to you because they like what you do. Buy a tablet and pen for your Mac about 2 years before you did.
Andy’s initial colour sketch for “Here Be Dragons!”
If you love Andy’s work as much as we do you can follow him on Instagram “Karate Grafika” or email him info@karategraphics.com
Babbling vagabonds have been lucky enough to work with Buxton International Festival and Buxton Fringe Festival on an outreach project for Primary Schools in Buxton. This project would celebrate the festivals 40th years and use Saint Saens “Carnival of the Animals” as inspiration to create large puppets.
The idea behind the project was to inspire and ignite creativity in local year 5 pupils. The outcome would then be part of the Buxton Carnival Parade in July. Then displayed around town in the lead up to Northern Chamber Orchestra’s performance of “Carnival of the Animals” during the Buxton International Festival.
The Design
Using the theme Carnival of the Animals by composer Saint Saens we decided to choose four animals from the music he created. We designed the large puppets with the idea that they would be processed in Buxton Carnival this summer.
Carnival of the Animals: Initial sketch ideas
Working in Schools
We then assigned each animal to a School and gave ourselves the challenge of creating these in one day. Working with around 10 school children at a time in short sessions we were able to construct a large puppet through the course of a school day. The impact was significant. The groups who worked on the animals in the first session could hardly believe the transformation of their work.
Fish for the Aquarium
Turtle
Bird Puppets
Rooster
Babbling Vagabonds ended up working with over 200 children, over four days, in four local Schools. The children work collaboratively and helped shape the finished sculptures. They gained new skills and were empowered by what they had created. It was a very positive experience for us as artists and the schools. It was certainly an ambitious project in the timescale but everyone rose to the challenge. We are proud of how the children worked as a team to create these wonderful large puppets. I can’t wait to see them come to life in the carnival this summer.
We are so excited to be performing at a brand new venue this summer. We are setting our Here Be Dragons family outdoor experience against the incredible backdrop of Heage Windmill near Belper. This unique historic building is the only working six-sailed stone tower windmill in England. Be sure to check out their website to find out about some of the events they put on there and the guided tours around the windmill itself via this link.
Heage Windmill
We’d love to see you this summer and share more memory making moments with you and your family. To get your tickets click on the links below. Hope you can make it. Tell your friends too. The tickets for these events are very limited as we wan to keep it intimate and personal, so do book ahead.
This month sees us working with year 5 pupils across Buxton schools to create carnival inspired animals for the annual parade in Buxton on the 13th July.
Working in partnership with Buxton International Festival and Buxton Fringe Festival and using Saint-Sans as inspiration we hope to turn some heads this summer.
Don’t forget to follow us on the usual social media channels to see more of what we are up too. Facebook has changed their algorithms for business pages so be sure to click on our page as we might not be showing in your news feed.
Turtle
Mask Making
Buxton International Festival would like as many families as possible to come dressed up for their Carnival of Animals performance on Saturday 20th July. If you fancy having a go at making a mask follow this “How To” video. They’d love to see your creations.
Head to our YouTube Channeland you will find videos to make a simple lion mask and bird mask. Happy dabbling!
“How to” mask making tutorial
Our Creative Process
New blog posts in the pipeline! I will let you know via our newsletter of the developments.
Ever wondered how we create our work. Head to our website and read our blogs. Under the heading, ‘ Our Process’ there are posts about how we write the story,design for the stage,puppet making and songwriting.
We are pleased to announce that our new summer adventure for families will be part of Buxton Fringe Festival, Derby Parks Summer Program with DerbyLIVE and a venue in Belper. (TBC)
Seek us out in Grin Low Woods (Pooles Cavern), Buxton from Sat 20- Wed 24 July. Find us in Markeaton Park Craft Village Mon 5- Sat 10 Aug. You can buy tickets now!
This summer we are creating a unique experience for families titled “Here Be Dragons!” For this new adventure, we are drawing inspiration from those unchartered areas of maps where beasts and serpents may dwell.
Ever tangled with a five-headed Hottle-Spottle with a toothache? Or soothed a silver-tongued slimp-slatherer with a drooling problem? Meet the secretive ‘Creature Carers’ and help them to conjure a story to becalm a bewildered beastie.
Happy 40th!
We are excited to announce that we will be working with Buxton International Festival and Buxton Fringe in a schools project to celebrate their 40th anniversaries. We will be creating something wonderful with local school children for Buxton Carnival and BIF performance of Saint- Saens Carnival of the Animals and we will share our progress via our newsletter and our usual social media platforms. Can’t wait to see how this project develops.
A great resource for anyone living in or near Belper with a young family. From articles on early learning, recipes and a full listing of local activities and eateries it’s definitely something to have on hand.
This summer we are creating a unique experience for families titled “Here Be Dragons!” For this new adventure, we are drawing inspiration from those unchartered areas of maps where beasts and serpents may dwell.
