where do you find the eyes

[Frogpuppeteer]

i was wondering where you find the plastic eyes some of you use for your puppets im stuck using styrafoam help please

 

[lowercasegods]

I'm not a professional puppet builder, but in my few successful attempts at puppet building I've found that ping pong balls work very nicely (a little super glue should hold them in place, and a Sharpie permanent marker can make a good pupil).

 

[Show and Tell]

Actually, there are many posts about this. Many times you can find them on ebay. Mercury plastics sells them but there is a minimum order that is really high if your just making a puppet here and there. These are the half dome eyes with posts and a keeper for the back.

The puppet in my avitar has plastic soup spoons for eyes. This was my first puppet ever.

The EPS balls really aren't a bad idea since you can do so much with them. You're not as limited by shape and/or size. They make egg shaped ones that can be cut so many different ways for great character. I cover mine with white spandex fabric. You can also use something with less shine if you like. (Also just FYI) EPS balls work great for mechs where half domes can't be moved much for expression. You can make half domes blink though. Mechs are fun to experiment with even if you don't plan to use them in a puppet. My first mech was in a bible puppet that I made in a few hours before using it the next day. It works great. I used whole ping pong balls for the eyes on that one but the eyes could roll completely around and blink. It was the best fun! Still the possiblities are endless.

Those posted half domes are much tougher if the puppet might be packed kinda rough at times. So if your still interested in them I'd try ebay.

 

[ravagefrackle]

here u go, a great source for small plastic parts,shapes,and glues

http://plastruct.com

 

[shtick]

Hey ravagefrackle,
Thanks for the great source ! How do I find a white matte plastic "half dome"? The catalog is kinda funky.

 

[ravagefrackle]

u wont find them listed like that,
look for spheres, also u will have to paint anything u buy, they dont selll them in white