My 33 Best Tips For Building Puppets

My 33 Best Puppet Building Tips

I started making rod and arm puppets just a couple years ago. During that time, I have discovered many tips to make puppet building easier, more fun and to get a better-finished product. I have learned these tips from experience, (the harshest teacher), and from videos of great puppet builders like Drew Allison, Barry Gordemer, Adam Kreutinger, and BJ Guyer.
I do not claim all of these tips as original, but they are things I have gathered and use.

1 USE SHARPIES FOR SHADING AND TO COLOR LIPS AND EYELIDS Sharpies are great for coloring the edge of the eyelid to create contrast and create a mascara look. Sharpies can also be used to color lips and to provide shading on your puppet’s face. Rubbing alcohol can be used to spread and blend the Sharpie ink and soften the color.

2 USE PAPER TOWEL TO PATTERN MUSTACHES AND SIDEBURNS Pin a piece of paper towel on your puppet and draw the shape you want. This gives a really good idea of what your finished piece will look like. Use a disappearing ink pen for drawing on the paper towel. This will prevent bleed through from a more permanent ink. Cut out your drawing and trace onto your fur or other material. Cut out your mustache and you are ready to attach it to the puppet.

3 WHEN DRAPING FLEECE ONTO A PUPPET HEAD, LEAVE 1/4″ GAP BETWEEN THE PIECES. By making your pieces slightly smaller than the head, you will get a tighter finish on your fleece. Fleece has a natural stretch and when you are sewing, you can draw the pieces tight.

4 USE A RAZOR BLADE TO CUT FLEECE OR FUR Using a Persona razor blade will give you a nice even edge when cutting material. Scissors leave a more uneven edge. When cutting fur, cut on the backside.

5 FOR A FLEXIBLE MOUTHPLATE, USE GASKET RUBBER Gasket rubber is available at your local auto parts store. When you want a soft flexible mouthplate, the rubber is strong and allows great expression when manipulating the puppet. Kermit the Frog’s mouth is very flexible and allows the puppeteer to give him great facial expressions.

6 USE AN ELECTRIC MEAT CUTTING KNIFE TO CUT LARGE BLOCKS OF FOAM When carving a puppet head or other items out of a thick block of polyfoam, use an electric knife. It will cut clean and quick to get the desired shape. Once you have roughed out your shape, you can then trim it up with scissors.

7 KEEP A LOT OF EXACTO OR SINGLE EDGE RAZOR BLADES ON HAND Foam will dull a razor blade very quickly. Always use a sharp blade. When discarding blades, cover the edge with some duct or gaffer’s tape to prevent accidents.

8 KEEP MAGNETS AVAILABLE TO HOLD PINS, NEEDLES AND RAZOR BLADES. In my office, I have two small magnets stuck to my metal bookshelf. On one I keep a razor blade and on the other, sewing needles. In my workshop, I have a couple of magnets on my table to hold pins. Above the workbench, about eye level, I have an 18 inch magnet bar attached to a shelf. I keep razor blades, needles, and even my pliers stuck to it for easy access.

9 CUT MOUTHPLATES OUT OF PLASTIC STORAGE TUB LIDS OR PLASTIC COFFEE CANS. The plastic used in storage tubs and coffee cans is strong and will create a thin strong mouthplate. When gluing material to the plastic, first rough the plastic up with a little sandpaper. Your adhesives will not stick well to a smooth shiny surface. A little roughing up solves this and will give you good adhesion.

10 WHEN IN DOUBT, REINFORCE Build a strong, durable puppet. It will slow down building, but save on repairs later. Cover the side of your mouthplates that will be inside of your puppet with a strong fabric, including around the joint. T-Shirt material is great for this. Reinforce where arms are connected to the puppet. If you are using doll joints that push through the foam, cover each side of the hole with cloth. Reinforcing your foam with cloth is a great idea anywhere there is the possibility of stress on the puppet.

