Making 'professional' puppets as a beginner

You could just start with the Beginners’ Guide to Puppetry. This really is more about professionalism than about giving you a "here’s how you build a puppet from A to Z" type article. For that, well, as I  say, head here.

This is one of those topics that irks me, because it’s a lot of myth and a lot of misunderstandings amongst the general public about how to go about making ‘professional puppets’. In this article I hope to both shed some light on those myths, and show you how you can go about doing it yourself at the same time. So let’s start with the basics: what do we mean by ‘professional’?

Professional puppets

There are always different opinions on this question. I’ve had several discussions over the years about this very issue, but the majority of people I’ve talked to have a similar conclusion to me: ‘professional’ is the name we give someone when they are attempting to earn an income from their particular work. (Interesting side point: the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has a definition of ‘profession’ on their site. Worth a read)

MYTH: Many people, especially those who sell on Ebay, like to label their puppets as ‘professional’ (ie. professional muppet-type puppet, etc). This is totally the wrong wording and wrong impression to give beginners and the general public. There is no such thing as a professional puppet, but there IS such a thing as a professionally made one. The difference is this: the former implies that a particular style of puppetry is considered ‘professional’ and therefore worthy of notice; the latter implies that the puppet was made by someone who knows what they’re doing and is of high quality manufacture. (This touches on another myth which I’ll get to in a moment) It also hints that ‘professional’ puppets can be used for performance, when in actual fact, most of the ones available out there labelled as such are really tarted-up kids toys; most labelled as ‘professional puppets’ are made by toy factories or by puppet makers trying to compete with said toy companies. Just because it has the label ‘professional’ doesn’t mean it will work well during a performance. (This stuff also applies to any pattern labelled as ‘professional’)

MYTH: The price tag doesn’t have anything to do with the level of professionalism. Prices depend on a large variety of things, from cost of materials to the complexity of the build. You can read more about the cost of puppets here [link to be added]. A high-priced puppet can be bad quality and vice versa, so it doesn’t mean much in terms of professionalism.

The other issue here, and the reason why there is some disagreement with the definition of ‘professional’, is that amateurs and hobbyists can produce work that is of equal or greater professionality than those who do it for a living. Or that those who do it for a living are professionals, as they may do illegal things, produce bad quality work, or any other of a variety of problems that lose them the honour of using the word.

TRUTH: In terms of puppetry at least, there is a myth that beginners can make ‘professional puppets’. What beginners really mean, I suspect, is the true question: what you want to be able to do is make a puppet as well as the professionals do. Puppetry can seem easy to the general public, just as it can often seem difficult.

So we need to clarify what ‘professionalism’ looks like. I suggest the following, as written by UK marionette maker, Tony Sinnett:

 …people do search the web for ‘professional puppets’, I know I can see it in my site reports, so what are those people really looking for? Well I guess they want a puppet that is well designed and made, constructed to withstand the rigors of many live performances as well as the travelling involved in such pursuits. Or maybe they need a puppet that can have very precise or specific movements or expressions if filming is of a priority. It may have a certain aesthetic to it and I suppose it must be made by someone with plenty of experience not only as a builder but also someone who has hands on (or in) experience.

In sum, a professionally made puppet is one that:

• Is well designed and constructed
• Made with some idea of how it should work and how to obtain a certain movement/expression
• Is durable
• Is aesthetically pleasing 

Where does that leave the beginner?

Very well situated actually. Someone who has read a little about how to make a puppet can sit down and create their own from scratch and use the above bullet points as a guide. Let’s go through each point and I’ll show you the way you can make a good start on your first professionally made puppet:

• Well designed and constructed

All this means is that you should have a plan. Some puppeteers don’t work from a design as such, but sort of build as they go. But professionalism gets good results, and you don’t see architects building from some vague idea but instead work from blueprints. So what you should do is sit down and make a rough plan of what the puppet needs to do; what the puppet should look like; what method you’re going to use to build the puppet or mechanisms of operation, etc. You can read more about how to do all this with my article on puppet design. If you don’t know how to build something, then grab a book, pattern, video or other resource and learn before you make your puppet. This bit also covers the second point:

•  Made with some idea of how it should work and how to obtain a certain movement/expression

It helps if you actually try to use the puppet - even if you’re like me and can’t stand performing - because it helps you understand how the puppet works, what it’s limitations are and how to improve it. Indeed, I always know more about what my puppet can and can’t do than the people using them.

And indeed, if you do some good research, your plan will solve the third issue, especially if you consider using high quality materials (ie. using non-toxic contact cement versus the less durable hot glue):

• Durability

This leaves us with:

• Aesthetics

Now, this is all about taste, and as such is very very subjective. And it’s often about instinct and a sense of ‘life’ for a character design.

MYTH: Most of the puppets on sale out there labelled ‘professional’ are actually muppet-type puppets. This gives the false impression that only things that look like it came from Jim Henson’s workshop (or in that style) are ‘professional’. This implies that glove puppets, finger puppets, marionettes, and other puppet types are ‘for kids’ or ‘not professional’. Which is, of course, bull

As I state above, what people really mean is professionally made and there are plenty of people who make fantastic puppets which are high quality. Just because finger puppets seem like they’re for kids doesn’t mean that Stacey Gordon isn’t a professional (she’s been featured on The View); or that Tony Sinnett’s marionettes aren’t of professional quality; or that sock puppets aren’t TV quality (an Australian telephone company uses one in their ads - see below for more on TV quality concepts) or that the only thing you as a beginner should be trying to make is a muppet-type puppet. Indeed, puppets made with lower quality materials or for single-use during shows (ie. paper for improvised puppets) are just as professional as any other puppet, because they are designed to suit a need, rather than an appeal to some nebulous idea of professionality. Puppets can be anything, and if you spend the time and effort on it, you can make any puppet type of a professional quality!

