The nose

Posted on August 7, 2014 by nnnguy

It’s starting to shape up.
I’ve been dreading putting the nose together. Once again, just staring at the frame from inside the lion made me shudder at all the little measurements I had to take and how fiddly it was going to get with making tight curves.

Rather than have a completely rattan nose like last time, I tried to retain as much bamboo as I could for strength and supplemented the areas that required tighter circles with the rattan.

The gills

Posted on July 30, 2014 by nnnguy

Slow and steady. For those who would like to make a lion head from scratch, repair one, have managed to salvage a lion frame and want to patch it up and get it back to its former glory, YOU CAN DO IT! It may seem like a daunting task but if you take it slow and steady, work on one part at a time, you’ll soon start seeing progress.

Initially, I was hoping to have the whole head made from bamboo, but in the end, I decided to incorporate rattan cane into it. The rattan is just so easy to turn into circles and when there are enough joints, it holds fairly firmly.

The top lip

Posted on July 22, 2014 by nnnguy

More work, so far, this head feels much more complicated to construct than the previous lion head that I made. And getting the measurements for these bits was so difficult. Got there in the end.

After a long hiatus

Posted on July 3, 2014 by nnnguy

I managed to work on the head a bit these past few days.
That’s the easy bit done. Now for the lips and eyes =(

And so it begins.

Posted on March 24, 2014 by nnnguy

This time round, I’ve chosen to use PVC pipes for the handles. I want to make a lion head that’s of reasonable weight so it’s possible to perform. The Choi Sik Gwan Gung lion that I last made was so heavy that after 2 shops, it sapped everyone’s energy and we packed it away. It hasn’t been used since. Lions are beautiful pieces of art, but they’re made to be performed with rather than stared in its lifeless state (unless of course it’s a grandpa lion and plain awesome looking and too fragile to be used) and I think it’s a shame if a young fresh lion couldn’t be danced for others to enjoy.

I’ve stuck with using metal wires again for binding everything together. I know some people aren’t a fan of them because there is a chance they’ll rust or get brittle and crack but for the moment, I’m going to stick with it until I get the confidence to use other mediums like sports tape or actual paper ties and glue.
I’m also experimenting with which is the best order to add the bamboo strips to. So far it’s working much better than my previous project.

I’m back to WAKE UP (another) LION!!!

Posted on March 20, 2014 by nnnguy

Hey guys,

How can I Wake Up Lions when I ain’t making any!?!?! I’ve been MIA since my last lion head creation but recently, I’ve been itching to start making and fixing heads again and have decided to start on a new project. This time, it’s a bit of a double project.

As you may or may not have figured, I like my old school lion heads. You know… the ones with bristle fur, lots of pom poms, long tails, and the ones that get involved in lots of fighting in the movies. You know the ones I’m talking about.

So what better way to pick up where I left off than trying to replicate a 聯發样 (Luen Fat Cheung) lion head, and fix one up whilst I’m at it.

I’m quite lucky actually to be part of a school that still has two beautiful examples of 聯發样 lion heads. And both are so well made and well preserved that one is actually still used in performances. Think about it, a lion head that was made more than 20 years ago that is still able to be performed today. Actually, I lied. One head is about 24 years old and it’s a bit battered but still in very good condition and the other is 17 years old. In any case, I think you’d be hard pressed to find lion heads nowadays that would last up to 5 years let alone 10 years worth of performances. I think it’s testament to great craftsmanship and a quality product and a time when each lion head was treasured. Gone were the days when each lion head was a symbol of the school and everyone in the team took great pride in looking after them. You’d look back at photos of certain lions and say,
“Hey I remember that lion, we had a great time parading him on new years. Or I remember dancing that lion, it was damn heavy. Or I remember that lion, we danced it on ____year when it rained and ……(insert joyous memory here)….. ” These lion heads were meant to last and when you saw that lion head on the street, you immediately new which team was performing on the day. Nowadays, it’d be quite common for you to see lion heads replaced almost on a yearly basis and as a result, a lack of respect on each individual lion.

Anyways, back to the lion heads. One thing I really love about 聯發样 lion heads is that they age! I don’t know how to explain it but looking at the pictures of the lion head when it was freshly bought compared to what it looks like now, it feels as if the lion head has grown old with time. (I’ll put up some pictures to show you). Maybe its the droopy eyes or the paint not being as fresh but I think it really gives the lion a touch of finesse. It may not look as fierce as it once did but it still retains that “presence” that I just don’t find with a lot of the current lions.
Another thing I like about the head is the simplicity of the design. It’s beautiful in how minimal it is yet still retains a lot of that artistry and character. The paint job is quite different to modern day Malaysian and Singaporean lion heads and even Hong Kong/Chinese style lions that are trying to go back to the 1970s and 80s roots.

So without further ado, here are a couple of pictures.

Thats it on the far right. See 1993 (it’s at least 21 years old)

What it looks like today. Pretty good condition hey?

Disclaimer: That’s not our team! But a great picture of a LFC head nonetheless. You could have mistaken they are the same.

And a picture of our other 聯發样 lion. He’s still going strong. This one actually came with sheep’s fur. I guess even the artists of old had to adapt somewhat to modern times. But even then, he looks mean!!

An interesting story to finish off. I remember when I joined the Sydney Dragon Style Kung Fu school back in 2001, the gwoon had yearly school photos stretching back to 1990 framed and hung up on the wall. I would always stare at those pictures from old to recent and I would always get to the picture when “Fluffy” (our sheep’s fur LFC head) first appeared in 1999. I always thought to myself, wow, that head is a bit different, look at it’s fur!!! Now we’re in the modern times I find the reverse to be true. When I see a lion with bristle fur, I say to myself, that head is a bit different, look at it’s fur!!

