TheBreadsmasher

Happy Birthday Coraline

2012-02-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

OK, it may not be official or anything, but it is the 3 year Anniversary of the release date of Coraline in theaters. I received the Collectors Edition box for Christmas this year. It is definitely something to add to the collection for the die-hard fan, but for the average fan, the normal Blu-Ray would suffice. What I liked about this gift set was the little book and the four post cards. The other little bonus was the new Disc images. But the thrills stop there. The discs are stored in cardboard sleeves, and with regular use can only mean wear and tear on your discs. There are no extra special features or added bonus discs that would have made this gift awesome. You just get a large box (which takes up too much room on my shelf), with a cool 3D image on front, a pull out drawer with your loose discs, four post cards (that will never be used as such) and a little booklet that covers everything that you learn from watching the special features. The 3D glasses is nothing special, as you get them with the regular set. So, a little disappointing in the end. I have thought about switching out these discs with the ones in my original set as I like the new images that much better.
The only disc set that I don't own is the new 3D version (not the one with the blue and red 3D glasses, the OTHER-3D Version). It would be worth getting a 3D TV and blu-ray just to watch this again in its original 3D.

Paranorman

2011-11-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

I just came across a new Laika movie called ParaNorman on Vera Brosgol’s blog. Watching the teaser trailer I am excited to see it. I love the colors, textures, and great props (monster toothbrush). It is set to release August 2012 which is a long time from now, but I look forward to seeing more on this movie in the mean time.

Watching the trailer again and again, and reading the brief plot line provided by Laika, it sounds like a boy named Norman can see and speak to ghosts in his town. This probably lends towards is fascination with all things monster and zombie. I assume that a ghost (probably the one in the theater poster) tells Norman about a curse on the town, and then spends a good deal researching it and trying to uncover its mysteries. He comes upon seven victims (Pilgrims) who where killed by the curse, and locates their grave site. Upon arrival, the seven Pilgrims come back from the dead as zombies and scare the town. Norman must break the curse that has been on the town for generations. I had to look up the director and writer as I wasn't familiar with their names, Chris Butler, and Sam Fell. They have done some interesting stories before, so I look forward to see what they have done with this film.

Speaking of Vera Brosgol, she came out with a new book, Anya's Ghost. Looks like I have to pick myself up a copy.

Nightmare Before Christmas Salt and Pepper Shaker

2011-10-31T13:19:00.001-07:00

Halloween is upon us once again and I needed a few more props around the house for decor. The trouble with Halloween decorations that you find in stores is that they are all garbage. Everytime I go shoping for Props for Halloween, I walk in the store, look at all their stuff, and walk out empty handed. Sometimes when you want something good you have to make it yourself. So, for inspiration, I popped in my Nightmare Before Christmas Blu-Ray and found a salt and pepper shakers that I have not yet done. I pulled out my sculpty clay, formed it around some foil, baked and painted. It was a quick and easy craft that looks great on the shelf.

Mel Jones Cell Phone Replica

2011-07-09T19:18:00.001-07:00

Another little item to add to my Coraline collection, Mrs. Jone's cell phone! It is the cell phone that Coraline finds on the front seat of the VW Bug after her parents had been taken by the Beldam. I recognize the phone being T-Mobile, and started my search there. It didn't take long to find that the phone was based off Samsungs Stripe. I picked up a broken phone on ebay pretty cheap, which was fine as I didn't have any use for it, other than for it to just sit there. I bought some pink model paint and a small precision screw driver to make the transition to Mrs. Jones phone. I had to take the phone apart to properly paint it. It had 7 little screws to take out and was snapped together. Once I got the phone apart, I masked off the areas I didn't want to paint, then applied three coats of the pink. Once it had properly dried, I put the phone back together, and I was finished. I am not sure if I will take it apart again to add the blue flower image to the screen, only time will tell. All and all I am happy how it turned out.

Detroit Zoo Snow Globe Part 1

2010-12-02T11:02:00.001-08:00

The Detroit Zoo Snow Globe has become a fan favorite. The Detroit Zoo had not previously released a snow globe similar to the one seen in Coraline, but due its popularity, they are now and they are available in either the gift shop or by phone (248) 541-5717 ext. 3274). Here is an interesting article about creating the snow globe.
The Detroit Zoo Snow Globe isn't identical to the screen used prop, so I think I am going to make one for myself. I will pick up a 'Make-your-own-snow-globe' kit, sculpt the bears and fountain, mold it, cast it, paint it, and slap it together. Should make for an interesting new project. The prop does appear
to have subtle differences between each scale the globe was made in. The larger globe has more detail then the smaller one obviously. So I will have to take some creative license in re-creating it. Progress pics as I go (Probably wont be soon). Maybe someday my wife and I will visit the Detroit Zoo and re-create the picture of Coraline and her family in front of the fountain.

