12/10/11

How to build your own

Create Your Own Vent Figure (1983) by Patrick Justian takes an overall approach to several methods of building your own ventriloquist figure: wood composition, paper mache, plaster craft, Celastic, wood carved, fibre-glass and styro-putty.  So, as you can imagine, it is not complete in details; rather a collection of basic designs and instructions and simple illustrations.  The extra features covered are moving eyes, raising upper lip, winkers, hair raiser, stickout tongue, wiggling ears, handshaker, knee lifter, nudger, spitter, smoker, light up nose or cheeks, wiggling nose.  This is an unread copy I've saved since it came out in 1983. 

I don't know if Patrick actually built a vent figure himself although his father was a carver and do remember his telling me of a figure he and his father were building.  Certainly he was not experienced in working hands on with all the media he writes about, not did he actually craft all the features he writes about.  Looking through the book I recognize a great deal of influence from several other publications (including one of my own).  Sadly, Patrick Justian II died at a far too young age after an extended illness.  I do not know the year of his death. 

Create Your Own Vent Figure, For sale now:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/260913919322

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