Total cost of lion head…

Posted on March 18, 2013 by nnnguy

I was asked to put up the total cost of the lion so here is an actual price breakdown of the materials

– rattan + cane: $25
– bamboo strips: free from previous restorative work. Bamboo strips were bought from Of Course Lion Source previously
– aluminium metal bar (for the base): $4
– wooden broomstick (for handles): $6
– wool for pom poms: $17 I bought a lot of wool which I didn’t use so it’s probably much cheaper than that
– bristle fur + eyes + a limited set of pom poms: roughly $120. I bought these as a set
– mirror- free from previous restorative work
– rabbit fur: free from previous restorative work
– tail + neck piece: I was lucky to get these free!! This would’ve cost a fortune to make
– wire for binding everything and to make the springs for the two big pom poms: $10
– paper mache: $32
– flour to make glue: $2
– paint: $55
– paint brushes: $20 Zoe was insistent on getting good brushes and lots of them
– gloss sealant: $17
– cotton twill: free. found stuff lying around at home
– elastic and and string for eyes: $5
– pliers: $2
– dog brush (to smooth out the pom poms): $6
– time and effort and skills learnt in the making: priceless!

TOTAL: $321.00

The cost of a basic lion!!!
If I wasn’t lucky enough to get the tail and have existing bamboo, I think I’d be look at a total price of $500.00 easy!!

I have to say though, the cost of the lion doesn’t mean much compared to the invaluable experience and knowledge I’ve gotten from the whole process. There’s something about making something yourself. It’s changed the way I now look at lions and has made me appreciative of all the lion head makers, old and new. On top of admiring the general look of lions, I’m checking out all the awesome paint jobs people are doing, I’m thinking about the person(s) behind that lion and the love, effort and skill that has gone into making it.

James’ Fighting Lion

Posted on March 10, 2013 by nnnguy

Just added a page on a small piece of work I did for a friend. Check it out here

Icing on the cake

Posted on February 27, 2013 by nnnguy

Not that the achievement of making a lion head from scratch with Zoe isn’t enough, but to top it off, the back of the lion’s head made it onto the local newspaper! 😀 …..Oh and a brief excerpt on it as well 😉
Great exposure. Hopefully, more people will be inspired and inclined to try their hand at making a lion, or to start repairing their old ones.

Check out the article here
And for those with facebook. Here’s the ceremony on video

WAKE UP LION!!!

Posted on February 21, 2013 by nnnguy

Here it is! After two long years (and a more frenetic final few weeks) the lion that Zoe and I have been working on is not only finished but is finally “AWOKEN”!!

It was a slow start with periods of times where the lion’s frame was tucked away in storage, or hanging up on the wall collecting dust but there has been periods of times where I would find myself with some spare time to work on it.
As I like to think, slow progress is better than no progress and slowly and eventually in front of my eyes, I was able to turn bits of wood, bamboo, rattan, wool, metal wires, paper and every other material that I needed into a working, functioning lion head!

I was lucky enough to recruit Zoe to help with the whole painting process as she has a steadier hand 😉 and a much greater attention to finer detail. We both had an enjoyable time watching Lion vs Lion a thousand times (she’s probably sick of the movie now) and trying to sketch out the design. For the parts that we couldn’t figure out, we had an equally fun time coming up with our own design patterns based off other lions we’ve seen and studied. It was a shame to have to add the bristle fur on as it masked a bit of the paint job, but on the other hand, it did give it a nice border and made the lion complete.

One of the best things about going through the whole process is paying attention to all the small yet important details that the professional lion head makers have put into their work. I have come to appreciate the various painting patterns and styles that different artists use, as well as the various shapes and styles of lion heads. Even small things like the triggers for the eye lids and ears aren’t left unturned.
We poured through hundreds of pictures of “old” lion heads and pictures of more “modern” lion heads to get inspiration and have both developed a sense of appreciation of the masters of old and new.

I think in the end, the lion that we’ve made and painted lives true to what we wanted- a Choi Sik Guan Gong lion head, painted with a more “traditional” appearance.
The piece was initially planned as more of an artistic work rather than one that was to be actually used for performances. But as the lion started coming together, we thought it would be a big waste if such a thing was relegated to sitting in a box (until we have our own home to display it), and we decided that it would be great to show it off to the world and to let the local people see a “different” (vibrant colours, bristle fur, longer colourful tails with the sausage tail) type of lion head that is not often see nowadays.

The big day of the hoi gong ceremony was to be the 17/02/2013- Freedom Plaza Cabramatta at midday.
To be dotted by the Mayor of Cabramatta in front of the public, distinguished guests, and other lion teams.
I think the reception of the lion was well received. Many people were commenting at how fierce the lion looked and many enjoyed the colourful artwork on the top of the lion as well as its back. The tail, in all its colourful 11ft glory was also well received as a multicoloured tail has not been seen in Cabramatta in a long time.

Following the eye dotting ceremony, it was onto more street and shop performances where our lion was able to parade around the streets of Cabramatta and savor its first meal.
As I mentioned earlier, I initially did not intend the lion to be used for performances so I did not take weight into consideration. The lion head ended up weighing 5.5kg with an extra 1kg for the tail. After half an hour, I think everyone had burned their energy reserves from the previous full day of lion dancing so it was time to rest our weary arms and to let our lion have a bit of a break.

Without further ado, here are a few pictures of the day.