Archives for posts with tag: art

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Mouse isn’t particularly patient when it comes to campaigns. She wants to have results, poff, poff, poff. No fluffing around. Naturally she was very disappointed when there were only a few votes yesterday and she got her management team together to discuss how they could rustle up more vistors. In the afternoon, they agreed on a strategy to sacrifice one of the lil’Dedes for a regram action. They invited the Lil’Devil into the theatre for a photoshoot and told him he would be the cheerleader for the Super Dede Competition. He happily agreed, but I think they forgot to tell him that he will have to leave the Dede household once the cheerleading contract is over. This campaign is on Instagram only, and everybody who regrams the picture goes into the draw to win this little fella. The picture went up last night, but no-one has yet taken up the offer. If he is lucky, Lil’Devil will stay with us. :)

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As we all know, Rob D Light hasn’t got a job. He was sent by the Dede employment agency to help out Mouse and gain some work experience. Mouse gave him the task of keeping track of the comments our readers make. This is a very important job as every single comment goes into the draw for a signed copy of first Dede puppet book, Hermit’s web. So if you comment five times, Rob D Light has to write out five little dockets and put them into a hat, from where the winner is drawn after the competition ends. Mouse gave him a big baseball cap, though Rob used his initiative and changed it for a little Leprechaun hat. “That is big enough for the few comments we’ve got so far” he told Mouse. Mouse just sighed and said “I hope you are wrong.”

We have also had the first upset in the competition. There must be a few older fans amongst our readers. Yesterday Alley Cat and Granddad Max were introduced to the Instagram readers and Granddad Max, who is in second place on the blog votes, has taken the lead when his likes from Instagram are added. Who would have thought! Snippedy and Chambermaid are hot on his heels, so “run old fella, run”.

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Mouse was very keen this morning to find out how the first day went. She doesn’t like to look at the blog on her mobile phone, so she jumped on the laptop before breakfast…. and the silly computer did it’s silly updates. She got so frustrated that she nearly chucked it in. She wrote a post for Instagram, telling the readers that there is no update and just as she was about to hit the publish button, the computer made its welcome noise. Grrr.

So, she deleted her angry post and hopped back onto the computer to check out what happened on the blog. Nothing much. Grrrr again.

“Clearly our mistake, ” said Devil “we have let the blog slide too much.”

“That is history. We try to make amends here, aren’t we” said Mouse and analysed what she saw. On the blog all contestants were introduced at once and Snotty Nosed Prince has clearly taken the lead. There are six Dedes with the same amount of votes (1! isn’t that sad) and two who have no votes whatsoever, Lapdog and Loudmouth. “I know how that feels” said Snippedy, the clown, secretly smirking away as he knew this time he will be safe, at least he has some votes. In the last competition he didn’t get past the preliminaries. He had nothing, zilch!

On Instagram only two contestants were introduced yesterday: Chambermaid and Snippedy. Both showed equal amounts of likes this morning, 57 to be precise. So with their one vote from the blog each, they are currently sharing the lead. But the two Dedes that were introduced this morning are catching up fast.

If you haven’t voted yet, Mouse has set-up a special page here on the blog (available from the menu) where you can read about all the contestants and vote. The Dedes do appreciate your support!

 

Welcome to the Super Dede Competition 2016.

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This week is a preliminary round and you are asked to vote for your favourite puppet or puppets, those you would like to be contestants in the Super Dede Competition. Of course, not all Dedes are in favour of the competition and Detail has done a great job of rustling up these 10 brave Dedes to choose from. The five with the highest score will go on to compete. The others will be sent home. To help you with your decision the ten puppets were asked to briefly state why they are here.

It will be a bit tricky establishing the winner of the preliminary round, as the competition runs on Instagram, Facebook and this blog. Mouse will simply add the Instagram and Facebook likes to the poll result on the blog. We have until next Saturday to establish who will become contestants.

You can vote for more than one puppet and please, please, please tell all your friends to vote too :)

The Dedes work impromptu and they appreciate any comments and suggestions. We are all very excited about what is going to happen in the next four weeks. All comments will go into the draw for a signed copy of the first Dede puppet book Hermit’s Web or the few friends I need, I handcraft myself.

