Little String Sick Steve

Now he's gonna be a marionette, the newest character Little Steve. He's a singer, a guitar player, a bit older, will grow a grey beard....

Our new project is going to be made totally out of reclaimed materials like plastic packings and bottles, old clothes and other things we will rescue from the bin... ...all these things will tribute to his character!

There used to be some salty goodies in here..
Some cutting and some glue..

There used to be ping-pong balls in here..

So...using the ping-pong balls packing to hold his future eyes...

and the head is getting some shape..

Still, just a transparent shape.

Using a hot glue pistol makes is easy to build layers.

The packing of a little led light...No face without a nose!

so that's a nose...and until now only re-used materials give the little fellow a profile.

The lid fits in the bottum...making a mouth

Now...we use the ping-pong balls as eyes.

Just trying out the right place for his eyes...so he can sleep and be awake.

Mouth open......mouth shut. Some more shaping with whatever lays around

Giving him a basecoat, so other materials will stick.

Shaping the face with some old fabrics

On the operation table he'll get his first skin layer.

Giving him a few more coats of plaster and paint...He seems te become a happy guy!

Putting his eyelids on.....

Each eye has its own movement.... because he asked for it (something to do with girls passing by)

Now this is an old sock, and it's just getting one cut...to make a cap, together with just a piece of cardboard. His ears are getting shape to.

All the strings are coming out of his cap.

Soon he's gonna grow a beard...and get some healthy colour on his skin. We leave his head to dry, rest and think....It's time for a body.

Now this is a 5 liter water bottle...The bottom is cut out and molded up side down back but under an angle...so he's getting a bit of a but. Now there's room to place his upper legs.

Found some aluminium tubes that came from a shower curtain......and cut them in half under 45°

Using some cord and tape..and moulded them together again.

Put some old Tube-isolation around it....and Little Steve got his legs.

His knees are supported with....some of the stretch fabric to secure the distance and keep the knees flexible.

A little peace of wood, moulded between his legs makes it a bit stronger. For now it's just a plastic 5-liter water bottle on legs.

Just 2 - one liter - plastic bottles....from which we cut of the tops like this so they will combine easy.

Just some old bolt connected to the screw-top of the "body bottle" and that gives Little Steve his shoulders.

Well, hands! He needs some hands to play guitar.

Some electric parts that were laying around will be converted into his hands.

Now its just a matter of sculpting around the steel wire.

Left and right.....with different functions.

So...I cut it of, before the old watercooker got its permanent place at the recycling plant. It didn't matter, it wasn't that hotheaded anymore lately....

Stripping........and covering the wire...giving the fingers some shape.

Leftover self-adhesive insulation foam is great......to fill up the missing parts. Some tape did the rest.

The same stretch fabric from Little Steve's head is used to make some gloves.

Although very difficult to stitch together......after some (°-°) & (°<>°) and (^±^).....the result is OK.

Now, how simple can it be.... Just the cardboard package inserts of some shoes and some pieces of old plywood....make perfect shoes for Little Steve.

Little Steve has got real boots for walking with just some black paint.

Some parts of bottles, plastic lids and some wooden spindles found in the skip made the arms.

Now the body is complete.......and after many suggestions, I decided to leave the hands as they are, and will not paint them. Some kids jeans saved from getting in the bin, by a friend.......and a shirt donated by a secondhand shop in Tomar. With some adjustments, cutting and sewing, Little Steve is dressed

It took so many wool.... that the sweater my wife is knitting........is gonna miss some sleeves

After two weeks of growing a beard, I'll guess it's time for a barbershop visit.

After sorting out a few problems with the controls....Little "String Sick" Steve came alive!

This probably is the hardest part of the build. Everything is controlled with my right hand, except his right arm.

His moving eyes, mouth, left hand and head movement are all controlled by little leavers and old parts out of a clock. The handle itself is made from scrap wood and cloth hangers.

A cigarbox guitar made from just recycled materials...

The sliding hand of Little Steve is controlled by a little lever and wheel out of an old mecano box and a elastic band. His eyes are separately controlled by little rubber chair leg rubbers. He is not a full functioning marionette, because of him being so heavy he will sit in a chair.