themuzicman
Well-Known Member
Although I am lighting designer this show, My stage manager/set designer stuck me with the cow in Neil Simon's Fools. For those of you who don't know, one of the town idiots drags a cow across the stage and when asked why she is doing it she goes "the best cream is on the top" or some such remark. I need to make this cow.
I already made one attempt at it, but I need all the suggestions I can get short of stealing a real cow from the farm down the street from my school.
I know there is a more simple way than what I did, and I know my attempt was a bit "amateur".
My Attempt:
I made a 6 foot spine out of 1"x2". Cut on a 30 degree angle I attached a two foot segment to make the head brace. To the very back I tacked on a 3 foot 1"x2" to make the hind brace. A foot behind the head I put on another 3 foot 1"x2" to make the front brace. To the front I attached two 3 foot 1"x2" to make the front legs. To the back I attached a 3 foot 1"x2", but a foot up I made a 15 degree cut to replicate a real cow.
As I said, that was an attempt and I got to the part where I put the hind legs on and they gave out (due to the angle, we had to glue them with liquid nails).
After that I was going to take 4'x8' half inch foam board and cut it to various cow shapes (back, stomach, legs, etc.) to get basic 3D shapes. Over that I was going to lay chicken wire and put down some papier mache over that to finish it. Although the entire cow needs to roll on it's back, I was going to put it's legs on casters so it can be used both ways.
Quick 2D:
O..........O
||..........||
||..........||
|| ^^.... ||....//
||=======//
quick key:
double lines (= or ||) = 1"x2"
O = casters
^^ = udders
periods (.) = spaces..the board won't let me put more than one space in
I already made one attempt at it, but I need all the suggestions I can get short of stealing a real cow from the farm down the street from my school.
I know there is a more simple way than what I did, and I know my attempt was a bit "amateur".
My Attempt:
I made a 6 foot spine out of 1"x2". Cut on a 30 degree angle I attached a two foot segment to make the head brace. To the very back I tacked on a 3 foot 1"x2" to make the hind brace. A foot behind the head I put on another 3 foot 1"x2" to make the front brace. To the front I attached two 3 foot 1"x2" to make the front legs. To the back I attached a 3 foot 1"x2", but a foot up I made a 15 degree cut to replicate a real cow.
As I said, that was an attempt and I got to the part where I put the hind legs on and they gave out (due to the angle, we had to glue them with liquid nails).
After that I was going to take 4'x8' half inch foam board and cut it to various cow shapes (back, stomach, legs, etc.) to get basic 3D shapes. Over that I was going to lay chicken wire and put down some papier mache over that to finish it. Although the entire cow needs to roll on it's back, I was going to put it's legs on casters so it can be used both ways.
Quick 2D:
O..........O
||..........||
||..........||
|| ^^.... ||....//
||=======//
quick key:
double lines (= or ||) = 1"x2"
O = casters
^^ = udders
periods (.) = spaces..the board won't let me put more than one space in