Coraline at PDX

2010-12-01T08:33:00.001-08:00

My wife and I where traveling this year to Mississippi for Thanksgiving to visit her grandparents for my first time. We flew out of Portland Airport. After passing through security, we grabbed a cup of coffee at the coffee shop there, and immediately to the right was a display about 3D innovation. It covered the beginnings of 3D, to how it is today. Included in the display were 3D photos and even 3D prototyping using 3D printers. It was pretty cool in of it self, but as I was about to walk away, I looked back and something caught my eye. I walked back to the display, and at the very end, hiding in the dark was a puppet and set from the Movie Coraline. In fact, it was Coraline in her 'shopping' outfit, the cat, and the ¼ scale of the Other Garden that I am sure was used in the scene where Coraline and the Other-Father are flying over the garden. I cannot believe that I almost missed it. It was honestly the highlight of my trip. I didn’t have my camera handy at the time, but I made sure to take pictures when we got back. I could have stood there for hours looking at it, but I could tell my wife wanted to leave. It was a real treat to see these in person.

Angel Taxidermy Scotty Dogs

2010-11-10T15:14:00.001-08:00

Inspired by my previous posts, I went back to try to ID the Angel winged Scotty dogs. We see two walls, each holding three shelves with three dogs on each shelf, for a total of eighteen dogs. The top row, the dogs are facing right, on second row they are facing left, and the bottom row they are facing right again. There is also a consistency of appearance of each row. The top row shows the dogs with their tongues sticking out, second row the dogs appear to be praying, and the third row the dogs have harps as well as reddish-orange noses.The dogs that have been ID'd are (in no particular order) Hamish III, Hamish IV, Hamish VI, Hamish VII, Hamish VIII, Hamish IX, Angus II, Angus III, Angus IV, Angus V, Angus VII, Angus IX, Jock I, Jock II, Jock III, Jock IV, and Jock's second cousin thrice (twice?) removed. Assuming there are six dogs for each name, then I am missing a Jock to complete my total. I would need some Hi-res images to see if I can ID where each dog is located on the selves themselves.
I first assumed that each row was all one dog. In other words, the top row is Hamish, the second row is Angus and the third row is Jock. However, close-up they appear to be mismatched. There could be a Jock, Hamish and Angus on each row (more likely the case).
If the number of each dog is any correlation to how many dogs they owned, then I can only assume that the current dogs are Angus X, Hamish X, and Jock X. If this is true, then where are the other nine dogs? Maybe someone who worked on Coraline would know.

UPDATE:
I have since gone back to look at my Blu-Ray to see if I could make out which dogs were on which shelves. My conclusion is when we see the Close up shots of Hamish II, Angus IX, and Jock III, that they must have been filmed separately, as they don't have any correlation with the above image of the right wall.
With that said, on the Right Wall, Top row, going left to right are yet unknown. Second row going left to right are Jock I, Hamish ?, Angus V. Third row, going left to right is Angus IX, Hamish VI, Hamish VIII.
Now, what is interesting, is when we see a closer shot of this wall, the dogs are different.
Third row going left to right are Jock III, Angus III, & Jock IV. Confusing I know.
My theory, is that there were two different sets of the basement made, filmed at different locations, and each set the dogs were in a different order. Or, we are seeing a flipped negative to match the direction of the characters, and are actually seeing the right wall in some shots, and the left wall in others. My other thought is the set could have been reconstructed at a later time and the dogs were put in the wrong order for the pick up shots. Whatever the reason, they are not consistent. On a fun note, while I was watching the dogs during this scene, you can see Jock IV move a couple of times.

Original Coraline Movie Puppets

2010-11-10T09:08:00.001-08:00

I did a quick search on the website to see if they had anymore Coraline props. They had/have a few signed items, a pair of Nike Dunks ($400), and some more puppets. Included is another Other-Scotty dog, a Other-Jumping mouse and a second Taxidermy Scotty Dog Hamish VIII.

It is really neat, if nothing else, to see some close up photos of each of the puppets. I enjoy studying the details that the artists put into each puppet, hopefully to try to re-create it for myself. I'll have to go back to the film for reference on each of the Eighteen Taxidermy Angel Scotty Dogs.

