How to make a human puppet

Also NOT known as humans acting like puppets. I’m referring to thing like shadow puppets, etc. AKA Making people puppets. UPDATE: I’m extending this article to discuss more specific issues with making ‘human’ puppets. Read Part Two, about realism in puppetry, here.

This is one of the most regular web searches (that pop up my website), and it really gets on my nerves. Why? Because it’s such an ambiguous search term…. For instance, are you looking to make a human puppet using strings as the method of operation? Or are you seeking a muppet-type design? What about a rod puppet? They can also be costume puppets… And so can glove puppets! What about marionettes?

As you can see, it’s not so much about the ‘human-ness’ of the puppet that matters, but the method of operation. Any puppet can be made to look human: but not every puppet will suit your performance styles or techniques. And trying to use the above search term will not give you very specific results; furthermore, the ambiguity of the term does not help us bloggers and puppet makers, who would love to give you some help and directions. The fact is that there are just too many types of puppets that can be made to look human, and posting an article or how-to on all of them would be impractical.

So, if you want to make a human puppet, first figure out what type of puppet you want to use. Here’s a list of puppet types, which link off to their explanatory posts.

Then
you can go about making a character design that uses ‘human’ qualities.

Next, take a look at my basics of puppet design, and my post on creating puppet characters, making eyes, placement of eyes, and making noses.

Armed with that information, you can then go ahead and find out more about how to make a puppet for your needs.

(And next time, you can search for ‘human muppet’ tutorials… or ‘human marionette‘ tutorials… or ‘human glove puppet‘ tutorials… or… no, you get the idea now, don’t you?)

Read Part Two, about realism, here.

All sorts of human puppet parts, patterns and products at my online store!

Want more? Help build a puppet!