Personal Projects

This piece is my ongoing independent project. I focused on the simplicity of the puppet while ensuring it has an intriguing sculptural quality and appealing color design. This project also marks my first time using a ball-and-socket armature. I created a full-scale character design blueprint for the puppet, and the custom armature was crafted by an animation studio in Barcelona, Spain.

The highlight of this puppet’s design is its accordion-shaped body. I chose green as the main color, but I added gradients, used subtle variations of darker and lighter greens, and mixed in other colors with the green to create a rich and visually enjoyable color palette.

Paper and Wire Puppets, and Props from my thesis Project “When You Touch Me” at RISD

In these puppets, various colors of yarn were used to create puppets that emphasize the softness and warmth unique to yarn. The internal structure of the dolls consists of a wire armature.

This is a lip sync assignment from my time at RISD. I started by filming myself acting out the scene and used that as a reference for the animation. The puppet was built with a wire armature and clay.

This is my first stop motion animated film.

Professional Projects

SHAPE ISLAND / my role : Fabricator, Production Assistant and Art Department Trainee at Bix Pix Entertainment

My role was to pour FastCast (urethane casting resin) into molds to replicate multiple copies of the same props and furniture parts. I also prepared the cast pieces by polishing them to perfection, ensuring they were ready for the Paint Department to apply colors.

For these cacti, I worked on assembling each part. I focused on creating a design that looks interesting from various angles. Additionally, I carefully spaced out the placement of the spines, making small holes and inserting them to achieve a natural look.

My role on the shooting stage of the Landscape was to handle the final finishing touches before handing it over to the painting department. This involved using FastCast (Urethane Casting Resin) to fill in gaps and meticulously sanding the surface of the sculpture with sandpaper and a sanding machine until there wasn’t a single scratch left.

Masashi Yamamoto©2025