Now, on the other-jumping mouse puppet, that is what I call a "custom base". I have seen this base a couple times for other jumping-mice props that have gone up for sale in the past. There was even a custom base made for the Coraline puppet too, if I am not mistaken. It would certainly add to the collectability to the Scotty Dogs if they too had a fancy base like the mice.

Photos from Profiles in History

Original Scotty Dog Props on Auction

2010-11-10T08:20:00.000-08:00

Original Other-Scotty Dog puppet, "...constructed of foam with miniature button eyes and red ribbon collar. Measures 4 ½ in. tall..." sold for $2750. The 'custom' base looks like a block of wood that you can find in any craft store, painted black. So I am not sure what part of it is custom. I would love to own an original prop or puppet from the film. To check out the Auction yourself, see Profiles in History.

The second is the Taxidermy Angus IX "...constructed of foam with resin harp and wings of gold paper. He wears a gold trimmed sweater of white yarn. Measures 4 ¼ in. tall..." sold for $2,500. Another great prop that I would love to own. Check out Profiles in History for the Auction.
Angus the IX is one of the stuffed scotty dogs we see clearly on film twice, and each time, it is a different dog(?). The first time we see Angus IX is in the provided screen shot. Note the differences: first, the dog is facing the opposite direction, second is the redish-orange nose, third is the one on screen is praying, when the one in the Auction has a Harp. However, while the close up shots where most likely done at a different time, when the camera pulls back and we see the wall of dogs, the Auction Angus IX is clearly seen in the bottom row, on the left. Unfortunately the puppet has suffered the loss of its halo.

There is also going to be an upcoming Auction for a Collection of Corpse Bride Puppets.

photos from Profiles in History

NECA Authentic Movie Prop Replica Little Me

2010-03-25T07:53:00.001-07:00

It's finally here! The 'Little Me' Coraline doll from NECA. It was available for pre-order last July, but its release date kept getting pushed further and further back. But the wait is finally over. Now I am going to have to pick up another one.

Little me certainly looks great. She is a good height and the quality is really well done. The black dress as well as her orange striped undershirt is pretty spot on with the original doll. Her rain coat is the most obvious difference. The way it sits, the shade of yellow and even the texture is a bit off. It does have some 'weathering' to the coat to make it a bit dirty, but all and all it works fine.
Her striped stockings look good. I cannot tell what is more screen accurate as there were three different sizes of the Little Me Dolls made for the film and they all look a little different themselves (Check out Paloma Soledad's site for pictures). Otherwise I would say that the white band of the black and white stripes is a bit thin comparatively to the film. But that's being nit picky.
Here hair looks really good. I think they even went as far as to match the blue and black lines in her hair to the original. Her face is hard and textured. The paint job is a little bit off. She is missing a freckle on each cheek. Her lips should be a little more left, and not so centered. The stitching along her mouth was only on the opening sequence doll and should have a little more detail and paint.
The dragonfly hair clip looks right, but would also need to be repainted to provide a little more detail. I have not taken her off her back board yet, but I do believe that she is wired in side to make her posable. Oh, and the black stitch lines are missing from her boots. But for $24.99, ($31.94 shipped) it is well worth it for any Coraline fan. I would say, don't buy her off eBay for $33.00 plus shipping, not when you can get her for less at Entertainmentearth.com

Nightmare Before Christmas Town

2010-02-18T15:26:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe I have never seen these till now! Hawthorne Village has come out with a limited number of houses from The Nightmare before Christmas! I love walking in those stores during Christmas time and seeing all the little towns that light up and think to myself, "gosh, those are so cool, I would really like to have a set for myself someday". However, I could never find a set that I really liked for the price. Until now. I am ordering the Christmas Town set first, then the Halloween Town, then the train set. In about two or more years and after $2000, I should have the complete set! My first and second shipment has already arrived. As far as my personal review, I would say they are really neat. They do need a little more touch up on the paint job to get it a little more accurate to the screen version. Some details are also missing here and there, plus the addition of all the wreaths, but all and all, I love it.