11 MAKE A LONG-LASTING MOUTHPLATE WITH SCULPT OR COAT® To make a long-lasting mouthplate for your puppet, cover the finger tubes and entire mouthplate with a stretchy fabric. T-Shirts work great for this. THEN apply a thin layer of Sculpt or Coat®. Make sure the Sculpt or Coat® soaks
into the fabric. This will triple its strength for a long lasting mouth mechanism.

12 DO NOT ATTACH THE NECK OF THE PUPPET TO THE TOP OF THE BODY For more movement, attach the neck of your puppet to the bottom of the puppet.

13 BIG TIP FOR MOUNTING EYES ON YOUR PUPPET If you are mounting eyes on your puppet while it is laying on the workbench, attach the eyes temporarily at first. Raise the puppet up in front of a mirror and see what the puppet is looking at. Are the eyes focused on itself or are they looking in another direction? Eye focus is very important when building puppets.

14 ALWAYS WASH FLEECE BEFORE DYING If you are dying your own fleece, always wash it first. This will remove the sizing in the material and prevent little white spots from showing up on your finished work. Washing fur, even if you are not dying, will remove the sizing from the fur and make it easier to work with.

15 NOSES AND OTHER FEATURES CAN BE SCULPTED WITH PRO POXY 20 Hercules Pro Poxy 20 sets up in about 20 minutes. You can use it to sculpt noses and such. When set, cover with fleece or other fabric or paint. You can also use Crayola Model Magic (https://amzn.to/2EpFxyV), but it will need to set overnight.

16 FOR A MORE DURABLE HEAD, LINE THE INSIDE OF THE FOAM WITH CLOTH BEFORE CUTTING OUT YOUR PATTERN Attach cloth to the foam with 3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive. This will give a much stronger puppet. Foam can tear easily, with the cloth backing, you eliminate that risk. The lining will also protect the foam from the sweat of your hand. This adds to the life of the puppet. Thank you Barry Gordemer for this tip.

17 USE A HIGH-TEMPERATURE HOT GLUE APPLICATOR When using hot glue, use a high-temperature hot glue tool. The cheap little blue glue tools you can get for $1 at the dollar store will not give you a strong connection. Low-temperature glue tools like this will give you a connection that can come apart if left in a hot car or otherwise exposed to heat. A high-temperature glue applicator will give you a strong bond.

18 CONTACT CEMENT SECRETS When using contact cement like Barge, a hair dryer can be used to dry the glue for attaching quickly. To separate pieces glued together with Barge or other contact cements, you can heat the glue with the hairdryer and they will separate easily.

19 USE DETACHOL TO REMOVE GLUE FROM YOUR FINGER If you are like me, sometimes, you just want to glue a couple pieces quick, and you neglect to put on your rubber gloves. Glue on the fingers, especially contact cement, can be a real nuisance. To remove it easily, use Detachol Adhesive Remover. This solvent is gentle on your skin. It is used by theater performers to remove make-up and features glued on for performance like fake scars. It is also used in hospitals to remove adhesive left from bandages.

20 USE A SILICON PAD WITH YOUR HOT GLUE GUN Hot glue will not stick to the silicone pad and can be removed easily after the glue drippings dry.

21 DIP A ROUND HEAD PIN IN WHITE PAINT TO CREATE CATCHLIGHTS ON YOUR PUPPET EYES Catchlights are the little white dot you see on cartoon eyes. Dip the head of a round head pin in white acrylic paint and dot your puppet eyes for perfect little circles. Make sure you put the spots on the same place on each eye, usually at about 1 o’clock. Your eyes will look like mirror images, not identical.

22 TO COVER A PUPPET QUICKLY WITH FEATHERS, USE HACKLE PADS. Hackle pads are little pads with feathers already attached. They go on a puppet much quicker than gluing individual feathers. They can be used on birds or as hair on a person puppet. They come in a variety of colors from white to hot pink, plus natural browns, black and much more.

