Puppet Material Question

[ACEWOLF20]

Hi everybody,

I was wondering besides foam what are some other materials that could be used?

What materials (if any) has never been used when building a puppet?

I hope my questions made sence. I have been tossing around about doing a TV series on the local access tv station, and then maybe, hopefully if everthing works out go to the big time.

I just am concerned about being my puppets being compared to the muppets, and being called a Jim Henson knock off.

 

[practicecactus]

Anything.
It's an artistic pursuit and there are no rules. It's like asking "what can I use to make a sculpture?". You are only limited by your creativity and imagination.
Tackle it from the end, backwards. What you want to see as the finished result and go from there.

 

[ACEWOLF20]

I was also wondering if there would be any sites that explain the process on how to build puppets?

 

[MGov]

Have you tried Gooogling "puppet building"?

 

[bdsweetie]

This will get you started. It's not a professional puppet but it will give you an idea of how to get started.

http://www.curbly.com/indymogul/posts/1699-how-to-make-a-muppet-style-puppet

This is pro

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-build-a-puppet-from-scratch-151869/

And one more for good measure

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-make-a-puppet-157440/

 

[alfers1985]

There are several sites that cover puppet building.

http://www.drpuppet.com/ - several informational videos about puppet building
http://www.puppetsandstuff.com/ - online community were tons of puppet builders show case their work, answer questions, and provide more information on puppet building than you ever wanted to know
http://www.blogtv.com/people/StiqpuppetsLive - every Monday there is a live show at 9pm EST, covering and discussing various puppet building topics
http://www.puppet-mart.com/ - carries several specialty items for puppet building

 

[alfers1985]

Forgot

http://www.projectpuppet.com - good place for patterns

and if your are going to be using them for television i recommend using Antron Fleece, it will hide seams and look better on tv than any other fabric.

 

[ACEWOLF20]

Forgot

http://www.projectpuppet.com - good place for patterns

and if your are going to be using them for television i recommend using Antron Fleece, it will hide seams and look better on tv than any other fabric.

That is the one thing I am concerned about. If I use Antron Fleece, wouldn't the puppet look a little like a Muppet?

 

[alfers1985]

it would have a muppet like texture to the skin of the puppet, but so do a lot of puppets that aren't muppets. You could only be considered a muppet knock of if you had characters similar to the muppets. I guess it all depends on the type of puppet you are going to need. Read, learn, ask, experiment, and find out what works best for you.

 

[spcglider]

I have that concern all the time with my puppets. And when you do puppets for video, you'd best get prepared to be compared to the Muppets... no matter what your puppets look like.

Over the years, the Muppets have explored many many many different materials... not just fleece... to construct their characters from.

The whole point of puppetry is to imbue the illusion life into an inanimate object. You can puppeteer a professionally built character puppet or you can just as easily puppeteer a shoe. Wait... scratch that. A shoe is more difficult. But you get the idea.

And many of the techniques comprising the "visual language" of puppets on television were pioneered by the Muppets.

So, even if you make your puppets out of papier mache', if they're on television they'll be compared to the Muppets.

In my case, my puppets are very much informed, design-wise, by the Henson style. But by the same token they are also informed by the style of Sid & Marty Krofft and Kosmo Allegretti.

I say don't fight it. Don't outright copy it, but don't stress yourself battling it.

The other thing I'll say (and so will everybody in the puppetry community) is that you'll need to experiment and find your own answers. To just about everything. Its art. There are techniques and styles and tools... but no answers.

-Gordon