Wybie's Mask Part 2

2009-12-20T21:54:00.001-08:00

Long overdue and way late for Halloween, here is my almost completed Webie mask. Here is what I did....
I removed the glass protection shield flip up part, then used a hair dryer to heat it up to form the top dent. This was taking way too long and the result was kind of icky. So, like the genius that I am, I stuck it in the oven. Now I had it in there too long and too hot, and I wasn't watching it the whole time and it got way too soft. So I quickly pulled it out using oven mitts and tried not to ruin it but instead make it work and form the mask a bit. It needs to be more 'skull' shaped than how it comes out of the box. You will have to do some freeze framing to see what I mean. The head is more rounded while the jawline comes in a bit. Once I had a shape that I liked, I went to the hardware store and picked up random parts here and there. I tried to find the cheapest PVC piping of varying lengths and diameters for his three eyes, and a ceiling fan mounting bracket to glue it all on. I used a adhesive called JB Weld that smells but holds really well. I then hand painted it. It's still missing the rivets along the forehead and the crank on the side, but it worked great for Halloween. Luckily when I purchased the mask it came with two. So, I will make a second attempt at the mask and take pictures as I go to do a more step by step.

Full size "Other" Squid

2009-12-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

I am still loving Coraline and the world that was created that I can't help but want to make everything. The squid is no exception. There are three different squids that I have seen throughout the movie. There are two real world squids and one other squid. I do intend to make the other two, however for the Other Squid I asked a friend of mine (the same one who did my Coraline gloves) to help out. She used Joan of Dark's Squid tutorial to make this one. I really love the way it came out. I will have to sculpt the button so it is scaled proportional to the toy.

Coraline Halloween '09

2009-11-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

My wife and I went as Coraline and Wybie this year for Halloween. Our costumes were pretty simple for the most part. We either found what we needed in our drawer or online. The orange striped shirt was on sale at Old Navy. I was able to find little nick knacks at the hardware store to make the 'eyes' of Wybie's welder mask. I spent a few hours painting it. For the jacket I found a trench coat at the Good Will that I thought was perfect. I ironed on the reflector tape that I found at the fabric store. I think it turned out really well. It was a much cheaper alternative then to purchase a fireman's turnover coat. The shoes I picked up at Kohls on sale. Coraline's light pink shoes we found at Target. See previous posts for Coraline's hat, Wybie's gloves and Welders Mask. We had fun this year at our party and got a lot of complements.

Coraline gloves full size replica

2009-10-26T21:28:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about these gloves. Inspired by Largely Unrepeatable Blog and using her directions, I asked a friend of mine, Claire Carpenter, if she would be interested in making me a pair. She likes to crotchet so she agreed. Now she has never made gloves before so it was a learning experience. She said that she is happy with how they came out and so am I. I think they are great. They are child sized so they wont fit me, but it makes them extra cool thinking that the would fit Coraline. Original gloves were made by Althea Crome who did a outstanding job.

Coraline at Comic-Con 2009

2009-10-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

I wish I could have attended this years Comic-Con, but just didn't have the funds or the time off. It would have been a real treat as Henry Selick was there, as well as Chris Turnham, Terri Hatcher, Neil Gaiman, Keith David and Chris Butler (who knows how many others). All these people would have been a real treat to meet and have sign my Coraline poster. But to top the cake, Neca came out with an exclusive Coraline Doll with Star Spangled Sweater as well as a limited edition lithograph. You can find both on eBay.com.

Coraline Costumes

2009-10-23T10:42:00.001-07:00

In my wife and I's search for the most near perfect off the rack clothes for a Coraline costume, this is some of what we found...

Dragonfly Hair clip
RVCA Yellow Raincoat
Samsung Cell Phone (need to paint pink)
Pajama Pants
Orange Striped Shirt No.1
Orange Striped Shirt No.2
Star Sweater
Skeleton Hand Motorcycle Gloves
Yellow Rain Boots
Coraline's shoes
Pink skirt
Green Striped tights
Puffer Vest No.1
Puffer Vest No.2
Puffer Vest No.3
Jean Jacket No.1

I'll add more as I find them...

Coraline's Military Hat Full Size Prop

2009-08-16T17:18:00.001-07:00

Since seeing Coraline the first time, I loved the hat that she wore. The production notes referred to it as a 'Military Hat'. Since then I have been searching for the same hat to add to my collection. On the web there have been a few like minded people who where also searching for a similar hat. One hat is this one, another is a chauffeur hat from amazon. There is a variety to choose from on Amazon, the police hat, and the limo driver one are too of the best ones but not quite right. Then I got some inside info from Stephen Bodin's blog, the graphic designer who worked on Coraline. He said that it was he was put in charge for finding the hat. He said he found it online from a private school in Japan. It is from a boys school uniform. With a little more help from Stephen, I was able to find this Hat. It is officially called a 'Gakuseibou'. If you watch the special Features on the Blu-Ray, apparently Henry bought a similar hat for his daughter. However he could never get her to wear it, but he could get Coraline to wear it. I just love this hat in the film, and think it works great. Now I just have to make the flame pin for the front.