Now give a big hand for the applicants!

(In alphabetical order)

Alley Cat

“I am here because it wasn’t cool enough for Cool Cat, but we felines need a representative in the cast.”

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Chambermaid

“I want to be in the competition because I am sick of tidying up after all the other Dedes.”

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Granddad Max

“I am old but I am not dead. We seniors have something to say.”

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Milky Bar Devil

“I am a devil in training and I want to learn how to become ruthless.”

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Lapdog

“I am here because I’m soooo prettaay.”

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Loudmouth

“Honestly, I am the only Dede who can sing. This is a singing contest, isn’t it?”

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Snippedy

“I didn’t make it last time, so I’m trying again.”

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Snotty Nosed Prince

“The king said I should experience what the commoners enjoy.”

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Sunny

“I want to be an artist and the prize money might set me up.”

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Top Dog

“I will win. I am a joker, I simply trump them all.”

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Now, please vote for you favorite puppets!

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First things first. In the picture above you see the Super Dede Competition management team . From left to right: Detail, Mouse and Devil. You don’t see Detail very often in a picture. She is very particular about her appearance and rarely approves a photo of herself. She is the only Dede featuring straight lines and she finds her eyes too dark for her light complexion. Ah well, she certainly won’t take part in the competition. This might be another reason why she happily volunteered to canvas for contestants.

The nicely dressed lady in the front is the director of the theatre where the competition takes place. She considered herself pretty enough to take part in the Super Dede Competition. When she auditioned the management team informed her the competition is strictly for Dedes only. Of course she is invited to participate with comments and suggestions like the rest of the audience and the readers. She was a little miffed, but still went off to reserve herself a seat in the front row. She just loves the theatre so much.

Yesterday, our reader Jessie suggested some puppets that would make an interesting addition to the cast. I gave the list to Detail and she diligently went off to talk to the nominated puppets individually and asked them if they were willing to be put on the list. (Remember, being on the list doesn’t mean they will actually partake in the competition. In the first week the readers will whittle down the list of 10 suggestions to 5 final contestants.)

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From left to right: Granddad Max, Twofaced, Philosopher (lying down) and Deutsch Fraulein.

First up, Detail asked Twofaced if she wants to be a contestant. Her response was “Mhm, not sure.” Detail said “Okay then, I take it that’s a no” and crossed her of the list. Then she went on to ask Granddad Max. Granddad Max said “Mhm, not sure.” Detail nudged him with her ellbow and said “C’mon, don’t you feel flattered that someone put your name forward? And it would be great to have the perspective of an older member of society in the competition!” Granddad Max still said “Mhm not sure” but Detail put him on the list and promised if she had more than 10 applicants she would ask him again.

Next on Detail’s list was Deutsch Fraulein. “If you asked me to be a contestant on the “bachelorette” I would jump at the opportunity” the girl said arrogantly. “The Super Dede Competition, sorry, is not my thing.” Detail shook her head, crossed her off and moved on to Philosopher. Here she faced a dilemma. On the one hand she didn’t want bother this puppet as she knew what he would say. On the other hand she didn’t want to disappoint Jessie, who had put him forward. In the end she took a deep breath and asked. Sure enough, he waived the question aside. “Don’t bother me with that silly competition but I don’t want to spoil it for you guys so just leave me out of it.”

Detail was exhausted. All this hard work and she only has three contestants so far. The competition is supposed to start next Monday. Dear, oh dear!  There were two more puppets suggested by Jessie. One is called Patience. Patience is the one that got lost in the process, never to been seen again. But  Detail is not giving up. She couldn’t find the wannabe artist Sunny either, but he must be around somewhere. So there are still two maybe’s. Good luck, Detail.

And remember you still can get the free ebook of the previous Super Dede Competition from smashwords.com until tomorrow. Enter the code VV39S to get the ebook with a 100% discount.

