How to Create a Simple Stick Puppet

Hello everyone! I am going to show you all how I created this puppet. I was inspired by my Wayang Golek puppets that I have in my collection which are wooden puppets traditionally performed with in West Java, Indonesia.

• Creative Paperclay or any other air drying clay
• 3 Skewers
• Masking tape
• Cork
• Acrylic paint
• Wire (16-20 guage)
• Exacto Knife
• Needle nose pliers
• Aleene's Tacky Glue
• Lambswool (optional)
• Fabric
• Sealer

Take your 3 skewers, cut 2 of them in half with an exacto knife. The full size skewer will be used for the body, you will be attaching the head to this one. The two that were cut in half will be for the left and right arms.

Get your cork and cut it in half with the exacto knife.

Take one half of your cork that was cut in the previous step. Get the full sized skewer and put the cork piece on the top of it. You can push it through the cork if possible and tape it in place with your masking tape. However you do it, make sure that it is taped securely in place so that you can sculpt your head over it.

Once the cork is secure in place, begin to smooth clay around it for the head. Keep building up the head and the face in stages. When you reach your level of satisfaction, set the piece aside to dry. This process can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours depending on how damp your home is or how thick your layers of clay are.

Side Note: You have to work in stages with paperclay. When you get the basic shape of the piece that you are working on, you'll want to set the piece aside to dry. You'll come back and add more details and sand away the pieces that you'll like to refine. It is a constant build up and take away process. Be patient!

Take the four smaller skewers that you cut in the first step. Chisel and indent all the way around them with your exacto knife about a half inch down from the top. This is where you will be wrapping your string to attach the arms to the shoulders and then the hands to the other set of sticks for movement.

Start making the hands on the other end of two of the sticks. Don’t get too detailed since you will need a sort of mitt to run some string through for the other set of sticks. Make sure you shape out a hole in the center of the hands before the clay dries so that you can run your string through it.

After the head dries, you can begin to build out the shoulders with your wire. I like to use a thinner wire so that I can manipulate it easier, something like 18-20 gauge. Use your pliers to take some of the stress off of your hands so that you can shape it around the neck and build out the shoulders. Leave a hoop on each shoulder so that you can attach the arms later with string. (shown in second to last pic)

Wrap masking tape around the wire so that you can cover it with clay, leave the hoops at the end exposed so you can put the arms onto it.

Here I am picking the head back up to work on some of the features of the puppet. I let the head sit for a little bit so that it could begin to dry. It makes it easier to work up your piece in layers so that you can sculpt without disturbing the bottom layer. You can thin out paperclay with a little bit of water to get your details while it is still pliable. In the last pic, I am using a damp brush to smooth out the lips of the puppet.

Cover the part of the shoulders that you wrapped with masking tape with clay. Set this aside to dry again.

Sand your pieces down to get them to the level of smoothness that you'd like. I like to use a 500 grit sand paper to get things nice and smooth. You can choose which ever grit your would like for your results. The higher the number on the grit of the sandpaper, the smoother your piece will turn out.

Take your thread and wrap it around the top of the skewers that you sculpted your hands on. Tie and knot them around the indent that you cut a few steps back and glue them in place when your knot is tied securely.

Take the other end of the string and tie it tight onto the hoop on the shoulder of the puppet for each side.

Take a piece of thread and thread it through the hole in the hand and the bead on the other side of it. Take the thread and pull it back through the hole on the hand. The bead will keep the thread from going through the other side of the hand.

Repeat the process on the other side of the hand and then take the other end of the thread and tie them to the indent on the top of the other set of sticks.

Paint all the pieces once they are dry. Put a sealant onto your piece to protect the paint layers from chipping

Take a square of fabric and size it up with the puppet to see how much you want to use for the outfit. You can either make sleeves and a fitted top with a skirt or you could take the easy way out and make a cloak like I did. This is up to you!

Here I am using lambswool for the hair. I used Aleene's Tacky glue and apply it to the head with another skewer.

And she is all done! I took a piece of lace to make a hat for her.

See more of my work at Melandolly.com, catch updates on 

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