The Little Turtle

My process can be listed into five steps: establish character, develop a color story, exploration through drawings, research and design, and construction. For this production, I became inspired after reading the script.

First, I listed the characters and established a color scheme. the costumes be representative of the animals and their personalities. For example, the rabbit had a cotton-like tail and long ears. The character was also described as being a “dizzy racer;” therefore, I gave the character props such as a stopwatch and a marathon bib pinned on the back of the costume. I wanted to exaggerate the idea of the character being fast and always on the run.

Anthropomorphic: I knew I had to combine the human form with the characteristics of these animals: fox, skunk, bird, rabbit and turtle. I researched these animals for their characteristics. I included these characteristics in my drawings. After the drawings were completed, I began construction. Referring back to the character, I transform a two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional costume. Finally, I add props to accentuate the character’s personality.

Writer Pam Dickler wanted the turtle be able to roll over on its back. I had to construct the turtle shell so the actor would be able to roll over with ease and comfort, and the shell would maintain its shape. The costume was made of green and yellow soft fleece. The shell had several darts to create the three-dimensional shape of a turtle’s shell and was stuffed with a soft, light sponge material. The actor was able to roll over in the costume while the shell kept its form.

I constructed all of the costumes out of simple, yet recognizable materials. The bird costume was constructed of six feather boas wrapped around a dark blue leotard. The bird’s feet were made of orange household rubber cleaning gloves stuffed with polyester fill to keep its shape. This worked well as the bird character had many movements involving her feet.