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Detail is very good at keeping lists and things, so she volunteered to rustle up the contestants again. She is also very conscientious and got to work immediately. She opened the box where all the Dedes hide from the sunlight when they have their days off, and asked who wants to take part in the Super Dede Competition 2016. The one thing she is lacking though is a loud and commanding voice! So no Dede reacted to her question except for Bobby, the policeman. He jumped out of the crowd and placed himself right next to Detail. “Oi”  he shouted with his booming voice, “the lady is talking to you guys!”  All of a sudden everyone looked up.

Detail is not sure if they listened because he has a booming male voice or because he represents authority. To be honest, she doesn’t care, as long as she gets 10 willing Dedes on her list before Monday. So far she has only two: Chambermaid and Snippedy, the clown.

Have a look at the Characters page. Which one would you like to see in the competition?

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The Dedes ruthelessly evicted the cast from the shadow theatre and took over the premises. Of course the Shadows weren’t pleased about this, but they know too well that the Dedes are more important. I expected they would put up more of a fight, but no, they just moved out!

The Dedes didn’t waste any time and immediately started setting up the stage. There’s not much time left, the competition starts on Monday. Like last time, it will be an impromptu event and the Dedes will incorporate comments from the readers. There are prizes to be won for readers who take part, but the Dedes haven’t made up their minds yet what they will be. In the meantime, Devil has decided to make the ebook about the previous competition available for free until the Super Dede Competition 2016 officially starts on Monday the 6th of June. In the first week we will be selecting the contestants.

Detail is currently going around canvassing the puppets to find out who wants to become a contestant. Like last time, she is aiming to get 10 puppets to apply and the readers will whittle it down to 5 puppets. Over three weeks these Dedes will have to battle it out to find out who will become the Super Dede 2016.

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Mouse had taken on the promotion of The Super Dede Competition ebook, despite she has no clue about marketing. She did it basically because no-one else held their hand up (as usual), but somehow the book needs to be advertised. She was adamant it had to be an Instagram promotion, as the Dedes seem to be going well there. So she spent a day researching and then jumped onto the computer to create a regram ad with popular Chambermaid as the poster girl. Devil, who used to be the spokes person, poo-pooed her attempt and said  no-one would regram an ad for a book of the value of US$3.99. Most of the Dede followers on Instagram have a particular aesthetic on their site and such a regram ad would stick out like a sore thumb. Mouse was still thinking about an appropriate response, when Harvey, the rabbit came along and said the book should be free anyway. This was too much for Mouse and she had one of her break-downs, that unfortunately happen all too often as she works far too hard.  Devil could see:  Yes, Harvey had a point, but so had Mouse.  The book should be free to our followers, but we cannot do everything for free forever. At this point he volunteered to take over the ebook promotion. After all he used to be the MC for the “Super Dede Competition” and if the book sells it is in his best interest. His solution was to make the ebook free until Saturday, the 28th of May 2016.

So, head over to Smashwords.com and get your free copy. Enter the code VV39S before you check out. 

Of course if you want to support the Dedes feel free to buy the book. If you like the Dedes, tell everyone about it. And if you don’t like it,  keep your mouth shut. :)

“Really!” said Mouse, “isn’t that obvious? Do we have to say that? Oh, …I hate marketing!”

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Yes, the Dedes are back to normal. Unfortunately part of their normality is their struggle for survival. They don’t want to have anything for free, but for some of them it is very difficult. Look, for example, at Rob D Light. He has been looking for a job for ever and lives under a blanket of newspapers. His old one is ripped and he gratefully grabbed the discarded ransom note because it was glued on 120gsm paper. That will be a bit warmer than the thin newsprint in the approaching New Zealand winter.

SuperDedeCompetition_CoverMouse said Cool Cat should do some work to get noticed, but that is easier said than done. Mouse works relentlessly. She is a workaholic to be precise, but does she earn a decent income? No! She has put together the Artist’s Survival Cookbook which is available in print, and just two days ago, she put the latest publication The Super Dede Competition as an ebook on smashwords. The problem is the marketing. Not one Dede is an expert at that.

