Latex is a great alternative to fleece for covering a puppet. Latex is durable, long-lasting and easy to apply, making it the perfect covering for your puppet.
Latex is colored with acrylic paint and applied directly to the foam of your puppet with a brush or foam square.
Items needed for this project:
How To Color The Latex
Monster latex comes in white. You can color it with acrylic paint.
- Pour some liquid latex into a cup or bowl.
- Add acrylic paint of your desired color a few drops at a time.
- Stir the latex to color it with a popsicle stick or other item.
- Add more paint, a little at a time until you get the desired color.
How To Apply The Latex To The Foam
You can brush the latex onto the foam with a brush. I have found I get better results when I dab the liquid latex on with a scrap piece of foam.
Make your first coat thin. Let dry for several hours, or overnight. Once the latex has dried, add another coat. Let dry.
Continue to add coats of latex, allowing it to dry between coats until you get the desired thickness and results.
Working With Latex And Fleece
On my chicken puppet, have a combination of painted foam and liquid latex rubber. I also make puppets covered with fleece that have certain parts covered with latex.
Do not apply latex over fleece. It will not give you good results.
If you are applying latex to only a part of the puppet, like a bird beak, either cover the piece with the latex rubber before attaching it to the puppet or use masking tape to mask off where you do not want the latex.
When latex has dried, you can trim edges with sharp scissors or a razor blade.
You can also paint latex rubber after it has dried. Use acrylic paints. You can use paint to add some detailing or to patch a missed spot.
On the puppet above, I covered him with yellow liquid latex.
I took some red sidewalk chalk and made a powder by rubbing it on sandpaper. I then brushed the red chalk on his lips to give him red lips. You could also do this with paint.
In the picture above, you see the puppet head when it is bare foam. Then you see the same puppet after it has been covered with yellow latex.
Latex allows me to get the color I want and to create a longlasting, durable cover for the foam. By mixing paints, I can get custom colors.
An Alternative To Liquid Latex
As an alternative to liquid latex rubber, you can use latex tub sealer. This comes in a tube. It is used to caulk tubs and sinks.
To apply the latex sealant, put a generous amount on a plate or piece of wood.
You can color the caulking like you do the liquid latex, with acrylic paint. Just mix it in good.
Apply the caulking to the puppet with a spatula or a piece of stiff plastic. You can cut an applicator out of a plastic cofee can lid.
Just keep applying and smoothing small amounts until your puppet is covered. Let dry.
The caulking can also be painted after it dries. You can add features and shading to get the desired result.