This past weekend was a good one for me as I got a lot of work done on one of my custom characters for this years haunt (new pictures coming soon.) We are adding a traveling gypsy carnival to Grimlock Manor this year. Last year we introduced the carnival theme ever so slightly into our always evolving storyline. We created one room dedicated to the carnival and everyone seemed to like it so much that this year it will be a full attraction apart from the mansion walkthrough we have been doing the past 3 years. So two shows in one!
I want to give a nod to Craig Schriber AKA Devils Chariot of both Haunted Tiki Island and this past years haunt The Haunt at Hellizondo. It was Craigs amazing work on his Russian themed Carnival of Risk that inspired the drive in me to do my own version. He and his minions do an amazing, AMAZING, job so if you haven't seen The Haunt at Hellizondo yet then go check it out HERE.
One of my biggest goals this year for the haunt is to really bring it to life with some custom made characters. We will of course have plenty of live actors but it's always nice to have those few static props to catch the eye of your patrons and for me it's fun to build them and learn new techniques as I go.
While looking for some inspiration I came across a wonderful Character Design artist by the name of Thomas Kuebler. Thomas spent over two and a half decades working in the corporate world of toy design prototyping and bringing robots to life in the animatronics field. Eventually Thomas set forth on a mission to bring the world inside his head to life by creating his very own highly detailed life size characters. His characters now have homes in various museums, private collections and have been featured in publications like Spectrum and Rue Morgue magazines.
I love the lifelike feel of his characters. Each character easily tells a story of their own and you can get lost in the amount of detail that Thomas puts into each of them from the clothing to each little unique accessory and prop that accompanies them. Below are only a few examples of his work but I invite you to take a look at his entire gallery on his WEBSITE and read more about Thomas and his work. I hope it inspires you to take a stab at making your own characters for your haunt this year as well!
3 comments:
Woah - These are great! I especially like the one with the puppet. Looking at that does bring a few story ideas to mind!
Cool Justine! Glad you liked them, there are some even better ones on his website!
I have wanted to buy one of his sculptures for years. When I win the lottery its going to be the first thing I buy.
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