This week, I designed and built miniature blinds for my stop motion set, which was a new and exciting challenge for me. I created three sets of blinds, two measured 5 1/4" x 4.5", and the larger one was 7" x 5". I was very pleased with the final results, as they added a realistic and functional detail to the interior of the main character’s house.
To construct the blinds, I cut thin strips of cardstock to 1/4" and carefully poked three small holes in each strip using a sewing pin, one hole 1/4" from each end and one in the center. I threaded sewing thread through these holes to allow the strips to lie at a natural angled position. Using a bent piece of wire as a precision tool, I applied small amounts of Gorilla Glue at each intersection of the thread and blind to hold them securely in place.
For the opening scene, where the main character peeks through the blinds at his neighbor and her dog, I created a set of five animatable blind strips. These strips were rigged with hidden wires, concealed between two glued layers of paper. I placed the blinds at the precise height to align with the character’s eye level, carefully leaving the middle intersections unglued to allow subtle shifting during animation. The ends were glued to provide stability while still enabling natural movement as the character interacts with them.
This process involved both technical problem-solving and attention to visual storytelling. The finished blinds contribute not only to the realism of the set but also to the narrative, emphasizing the character’s observational perspective and adding depth to his environment.