Mini Audrey II

This mini Audrey II was made for a variety show where one of the actors planned on singing Grow For Me from Little Shop of Horrors. It had to be simple enough I could finish it in a couple weeks, cheap, and easy for the performer to use. I started with a chip clip, using its spring as a base for the mouth mechanism that would pull itself closed after being opened by a hidden string. This was glued to a piece of PVC pipe for support, and as a way to thread the wire down to the hand holding it.

I used EVA foam and masking tape to bulk out the shape of the plant's pod, and found a pot to rest it in. Another piece of EVA foam forma the "dirt" it's growing in, and the PVC pipe is glued to the bottom along with some rocks for balance.

For the leaves, I first drew out the plans for the veins in a couple different sizes. I took wire and bent them along the patterns, twisting multiple together at the base for all the branching structures. After all my wire veins were done, they got sandwiched with more masking tape. Using another pattern I cut each into a leaf shape, pose-able thanks to the wires inside.

I also created a handful of vines in a similar way, wrapping multiple layers of tape around lengths of wire.

After all the pieces had been painted, I assembled them by simply stickign the wires into the foam base. I used leaves from fake plants to hide the mechanism, and scattered various leaves and bits of moss in with the leaves I had created. At the bottom of the pot is a small wire loop you can stick one finger through, allowing you to pull down and open the mouth upward. With some practise, you can even hide the movement. I think she turned out well for a quick and dirty little project, and I even got to keep her!