Here, have it you vultures!
Everything I have found so far on the actual construction process, from patterns to polyfill! This is cobbled together from so many sources I wouldn't know who to start thanking first, but it has helped me tremendously so far (all three puppets).
PATTERNS:
Working top down, we start off with an basic and more importantly FREE pattern for a spherical moving mouth head. The pattern can be printed out and pinned directly to the foam (I recommend using 1/2 inch because anything thicker is a terrible pain to hack through with a razor). He also includes a video showing where to put the contact cement and how to adhere the halves.
---
Ok this next one is a bit of a hit or miss. Yes, it's in spanish and yes, there is some music that sounds suspiciously like a lounge rendition of The Girl From Ipanema but this was one of the first videos I found to show the process in near-entirety. I thought it was helpful just to show how something that looks like an inkblot test turns into a puppet head.
---
This one is fantastic and even gets a little into fabric draping and patterning, watch all nine parts. Great way to show how an idea gets from paper onto your hand, also I love that he kept in his error with the head shape since I had the very same problem and utilized the solution he shows.
---
Down to business site about materials, construction and really creepy MSpaint x-ray drawings of what puppet skeletons look like.
---
Another photo-documented pattern process. A little bare bones on the actual explanation but great for seeing the process and stimulating creative juices. (Gwoss, it's a nun)
---
LOVE WHOEVER PUT THIS UP!
Anyone with a wrinkle in their brain probably knows already that a bunch of these guys put together make a ball (a beach ball even has them separated into color blocks for gods sake) but it took this slap in the face explanation, pattern included for me to realize it! Like they say, eight of them make a perfect sphere but by varying the mount and their size you can get just about any round, regular shape. Obviously cut the pattern in half for hemi-spheres etc.
(P.S. You're probably going to want to magnify that guy a bunch before you print him out because the size it is right now is good for a finger puppet and not much else!)
---
THE MOTHER OF ALL TUTORIALS, GET READY FOR A STEAMING PILE OF LEARNING!!!
Seriously, almost everything I know so far as come from this one tutorial. Not so much anything with patterns and drafting since I haven't tried anything that resembles that cat, but the techniques and materials he discusses are INVALUABLE. I particularly recommend the pages on draping and patterning a "skin" or "fur" for your puppet:
Would be creepy if it weren't so helpful (cute?)
AND
The page on the stitch to use to hide seams effectively
Does the "muppet stitch" really exist?
I'm not sure if you can quite tell what he is describing with the stitch, I'm doing a little goof-proof diagram to demonstrate it if anyone is confused, please let me know and I'll post it.
---
Very basic (the tutorial I used to make that terrible, weird, blue ghost bustin' fellow in my second post) type of moving mouth puppet with arm rods. The good news about this guy is he's great for practicing (if you are performing and not just building) the talking/movement techniques, since he's got all the basic parts but you don't have to worry about ripping his eye off accidentally.........accidentally.......acci-
Watch the whole series, this is only part one.
---
OTHER THINGS TO CHECK OUT TO INCREASE YOUR INTELLIGENCE POINTS:
Project Puppet's tutorials on adding facial features, posable hands and a free pattern for a basic t-shirt for yer pup.
---
Another Project P. link, this one for purchasable patterns for a wide variety of pups, including a new one for LIVE HAND GUYS! WOAH!
---
AN APPARENTLY INVALUABLE BOOK ON FOAM PUPPET CONSTRUCTION! I can't vouch for this one personally, never having read it but Amazon's handy little "I wanna see yer goodies, book" feature proves that this is certainly something to have when starting out. Except that it would make me obsolete....Catch 21...
---
INCREDIBLY CONSTRUCTED PUPPET, LOOK WORLD ANOTHER BLOG!
By someone named Josh who is a genius and hand painted as many leopard spots as there are stars in the sky. Seriously though this thing is amazing, one day I'll be linked in a blog too.
Dream Big.
---
FURRY PUPPET BLOG
Beautifully rendered puppets
---
PUPPET BUZZ
For beautiful freaks like us, they watch the world of puppetry and report back everything worth knowing. I spent an inordinate amount of time on here last night and can warn you from experience not to get involved if you have an addictive personality.
---
What the Hellmans?
Old Fraggle patterns?
I don't know guys, I feel a little dirty posting these even second hand. I haven't tried them (I'm clean) but maybe it'd help if anyone's doing a similarly shaped pup (NOT TOO SIMILAR).
---
MY FAVORITE PUPPET WORKSHOP AND PRODUCTION TEAM IN THE WORLD (EAST COAST)
PUPPET HEAP!
Watch their videos (Omar's Mother etc.) and tell me those aren't the most beautiful puppets you've seen north of the south pole. I must say, I think the worm with the Brooklyn accent killed a little of the magic and he looks a little too much like a ween for comfort but P.H. is doing some really really incredible stuff. If I ever become a genius I am applying for an internship with them.
---
WELL THERE IT IS
MY GOD
The quality of this post has deteriorated so rapidly! I'm in a bit of a rush and didn't sleep much last night so I'm not quite in my prime, sorry for the lack of puppet professionalism I guess. AND GOOD LUCK! I actually have even more than this, so if anyone in the world found this helpful let me know and I'll post more.
