"Is my face red!"

Thanks to Ted Nunes for sharing these photos of tomato puppets he created for a local tomato-themed Art Fest. (Their faces may be red, but there's no embarrassment with these creative characters!)

Ted used Crayola Model Magic to sculpt the faces so they have dimension. Then he cut out the jaw and rigged the movement using popsicle sticks. He says the Model Magic is handy because you can work with it right out of the package. It air cures with no oven bake needed. And it accepts acrylic paint well. The downside, according to Ted, is that it is a bit fragile.

When the puppets were dropped off at the gallery, a small boy who saw them was fascinated. The gallery owner asked the young visitor which puppet he liked best. He pointed to the one modeled after Charlie McCarthy. (I'm sure Charlie would agree - better to be a tomato than a devil!)