The Great Gonzo Puppet build!

ecl

Sr Member
I’ve decided to build my third Muppets replica—this time it’s Gonzo! A big departure from Kermit, but in a way, it’s starting to feel like a more complex but also more fun project.

The head has been carved out of a solid block of reticulated foam, and hollowed out from the back so that it can be used as a Puppet. The eyelids will also have the ability to move somewhat for expressions.

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Base color was lightly misted on with krylon spray paints, and then various blues and purples dry brushed on with acrylics.

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More updates soon!!
 
I can't wait to see how this turns out! Your Kermit's are amazing and I'm sure Gonzo will be too. You must have the patience/dedication of a saint the way you fine tune your patterns to perfection.

Thank you! I really appreciate that. It’s funny, because I feel like I get impatient easily, but when it comes to builds like this, I just get sucked right into them haha. Maybe it’s an obsession :lol:

I did a little more work on it this late afternoon, focusing on the eyelids! Really fun stuff—they can move slightly to help give him a little more expression. I feel like now the most difficult part of the build Is over, so I’ll be slowing down a little and take my time with the fabric/fur portion of the build.

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Love it, love it, love it! This is soooo Gonzo. And it's so much fun seeing it coming together. That's what's fun about this forum.
 
Thanks everyone! Having a lot of fun with this one.

I’m in the process of treating the fur; I’ll be boiling it to get it looking more ruffled and clumpy, and will also plan on dyeing it a little darker and more navy blue (it will also need to be trimmed around the face, as his fur is shorter there than other parts of his body).

Also did a little bit more coloring work on his face. He has a lot of subtleties going on with the finish.

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wow! Gonzo was my all time favorite growing up and the reason I got into puppets.
This is outstanding work. Can't wait to see it finished!
 
Thanks! Hope everyone had a good 4th of July (if you happen to be in the US) holiday. I spent most of the day working on Gonzo—started trimming the fur around his face, and sewed up the neck/sleeve—it’s looks tall and skinny because most of it will be inside the body, acting as a kind of liner— which I’ll be making sometime soon.

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Jaw to the floor!!! He's my favorite muppet. If you didn't have a build thread I'd say you stole it from Henson company. Absolutely brilliant! And I'm not being too nice. Do you remember the series of long running Toyota commercials with the muppets? I built those! I got to hold ganzo in my hands. I can't tell the difference. Your work is amazing and i can't wait to see more!.
 
Jaw to the floor!!! He's my favorite muppet. If you didn't have a build thread I'd say you stole it from Henson company. Absolutely brilliant! And I'm not being too nice. Do you remember the series of long running Toyota commercials with the muppets? I built those! I got to hold ganzo in my hands. I can't tell the difference. Your work is amazing and i can't wait to see more!.


Wow that is INCREDIBLE! I love those commercials (Any reason to see the Muppets more often is a good thing :D). And thanks very much for the comment, I really appreciate that. Having grown up with these characters, I’ve learned to appreciate them even more after having built three of them (Kermit, a penguin, and now Gonzo). The fact that Henson’s creations still inspire to this day is really something special. It must have been an amazing experience to work with the Muppets on those commercials!!

I can’t wait to finish this one up—he’s so far the most fun I’ve had with building since I’ve been on the RPF.
 
This looks absolutely incredible it looks like Gonzo has jumped right off the screen. Actually looking at these pictures makes me want to build the little weirdo haha.

I'm quite curious of what colours of spray paint you used on the nose as i feel the right shades for the nose must of been really difficult to find.

Can't wait to see this piece complete. The Muppets have a special place in my heart & i always love seeing replica's of these characters.
 
This looks absolutely incredible it looks like Gonzo has jumped right off the screen. Actually looking at these pictures makes me want to build the little weirdo haha.

I'm quite curious of what colours of spray paint you used on the nose as i feel the right shades for the nose must of been really difficult to find.

Can't wait to see this piece complete. The Muppets have a special place in my heart & i always love seeing replica's of these characters.


Thanks! I never thought building puppets would be as fun as they are—after building Kermit, a few years back now, I’ve been hooked!

The nose/face was cut out of reticulated form (dry fast foam) and is fascinating stuff. It shapes fairly easily and is very tough material. What I did to color mine was to use a more layered approach. The thing you’d want to do is to ‘tint’ the base color—not to build up a thick layer of paint. Another builder who is also making Gonzo said he used Rit Dye to color the foam, and that actually yielded some very impressive results. I used spray paint on mine because it was all I had on hand. Basically, when applying the spray paint, only spray it on in very thin mist coats. I alternated between a light brown and a yellow to warm it up. Then I hit the tip of the nose with a light mist of blue. Afterwards, the other various coloring details were dry brushed on with acrylics! Very light with the paint, and in very thin layers.

You’re right, finding the right shade is difficult; the color of his nose varies dramatically even in those of the original! Here’s are the colors I used in varying degrees, the sprays for the base color, and the acrylics for the surface coloring!

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Spent a lot of Sunday afternoon into evening working on the body. There’s still more trimming—amazing just how much trimming needs to be done with this fur!—and additional coloring work (light sprays onto the fur) to do.

At this point, the most difficult part of the build is over! I’ll be taking my time working on the arms and legs and continuing to refine the fur trimming on the body and head. Also need to figure what kind of outfit/s to give him.

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One thing I had not mentioned is that I‘ve been boiling and dyeing the fur prior to sewing—this has the effect of making the fur very clumpy and much more organic looking, a look that is more suitable for Gonzo.

Not a great pic unfortunately, but it shows the contrast between the fur boiled and dyed darker with Navy blue (left), and untreated (right).

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