Inspector CLEARS-EAU
A novelty puppet who's sole purpose is to wipe any rain off the play board before the show starts.
He is quite shamelessly inspired by Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau when he is in disguise as a Salty Sea Dog.
My character is also inspired by my good friend and fellow Punch Clubster
Joe told me he was going to make a similar puppet to my 'Mitzy'.
Joe said his play board cleaning puppet would have a 'So'wester' on as his show is on Swanage beach.
Even though I'm not at the seaside, a character in waterproofs seems like an idea well worth stealing. Joe is a good sport, he said OK
Simple pine wood was used for the head. No need to use up my limited supply of Lime wood on a novelty character.
Rough and ready shapes, inspired by the Clouseau, but not slavishly copying.
Also deliciously asymmetrical : I'm not a fan of rigidly symmetrical faces.
As he will be a simple stick-puppet, or 'Marrotte'... the next thing he needs is an actual stick to control him.
Another reason not to use precious Lime wood for carving this head, was that I knew I would be augmenting the sculpt with a fair bit of pulp for extra quirkiness.
So far he has been a very quick puppet to make.
This is good as he is an extra addition to the cast I am making for the 2025 season.
I really don't have time to be building him at all.
So it's best to bash him out quickly.
I'm very happy with these fast results for one afternoon of work.
Now I can sketch up how he might look finished using Procreate on my ipad.
This rough sketch lets me know I will need to make a slot in the top of his head for the umbrella.
Trim off the excess plywood and hollow out some of the back to keep the weight down.
Extend the control stick and add shoulders.
Also the start of the umbrella slot in the head.
With the long hair and hat, he doesn't actually need a back to his head.
So he is now ready to paint.
A great haul for £12 at the Salvation Army Charity Shop in Lichfield.
Even got another puppy dog toy to add to Toby Dogs gang of dogs for this Summer.
There were two balls of wool in complimentary colour and texture that will be perfect for his hair.
Time to make him a fabric body. Now I've found the red and white stripe knotted jersey fabric for his jumper, I can use similar printed cotton stripe for his inner body and get a nice match up.
It's a matter of personal pride that the inside of any puppet is smart and presentable, and also coordinates with some element of the outer costume.
As always my makers Label and D-Ring for hanging up the puppet.
Now the head and body sections can be bought together and fixed with glue and metal tacks.
These teeny tiny kids trousers hardly needed any alterations at all to fit ClearsEau.
Little fabric pouches of pillow wadding are used on his test tummy and back shoulder areas to give his body a nice realistic shape.
Then the torso part of his shirt is added over the padding.
The shirt is sewn securely to the underbody, and the trousers are sewn to the shirt.
Jointed arms are sewn through the two holes in his plywood shoulders.
Then the red and white striped sleeves can be put over the long arms.
I just pinned the yellow waterproof fabric in place to see how a jacket might look.
I will make the jacket later, first I want to make his hat.
This Sainsbury's bag has just the right colour and texture to make a wonderful hat.
If you want to make your own puppets, then at some stage you are going to have to acquire some tailoring and dressmaking skills. It's as much a part of the job as carving or sculpting or painting.
Making miniature clothes can be fiddly work , but lots of fun !
The costumes contribute as much to the overall 'Character' as the faces.
Time to join the arms together, add the control rod and pad to take the wipe cloth.
This space at the back of his head has a strong magnet fitted into it .
The corresponding magnet is on the plywood strip that inserts into this slot.
Later the toy umbrella can be incorporated onto the plywood strip.
Or another strip made for a rubber parrot to fix to - or any prop that might be funny or topical at any given season.
This way versatility and future flexibility is 'built-in'.
Right now he does look like he is finished.
But there is still quite a lot to do.
His hat is not fixed on , and I would like to rework his moustache so that it sticks out sideways a bit more.
Also he need the slot and magnet fixing at the back of his head to take the umbrella prop.
Little details like straps for his jacket really help the overall look.
For now that's him all done.
Nearer the Summer I will sort the umbrella to go on top of his head.
But there are a few other new puppets needing to be completed first.
So much to do !