Ezra Comes to Life

This year, we are going to be going through the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther on Sunday mornings in our Student Bible classes. I came up with the idea to create some short videos to lead some, if not all, of the lessons. I thought I could use some small sets and do a little stop motion animation as well as live action with props and figures. Since the first lesson starts in a couple weeks (in fact I had to push it back), I am in full speed mode creating the props, sets and figures. I will be using a GoPro for most of the shooting. After I do the first two or three videos, I am going to be inviting the help of some students and adults to help complete the project.

A side goal of working on this for HP, will be that I will make the curriculum available for purchase for other churches. We are looking at about a 26 week curriculum package with lessons, resources and videos.

Here are some pictures of the process so far...

Concept sketches

 

 

Sculpting process...

I used aluminum foil balled up around the end of a nail. The nail will make it so I can turn the figure's head.

Ezra is beginning to take shape.

Esther will be used later on, but here head and figure are almost complete.

I use a heavy steel wire for the armature. The heads can be removed from the bodies so that I can use them for other characters.

 

Ezra's House:

 



Girl Sock Monkey

So, here's another attempt at a sock monkey.  This time I went more modern with bright girly colors.  I made this one for my niece Taylor.

Sock Monkeys

So, growing up my brothers and I loved stuffed animals.  Most of our stuffed animals were monkeys, either sock monkeys or the chimpanzee looking ones, based after Zippy the monkey on the Howdy Doody Show.  Since we played rough with our toys, they would rip them or their seams would burst, so Mom taught us how to repair them.  I remember early in my childhood, doing "surgery" to repair the gaping wounds that my animals came to recieve.  Later as I got older, I made puppets for use in Children's ministry and would just create projects by hand, alongside all the other mediums I would use.  Along the way, I even made a few sock monkeys, getting better each time I made one.  We were at Hobby Lobby last month, and I saw the package of Red Heel socks that you use to make sock monkeys, and I thought I would give it a go.  I was going for the vintage look, these toys have been around since the early 1900's.  I was real happy with how it turned out and a few people have asked me to make them one.  So, meet my latest creation.  Ollie the sock monkey:

Here's what he started as! A pair of socks!