Tim Burton's Coraline?

2009-08-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or does anyone else cringe when they read and hear others say that 'Coraline' was done by Tim Burton?

I think the confusion stems from the slogan 'From the Director of The Nightmare Before Christmas - Coraline. Especially since it's Titled "Tim Burton's, The Nightmare Before Christmas".
Well let's go over it. Tim Burton wrote and produced The Nightmare Before Christmas, and asked a good friend of his, Henry Selick to direct it. It was Disney that decided to put Tim's Name on the Title the way it is to help with sales.

That said, when it says "From the Director of The Nightmare Before Christmas" they are referring to Henry, and NOT Tim. In fact, Tim Burton is not credited for Coraline at all. So hopefully that clears up the confusion.

Pink Palace Blueprints Take 2

2009-07-27T10:55:00.001-07:00

Ok, as promised I made another ruff draft blueprints for the 1st floor of the Pink Palace. Since watching the special features on the Blu-Ray of Coraline, it seems that the design of each room was intended to feel off kilter, so I am not crazy. The model of the Pink Palace does not match the scale nor the window layout of each room. But that's OK. Now my drawing isn't to scale, but it is a close representation of where each room is and how the house is laid out. It is more closely based on the the Other Pink Palace as it was intended to be straighter and larger then the real world Pink Palace.

Coraline Storyboard Replicas

2009-07-04T20:25:00.001-07:00

I just couldn't help myself. It's the weird things that I like. Well, this is no exception. I used two separate borders for the storyboards used by Laika for the film Coraline, traced them in MicroStation, printed them out on some card stock, and finally cut them to size. I have no idea what the actual size of the original storyboards are, so I based their size/scale on The Nightmare Before Christmas Original storyboard that I do have. The art of the one that I made for myself was drawn by Graham Annable.

Wybie Welder's Mask Step 1

2009-07-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

Step 1 to making Wybie's Welders mask, is... Buy a Welder's Mask. Did some quick eBay searching and found an inexpensive mask that had ruffly the same look that I needed. It will undergo some modifications in shape. I think the tricky part is really getting the 90 teeth sprocket and the lenses. Oh not to mention the crank on the side to rotate the lenses. I traced the skull detail in AutoCAD so I can print it full scale and use it as a template for painting the mask. Updates as I go.

Henry Selicks, Moongirl

2009-05-25T09:15:00.001-07:00

I did a search at the IMDB for Henry Selick to become more familiar with his work. I new that he had done The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, and Monkey Bone, but I was not too familiar with his other works. That's when I learned about one of his short films, Moongirl. Seeing that it was another Laika film, I instantly picked up a copy of the book with the DVD off Amazon. It was cute. It had a nice story, kinda simple, neat visuals and over all enjoyable. The art in the book itself it really nicely done.

Other Mother Chicken Pot Holder

2009-05-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

I thought that these where so neat. I have owned chickens since I was a wee little boy and think they are beautiful birds. I love chickens. In fact, my kitchen has a chicken/rooster theme to it. They give a nice country feel to your home. Anyways, when I saw that the Other Mother had chicken pot holders, I just had to have pair. I did notice that the pot holder the Other Mother Slides on in the film, isn't exactly the same as the one the 'puppet' is wearing being displayed for people to see. So, I will make both. This is my first attempt to get the pattern right and see how it all comes together. So this is my ruff draft. Already there are some things I am going to do a little differently for the next two holders. Otherwise, I am pretty happy how it came out.

Coraline Nike Dunks

2009-05-14T08:13:00.001-07:00

After the credits of Coraline there was a note to the audience that said "For those in the Know: Jerkwad". My wife and I both looked at each other with a curious question on our minds. What was that? We weren't in the 'know', but I wasn't going to stay that way. It actually happened by chance that I found out what it was for. I was searching eBay for Coraline stuff and I kept seeing these shoes. Finally, my curiosity got the better of me and I checked them out. That's when I found that they were a pair of shoes that were available through the Coraline Website. Like the fan that I am, I quickly went to the site, found the Contest and signed up. My wife did too. I love these kinds of contests and I was really hoping that either one of us would have won a pair.
I think that Laika did a great job with promoting this film. The dunks giveaway was one of those great ideas. There were only 2000 shoes made (not sure why everyone keeps saying 1000), the cast/crew got their own special pair, there were 50 that contained props from the film, 15 that where in wooden boxes, Some contained cotton candy, in circus shoe boxes, some came with reproductions of the button box, while others were just the shoes in a normal shoe box. Wow, what a variety.
It was interesting to see the demand on eBay for the shoes. Then I came across a couple of auctions of people trying to 'sell' the password: 'Jerkwad'. I couldn't believe that. With a quick search, the password was available online already, FREE. How could people be so greedy to try to cash in on the password? A password that didn't guarantee the buyer that they would win a pair of dunks?

