How to start making puppets?

[CBPuppets]

I have a question about puppet building that has been on my mind for a while. How do you build puppets like this?

http://sta.sh/0kmf3ld8jnh

http://sta.sh/01e9kfevrnd8

 

[Diego Fiorucci]

I have a question about puppet building that has been on my mind for a while. How do you build puppets like this?

http://sta.sh/0kmf3ld8jnh

http://sta.sh/01e9kfevrnd8

It's not different from a typical muppet puppet. You need to cut the shapes on foam using a pattern, then you glue all the pieces and cover all the figure using antipill fleece or Antron fleece, and some furry fabric. All the fabrics are sewed using the ladder stitch, or Henson stitch. After that, you can be creative making the eyes, noses and any other detail. Well, that's the whole idea. The real problem is to know how to design the patterns, the sizes, and how to divide the fleece pieces. For that, you can look for a tutorial in YouTube and many sites about making puppets, even the Stan Winston School (https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/). They also have a YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/StanWinstonSchool) with short videos as previews.
Look at these videos, the last one uses another technique for modeling with foam:

 

[ashkent]

I've been meaning to set up a YouTube channel with some tutorials on for a while, but other projects have stalled me. Plus finding the time and space to actually set up the camera and such while I'm working is tricky so I need to do a few builds aside from the normal ones I am working on. Hopefully I will start getting some of these started quite soon. The main ones that I have planned on doing are building a Kermit Replica (as I have almost finished the Kermit I have been building from scratch so now have a better idea about what works and what doesn't on him), as well as a generic character build to include things like various mouthplate attachments, eyes, stitches etc. I know there are a few out there already but I think as this thread proves there can never be too many.

 

[Diego Fiorucci]

I've been meaning to set up a YouTube channel with some tutorials on for a while, but other projects have stalled me. Plus finding the time and space to actually set up the camera and such while I'm working is tricky so I need to do a few builds aside from the normal ones I am working on. Hopefully I will start getting some of these started quite soon. The main ones that I have planned on doing are building a Kermit Replica (as I have almost finished the Kermit I have been building from scratch so now have a better idea about what works and what doesn't on him), as well as a generic character build to include things like various mouthplate attachments, eyes, stitches etc. I know there are a few out there already but I think as this thread proves there can never be too many.

I want to build my own Kermit one day. I still can't know how must be the real patterns used in the current Kermit. I've seen different shapes and sizes. And I think there's something more into his head, something like another structure to could keep the shapes when he makes different expressions. Is possible that "The Muppets" Kermit and "Muppets Most Wanted" Kermit were a little different? I'm not confusing him with Constantine, of course.

 

[ashkent]

I want to build my own Kermit one day. I still can't know how must be the real patterns used in the current Kermit. I've seen different shapes and sizes. And I think there's something more into his head, something like another structure to could keep the shapes when he makes different expressions. Is possible that "The Muppets" Kermit and "Muppets Most Wanted" Kermit were a little different? I'm not confusing him with Constantine, of course.

You are right in what you say about different Kermits. There are a few reasons why Kermit's shape has changed over the years. First, from the really early Kermit, Jim was obviously able to find better materials and also enhance his shape once he officially became "Kermit The Frog".

Also, due to the design of Kermit, his head shape depends a lot on the puppeteer working him. Although it does look like newer Kermits have some kind of skull holding his shape (and I have built a Kermit with a kind of foam arch inside his head before) most of the time there is nothing inside but a hand and a grip or finger loop. So when ownership of Kermit moved from Jim, to Steve Whitmore who all but a couple of Kermit appearances since 1990, the shape of the hand inside the head changed therefore making the two Kermit periods look and act differently.

If you watch closely, most of the time you can see a misplaced knuckle or similar under the fleece, although I do know what you mean that sometimes he does look to have a solid head. As there are multiple puppets used for productions - especially the films - I think it is fair to assume that if no expressions are needed then a foam skulled puppet might be used.

 

[CBPuppets]

It's not different from a typical muppet puppet. You need to cut the shapes on foam using a pattern, then you glue all the pieces and cover all the figure using antipill fleece or Antron fleece, and some furry fabric. All the fabrics are sewed using the ladder stitch, or Henson stitch. After that, you can be creative making the eyes, noses and any other detail. Well, that's the whole idea. The real problem is to know how to design the patterns, the sizes, and how to divide the fleece pieces. For that, you can look for a tutorial in YouTube and many sites about making puppets, even the Stan Winston School (https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/). They also have a YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/StanWinstonSchool) with short videos as previews.
Look at these videos, the last one uses another technique for modeling with foam:

This seems really helpful

 

[Diego Fiorucci]

You are right in what you say about different Kermits. There are a few reasons why Kermit's shape has changed over the years. First, from the really early Kermit, Jim was obviously able to find better materials and also enhance his shape once he officially became "Kermit The Frog".

