Puppet mouth shape question

[ma0298]

I was afraid of that... I'll try to figure out how to post a picture to show you

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I've done this before, but it's a little difficult to explain in words... basically, whenever I fabricate a puppet, I don't pattern the fabric before hand, I pin the fabric to the foam head, and cut the pattern from there. Whenever I attach the fabric to the mouthplates, I tend to tug on the fabric in the corners of the mouth a bit, and sort of tuck the top fabric into the bottom fabric, and that creates that sort of "dimple" look you're wanting.

I think the process you're describing is called "draping".

 

[D'Snowth]

Makes sense.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Is that video you mentioned still on YouTube?

 

[D'Snowth]

If it is, I'm not finding it... of course, it was about six years that I saw it, but taking the draping approach is what helps me when I build my puppets. IIRC, I believe it wasn't an English video (it may have been French, Italian, I don't remember), and the person making it was building an AVENUE Q puppet (Lucy the ****, perhaps); it also had a great demonstration of the Henson Stitch.

Other than that, here's one of Adam's videos where he pretty much takes the same draping approach.