I’m a huge fan of Dr Puppet. Not only does he have some of the best moppet building skills I’ve seen, but he does way cool (oh, hell I just slipped into teenarisms!) stuff with them. He produces some fantastic stuff with the show 99 Acre Woods, but also has produced, what I would think is the best portrait puppet in the world: a moppet version of David Tennant, in his Doctor Who character. Jay (Dr Puppet) is also graciously giving his tips and hints for puppet building away - for a small fee of course - with a series of puppet building videos. From his series you can learn a great range of things, from blinking eye techniques to working with foam, using and making patterns, and other really handy things that aren’t usually discussed anywhere online. You can purchase these videos as downloads, or you can order a data DVD from him (the latter is more costly, but then you can have the entire set of videos and not have to worry about downloads). Check out the short preview at his site (the last link), which shows how good looking those videos are. I have as yet to buy mine, but from the comments at Puppets and Stuff, they are a pretty great addition to your building library. What’s also great about Dr Puppet is that he is constantly taking suggestions, and I know that he’s probably got plenty more videos to come.

If you’re unsure of buying any of the videos, then I highly recommend you check out his extensive gallery on either his site or P&S. His work is astounding, and I only wish I could have 1/10th of his talent for working with foam. If his videos are half as good as what he builds, then it’s worth the investment I should think - and at $US 5 per video, it’s not a bad deal. Just imagine getting to try to build that ↑

Image copyright of Dr Puppet

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