Background Character Puppets

For the Fogtown Series 2023

Concept Art

For each character, I was given a 3D-printed puppet base, head, and shoes, as well as concept art to follow. The background men and women were made to have multiple options for accessories and heads so they could be mixed and matched.

All concept art by Austin Hillebrecht

Pub Characters

For each puppet, I started with essentially a black tube to build the costume and any body shape around.

Shoes

Shoe comparison to background men

Finished hat

Pub Woman's corset

Legs and arms

Background Men

For these two, they each had a removable vest, and Man #1 also had a jacket. This made these two the most difficult, since the pieces had to be patterend so that they would actually fit like normal clothes while anything else could just be sewn in place. That's why I actually started with these two first when I was making them.

In addition to the vest and coat, Background Man #1 also has two different tie options.

Pub Man (left) and Man #2

Pub Man (top) and Man #2

To give the illusion of properly layered clothes, they have little strips of felt inside acting as legs so that the pant legs can cover where they sew onto the shoes. Man #1 also got socks.

#1 (left) and #2

The legs are simply tucked underneath the torso part of the "pants" and sewn.

Background Women

The women also have interchangeable fahion pieces, but they're much simpler than the men's. They each got an additional skirt piece.

Dress base

After gathering

Trimmed

Here is Background Woman #1 with her additional skirt.

Background WOman #2's first option, a simple sash with a bow in the back.

And her second option: a grey wool overskirt and scarf. The two are sewn together since the ends of the scarf tend to refuse to stay in place otherwise, but the whole thing can still be removed easily over the head.

First scarf test

Second scarf, the one I went with