Mary Poppins Umbrella Build

So I wanted to continue adding some more note on past builds. I know that video would probably be ideal but so far, I've been lucky to take any photos of any projects as I go.

Anyway, about the project. I've always loved Disney and I've always been charmed by the movie, Mary Poppins. There are just so many imaginative and colorful scenes with such great talent, singing, dancing, music, etc.

One day, I saw that someone had created Mary's umbrella that has the talking macaw/parrot handle. And since I was just getting in to foam fabrication, I thought this might be a good starter project.

I started with taking the 2 inch foam and gluing 2 pieces on top of each other to get the necessary thickness. Then I started roughing out the basic shape. Then I started with the detail work. Some of the deeper cuts that I made that formed the eyes started to determine the overall size of this parrot. In hind site, I might have gone a bit smaller but I am okay with the finished size. I think it's a bit bigger than the movie version. Back to the build, so once the basic shape was roughed out, the details worked in, I smoothed out the rough spots with spackling paste and sanding the piece down. This part was probably the most challenging, trying to get everything smooth.

Once I was pleased with the sculpt, I broke out my new airbrush. Believe it or not, this would be the first time actually using an airbrush to this degree. It was a challenge trying to get the hang of everything and to keep the paint flowing without clogs or sputters but I was eventually able to get favorable results. Then it was a matter of fabricating the neck piece, which is just an ornamental piece made from foam.

I bought a new black umbrella at Savers of all places for around $5 and just attached the head to the umbrella. Simple as that!

Looking back, I am pleased with this build. The symmetry from one side of the parrots face to the other, was not as exact as I would like so I think I would consider that if I were to build this again. Also, the foam is delicate to a point. If I were to do this for a practical application, I would probably try to fabricate this by making a mold and using a resin. Also I have seen it where someone built this and was able to make the mouth open by using a lever. I think this would be a wonderful challenge. I hope this was interesting and can help someone with their projects. Thanks for stopping by!