Then it got me thinking about the shoes listed on eBay. The implication (in my opinion) is that the majority of those who won the shoes and are selling them were people who didn't want them, yet they signed up for them anyways. All those who are buying the shoes are the ones who really wish they could have won. The quote that comes to my mind is a line addressed to all the Mysterbox 'winners' that says "WE HOPE SOMEONE LIKE YOU WILL APPRECIATE THIS" - The Coraline Team. It's unfortunate that so many who signed up and won didn't appreciate them.

The Pink Palace Floor plan Ruff Draft

2009-05-11T16:52:00.001-07:00

Did I mention that I was a drafter? Oh, well I am. I decided to draw up blueprints based on the Pink Palace in Coraline. I found as many reference photos of the Old Victorian home that I could. I then imported the files into Microstation and scaled the photos to 'scale'. Here is a ruff draft of the first floor layout plan. Here's my problem. I cannot get the ext. shots of the house to match up with the inside shots. The house just doesn't seem to match. I labeled where each room is as far as I can tell. The kitchen is seen with two extra windows from the outside, that are not seen on the interior shots. The scene near the beginning of the film, where Coraline comes in seemingly from the back door, and drops her raincoat on the hall floor, is also inconsistent to the layout, as that hallway does not exit to the outside of the house. Not to mention that the main room with the 'boring blue boy' and little door also doesn't match in overall shape and window layout. So, as far as I can tell, either the Pink Palace was redesigned since the reference photos where taken, or the intr. shots never where meant to match exactly with the ext. of the house. Or I am way off and totally misinterpreting what I am seeing. I think I am going to have to redraw the layout based on the interior shots later and post that so you can see the difference of that I am seeing.

Coraline Jones family 2007 Volkswagen new beetle

2009-05-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

After some research online and looking at so many VW bugs, I believe that the Volkswagen seen in Coraline is a 2007. So, to continue my collection I wasn't going to go out and purchase a full scale car. Instead, I went with the next best thing and found this model. Unfortunately, it isn't a 2007 but I think with some mod'ing I can get it to look right. I will have to do some searching for some miniature luggage to put on top of the car. I think that railroad miniatures should work.
The only thing I am not sure of, is what the bumper stickers read. I was originally thinking that it may say 'I Heart Mulch', like the mug, but when I saw the movie again, it didn't appear to be that simple.

Nightmare Before Christmas Paint brush

2009-05-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

I was told when I bought the brush that it was an original prop from The Nightmare Before Christmas. That it was in fact used in the scene were the vampires are painting bullet holes on the duck. However, with closer examination of the film, this particular brush isn't seen on screen, nor is the paint color the same. The brush did come with a signed sheet of paper from Jerome Ranft (as it was supposed to have been a sale from his personal collection) stating it was made for that particular scene.
So, to give benefit of the doubt, I believe that it is a pre-production brush, made as a concept to determine either the scale, style, or color (perhaps all three) of the final look.

When I first picked up the brush I had never heard of Mr. Ranft. However, since watching Coraline, I am now very familar with him and his contributions to animation. Now I have something in my collection that ties both Nightmare and Coraline!

The Nightmare Before Christmas Storybord art

2009-05-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

I was able to pick-up an original storybord drawing from The Nightmare Before Christmas from Animation Collection. They have tons of original art from all kinds of Disney films. I wish I could afford to purchase the entire collection of NBC storybords. I am hoping to get this storybord framed along side a Hi-Res screen capture of the same scene. Should looks cool when it's done. Unfortunately there is no signature on it, so I can only assume that either Mike Cachuela, Jorgen Klubien, Steve Moore, or Bob Pauley, drew it, as they are credited as being the storybord artists. Joe Ranft is credited being the storybord supervisor.

Check out

2009-04-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

How much bread does it take to build a bread house? No, that isn't a riddle. Peter is a member of the National Bread Builders Society (NBBS). It's a club to those who share a passion for bread. Their main event is to create huge structures of varying shapes and sizes entirely out of bread.
So, this year Peter intends to build a house, the largest one ever seen. He and his mother went to the grocery store and bought a whole lot of bread.