Everything I have found so far on the actual construction process, from patterns to polyfill! This is cobbled together from so many sources I wouldn't know who to start thanking first, but it has helped me tremendously so far (all three puppets).
PATTERNS:
Working top down, we start off with an basic and more importantly FREE pattern for a spherical moving mouth head. The pattern can be printed out and pinned directly to the foam (I recommend using 1/2 inch because anything thicker is a terrible pain to hack through with a razor). He also includes a video showing where to put the contact cement and how to adhere the halves.
---
Ok this next one is a bit of a hit or miss. Yes, it's in spanish and yes, there is some music that sounds suspiciously like a lounge rendition of The Girl From Ipanema but this was one of the first videos I found to show the process in near-entirety. I thought it was helpful just to show how something that looks like an inkblot test turns into a puppet head.
---
This one is fantastic and even gets a little into fabric draping and patterning, watch all nine parts. Great way to show how an idea gets from paper onto your hand, also I love that he kept in his error with the head shape since I had the very same problem and utilized the solution he shows.
---
Down to business site about materials, construction and really creepy MSpaint x-ray drawings of what puppet skeletons look like.
---
Another photo-documented pattern process. A little bare bones on the actual explanation but great for seeing the process and stimulating creative juices. (Gwoss, it's a nun)
---
LOVE WHOEVER PUT THIS UP!
Anyone with a wrinkle in their brain probably knows already that a bunch of these guys put together make a ball (a beach ball even has them separated into color blocks for gods sake) but it took this slap in the face explanation, pattern included for me to realize it! Like they say, eight of them make a perfect sphere but by varying the mount and their size you can get just about any round, regular shape. Obviously cut the pattern in half for hemi-spheres etc.
(P.S. You're probably going to want to magnify that guy a bunch before you print him out because the size it is right now is good for a finger puppet and not much else!)
---
THE MOTHER OF ALL TUTORIALS, GET READY FOR A STEAMING PILE OF LEARNING!!!
Seriously, almost everything I know so far as come from this one tutorial. Not so much anything with patterns and drafting since I haven't tried anything that resembles that cat, but the techniques and materials he discusses are INVALUABLE. I particularly recommend the pages on draping and patterning a "skin" or "fur" for your puppet:
Would be creepy if it weren't so helpful (cute?)
AND
The page on the stitch to use to hide seams effectively
Does the "muppet stitch" really exist?
I'm not sure if you can quite tell what he is describing with the stitch, I'm doing a little goof-proof diagram to demonstrate it if anyone is confused, please let me know and I'll post it.
---
Very basic (the tutorial I used to make that terrible, weird, blue ghost bustin' fellow in my second post) type of moving mouth puppet with arm rods. The good news about this guy is he's great for practicing (if you are performing and not just building) the talking/movement techniques, since he's got all the basic parts but you don't have to worry about ripping his eye off accidentally.........accidentally.......acci-
Watch the whole series, this is only part one.
---
OTHER THINGS TO CHECK OUT TO INCREASE YOUR INTELLIGENCE POINTS:
Project Puppet's tutorials on adding facial features, posable hands and a free pattern for a basic t-shirt for yer pup.
---
Another Project P. link, this one for purchasable patterns for a wide variety of pups, including a new one for LIVE HAND GUYS! WOAH!
---
AN APPARENTLY INVALUABLE BOOK ON FOAM PUPPET CONSTRUCTION! I can't vouch for this one personally, never having read it but Amazon's handy little "I wanna see yer goodies, book" feature proves that this is certainly something to have when starting out. Except that it would make me obsolete....Catch 21...
---
INCREDIBLY CONSTRUCTED PUPPET, LOOK WORLD ANOTHER BLOG!
By someone named Josh who is a genius and hand painted as many leopard spots as there are stars in the sky. Seriously though this thing is amazing, one day I'll be linked in a blog too.
Dream Big.
---
FURRY PUPPET BLOG
Beautifully rendered puppets
---
PUPPET BUZZ
For beautiful freaks like us, they watch the world of puppetry and report back everything worth knowing. I spent an inordinate amount of time on here last night and can warn you from experience not to get involved if you have an addictive personality.
---
What the Hellmans?
Old Fraggle patterns?
I don't know guys, I feel a little dirty posting these even second hand. I haven't tried them (I'm clean) but maybe it'd help if anyone's doing a similarly shaped pup (NOT TOO SIMILAR).
---
MY FAVORITE PUPPET WORKSHOP AND PRODUCTION TEAM IN THE WORLD (EAST COAST)
PUPPET HEAP!
Watch their videos (Omar's Mother etc.) and tell me those aren't the most beautiful puppets you've seen north of the south pole. I must say, I think the worm with the Brooklyn accent killed a little of the magic and he looks a little too much like a ween for comfort but P.H. is doing some really really incredible stuff. If I ever become a genius I am applying for an internship with them.
---
WELL THERE IT IS
MY GOD
The quality of this post has deteriorated so rapidly! I'm in a bit of a rush and didn't sleep much last night so I'm not quite in my prime, sorry for the lack of puppet professionalism I guess. AND GOOD LUCK! I actually have even more than this, so if anyone in the world found this helpful let me know and I'll post more.
