Fun fact: I like drawing cartoon puppets. Like this blonde, wide-eyed mare.

Several years ago I was highly entertained by the “Popsicle Stick Theater with Chester Whigget” from Phil Vischer’s What’s in the Bible? series, so I decided to try my hand at popsicle stick puppetry. (I mean, why not?) I started by drawing imitations of Chester Whigget’s puppets, and after this practice, I soon began creating original stories and drawings. Now that I’ve been making these little puppet shows for a few years, I’ve learned that one of my favorite approaches is to tell a Bible story while satirizing something contemporary. For instance, back in 2012 I wrote a parody of the presidential race using the story of Rehoboam from 1 Kings, and another time I presented the story of Jonah while spoofing a modern movie (see the puppets below — the whale, and Jonah inside it in the dark).

Although I haven’t had time to create another puppet show for the last year or two, finally this summer I’m making the time to put together a new story and cast of characters. I don’t have the script or the drawings finished yet, so I’m not going to reveal what the story’s about or what the puppets will look like (top secret, you know). But I wanted to share just a tiny peek of one of the sketches I’ve done. It’s not colored or perfected yet, and I’m only showing a little portion of the character so that its identity remains shrouded in mystery. But hey, since the picture is very close-up, you can actually see the detail I like to put into the drawings, which you can’t see once they’re all color-penciled and Sharpied over.

Whenever I get the whole puppet show finished, I’ll be able to share much more!