Mel Jones' I love Mulch Mug

2009-04-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

When I first saw the film I noticed Mel Jones' mug sitting next to her laptop. It read "I [Heart] Mulch", which we see is the name of the shop where Mr. Jones brings the 'Garden Life Spring Catalog' binder. I assume it is the name of the buisness that Mr. and Mrs. Jones work for. I thought it would be neat to have a similar mug. It was only in a couple of scenes and really more of a background prop, but it's those kinds of things and that kind of detail that I really enjoy. I looked through my fonts (just the ones I had on my computer) for one that was close enough, and found a clipart heart and made a *.bmp image and got the mug made.

Full Size Coraline Prop Bobinsky's Medal

2009-04-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

Whoo Hoo! Another little trinket to add to my Coraline collection. Apparently Mr. Bobinsky was awarded the medal for Service at the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster on April 26, 1986. The medal reads "Participant in the clean-up campaign". The "4A3C" is the No. for the "Chernobilskaya Nuclear Power Plant." I think that the real medal is much smaller in person than the scale chosen in the movie, but I am sure that decision was made so it could be clearly seen on screen. Once I found the identity of the medal I picked one up. I'm stoked!

Breadsmasher Natural Habitat

2009-04-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

Original Drawing of Peter and his Mom driving out to the Breadsmasher Natural Habitat. The first edition of the book, this image wasn't complete. For the second edition, this is the final drawing. I like to keep the drawings in Black and White for now. Should be fun creating the set for this shot.

Coraline Press Kit & Keys

2009-04-12T10:01:00.001-07:00

The Coraline Press kit came with a CD containing some production photos, a Low Res Trailer and Production Notes. The CD was attached to a cardboard lithograph. It is now been added to my Coraline collection. Mary-Frances and I attended the Emerald City Comic-Con and got to meet Chris Turnham, one of the production illustrators for Coraline to sign it.
I also acquired one of the production Keys that where spread around town to help promote the movie and website. I wasn't fortunate enough to find one, but eBay is a good place to find them now. The second key, is my first key of 50, from the Mystery Box's. I believe this key matches Mystery Box No. 29

Wybie Gloves Prop Full Size

2009-04-08T18:30:00.001-07:00

So I decided that an easy costume for me would be Wybie from the movie Coraline. I did a quick search for skeleton riding gloves and found these. They are perfect. So this is my first full scale prop/replica from the movie. I am in the process of getting more. I just loved this movie. I have already seen it three times (twice in 3D and once in 2D), and I cannot wait to see it again. I also got a welders helmet that I am going to mod for this costume and I am going to have to make the firefighters turnout coat so it appears to be too large for me. I'll post pics as it goes.

Peter, our hero

2009-04-06T09:28:00.001-07:00

My main character from sitting in his chair at school, waiting for the time to pass. Once school is out he will rush home to continue the search for the Breadsmasher!

Rustboy

2009-04-02T10:13:00.001-07:00

I first found Rustboy while I was searching the CafePress website back in 2004. I saw the character and was like "oooo, this looks interesting. Very 'Tim Burton-ish'. So I went to Brian's website and was instantely hooked. He was offering a signed book of images at the time and I regret now not getting one while it was still available. I was able to manage to obtain the vinyl figure from Android 8. It is pretty sweet, a little on the pricy side, but worth it. His eyes are a little loose so he always looks like he is looking two different directions at once. Mary-Frances later got me the Mug and T-Shirt.

I drafted up some blueprints of Rustboy that I hope to make into a puppet someday. Once I get my CNC machine, or a Laser Cutter, that is. But at least I have the dream.

On an interesting Note, if you are a Fan of Lost, watch the speacial features on, I think, the first Season, you will see J.J. Abrams wearing a Rustboy T-Shirt that he got from the Cafepress store.

Oogie Boogie entrance

2009-03-31T21:34:00.001-07:00

Another Nightmare Before project that's in the works. As you see to the left of my wife is the mouth entrance down to Oogie Boogies layer seen in the Treehouse. I made this out of foam board using a pattern template. I intend to add the lights to the back, paint the teeth to it and add the twig eye brows. The masks that hang on the walls around it in the look like I could make them out of pinkish foamies.

Gift from the Wife

2009-03-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

A fantastic sculpt of the Mayor of Halloweentown, signed by the artist, David Kracov. I received this from my wife as a gift. The detail is awesome and the likeness is uncanny. A great piece added to my ever growing collection.

