Part of your puppet’s character comes from the hair. The material, color and style you choose can communicate a young, old, male female, conservative or wild puppet.
There are many materials you can use for making hair for your puppet including:
- Fur
- Yarn
- Fleece Strips
- Craft Foam
- Wigs
- Feathers
- Felt
- Wool
- Mohair
Fur
Fur makes great puppet hair. Fur is available in a wide variety of colors and lengths. Fur can also be cut and shaped.
The puppet pictured above has white fur for hair and eyebrows. You can find craft fur at fabric stores and hobby stores.
I have also found fur hats and muffs at thrift stores which I cut up to create hair.
When cutting fur for your puppet, always place the fur side down on your cutting pad.
Using a sharp razor blade, you cut the backing of the fur.
DO NOT cut the topside of the fur, or you will end up with a lot of fur coming off and an uneven, unattractive edge.
DO NOT use scissors to cut fur. You will end up cutting the fur itself and end up with an uneven edge and lots of pieces of hair all over your table.
When cutting fur, determine what direction you want the fur to lie. Fur goes in one direction. If you want fur to go in a couple of different directions, to create a part, use separate pieces of fur.
If you use a long pile fur, you can style it after it is attached to the puppet. Using sharp scissors trim it to the length you want.
Another cool trick for styling the hair is to use white glue to create shape. Mix equal parts of white glue and water. With your hands, work the glue into the fur. Mix it in thoroughly.
Now shape it into position. You can create waves, spikes, or just a normal hairdo that is permanent. The glue will dry clear. If needed you can change the hair later by wetting the hair.
The puppet above has a fur mohawk. The hairdo helps create the character of a punk rocker. I have used that same fur for a more traditional haircut on a puppet. How you shape the hair helps to create the personality of your puppet.
Yarn
Yarn is a great material for puppet hair. It is available in a variety of colors and thicknesses. It can also be found very inexpensively at thrift shops.
To make yarn hair, get a piece of cardboard the same length or longer that you want the hair. Wind the yarn around the cardboard again and again and again until you have the amount of “hair” you want.
Slide a piece of yarn under the yarn on the card and tie it off at the top.
Cut away the yarn at the bottom and you will have your hairpiece. Make a smaller piece for the bangs of the puppet.
Fleece Strips or Craft Foam Strips
Hair can also be made from strips of fleece or strips of craft foam.
Cut half-inch strips of foam or fleece for your puppet’s wig. Using fabric glue, attach the strips to the head of your puppet.
Foam can be curled using a pencil or dowel. Roll the foam around the dowel and remove the dowel. Voila – curly hair.
For fleece, use fabric stiffener before rolling or you can just pull both ends of the fleece apart, let go and it will curl up.
Wigs
Wigs, both with real hair and fake hair, can be found at thrift shops and costume shops. To use a wig, simply glue it to your puppet and trim to the desired style.
Feathers
Feathers make for great puppet hair. Because they are light and wispy, they move as the puppet moves, creating life in your figure.
Feather boas are nice since they can be wrapped and glued into place. A strip of boa can make sideburns or a mustache.
Feather hackle pads are little sections of feathers connected together. These can be glued on to your puppet to make a nice wig.
Felt
Felt can be attached as a single layer of hair or it can be layered, to create dimension. A single layer of felt will create a crew-cut appearance.
Wool and Mohair
Wool and mohair make for natural-looking hair.
