[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-anatomy-of-a-seawig":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Walking through London as a twelve-foot-tall person with remarkable hair proved to be a life-enhancing experience which I can recommend to anyone. A lot of people have asked about the monster wig I wore to the \u003Cb>\u003Ci>Oliver and the Seawigs\u003C/i>\u003C/b> pre-launch party (\u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/575183.html\">see photos in the last blog post\u003C/a>), so let me give you an insight into its frothy secrets. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/blast_seawigs_sarah_wigportrait_zps2ab325b2-3ec6640fa9.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.blastphoto.co.uk/\">Blast Photo\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nThe fancy wig obsession started while I watched Sofia Coppola's film \u003Ci>Marie Antoinette\u003C/i> as research for drawing the Princess Spaghetti books: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"2808\"/>\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's some fancy hair I painted into a party scene in \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/you-cant-eat-a-princess/\">\u003Ci>You Can't Eat a Princess!\u003C/i>\u003C/a>:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/youcanteataprincess_hair_zps699feaa4-2481b0ffd0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI got more excited about fancy wigs when I worked on an exhibition at the Discover Children's Story Centre in Stratford called \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/402367.html\">MONSTERVILLE\u003C/a>. Part of designing our monster village involved creating a beauty parlour for weird and wonderful beasts, and I designed several wigs for it, then made all my friends model them (as one does). Here I show off two of the 2-D wigs with my good-sport Seawigs co-author, \u003Ca href=\"http://philipreeve.blogspot.co.uk/\">Philip Reeve\u003C/a>:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sarah_philip_wigs_zps58b24dec-201fa151e2.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI thought, \u003Ci>these look great!\u003C/i> and scoured the Internets for Big Wigs. Which is where I discovered the work of designer \u003Ca href=\"http://www.katecusack.com/sculptural-wearable/tiffany-wigs.html\">Kate Cusack\u003C/a>. Not only were her wigs marvellous, but they were made out of CLING FILM (or 'saran wrap', if you're North American). I thought, I could afford this! But I also though, I wonder how much cling film one would need to make a wig that large. Five rolls? Ten rolls? A hundred? \\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.katecusack.com/sculptural-wearable/tiffany-wigs.html\">\u003Cimg src=\"http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l27/jabberworks/Seawigs/kate_cusack_wigs1_zpsab6ae4af.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for lots more under the cut!-->\\r\nI got so obsessed with wigs that they ended up becoming a prominent part of \u003Ci>Oliver and the Seawigs\u003C/i> (which was inspired by an acronym in a particularly long \u003Ca href=\"http://www.societyofauthors.org/childrens-writers-and-illustrators-group\">CWIG\u003C/a> meeting.) When Oxford University Press offered a Seawigs launch party, I knew it was my big chance to wear the best wig of my whole life. I started by curling a few pieces of this cling film around my fingers.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sainsbury_cling_film_zpsc6ad1cb0-6740f14d2f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nIt was amazing how well the curls held together, and looked like sparkly curls of human hair. So I set out making a small prototype wig for the OUP sales conference, to find out if I could do it. I started in December, with a panettone box from Lidl: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/wig_making_1_zpsf32b6771-89c1f4e908.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd it worked pretty well. The cling film had a bit of a sickly yellowish hue, but I assumed that was an inherent property of the material, and I wore the wig proudly around the Bologna Book Fair (\u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/550549.html\">photos here\u003C/a>). \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bologna13_drawing1_zps0722f8a9-f7594f25cd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBut I knew the wig could be bigger and better. My artist friend \u003Ca href=\"http://www.edwardsmith-sculptor.com/\">Eddie Smith\u003C/a> said he'd help me, and he has a lot of experience in large-scale sculpture. I couldn't figure out how to keep the wig on my head, and not make it wobble. Eddie advised me to get a sturdy hat that he could wire things into, so I bought an old-fashioned pith helmet from the charity shop, and went online and tentatively ordered six rolls of 30cm x 300m Terinex 'Clingorap' from \u003Ca href=\"http://www.cater4you.co.uk/acatalog/cling-film.html\">cater4you.co.uk\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cling_film_box_zpsb9dbe4b8-abbc37d27a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWhen the cling film arrived, I was surprised to find it had a purple tinge, and when I started winding it around my studio mate's fat knitting needles, the most lovely lilac curls emerged. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/rolling_curls_zps554927a9-17cd0b765f.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Knitting needle borrowed without permission from \u003Ca href=\"http://www.whodunnknit.com/\">Deadly Knitshade\u003C/a>'s desk\u003C/font>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nAnd I could get larger curls with a wooden rolling pin:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/clingfilm_curls_zpse3ad6111-d89440b8ab.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>Rolling pin also borrowed without permission from Stuart's baking supplies\u003C/font>\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nEddie found wooden model ships for both wigs at markets and he set to work making a pillar on top of the hat with wire and modelling rock, painted blue. (The mod rock proved to be slightly heavy, but we didn't have a big plastic bulb in the right shape to use, so the mod rock did the trick.) Here's the wig at Eddie's house:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_wigmaking_shell_zps8fc81270-adaa89ec5f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nEddie played around with some decorative features, but I reckoned the wig really wasn't BIG ENOUGH. That didn't faze Eddie at all, he grabbed some cardboard from my studio floor, a glue gun, and set about weaving a sort of basket around the column:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/eddie_cardboardbulk1_zpse3adacf2-d3395e90cd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Eddie with the enhanced wig frame:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/eddie_cardboardbulk_zps3e4e0ca7-60fd3bc412.