How to Make a Rod Puppet
Drill two small holes through all the dowels except the body one, the smallest one, and two rods., Drill a (small) hole through the center of what will be your body dowel., Drill one (small) hole in each of the rods., Place a small plastic tube...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Drill two small holes through all the dowels except the body one
Make sure these holes are close to the ends. (But not too close, otherwise they would have openings.) , It is extremely important to make sure your smallest dowel fits inside this hole.
This dowel will support the body., Make sure this hole is near one of the ends. The end where the hole is will be both the top and the end connected to the hand, so choose carefully! , You are now ready to make the head., You are going to build your puppet's head bottom to top, so make sure you have enough., Crumple them up and stick them onto the tube.
Continue adding crumpled paper until you have formed a head shape, keeping in mind that the papier-mâché will make it slightly bigger once applied.
You can use glue and masking tape to stick papers to each other.
Don't use too much masking tape, though, or it will be hard for papier-mâché to stick afterwards! , Do not make it too thick (will result in too much bulkiness) or too thin. (Will cause the head to fall apart.) This is your time to prepare for facial features.
Create indents for eyes if you want, and shape a nose and a pair of ears. , This time, make the pieces small--the smaller, the better.
Use the paste to stick them onto the papier-mâché., Too thick, and that means scrape-y time is a good time.
Too thin, and that mans you must add more bits of newspaper.
For necks that are too thick, once you scrape, wrap masking tape tightly around the neck to hold it in place and possibly make it thinner. , (Not the corn-syrup-paste.) Repeat step two of "Making the Head"
but this time you have more tube to attach newspaper to.
Bonus!, However, instead of creating preparations for facial features, form the likings of a body.
See below for examples.
Broader shoulders/men, curvier shoulders/women Optional:
Make the waist narrower than the chest if the puppet is a woman (or you feel like it). , Stick the ends deep into the papier-mâché near the shoulders, leaving the curve to tie the arms to., Now, prepare for creating arms!, Next, push it through one of the holes of the four remaining dowels (assuming your puppet has two arms) and tie it to the curve in the wire, leaving leeway for the arm to move.
This is the upper half of one arm., That means the lower hole of one dowel will be attached to the upper hole of the second.
Using a hand saw, cut the unattached end of the lower arm so when finished, it resembles a chair.
This is the lower arm., Get ready for hands!, Using a hand saw, cut a simple hand shape.
Do this one more time for the other hand.
By no means does the hand have to be elaborate; a reasonable-sized oval shape with a straight bottom should do. , It should fit well enough.
Use clamps or binder clips to secure the hand where you want it while the glue dries., Tie it to the hole in the rod.
Repeat for other hand., This is the "skin color," the "default color"
whatever you call it.
It will be, as the first example states, the color of your puppet's skin.
It helps to apply multiple coats.
If you would prefer for no one to see the skin color under the puppet's hair, (should you choose to make hair) you can paint it the color of the yarn being used. , Paint the following onto the puppet's face:
Eyes Eyebrows Mustache or beard Accessories (i.e. nose ring, earrings, et cetera) , Wrap your yarn around the cardboard 25-100 times.
Change the length of the short end for longer/shorter hair.
Keep in mind, though, that the hair will be half the length it is now., It should be in a loop. "Fold" it in half and hot glue the center to the head, making sure there is hair on the back of the head as well., Cut a hole big enough to fit through the body dowel., (Yes, the one that supports the body.) This will cause the body to fall, leaving only the body dowel and the head., Then, slip the body through and put the supporting dowel back in place.
Magic!, With a needle and thread, stitch the "sleeve" into place.,, You are finished. -
Step 2: the smallest one
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Step 3: and two rods.
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Step 4: Drill a (small) hole through the center of what will be your body dowel.
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Step 5: Drill one (small) hole in each of the rods.
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Step 6: Place a small plastic tube through the body dowel so that its base touches the smallest dowel.
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Step 7: Cover your plastic tube with glue at the top.
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Step 8: Cut some newspaper into large pieces.
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Step 9: Cover the crumpled newspaper with papier-mâché.
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Step 10: After the papier-mâché has dried
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Step 11: mix some corn syrup in a bucket with water for a paste and tear up more newspaper.
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Step 12: Use a pocket knife to scrape away at newspaper to form a neck.
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Step 13: Cover the entire plastic tube with regular glue.
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Step 14: Repeat step three of "Making the Head".
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Step 15: Take two pieces of wire and bend them halfway so the two ends (of each wire) are parallel to each other.
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Step 16: Repeat step four of "Making the Head".
