UK Puppet Builders

[SesameKermie]

The articles I've seen recommend using an X-acto knife very carefully to cut around the seam of the ping-pong ball. You might also be able to use a hacksaw. Another good ball you can use is a foam practice golf ball.

 

[FeLo]

ahhh a foam practice golf ball is a good idea i might try that also...its just with a ping pong ball i think you get a nice look cuz of the material its made out of if you know what i mean but a foam golf ball is deffinately worth a look

 

[HauntedPuppet]

hmmm i havn't heard of that company, i will have to take a look. How large is a larger puppet? just trying to figure out if 1 inch fam would make sense for the type of puppets i want to attempt to make? this is all very confusing haha

To me, a larger puppet is something human size or bigger (over 5 foot). The inch foam is best for these because it provides more stability of structure for the puppet.

Complete puppets can be made from foam sheeting (reticulated foam sheeting) and a fair number of upholstery retailers or rubber retailers will have it on a roll and can be cut to any yard size and it just over a yard wide.

The half inch foam is great for rod puppets. This can either be done as a base or as a full puppet.

If one were getting a little more serious about foam puppets and wanted to learn to make them well I would recommend "the foam book" available from amazon (Or from eBay if you wanted to pay more but get it faster).

Peace

 

[FeLo]

Ive heard mixed things about the foam book but i think i will check it out and i don't really understand foams what is reticulated foam? how different is it from others? sorry for my ignorance haha

 

[pinocchio]

Hey FeLo

I'm a puppet fan here in the uk, i've made a few puppets too. When i first became interested in building i got a great deal of info from these boards to guide me on my way.

i've used Pentonville Rubber for my foam supplies. It's located in central london and is one of the only places i've found to buy sheets of reticulated foam, it's best to call ahead to ensure that they have some foam in stock, if not they'll get it in for you.

Reticulated faom (sometimes called scott foam) is the stuff you'll most likely want to use to create the structure of your puppet. The shape of the head/body. The foam is sold in sheets which you cut and glue to give you the puppets shape. This foam doesn't tear or fall appart like standard upholstery foam, it's a bit more expensive than upholstery foam but if you want your puppet to last longer it's worth the slightly higher cost.

You cover your foam figure with it's skin of fleece/fur or whatever fabric you prefur. You can goto any large fabric store and find plenty of options. Antron flecce is the professional choice, this is what many of the muppets (like Kermit) are covered with. There's no supplier of this in the uk to my knowledge so i got a couple of meters shipped from GAstage in the US. you'll find details on the boards. It comes white and you dye it to your prefured colour. It's not inexpensive so i only use it on the parts of the puppet that will be on view.

Most other puppet supplies are just waiting to be discovered. look around your local craft shop, model building stores, DIY shops, deparment stores (the kitchen departments are good) Toy store and even Pound shops. It's all a mater of seeing things that are sold as one thing that you can use for something else. Fishing floats, spoons, plastic balls areosol plastic lids make good eyes, nose and so on....

I'm still kinda new at the art of puppet making too so it's a real learning curve, build the best you can and each time you build you'll learn more and get better.

Happy Buliding

P

 

[FeLo]

Wow P

First of all thanks for the reply thats a very informative post and has helped alot. I found a foam dealer online but its not reticulated foam but its cheap so i may use that for my first puppet as a trial and then buy the more expensive stuff in future, and yeah your right its all about finding something that you can use for something else. I hope to make decent puppets in the future and all of this info is very very helpful and these boards are really good...when did you first get into puppet building? and where did you get your patterns from?

 

[HauntedPuppet]

Ive heard mixed things about the foam book but i think i will check it out and i don't really understand foams what is reticulated foam? how different is it from others? sorry for my ignorance haha

Reticulated foam is a medium density upholstery foam. It is found in couches and lounges in block form for the cushions and in shaped form for the backings, sheet form for linings etc. You want to buy it in sheet form.

It should not be expensive, my retailer has it for $10 AUD (aussie) Per meter (Yard).

Peace

 

[charlie bird]

''responce to how to cut ping pong ball eyes in half ''I use a band saw, but I'm sure there are other ways

 

[HauntedPuppet]

''responce to how to cut ping pong ball eyes in half ''I use a band saw, but I'm sure there are other ways

Using a needle put a small hole in one side of the PP ball near the seam. Use a sharp pair of scissors to trim along the seam line.

Its very easy.

Peace