PuppetPortfolio.com

Stop-motion puppets by Brenda Baumgarten — "Handmade and delightful"

Project Work

It takes a team

My portfolio highlights puppet builds where I was the primary or lead fabricator unless otherwise noted. I’ve included additional puppets on the Feature Film page that showcase team efforts. Most stop-motion animation is a collaborative effort, and that’s what makes it such a pleasure— from designers, directors, fabrication specialists, to animators, it’s been an absolute delight to work in this field.

“Boy and the Hunter”—The Hunter has a foam latex face mask registered to a ball & socket head mech.
Fully articulated mouth, brow and eyes. Foam latex body on ball & socket armature. Body armatures: Mike Emiglio, Costuming: Bonnie Burns, Props: Steven Dawley
“Mia and the Monsters” Mia has a foam latex body on ball & socket armature. In progress (polymer clay sculpt + resin expression replacement heads). Body armatures: Mike Emiglio, Costuming: Bonnie Burns
Resin heads – size comparison
All of the puppets for “Mia and Monsters” utilized resin replacement heads derived from either polymer clay or Chavant sculpts. Foam latex with ball & socket bodies. Armatures: Mike Emiglio, Costuming: Bonnie Burns
Foam latex mask on a ball & socket armature. Articulated brow ridge, mouth, eyes, and neck wrinkles.
Moi, Barnabé (2020)—Series of ball & socket puppets fabricated for and produced through the National Film Board of Canada.
I made the production molds, silicone casting, foam latex casting (for Barnabe only), plus ball & socket head mechs and eyes for the three transitional rooster puppets. Silicone painting, tail feather fabrication, and body assembly. All sculpts were resin prints provided by JF Levesque (Director), Facial armatures/face casting for Barnabe: Jim Randall. Body armatures: Eric Goulet, Costume: Ally Easson
Silicone rooster – WIP
Feather hair before styling. Painted silicone faces.
Final puppet with UV reactive paints
“Monster Slayer”—polymer clay maquette used to inform the foam latex puppet. Modified commercial ball & socket armature body with stainless steel ball & socket hands (1.5” wide)
Practically sculpted head, molded and cast in resin with articulated hair strands + mustache, foam body on ball & socket armature. Platinum silicone hands.
Practically sculpted heads, molded and cast in resin. Needle-felted noses + silicone necks.
Platinum silicone on ball & socket armature
“Squeaks and Cheeks” (2017) TV series — Wire armature puppets with resin heads, silicone arms, ears, and shoes
Main character: foam build-up body, resin head, silicone hands and feet + costuming
Le Petit Prince – Crew Gift Limited Ed. of 200
Hand-crafted “fox doll”. Custom dyed cotton corduroy and velvet.
Patterned off of the original concept doll (not my design)
Tinman Studios – Client Gift
Limited Ed. of 20
Sculpted, molded and resin cast

A few personal projects

I occasionally dedicate time to personal projects, which serve as both creative outlets and valuable skill development opportunities. These projects allow me to explore techniques and materials I might not encounter in client work, helping me expand my expertise and bring fresh perspectives to future professional endeavors.

Working on sculpting a pendant to cast in porcelain
“Toad Witch” art doll sculpt – work in progress
Tiny pants for a character I’m developing. So much fun!