Designing complex head shapes? Cat puppet

[Puppet Chris]

Hi everybody! Just wanted to say thanks for all the very helpful information I've found on this forum so far for puppet building. I'm not very interested in building muppet replicas, but more into creating my own unique puppets.

That being said, I really want to create this cat puppet I've been drawing up sketches of. The problem is that (to me at least) the head is very complex, it's not just a simple round head. I want to be able to make it primarily out of 1/2 inch foam, so I can be able to recreate it easily with a pattern. Any tips for how I would go about doing this? I tried and the resulting disaster seems to be a combination of a pig and maybe a distant relative of a cat.





I plan to cover it in some black fuax fur luxury shag, and then trim it down a good deal around the head, but leave it un-trimmed on the cheeks to give it the sort of expression I tried to create in my sketches. Eyes will be yellow with black slits. Nose will by shiny black. Mouth will be red. Some whiskers on each cheek.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

This is a good beginner's guide to making patterns.

 

[Puppet Chris]

This is a good beginner's guide to making patterns.

That has some great info in it, thank you!

 

[Tioh]

I would suggest a different head shape - If you want the puppets species easily recognized:

 

[Puppet Chris]

Tioh, great cat puppet head! Thank you for sharing! Do you by chance have any pictures of the underlying foam skull that you wouldn't mind sharing as well?

I'm getting tricked up trying to make a good side view shape and mouth/muzzle area

I think for my puppet I'm sort of aiming for a more "cartoonish" style of cat. (No teeth, a simpler nose, etc)

 

[Tioh]

The head is not made of foam - I made a 3d-printed head-base.

You can get the 3d-model for the head at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1426512