So, Mouse has taken charge of this now as well. She put the price on US$3.99, which for an ebook might appear a bit dear, but she argued it should be viewed as a donation to the Dedes. They don’t want to have anything for free, though it is obvious they can’t survive on thin air. “Look at it” she said defending her decision. “It is the price of a cup of coffee”. Then she went on to explain where the money is going. $1 from each book goes to Rob D Light and another $1 goes to L’Artiste so he can continue his carefree work. The rest that is not withheld by Smashwords for administration will go to repay debts the Dedes have accumulated in recent years. Originally she wanted to put it in the kitty for a rainy day, but no, it is better to get rid of debts first the others said.

So here we are: click on the image, buy the book, donate to the Dedes and tell all your friends about it. The Dedes will be eternally grateful.

xxx

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The Dedes are back to their old antics. The exhibition opening is over, mother’s day with all its warm and fuzzies is over. Remember in my last post I revealed I particularly like the cow, as she has my eyes, and Devil as he was the first puppet. Two of the lesser known Dedes, Magician and Eve L. took issue with the fact that I have favourites and decided to do something about it. Though they didn’t compare notes of what they are going to do and each of them approached the issue from a different angle.

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Eve L. requested some old newspapers and packaging tape and disappeared into the studio rustling about all day. The next day she appeared and announced that she had figured out I obviously liked puppets with horns, therefore she adorned herself with a homemade contraption so I would love her more. Mhm. Interesting! I have to say her sample data was a little too small. She obviously looked at one post only. If she had followed the blog more carefully she would realise that there are plenty of puppets without horns who feature strongly.

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Anyway Cool Cat looked at Eve L and said it is not a good idea to do things only to be loved and accepted. Right she looked pretty silly, didn’t she.

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When Magician had seen the newspaper he had the idea to write a ransom note to the artist (that would be me). His announcement to do this and the proof of taking action (the picture of him fetching the scissors) had the most views on the Dede Instagram site so far. I have to ponder what this is telling me.

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Anyway he demanded equal treatment of all puppets and delivered the note anonymously. Though it didn’t quite work as the hat was a give away.  I was a bit confused. You might know that one of my favourite signs is the saltire (x) as it is very ambiguous. I looked at the note and wondered, if Magician is not able to sign his name or if he sent three kisses with the note.

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Before I could make up my mind, Milky Bar Devil grabbed the note and ripped it up. Remember the last we saw of Milky Bar Devil was when he was ordered to read a big pile of philosophy books. And sure enough, the reading had an impact on him. He said: “Rubbish, you don’t need to treat everyone the same, you should treat everyone fairly, right?”

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In the meantime Cool Cat, who is – just like any other cat – far too proud to join the crowd, asked what one HAS to do to feature in any of the Dedes stories.  Mouse, who happened to walk past just said: “Do some work”

Yes, you see, everything is back to normal.

 

 

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I am often asked how the Dede puppets came about and I think now is an appropriate time to tell the story as it was Mother’s Day last Sunday.

Here is the short version of the story:

When I was little, my mother used to tell us kids about a devil hand puppet she once made but left behind when moving house. I never saw the puppet but she talked about it with such passion that in my mind it must have been the most beautiful hand puppet ever. Some decades later I tried to get rid of a rather large pile of newspaper and I was quite surprised when I suddenly had a very strong desire to make a devil hand puppet. My mother and I didn’t have a particularly good relationship and when I started making the puppets I realised I was about the same age my mother was when she told me about her puppet. Anyway, the devil turned out beautifully – even if I do say so myself – and I continued making more. Within a week I had a cast of fifteen and they were received very favourably by my friends. At this stage my mother was still alive and could see pictures of the first puppets and hear how well they were received. Sadly she passed away shortly after. I can but view the puppets as my mother’s legacy to me. There isn’t a day when I don’t think about her and develop a better understanding of her life and her motivations.

In the picture above Cash Cow, who has my eyes, holds a picture of my mother. Can you see the similarity?

Below is my very first Dede puppet, Devil. He will always have a special place in my heart, even though I am sure he has nothing in common with my mother’s devil.

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