How to make puppets. Construction paper, cardboard or foam* puppets. Case studies and instruction guides

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1 ArtCorps Handbook - A guide to collaboration 77 How to make puppets Construction paper, cardboard or foam* puppets These materials are cheap and come in very bright, colorful options. You can add details by drawing and painting on them. * Foam or Fomi is a soft, thin and spongy materials found in school supply stores. Crayons, markers or paint Pingpong or Styrofoam balls Metallic or wooden sticks Scissors or precision knifes Stapler, clear tape or glue Stick puppets - Can be used with or without a stage. They can accompany a song or play created by the group. Puppets are representations of people or animals that are animated by a puppeteer in a theatrical play. They can range in size from small finger puppets to giant street puppets. Puppets can be made out of virtually anything from cardboard to foam to paper mache. There exists hundreds of different styles and possibilities! This section provides ideas and instructions in how to make a few simple hand-held types. If you are inspired to explore other forms, please see the resource page at the end of the manual! This tutorial has been taken from Señoras y Señores: Los Títeres! by Gianfranco Zavalloni and Flavio Tontini and Everyone loves the magic and transformational effect of puppets! More complex puppets can be made by adding more shapes and three dimensional attachments for limbs.

2 78 ArtCorps Handbook - A guide to collaboration Finger puppets - Are easy to carry and can complement spoken and educational activities. Fabric puppets Make your own easy-to-use hand puppet out of any kind of fabric you like. You can use them to tell stories or act in short educational plays. Decorate them to create any character you would like. Use your imagination and make your talking hand puppet into a farmer, a cow or a tree! While making all puppets, make sure to glue the head on well, so it does not break off or get loose. Cotton, felt, fake fur, scrap fabric Buttons or wiggly eyes Other decorations Needle and thread Scissors Tailored puppets - This kind of puppet allows you to easily make different shapes and types of characters. Make enough space for the hands or fingers to fit the puppeteer. Draw Sew Cut Ping Pong ball heads - If they are hard to find, styrofoam balls or other kind of balls will work. Putting a few layers of paper mache over a balloon is a good solution. As seen below, there are many ways to attach these puppets to your fingers: with a tube, a ring or with a hole. Turn it inside out to fill the head with cotton Add accessories and clothing Make a small tube for your finger to fit in Try making more complex puppets!

3 ArtCorps Handbook - A guide to collaboration 79 Designing clothing - People that are not acting in the play may be interested in making the clothes. The clothes help to give the character its shape and personality. Use your imagination! Clothing does not have to be realistic or human-like. They can have crazy extensions or designs. Make an old grandmother s dress Recycled material puppets All puppets can be made with recycled material or found objects. It is good to do this so we can teach the importance of preserving our ecosystems and taking care of Mother Earth. Recycled puppets can be used in a play that teaches the importance of recycling! Use the traditional fabric and clothing, or traje, of the local indigenous community Markers, paint or crayons Used paper bags or chip bags (for dresses) Used cans Garbage and discarded objects Scissors or precision knifes Stapler, clear tape or glue How do you make your puppet look like a young school girl? Used plates or cardboard - Styrofoam glasses and plates are commonly used in restaurants and parties. Save them! They can be a great resource for making puppets. Fabric considerations - The fabric is the body of the puppet and should be a little thick or stiff so the puppet does not slip from the hand. Hand position For easy movement, the front of the dress needs to be thinner than the back Front Toilet paper rolls - Ask kids to save them at home. They can be used to make the main body of the puppet. Plastic bottles - Rinse out and reuse plastic bottles that would normally be thrown away. It reduces the amount of trash and teaches creative ways to recycle!

4 80 ArtCorps Handbook - A guide to collaboration Puppet parts and tips This section suggests how to make specific parts of the puppet more realistic and functional. Pay attention to details! Animated movement, varied hand positions and diverse facial expressions bring the puppets to life and convey the distinct personality of each puppet. Facial expressions - Accurate facial expressions convey the puppet s message more clearly. Make sure to match the voice and body movements to the facial expression. You may ask the participants to look in the mirror to practice making the expression they want. This tip also applies to making masks. Eyes - The eyes are an important element of puppets, they engage the audience. The position of the iris should be slightly convergent for a bigger range of expression. Incorrect eye positions Locate the eyes in the right spot and angle for the audience to be able to see them Mouth - While it is not essential, it is more engaging for puppets to have a moving mouth. Make sure that the mouth opens up correctly! The hand position and movement inside the puppet will affect how the mouth opens and closes. Look at the illustration below to see the hand position. Hair - Hair may seem very easy to make but can be challenging. Add the hair in layers to avoid bald spots and secure it well with glue so that it doesn t fall out. Try using wool or other natural resources such as pine needles, cow or horse hair. Hands - The hands of the puppet are an important aspect of its expression. They need to be comfortable, mobile and sturdy so that they can have a wide range of movement. Your thumb can be supported by a thin cardboard roll

5 ArtCorps Handbook - A guide to collaboration 81 Shadow puppets Shadow puppetry is an ancient form of storytelling across many cultures. Unlike with other puppets, the actual shadow puppet is never seen - the action is played out entirely through the shadows projected onto a screen. The combination of light, the puppet shape and a screen creates a magical effect! Light - It s light that brings the shadow puppet alive on the screen! You can use a spotlight, light projector, flashlight, lamp, lantern or candles. Each will give off a different intensity and thus create different effects. You can change the background color by placing a piece of colored cellophane over the light source. The distance between the puppet and the light source will determine the size and clarity of the shadow image. Moving the puppet from one distance to the other can create the effect of magical appearances and disappearances. Hanging light Screen Thin cardboard or posterboard Tape or glue and scissors Colored cellophane Sticks or rods For a stained glass effect, cut windows into the puppet and cover them with pieces of colored cellophane Wire or brass paper fasteners Big paper or white sheet Spotlight, light projector, flashlight, lamp, lantern, or candles Making the puppet shape - Shadow puppet shapes are made to block the light and cast a shadow. For crisp edges on your shadows, it s important to keep the material thin but sturdy. Puppet shapes can be very simple or extremely intricate. The only limit is your imagination! Transfer your design onto the poster board and cut it out smoothly. Rough edges will be easily noticed in shadow, so take your time Tape or glue a stick or rod to the back of the puppet in order to hold and move it Use wire or brass paper fasteners to connect the extremities and freely move the joints Closer to screen = smaller and sharper shadows Side light Experiment with different light sources, distances and angles to create different effects Screen - The screen is where the puppet lives. It is the world that the puppet will move in and tell its story. Include a performance area for the puppeteers to maneuver the puppets between the light source and the screen. The screen can be made of big white paper or a thin sheet that is hung between the public and the puppeteers Screen Closer to light = larger and fuzzier shadows Public Cut out and project landscapes onto the screen to represent different settings and locations Open your show. Act out a storyline or script. Play background music to accompany the shadow movements.

6 82 ArtCorps Handbook - A guide to collaboration The stage All puppets need a stage. A stage creates the magical land where the puppets act and sing and dance. It doesn t have to be complicated. Below are some easy and inexpensive ideas to inspire you. Props and landscapes can be easily made with cardboard or found objects. Chairs, tree trunks or poles String Screen, long piece of fabric Spotlight, flashlight or lamp Nails Light up your stage! Make a place to store your puppets and props A stage allows the puppeteers to hide from view With some household items and a few simple tools, you can make a stage in no time!