Small Progress: internal structure and porportion problems

I’ve done a LOT of sewing in the last week-and-a-half, but I did get a little bit of work-work done! I’m feeling super thankful that I have a blog to keep me honest. This week’s entry isn’t too exciting, though.

With the first whale build, I realized that I would need some way of getting everything to hold together on the inside, and since an internal support structure was what worked for the manger, I have started experimenting with an internal support structure for the whale.

This is what the whale looks like with its mouth open, support structure showing.

After experimenting with a triangle and a double triangle, I finally went back to a rectangle, which I’m 99% sure I will eventually end up modifying so that it is made stiffer with some nice crisp right angles at the back.

Here’s the whale with Jonah inside, looking quite stoic I think.

I had hoped it would open like a snapdragon— pinch the sides, and the top and bottom come apart— and look at that, it does! This makes me happy.

Here’s a horizontal view of Jonah inside the mouth of the whale.

I felt like the Jonah proportions were perfect when I made him, but now I’m not so sure. He seems quite large in comparison to the whale. I mean, it’s not exactly like I’m ever going to have an exactly scientifically correct whale, but still… I want it to be artistically something I can live with. It’s still early stages, though; lots can still change.