Babushka Dolls

2009-03-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

Being a huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan I am never short of interested in making more props from the film. I bought a blank set of Babushka dolls to make these. I traced the pattern of the doll from the film onto the wood frame. I then proceeded to paint each doll by hand and finish it off with a coat of lacquer to seal it. I really like how they came out. To be closer to the movie I would need to add some more distressing to them, but I am not sure I want to do that. Not yet anyway. I know that in the film there was only three, but I like it being a full set.

Halloweentown Jack-in-the-Box

2009-03-31T21:19:00.000-07:00

I bought one of those foam pumpkins for this project. It also comes out every Halloween. I traced a photo from the film of this prop to make the templet then proceeded cut it out with a scalpel. I painted the inside of the pumpkin black and repainted the outside orange to give it a more 'realistic' look. I am almost finished with the box that it goes in. I hope to make it functional by adding a motor in the box that moves the pumpkin head up and down. I was thinking about using the guts of those Moving Chrismtas wire frame animal displays for it. Course getting one cheap it the only way to go.

Zero

2009-03-31T21:17:00.001-07:00

This was a quick project. Not yet completed though. I sculpted Zero from the Nightmare Before Christmas with sculpty clay (got tons of it). I used twist ties in the body to help hold the clay in place while it baked in the oven. I intend to mold this too and create a display with my Jack Skellington.

Scraps, from Corpse Bride

2009-03-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

I took some old wire hangers that we weren't using any more and cut them up in small parts. Then using sculpy clay I crafted the bones. Once it was at a point where I was happy enough with how it looked and fit together, it was baked in the oven to harden and I glued the parts together. The head was hollow that I originally formed around a tinfoil ball. Once it was hard I pulled the tinfoil out and filled it with expanding foam. Scraps has been out for display every year now for Halloween. I am in the process of making another scraps that I intend to mold and cast to make a little more ridged. The sculpy is just too fragil and weak to be a permanente alternative.
For Halloween of 2005, Mary-Frances and I dressed up as The Bride (Emily) and Victor for Christ First Baptist Church's Trunk-er-Treat. I made Mary's costume and rented mine.

Sally Puppet face replacement replica

2009-03-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite items in my NBC collection. It is a re-cast off an original face replacement from the puppet Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, or at least that was what I was told when I purchased it. It is cast in resin and hand painted. The eyes were a seperate cast and glued into place. There are two dimples on the inside where. I believe, the mask locked into place on the original puttet.I bought it on eBay several years ago. I haven't seen another available since. It would be really cool to have a couple more expressions.

Jack Skellington Cake

2009-03-31T15:02:00.000-07:00

This was a fun and easy project. I made this cake in a small cake pan and cut it into a square to make the shape of a gift. I was originally inspired by the Disneyland French Market desert that was available one year during the holidays. It is a regular cake, with green icing (white icing with green food coloring) and some "creative" sculpting with Fondant to make the ribbon and the Jack Head. Using some food coloring to make a black 'paint' to color the eyes and mouth. Pretty simple, and quick.

Christmas Town Sled

2009-03-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

I started this project some years ago and have yet to finish it. I was inspired to make it when I saw the original on eBay. I saved the photos listed with it as it provided great reference material. I went to Home Depot and bought some wood. I made a pattern by scaling the photos up to what I believe to be 'full' studio scale and traced it out. I was able to cut the parts out at my brother-in-laws as he had a skillsaw. I am still looking for a good source for the wheel that the penguin is in that drives this sled.

If you havn't reconized it, it is the sled seen in The Nightmare Before Christmas when Jack visits Christmas town. Three Elves are singing carols and passes Jack while he is hiding in a snowman. I have two of these that I am putting together. I had painted this to match the orginal as much as possible.

I am also in the process of sculpting the elves. I have the two identical elves sculpted and cast, they just need to be sanded smooth and painted. I'll get on the third elf and the penguin at a later date. Hopefully someday I'll get this project completed.

Welcome To The Breadsmasher

2009-03-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the breadsmasher. What is the breadsmasher? you ask. Well, it is a children's story that I wrote in kindergarten that has stuck with me all this time. I have since rewritten it and had it published into a book that is available for purchase on blurb.com. Being a fan of stop-motion animation, I have decided that I would being work on creating my story, the breadsmasher into a feature short. The full length is not yet determined, but I hope to make it at least a half hour long. So, this blog has been created to document the progress of my story and all the work that I am putting into it. It wont be a fast journey but a slow and painstakingly fun one.

However, I will take the time to explore into my other hobbies and show works that I have done and am currently working on that may or may not be related. In short, I'll post the things I am working on.

My other blog that is domumenting the progress of my Boba Fett costume can be found here: blastedjetpack.blogspot.com