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Step 17: Cut a piece of wax string.
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Step 18: Repeat step one of this part
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Step 19: but push it through the remaining hole of the first dowel.
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Step 20: Repeat the previous two steps on the other wire to create the second arm.
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Step 21: Take a small piece of wood.
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Step 22: Use regular glue to attach the bottom of the hand into the chair shape.
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Step 23: When the glue has dried
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Step 24: drill a small hole near the end of the hand that is curved and not covered by the "chair".
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Step 25: Choose a base color.
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Step 26: Paint facial features.
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Step 27: Take a piece of cardboard and some yarn.
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Step 28: Carefully remove the yarn from the cardboard by slipping it off.
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Step 29: Cut a piece of fabric twice your desired length.
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Step 30: Remove the smallest dowel.
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Step 31: Slip the costume through the dowel until it reaches the neck.
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Step 32: For a short-sleeved dress or robe
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Step 33: roll up the excess side fabric.
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Step 34: Using a needle and thread
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Step 35: stitch the left front/back and right front/back together.
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Step 36: Congratulations!
Detailed Guide
Make sure these holes are close to the ends. (But not too close, otherwise they would have openings.) , It is extremely important to make sure your smallest dowel fits inside this hole.
This dowel will support the body., Make sure this hole is near one of the ends. The end where the hole is will be both the top and the end connected to the hand, so choose carefully! , You are now ready to make the head., You are going to build your puppet's head bottom to top, so make sure you have enough., Crumple them up and stick them onto the tube.
Continue adding crumpled paper until you have formed a head shape, keeping in mind that the papier-mâché will make it slightly bigger once applied.
You can use glue and masking tape to stick papers to each other.
Don't use too much masking tape, though, or it will be hard for papier-mâché to stick afterwards! , Do not make it too thick (will result in too much bulkiness) or too thin. (Will cause the head to fall apart.) This is your time to prepare for facial features.
Create indents for eyes if you want, and shape a nose and a pair of ears. , This time, make the pieces small--the smaller, the better.
Use the paste to stick them onto the papier-mâché., Too thick, and that means scrape-y time is a good time.
Too thin, and that mans you must add more bits of newspaper.
For necks that are too thick, once you scrape, wrap masking tape tightly around the neck to hold it in place and possibly make it thinner. , (Not the corn-syrup-paste.) Repeat step two of "Making the Head"
but this time you have more tube to attach newspaper to.
Bonus!, However, instead of creating preparations for facial features, form the likings of a body.
See below for examples.
Broader shoulders/men, curvier shoulders/women Optional:
Make the waist narrower than the chest if the puppet is a woman (or you feel like it). , Stick the ends deep into the papier-mâché near the shoulders, leaving the curve to tie the arms to., Now, prepare for creating arms!, Next, push it through one of the holes of the four remaining dowels (assuming your puppet has two arms) and tie it to the curve in the wire, leaving leeway for the arm to move.
This is the upper half of one arm., That means the lower hole of one dowel will be attached to the upper hole of the second.
Using a hand saw, cut the unattached end of the lower arm so when finished, it resembles a chair.
This is the lower arm., Get ready for hands!, Using a hand saw, cut a simple hand shape.
Do this one more time for the other hand.
By no means does the hand have to be elaborate; a reasonable-sized oval shape with a straight bottom should do. , It should fit well enough.
Use clamps or binder clips to secure the hand where you want it while the glue dries., Tie it to the hole in the rod.
Repeat for other hand., This is the "skin color," the "default color"
whatever you call it.
It will be, as the first example states, the color of your puppet's skin.
It helps to apply multiple coats.
If you would prefer for no one to see the skin color under the puppet's hair, (should you choose to make hair) you can paint it the color of the yarn being used. , Paint the following onto the puppet's face:
Eyes Eyebrows Mustache or beard Accessories (i.e. nose ring, earrings, et cetera) , Wrap your yarn around the cardboard 25-100 times.
Change the length of the short end for longer/shorter hair.
Keep in mind, though, that the hair will be half the length it is now., It should be in a loop. "Fold" it in half and hot glue the center to the head, making sure there is hair on the back of the head as well., Cut a hole big enough to fit through the body dowel., (Yes, the one that supports the body.) This will cause the body to fall, leaving only the body dowel and the head., Then, slip the body through and put the supporting dowel back in place.
Magic!, With a needle and thread, stitch the "sleeve" into place.,, You are finished.
About the Author
Kenneth Cooper
Writer and educator with a focus on practical hobbies knowledge.
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