Subject: RE: Anyone here make hand-puppets?
From: peregrina - PM
Date: 18 Apr 09 - 06:48 AM

"odd socks + felt + googley eyes + maybe a bit of cardboard and good glue; sewing only if you are more ambitious.

Not as fancy as the papier mache kind, but can be a good simple project"

Thank you. Sock puppets can be quite nice, but at present I'm thinking more about modelling heads. I am actually quite ambitious and have been seriously interested in animation and puppetry for a long time. However, I know I'll have to be less ambitious if I want the children to make the heads for the puppets. I may do both things: make fancier puppets myself and make simpler ones with the children.

I've been thinking about modelling with plasticine and/or modelling wax and then making latex mold and casting with a plaster-like product made for this purpose. I've done some casting in plaster, but I've never tried the latex molds (always wanted to, though). I don't have much room or a place where I could make a big mess, which is the real problem. I've got more tools and art supplies than you could shake a stick at, but the tools have mostly been packed up in boxes for the last ten years. Otherwise, I would carve the heads out of a beautiful piece of nicely aged limewood that's lying in my basement waiting to be turned into puppets. A bit frustrating, really.

I'm also considering using papier-mache, but it may not be well-suited for casting. I'm tempted to try it, anyway. I think lightbulbs, balloons or pre-formed styrofoam shapes are too restrictive. I bought some styrofoam cones which I hope will solve the problem of making a hole for sticking one's fingers into.

I've shamelessly plugged my work before, but here's a link to the drawings I've posted, in case anyone wants to see samples of my work. Of course, they're drawings rather than puppets, but some of the projects could be executed using puppets (and I'd quite like to do this): Drawings