The LILI puppet's bodies are constructed from the same 5mm foam sheeting which was used to form their heads earlier. Above you see the Shoulder Blocks which were cut and sanded from 1/2" cedar. I use conventional cedar fencing material which you can buy at any Home Improvement Store. Cedar is the right thickness, very lightweight and has the added benefit of offering some protection from moths and insects which might later atempt to prey upon the puppets during their use in the outdoor environment of the Hip Pocket Theatre!
I form paper patterns to size and create hip blocks accordingly from the same Cedar. Each character will have a slightly different body type, especially MARGUERITTE who requires a female form with some shoulder and bosum exposed.
Here on the left you see an example of the Foam and Cedar pieces attached together with contact cement. A Yoke piece attaches between the Shoulder Block and Main Body. The bottom of the Main Body is glued to the Hip Block. This widens the body in the middle to allow room for the puppeteer's hand and the controller within the body cavity.
The entire assembly is then covered in a heavy double knit fabric with a carefully placed section of cotton batting in between to soften and shape the torso into shoulder, chest and waist as shown on the right. This double knit "skin" will allow a base for the finished costumes to be sewn to. Since the puppets exist from the waist up only, I have covered the bottom of the Hip Block with black felt.
Next up: The Arms.
No comments:
Post a Comment