Also, due to the design of Kermit, his head shape depends a lot on the puppeteer working him. Although it does look like newer Kermits have some kind of skull holding his shape (and I have built a Kermit with a kind of foam arch inside his head before) most of the time there is nothing inside but a hand and a grip or finger loop. So when ownership of Kermit moved from Jim, to Steve Whitmore who all but a couple of Kermit appearances since 1990, the shape of the hand inside the head changed therefore making the two Kermit periods look and act differently.

If you watch closely, most of the time you can see a misplaced knuckle or similar under the fleece, although I do know what you mean that sometimes he does look to have a solid head. As there are multiple puppets used for productions - especially the films - I think it is fair to assume that if no expressions are needed then a foam skulled puppet might be used.

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Mostrando traducción para If you watch closely, most of the time you can see a displaced knuckle or similar under the fleece, although I do know what you mean that sometimes he does look to have a solid head. As there are multiple puppets used for productions - especially the films - I think it is fair to assume that if no expressions are needed then a foam skulled puppet might be used.
En su lugar, traducir del If you watch closely, most of the time you can see a misplaced knuckle or similar under the fleece, although I do know what you mean that sometimes he does look to have a solid head. As there are multiple puppets used for productions - especially the films - I think it is fair to assume that if no expressions are needed then a foam skulled puppet might be used.
Yes, in some cases you can see a side line from their cheeks and falls toward the front of the lips, they are as triangular shapes that define the sides. Nasar also seems to be a septum, at times.

You are right in what you say about different Kermits. There are a few reasons why Kermit's shape has changed over the years. First, from the really early Kermit, Jim was obviously able to find better materials and also enhance his shape once he officially became "Kermit The Frog".

Also, due to the design of Kermit, his head shape depends a lot on the puppeteer working him. Although it does look like newer Kermits have some kind of skull holding his shape (and I have built a Kermit with a kind of foam arch inside his head before) most of the time there is nothing inside but a hand and a grip or finger loop. So when ownership of Kermit moved from Jim, to Steve Whitmore who all but a couple of Kermit appearances since 1990, the shape of the hand inside the head changed therefore making the two Kermit periods look and act differently.

If you watch closely, most of the time you can see a misplaced knuckle or similar under the fleece, although I do know what you mean that sometimes he does look to have a solid head. As there are multiple puppets used for productions - especially the films - I think it is fair to assume that if no expressions are needed then a foam skulled puppet might be used.

Yes, sometimes you can see a side line beginning on his cheeks and falling toward the front of the lips, they are as triangular shapes that define the sides. Also it seems to have a nasal septum, at times. Moreover, it sometimes seems that the only center seams in the face were behind the head and the lower jaw, but not on the front, between the eyes and mouth. I don't know if it's because they are very well hidden or if the two sides are really joined, if it's a single piece of Antron.

 

[CBPuppets]

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Cancelar
Mostrando traducción para If you watch closely, most of the time you can see a displaced knuckle or similar under the fleece, although I do know what you mean that sometimes he does look to have a solid head. As there are multiple puppets used for productions - especially the films - I think it is fair to assume that if no expressions are needed then a foam skulled puppet might be used.
En su lugar, traducir del If you watch closely, most of the time you can see a misplaced knuckle or similar under the fleece, although I do know what you mean that sometimes he does look to have a solid head. As there are multiple puppets used for productions - especially the films - I think it is fair to assume that if no expressions are needed then a foam skulled puppet might be used.
Yes, in some cases you can see a side line from their cheeks and falls toward the front of the lips, they are as triangular shapes that define the sides. Nasar also seems to be a septum, at times.



Yes, sometimes you can see a side line beginning on his cheeks and falling toward the front of the lips, they are as triangular shapes that define the sides. Also it seems to have a nasal septum, at times. Moreover, it sometimes seems that the only center seams in the face were behind the head and the lower jaw, but not on the front, between the eyes and mouth. I don't know if it's because they are very well hidden or if the two sides are really joined, if it's a single piece of Antron.

Do you think the same could be said for the design for Lenny the Lizard from the Muppet Show?

 

[Diego Fiorucci]

Do you think the same could be said for the design for Lenny the Lizard from the Muppet Show?

Yes, it's possible. It has similar shapes.

 

[ashkent]

Do you think the same could be said for the design for Lenny the Lizard from the Muppet Show?

As has been said, yes it is possible. There are a number of minor characters who follow a similar pattern - which Jim once called a glorified sock puppet, which was then picked up by Project Puppet for one of their patterns.

In essence, anything that doesn't have a foam skull is technically a sock puppet with added extras. I remember ventriloquist Ron Lucas doing a part of his act when I was a kid where he took a sock and turned his "naked" hand into a turtle with nothing more than a sock, a rubber band, and a cardboard cutout of a turtle body which he then stuck his hand through. To me as a 8-9 year old that was as close to genius as you could get. And I think it pointed out that you can work with absolutely any material to make a workable puppet.