MonstersPlay

I started my career the old-fashioned way with clay, glue, foam, and a workbench.

I trained as a traditional artist and found my way into film and television through prop making, set building, and puppetry. I worked as a puppet maker on Mars Attacks! and Chicken Run, as well as many TV commercials. Employers like Aardman Animations, Mackinnon & Saunders, and Bumper Films help me home and perfect my skills building characters with personality.

Like many people in the industry, I eventually got pulled into the world of computer animation. I’ve spent many years working in CG Animation and real-time production, but I never stopped building things by hand.

Every puppet here is designed, built, and brought to life by me in my small basement studio in Canada. They’re made using professional puppetry techniques and a mix of traditional and modern materials foam, fabrics, plastics and metal, and a lot of trial and error :) with a focus on character and performance.

At the same time as building puppets, I’ve been experimenting with something a little different. I also perform physical puppetry live inside digital environments created in Unreal Engine. It’s a strange and fun mix of old-school craft and modern tools, and these puppets are the real, tangible side of that process. You can see these puppets in action on my YouTube channel MonstersPlay. (@MonstersPlayPuppets)

Each one is handmade, slightly chaotic, and full of personality, built not just to sit on a shelf, but to feel like it could jump up and start performing at any moment.

Thanks for taking a look and for supporting handmade work in a very digital world.

Steven