Ever tangled with a five-headed Hottle-Spottle with a toothache? Or soothed a silver-tongued slimp-slatherer with a drooling problem? Meet the secretive ‘Monster Menders’ and help them to conjure a story to becalm a bewildered beastie.
We will let you know the full details of the tour as it develops.
Our Theatre Adventures Reaching New Heights
Last month we spent time at Greentop Community Circus working out and formulating ideas for a new project. With the help of Claire Crook, circus artist AKA Madam Mango, and Teo Greenstreet from Greentop Circus Centre in Sheffield and Ian Morley at Barnsley Civic Theatre we have been working on a new project idea with the aim to produce a circus production suitable for families which will premiere in 2020. Next will be the task of teasing out the story from our initial ideas and seeking out the funds to realise this shared creative adventure.
Head to this website and sign up for the newsletter if ever you need a bit of inspiration when it comes to entertaining the kids with art, play and sensory learning
The fairy lights have only just been packed away and already, for us, Christmas is in the air. We have the task this year of writing a brand new story all about a Christmas Toy Shop. Where will our creativity take us? Who or what might be the next hero of our story? Rest assured if you follow us, you can follow our story as we journey on our next adventure together.
Some families have thrown caution to the wind and already booked their seats to see The Christmas Toy Shop Mystery. So if you want the best seats in the house then head to DerbyLIVE to buy your tickets.
New Adventures Planned for 2019
We are busy working on new ideas for the future. We are already thinking of the summer and submitting funding bids so we can take families on yet more memory making magical adventures. This year could see the rise of Dragons!
A 10 minute award winning animation about a hedgehog defending his home from a fox, a wolf, a bear and a wild boar. A story that reminds us there is no place like home.
When we compose our music for our productions, the process starts around our kitchen table. Not highly technical I know, but all we need is a space to be creative and the kitchen table seems to work well enough for the germination of ideas. Our musical friends come together and we give ourselves a day to do most of the groundwork for the songwriting. This has to be one of my favourite days on our calendar.
Playing Out Ideas With Music
Playing with Ideas
Within the story, we will look for the scenes that would benefit from a song or music. Often a song can take you on a journey, explain more of the storyline and convey emotion in a different way than just dialogue. Once we have figured that out and talked about what the song needs to do within that scene we will start playing with ideas. I see it as a bit like writing poetry, looking for rhyming words and finding flow within music and the words on the page. Sometimes a melody will come first and the words are written to fit the tune. Other times words just tumble out and a rhythm is then found to accompany the words.
Writing The Songs
It’s about listening to one another. Responding to the moment and not being afraid of putting an idea forward for it to be used or rejected. Some songs I find spine-tingling straight from the off. That excites me, wondering how it will feel when it’s sung out into an auditorium of people.
Music Making – Playing Chords
Some songs compose themselves quicker than others while some songs need more time to develop. This is after all only the beginning of the process. Matt Vale, our musical Director will then develop the musical score into something even more magical. In rehearsals, the actors put their own creativity into the songs so it then transforms into very much a shared collaborative process.
The music making process couldn’t happen without the creative input of Matt Vale, Rob Vale, James Swinburn and Bob Rushton and to them, I feel indebted.
Where do we start in puppet making? In our process, it starts with the story. Everything starts with a story! Once we have that we start to imagine what, where and when the puppet(s) may add to the visual storytelling. Can we add a puppet to help tell a section of the story? Take us on an otherwise impossible journey? Fly through the air, fight a deep sea monster or fall from an enchanted tower.
Types of Puppets We Use
Once those questions have been answered, then we have to decide what style of puppet we need. We tend to enjoy the use of shadow puppetry, tabletop puppetry and object manipulation.
Shadow puppets are just as it suggests, puppets that block light casting a shadow onto a screen or wall. We sometimes add colour and use 3D landscapes to give depth to a shadow sequence. Tabletop puppets are handheld. They need a platform to be seen by the audience, hence the name. Object manipulation is just that, using the same techniques as we use with a table top puppet but using found objects. A suitcase becomes a mouth of a crocodile or a screwed up sheet of paper an old grannies face.
Designing When Puppet Making
Sketches are drawn, ideas are gathered and once we have the feel for the puppet we make further drawings before we start to construct it.
Initial Dinosaur Sketch
From these sketches, we develop the puppet into mock-up made of screwed up brown paper and cardboard. If you ever want to try this always add eyes (we have a drawer full of ping pong balls) as it makes everything come alive. This quick 3D version gives us a greater understanding of size and movability.
Puppet Making In Its Roughest Form
Next Stages of Puppet Making
In this production, we have come to the conclusion that we need more than one puppet for the same character. This is because the puppet needs to do different things in different scenes.