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThen Eddie wired on some mod rock tentacles, we painted them and covered the whole thing in cling film.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/wig_clingfilmed_zps18381187-01a2cd6ba8.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe noticed that if we touched the long strands of cling film too much, or laid the wig against something, they went all flat and dull and lost the hair look about them. We suspected Kate Cusack's wigs didn't get out of the studio much. Tight curls held their shape much better. While Eddie was gone, I heated up the glue gun again and stuck lots more curls and the halves of a plastic seashell bra onto it. I also bought some dried starfish off the Internet, but they were real starfish and they stank like sewage, so they're still sitting somewhere near \u003Ca href=\"http://www.garynorthfield.com/\">Gary Northfield\u003C/a>'s desk, stinking. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/wig_no_neckpiece_zpsd6f10d1d-b7d9a87aad.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI thought the wig was finished, but when I put it on, it wobbled like crazy and perched way too high on my head like some sort of mushroom. The wig looked arresting, but I still wanted to look... pretty. So Eddie devised these collar pieces out of stiff book cover cardboard, which had the dual effect of bracing the wig against my collar bones, and letting me put some decorative curls around my face, to frame it better. He used layers of washing-up sponges to pad the insides against my head.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/wig_collars_zpsd26c302c-67d90b814d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nIn the end, the wig consumed about four big rolls of cling film, about 1200 metres, 30 cm wide (1,440 metres square). A couple days before the launch, I decided I wanted it EVEN BIGGER and ordered some ostrich feathers online. And, TA-DAH! Monster wig!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/mcintyre_seawig_zpsbe775d02-e4525802f3.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nIf only we'd had this great wooden head in the studio to support it while we were working. I couldn't believe the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.goldenhinde.com/#/golden-hinde/4570679909\">Golden Hinde\u003C/a> ship had a perfect carved wig holder. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/stu_seawigs_eddiewig_zps791603b2-b2cc9ee0ea.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.blastphoto.co.uk/\">Blast Photo\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nWarning: getting through doorways is a little tricky. I almost had to crawl through the glass doors in front of the ship, not my most elegant moment:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/blast_seawigs_wig_entry_zps24ca01a9-84ee4e45ee.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.blastphoto.co.uk/\">Blast Photo\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://audreyniffenegger.com/\">Audrey Niffenegger\u003C/a> sent me this helpful diagram:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bigwig_help_zps489a8a12-7cc249bc5a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's a side view, modelled by one \u003Ca href=\"http://hayleycampbell.com/\">Hayley Campbell\u003C/a> (who, incidentally, has \u003Ca href=\"http://hayleycampbell.com/2013/07/26/the-almost-literal-elephant-in-the-room/\">written a new blog post after the party about being so tall\u003C/a>). \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/stu_seawigs_hayleywig1_zps0db449d5-8758a68a19.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBig thanks to Eddie (here with his bemused wife, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/cazzer_s\">Caroline Smith\u003C/a>) for his awesome wig-making skills! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/blast_seawigs_carolineeddie_zpsa6f9388d-1cc3a17c5d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nDo check out \u003Ca href=\"http://www.edwardsmith-sculptor.com/\">Eddie's website\u003C/a> (designed by our friend \u003Ca href=\"http://www.hammerheadrabbits.com/\">Dan Fone\u003C/a>) to see some of his other amazing sculptures. He studied sculpture at the Royal Academy and is going to have a drawing in this year's Jerwood Exhibition. (I once \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/359612.html\">interviewed Eddie and his daughter about drawing trees\u003C/a>.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.edwardsmith-sculptor.com/\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/edward_smith_website_zpsd6c21b96-a40f6b5397.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nOh, and Eddie says he'll give me some help for the \u003Cb>next book\u003C/b> if I want it... \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/blast_seawigs_bookseller_zps8edce1cf-3ecea734ad.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.blastphoto.co.uk/\">Blast Photo\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nWell. We'll just have a little think about that one. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/blast_seawigs_philsarah_finale_zpsf4a4cd92-fd36ca90f3.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>Photo by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.blastphoto.co.uk/\">Blast Photo\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cb>\u003Ci>Oliver and the Seawigs\u003C/i> launches at Daunt Books, Marylebone in London on Wed, 4 Sept. Join us for the party!\u003C/b> Scroll to the end of \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/575183.html\">the previous post\u003C/a> to discover how to make your own more moderate-size seawig out of A3 paper.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/Seawigs_Daunt_eflyer_zpsc098ac71-b3a5eda039.jpg\">","2013-07-27T08:44:00.000Z","anatomy-of-a-seawig",[],"anatomy of a seawig",1776628726362]