How to make a glove puppet
(AKA How to make a hand puppet; cause they are the same thing, just a different name. However, if you’re looking for ‘glove arm’ puppets, you’re probably wanting to visit the pages on muppet-type puppets)
Making a glove puppet can seem tricky, but in fact, it is very very easy. When making a glove puppet, you should first consider the basics of puppet design and puppet characters. Glove puppets can be great activities for both children and families, but also a good exercise for new puppet makers.
Most people will have an image of Punch and Judy in their heads when they think of glove puppets: a cloth body, with a round papier mache head on top. In fact, glove puppets can come in a range of styles and characters, with a range of materials. Generally speaking, the body and head are made with the materials mentioned above, but other materials may incude: clay, wood, or cloth for the head; and cardboard for the body. Most older published puppetry books will include explanations and tutorials on how to make glove puppets, but be warned! They sometimes include the use of asbestos!!
The following is a set of instructions based on an experimentation of the glove puppet concept - I personally don’t like the look of glove puppets, and find them boring to use. However, the other day, I discovered this, which is a cactus glove puppet. I used the character design to base the following instructions on; it’s very much a 1-2-3 step process. (Click on the photos for larger views) If you would like to use a traditional method, skip to the bottom of this post, where there is a link to another site that has a good how-to on making a glove puppet in the normal way. Also, I’ve made a tutorial on recycling an old toy into a glove puppet.
Materials
You will need the following:
- Glove puppet pattern, which you can download here. Size up or down according to your needs; you may want to make the arms and neck longer - I think my pattern is slightly too wide at the bottom, so to make it look more like a cactus, you may also want to taper the bottom depending on the size of your hand
- Lining material
- Outer material
- Needle and thread
- Puppet eyes (a polystyrene ball, cut in half, painted and varnished; or whatever you want to use)
Step One
You will use the lining material and the outer material to make the glove puppet. The lining is both for comfort and durability, so it can be scrap material of your choice, or something fitting with the character. Because the puppet is a cactus, I’ve just chosen some white lining, and a green material (I wanted to use a more fleece-y material for the outside, but didn’t have enough. You can use something with a bit of fur, or with some tassles like in the above inspiration)
Take the outer material and fold it in half. Lay it between two layers of the lining material. This is important - you will ’sandwich’ the material together, and sew it, so if you don’t get the layering right, the materials may end up inside out. Once you have a ’sandwich’ (lining, outer, outer, lining) of material, take your pattern and lay it on top. Pin it to the material, or use a washable pen/chalk to draw the pattern on.
Step Two
Take your needle and thread, and sew around the pattern, making sure to leave the bottom open - this is where your hand will go. Once you have sewn around the edges, cut the excess material away, and hem the bottom. Turn it inside out. You should have the outer material visible on both sides of the puppet, with the lining inside - here my green material is visible, and my lining (the white) is on the inside.
Test out the puppet by putting your hand inside: your thumb should go into one of the ‘arms’, your index finger should go in the neck (the middle ‘finger’ of the glove puppet), and your pinky in the other ‘arm’ of the puppet. Your middle and fourth fingers should be folded down towards the palm of your hand. There are other ways to hold your hand inside the puppet, but I find this the most comfortable; experiment until you find a position that is comfortable for you.
If the puppet does not fit, start again, this time widening the pattern in the necessary places.
Step Three
Paint some puppet eyes, and glue them on to your glove puppet in an appropriate place. You may need to back the polystyrene halves with some material, since the glue will melt the ball if not protected well.
And you’re done! One cactus glove puppet finished! You can add accessories or clothing as you wish.
Traditional glove puppets
Here’s a site that offers step-by-step instructions on making Punch and Judy glove puppets. Additionally, I recommend checking out this page, which has instructions on making papier mache; the text was written by Canadian puppeteer, Ronnie Burkett. Here’s my list of free glove puppet patterns.
Want more? Help build a puppet!