We use clay to sculpt a version of our final idea from all the sketches we have made.
From this, we create a pattern. The clay version is covered in cling film and then masking tape. When its all covered, we cut it off and make a flat pattern. The finished pieces work in the same way as a dress makers pattern. Using an Over Head Projector we can scale up the pattern to any size.
The pattern is then cut from closed cell foam, it is just like camping mats, only more robust. All the pieces are glued together and the form can come together quickly.
Pattern Making When Puppet Making
Any fiddly bits are sculpted from larger blocks of foam and then we piece it all together. We work out the jointing system for the legs and head and figure out the mechanism needed to make any moving parts. It always takes longer than we think and is a challenge to make it move right but when it’s finished it is lightweight, strong and will hopefully stand up to the physical use within the run of the production.
Working Out The Moving Parts
Last Steps in Puppet Making
Once we are happy with the overall look and construction the last job is to paint it. Various sealants, primers and paints are used to create the finished puppet. Often perceptions of how it will be painted changes as the puppet forms and its character emerges. But working the way we do means we have the flexibility to make changes all the time. Many mistakes are made along the way, but its all about working together and solving the challenges that arise when puppet making.
One Of The Finished Puppets
Designing this puppet has been fun, but it has been a difficult process. Problem-solving has rated highly on this project. Mark has been the real brains behind all the working out and I’ve taken the lead on the fabrication and painting element of this puppet making process. Our budgets are never grand and we are always thinking of ways to make things cheaper. We reuse as much material as we can and always look at what we have in stock before buying any materials.
Time is another great factor. It’s a longer process than you might imagine. Many of our puppets are priceless due to the simple fact of the number of hours it has taken to produce a puppet which may only be onstage for a few minutes. When the puppets are finished you can always see room for improvement and what you would do differently next time. But that’s the great thing about puppet making. You are always learning.
This October half term we are with DerbyLIVE running workshops for kids aged 3-11 at Markeaton Park Craft Village. It’s a fun interactive workshop that will provide some rip-roaring fun for your little raptors! You can book tickets via DerbyLIVE
Our Christmas Production
Christmas Countdown
Can’t believe I’ve used the c-word. Yes, Christmas is on its way. We are already thinking about the festive season and have started making the puppets for the show. If you want to know more about our process look out for more blog posts on our website. There’ll be one on puppet making very soon.
The team at DerbyLIVE have informed us that ticket sales are already going well, and some performances are already limited tickets. (It’s only October!) So if you fancy a seasonal treat come and say hello to us at The Guildhall this December. Book your tickets from the DerbyLIVE website
Mark sketches ideas for The Dinosaur That Came For Christmas
Designing Our Shows
If you fancy knowing more about how we design our shows head to our website and check out our latest blog posts where we give you insight into our process.
This is a great person to follow especially on Pinterest and Instagram. She is an award-winning blogger and full of inspirational craft ideas for children.
The Babbling Vagabonds design process starts with the story we want to tell and a big sketchbook. We talk about the story and the scenes within it, the characters and the locations. Ideas are important at this stage and we try not to limit our creativity. It’s very much a collaborative process between the three of us. We are not afraid of being wrong when we voice ideas and to be honest I think the three of us have a very special relationship. We don’t censor our creativity, anything is up for discussion.
Getting ideas and thoughts on a page
Pinterest is a good source of inspiration for us and we have a shared board for the story. We look at characters types, environments, costume and Pin anything we think is relevant to our story.
Storyboarding Ideas
A storyboard of the essential action is drafted. We find creative ways in which to make the locations and where scenes can take place. There is usually only four actors in our Christmas show and whatever is designed has to take that into account.
Mark sketches a storyboard for The Dinosaur That Came For Christmas
Making the Model – The World of the Story
This will be our 6th production at The Guildhall Theatre in Derby, we know space well and how to get the best from it. We don’t have to worry about touring the production and making the set fit in different venues, this means we can design a set that is bespoke to the venue. We have a scale model of the theatre and its within this miniature space that we start to realise the ideas from our sketchbooks.
Starting To Make A Model
Making the model is all about playing. It is about seeing design ideas in a three-dimensional form and within this part of the process that you can see if an idea is going to work. We never see things as a problem, always as a challenge, and through design we find solutions. The model helps to see the theatre space as a whole and its often at this stage where you start to understand how certain scenes within the story will play out.
The Beginnings of a Model for The Dinosaur That Came For Christmas
The model box changes all the time as we search for the ultimate design. Pieces are thrown away to make way for more exciting ideas and solutions. It is a vital part of the design process and an amazing way of sharing our vision. Colour becomes an integral element of the modelling stage and brings together all the elements of the design. The colour palette really helps when we venture into the next stage of building the set. Working as we do means we are flexible and have the ability to adapt throughout the whole process as things may change…again, and again and again.
