The tail end.
Imaginary Invalid closed on Sunday, so the show's run managed to beat me to the finish of this tail-making saga. Nevertheless, here's the final conclusion, or as i like to say, the tail end!
If you need a refresher on what's happened so far, the whole thing began with a two-part post on the silicone/spandex process by which third-year graduate student Adrienne Corral created a set of lizard skin samples, an effect which was ultimately not used, as the designer elected to go with actual leather instead. Those are here and here.
Next, we looked at how the tail skeleton went together with aluminum conduit and hose clamps.
This most recent post addresses how the embossed alligator hide got turned into the skin for the skeleton.
Now, finally, let's get to the finishing work!
Recall that this entire process, we had been working on the structure based on the information that it needed to be capable of being altered to fit multiple performers, that this person would be crossing the stage and possibly running or climbing, and the tail's movement needed to be as realistic as possible.
As a crafts artisan, you have to be very flexible with new script development, and be able to roll with the changes as deftly as possible. I think by the time we opened, we had been asked whether the tail could go on three different actors, and at one point it was even potentialy going to be cut altogether.
Operating with the understanding that the wearer was running and possibly climbing in it, and that the skin had to be this leather hide, we had engineered the skeleton to be as lightweight as possible, and created it in segments so that the movement could remain as sinuous as possible (think about those hinged wooden snake toys).
In tech, the exploration of the performance turned out such that the wearer now needed to recline on the ground, wrap the tail around his leg, and run offstage. Our efforts to minimize the weight and maintain the sinuous movement however meant that the structure was not engineered to support this new movement--the tail segments collapsed and looked stupid when the actor lay down or bent the tail manually himself.
In a longer production period, or in a world where we have time travel, given these kinds of new movements, ideally re-engineering the entire tail concept would be in order. When this type of situation arises during Saturday of tech weekend, that's when you really have to get creative! We didn't have the budget or time to make a new skeleton or any different configuration of the leather "skin," so I decided we really just needed to find a way to stuff the tail as quickly as possible, with as lightweight but sturdy material as possible, with a minimum of deconstruction.
First, we skinned the tail back to its pointy tip. I had a couple of assistants begin cubing scrap couch foam for the stuffing--couch foam (or urethane foam) is a good combination of lightweight and sturdy, and best of all it was free.
Next I patterned a large "tube sock" from green spandex that would drop down around the skeleton and contain the stuffing. We secured the tube sock to the bottom-most hose-clamp, and began working upward, segment by segment: stuff the sock from clamp to clamp, whipstitch it down to the next set of "ribs," then reattach the leather over top. Repeat. At this point, the tail production was a free-for-all pile-up--every person in the entire shop had their hands on it at one point or another in order to get it done.
Second-year graduate Candy McClernan whipstitches a section of the "snake sock" to the frame.
Do we know how to have fun or what? Third-year Adrienne Corral and first-year Colleen Dobson illustrate just how big a man-sized lizard tail is.
But wait. Remember this spine research image?
Because the tail is still not yet done!
Spines sculpted from paper clay dry after a base coat of paint.
I did a number of tests on how best to attach the spines: epoxy, cyanoacrylate, tack-backs bachelor-button style. Then I put each sample (one spine attached to a scrap square of our alligator hide) through some vigorous punishment, stepping on it, kicking it, banging it against the wall. These spines couldn't be dropping off in the middle of performance! Ultimately what worked the best was the combination of a bachelor-button tack-back reinforced with Super Glue.
But wait! Remember this color research image? Adrienne still had to do a final dye and paint process on the finished tail to get it the exact right color, now that it was an existing finished thing.
Close-up of the tail segments and spines.
A view showing the join between segments...you would never know there was a giant foam-stuffed snake-sock in there, would you?
The finished tail hangs in the dressing room, awaiting its big debut.
And that's it! Done! Finis!
If you need a refresher on what's happened so far, the whole thing began with a two-part post on the silicone/spandex process by which third-year graduate student Adrienne Corral created a set of lizard skin samples, an effect which was ultimately not used, as the designer elected to go with actual leather instead. Those are here and here.
Next, we looked at how the tail skeleton went together with aluminum conduit and hose clamps.
This most recent post addresses how the embossed alligator hide got turned into the skin for the skeleton.
Now, finally, let's get to the finishing work!
Recall that this entire process, we had been working on the structure based on the information that it needed to be capable of being altered to fit multiple performers, that this person would be crossing the stage and possibly running or climbing, and the tail's movement needed to be as realistic as possible.
As a crafts artisan, you have to be very flexible with new script development, and be able to roll with the changes as deftly as possible. I think by the time we opened, we had been asked whether the tail could go on three different actors, and at one point it was even potentialy going to be cut altogether.
Operating with the understanding that the wearer was running and possibly climbing in it, and that the skin had to be this leather hide, we had engineered the skeleton to be as lightweight as possible, and created it in segments so that the movement could remain as sinuous as possible (think about those hinged wooden snake toys).
In tech, the exploration of the performance turned out such that the wearer now needed to recline on the ground, wrap the tail around his leg, and run offstage. Our efforts to minimize the weight and maintain the sinuous movement however meant that the structure was not engineered to support this new movement--the tail segments collapsed and looked stupid when the actor lay down or bent the tail manually himself.
In a longer production period, or in a world where we have time travel, given these kinds of new movements, ideally re-engineering the entire tail concept would be in order. When this type of situation arises during Saturday of tech weekend, that's when you really have to get creative! We didn't have the budget or time to make a new skeleton or any different configuration of the leather "skin," so I decided we really just needed to find a way to stuff the tail as quickly as possible, with as lightweight but sturdy material as possible, with a minimum of deconstruction.
First, we skinned the tail back to its pointy tip. I had a couple of assistants begin cubing scrap couch foam for the stuffing--couch foam (or urethane foam) is a good combination of lightweight and sturdy, and best of all it was free.
Next I patterned a large "tube sock" from green spandex that would drop down around the skeleton and contain the stuffing. We secured the tube sock to the bottom-most hose-clamp, and began working upward, segment by segment: stuff the sock from clamp to clamp, whipstitch it down to the next set of "ribs," then reattach the leather over top. Repeat. At this point, the tail production was a free-for-all pile-up--every person in the entire shop had their hands on it at one point or another in order to get it done.
Second-year graduate Candy McClernan whipstitches a section of the "snake sock" to the frame.
Do we know how to have fun or what? Third-year Adrienne Corral and first-year Colleen Dobson illustrate just how big a man-sized lizard tail is.
But wait. Remember this spine research image?
Because the tail is still not yet done!
Spines sculpted from paper clay dry after a base coat of paint.
I did a number of tests on how best to attach the spines: epoxy, cyanoacrylate, tack-backs bachelor-button style. Then I put each sample (one spine attached to a scrap square of our alligator hide) through some vigorous punishment, stepping on it, kicking it, banging it against the wall. These spines couldn't be dropping off in the middle of performance! Ultimately what worked the best was the combination of a bachelor-button tack-back reinforced with Super Glue.
But wait! Remember this color research image? Adrienne still had to do a final dye and paint process on the finished tail to get it the exact right color, now that it was an existing finished thing.
Close-up of the tail segments and spines.
A view showing the join between segments...you would never know there was a giant foam-stuffed snake-sock in there, would you?
The finished tail hangs in the dressing room, awaiting its big debut.
And that's it! Done! Finis!