23 SELF-ADHESIVE VINYL MAKES GREAT PUPPET EYES You can buy it in black, blue or many other colors. Punch out perfect circles with a scrapbooking paper punch. Peel off the backing and they will stick to your white background. Self-adhesive velvet also works great. The vinyl will have more shine, which is great for on-stage performing. For filming, the velvet will not have the glare from the lights.

24 USE A STRAIGHT PIN WHEN ATTACHING EYE PUPILS TO YOUR PUPPET Put your eye pupil on the end of a straight pin or sewing needle when applying to your puppet. Apply the yes lightly and make sure they are in the position you want. When the pupils are in the perfect position, slide out the pin and press down your pupil.

25 MAKE PUPPET FEATURES PRONOUNCED Pronounced features on your puppets will cast small shadows, making them more visible to your audience. A little shading where the shadows would naturally fall also helps to create more visibility.

26 SHADE YOUR PUPPET’S FEATURES WITH PASTEL PENCILS Dip your pastel pencils in water, then apply to shade your puppet. With a cloth you can blend the colors into each other and naturally onto the puppet. You can also create a powder by rubbing your pastels on sandpaper. This can then be applied with a brush, spreading and blending it onto the puppet with a toothbrush.

27 USE CHALK TO APPLY “MAKE-UP” YOUR PUPPET Create a chalk powder by rubbing your chalk on sandpaper. Apply with a brush on the eyelids, cheeks and other arareasUse a toothbrush to work the chalk into the fleece. A light spray of hairspray will make the chalk permanent.

28 USE HOT GLUE WHERE YOU WANT STIFF LINES ON YOUR PUPPET Hot glue can be used on your puppet where you want a stiff line, such as a lip line or wrinkles in the brow. Do not use hot glue where you want soft lines.
Use Fabri-Tac or contact cement.

29 USE VELCRO® TO HIDE SEAMS IN THE FLEECE It is common practice to pick the fleece out of the seams of your puppet with a needle in order to hide them. This works great but is very time-consuming. Use the hook part of Velcro® to pull the fleece out of the seams. Just rub it gently across the fleece and it will pull the ends right out.

30 TRY TO PUT SEAMS IN THE CENTER OF YOUR PUPPET When placing seams on your puppet, try to place them in areas where they will be covered by facial features, clothing, etc. A seam down the middle of the puppet’s face will be more visible than two smaller seams on the sides of the face and jaw. Also, try to curve your seams. Our eyes naturally follow a straight line, so a curved seam is less visible.

30 PUT WIRE IN YOUR EYELIDS Okay, not your eyelids. Your puppet’s eyelids. An 18 gauge wire along the edge of your puppet’s eyelid will allow you to bend it, shape, change expressions and more. The advantage of a shapeable eyelid makes an incredible difference in your puppet. Also, put wire along the outside edge of your puppet’s ears to allow you to shape them.

32 BE SURE YOUR PUPPET LOOKS GOOD IN PROFILE When performing, audiences seldom see your puppet head-on. They will be sitting off center and seeing the side of the puppet. Do not have your puppet’s ears stick straight out to the side of your puppet. From the side, your audience would only see the edge and it would look unnatural. Flatten them a bit against the side of the head so they are clearly visible from the side. Be sure your eyes, nose and other features are prominent and easily seen from the side. Your puppet’s profile is very important to its appearance to the audience.

33 FREQUENT THE THRIFT STORES The Goodwill, Salvation Army and other stores are your source for puppet clothes (children’s clothing makes great puppet clothes.), puppet hair (wigs, furry hats, and more), puppet eyes (eyes from stuffed animals), and much more.

Be sure to check out my TOOLS & MATERIALS page for where to find items mentioned in this article.

Find 25 more puppet building tips HERE

Please post below any tips you may have and any comments on the tips I have shared. Thank you.