Paper automaton kit reveals why there are no magical fairies in the world

This new automaton from cool4cats titled A Tasty Snack explains why there are no fairies left. It would appear that the carnivorous plants have taken care of them all.

An interesting feature of the model is some gearing which is similar to the hour/minute hand arrangement of a clock. In this configuration, both hands rotate on the same spindle so they display on the same dial. In clock, the gears have a 12:1 ratio -- converting the hourly rotation of the minute hand into a 12th of a rotation for the hour hand. In this automaton, they have used a 4:1 ratio. It also looks as if they've used a paper belt drive. Very clever!

Here is where you can get the A Tasty Snack paper automaton kit.

---

Attack of the Killer Tomato - an automaton by Kieth Newstead

I posted earlier this week about a Keith Newstead automaton that was in progress featuring a man-eating tomato. The piece is called Attack of the Killer Tomato and will serve as a donations box for Occombe Farm, Devon, UK.

Here it is in full color. The painting turned out fantastic! The plant has an interesting reflective green texture and the tomato really shines. I also love the pattern of the man's flannel shirt. Actually, everything looks good including the man's hair, the watering can, the flower pot. My favorite thing would be the plant's spiked yellow teeth.

If you are interested in making your own, here are some books on carving figures in wood and on how to construct marionettes.

See more automata by Keith Newstead on his web site.

---

Giant killer tomato plant attacks gardener!

You read that right! A giant killer tomato plant attacks a helpless gardener...in this wood automaton. The video is of an automaton in progress by artist Keith Newstead. A man diligently waters his garden with a watering can. The tomato plant has grown so well that it has a really big appetite! The jointed figure of the man moves in lovely organic way. I love the huge cam visible in the front of the piece too. Though I expect it will be painted, I love the uniform natural finish of the wood at this stage also.

---

Mechanical wooden flower that opens and closes

Octalypseis a mechanical wooden flower that opens and closes when the base is raised and lowered. The piece is made of many beautiful materials including Redheart, Grenadillo, Avocado, Purpleheart, Canary, and Lacewood. Very nice, indeed.

You can see more photographs of this mechanical flower piece on the Creative Outlaw web site.

---

Wooden machine that mimics grass in the wind

This kinetic sculpture, built by David Bynoe, is meant to look like a field of wheat blowing in the wind. It consists of 40 wooden poles, each about 6 foot high, that are connected up via a system of ropes to a pair of large motorized cams. The two cam turns at slightly different speeds, so it takes about 14 minutes for the machine to complete a full cycle. It's a lovely effect that shows how complicated it can be to reproduce organic motion and the beauty found in nature.

This kinetic sculpture is at the Truck Gallery in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.The show runs from June 3rd-30th 2011.

---

Kinetic Flower by James Christopher Schaffroth

James Christopher Schaffroth is an industrial design student at Rhode Island School of Design with a passion for kinetics. He has made a number of pieces, most constructed of simple materials: steel welding rod, brass tubing, and tin-plated steel sheet. The one shown here depicts a flower form.

---

Giant mechanical fern sculpture by Chris Fitch

Take a look at this gorgeous video of a beautifully done sculpture by artist Chris Fitch.

From the sculpture description:

Originally inspired by looking at ferns on a walk in the woods, "Spring" is a mechanical abstraction of the same unfurling action that occurs in fiddleheads. The title is a double-entendre referring also to the coiled spring-like shape that the sculpture assumes. In fact, in an earlier version of this piece, there was a coiled spring incorporated into the mechanism.

See more kinetic art by Chris Fitch on his web site.

[ Thanks Ellen and Dave! ]

---

Newstead's new random sound clockwork machine

Keith Newstead's new piece -- Automatumbrella -- finished and working well.

See more automata by Keith Newstead on his web site.

---