TRUTH: Having said all of that, when you consider that the most important thing about a puppet is whether or not it works (the above three bullet points) aesthetics seems very much an after thought. And it is in many ways. But in terms of professionalism, it means a lot. We tend to think of a puppet being of professional quality due to a number of very simple things: the first is puppet design theory. What this often means is doing less. Don’t overcomplicate your character design [link to be added] with lots of facial features and so on. Learn about proper eye placement: the key to a good puppet is that it can emotionally connect to an audience. Where it looks is the most important and precise thing a puppet needs to do well. (Jim Henson is a great example of both these concepts, as he used the ‘magic triangle’ of good eye placement and simple character design. This triangle is discussed in depth here and here.) More of these concepts are explained in the puppet design article, but also many good books and other resources. In general a good puppet design is about creating facial and body features, clothing and accessories that suggest the overall character - boy, girl, old, young, happy, sad, etc - without making the puppet seem messy or cluttered.

But there are other, smaller things for instance that suggest professionalism. It’s quite often called ‘TV quality‘, in that a puppet looks absolutely perfect up-close and personal, where faults are more noticeable. Tidy features, precise detailing, the materials are attached strongly together, those sorts of things. Something that you would call a ‘refined’ appearance. Crooked or badly placed eyes makes the puppet seem odd to us. And so, that’s a clue to judge professionality and quality. Another is whether or not seams are straight and hidden, versus crooked and obvious. Go visit some puppet forums and check out the galleries of people’s puppets. I bet you can spot the beginners from the more experienced builders; make a list of all the features that look wrong or are badly manufactured. Now you have a list of things to avoid doing. But just as importantly, make a list of the things that look right, and see if you can do the same. Shawn Sorrell makes an excellent point:

I think you have to be careful not to confuse "professional" with "slick".  I use the word slick when I am speaking of something that is very commercial and clean. For the masses so to speak.  I think there are those who build professional puppets but they may not be the norm or appeal to the masses.  Like you it is hard for me to define it, it is just something I know when I see it.

One of the reasons puppeteers are highly-skilled artisans is because it requires a lot of knowledge about various craft techniques; another is that it’s very time- and labour-intensive to make something of professional quality, because you’re always trying to make everything look good from up close. (On a side note, this is why the Venn diagram of good/cheap/fast is so very true and frustrating to us puppeteers) This is the point where I think using prototypes is a good idea. By making all or part of the puppet as a test, you can practice things you’ve never made before or test out a complicated mechanism. For instance, if I’m machine-sewing a fabric for the first time, I cut off a small section and practice sewing it. This way I can be sure it will go through the machine without catching; that my stitches are straight or of the right style; and that the actual puppet will come out looking as good as possible.

MYTH: That as a beginner, you’ll manage to make a puppet that looks like it was made by a professional the first time you try it. This is actually the #1 myth for this topic. I had a lot of help making my first puppets, from a friend and puppeteer, and they still looked pretty bad. They weren’t durable, pretty, and often didn’t do what they were supposed to do. The first puppet I made entirely without any help from a unique design I’d invented, fell apart as soon as I picked it up to use it. The first muppet-type puppets I made were pretty, but not durable, and certainly the mouth wasn’t easy to operate for more than 10 minutes at a time. It took me many, many tries to get something that was even remotely decent, and that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to improve still. Indeed, my speciality (shadow puppetry) is something for which I learn, explore and test every day. I may nail one aspect of a design but find I need to improve something else. Each puppet allows me to implement those improvements and see how they work. The one rule of learning puppetry: try, try and try again. There is a learning curve, and if you really want professional results, well I’m sorry but:

There is no easy way to do it. Yes, you’re going to have to put some effort into it in order to get professional results. You’re going to have to build more than one puppet or try more than one pattern.

Which is kind of another myth. People often search for "professional puppet patterns". What they really mean, I suspect, is FREE patterns that produce professional results. This just doesn’t exist (see the myths of free patterns [link to be added]) because something like that would amount to months if not years of work to produce and that costs us puppeteers both time and money (we’re not rich you know). The best patterns I’ve ever seen have come from books and pay-per-downloads and are seriously worth the money. It’s pretty much an investment: a freebie will need to be modified to suit your needs, is usually not clearly explained or documented, and might only be a sketch of what you need to do; a book or pay-per-download will provide far more information, will be well explained, and will have print-and-cut patterns included. In fact, if you’re looking for professional results, the only thing that will get them is to use a resource you’ll have to pay for, because we professionals will have perfected the pattern as much as possible, leaving you with fewer chances of screwing up. Expecting something like that for free is simply rude. You don’t expect your car mechanic to do the job for free do you?

But that’s not just the only part of this myth: returning to what I was saying above, puppeteers often consult books and other resources in order to improve their work. We’re constantly sharing tips and hints, asking questions, and making prototypes. A lot of us do this on forums such as Puppets and Stuff, or Puppet Hub. There are people who’ve been doing puppetry for decades, and they never stop learning - again, it comes back to that curve. Expecting to make something that is of professional quality from one read of a book, one use of a pattern or one tutorial, is simply not going to happen. It comes down to practice. Those who are well known as puppet makers have been doing it for a long time, and have plenty of horrible first-starts that have led them to the path of excellence. It bares repeating…

There is no easy way to do it. Yes, you’re going to have to put some effort into it in order to get professional results. 

No, seriously, how do I do it?

By starting where everyone else does. At the beginning. You’re a beginner, so learn the basics. Where to start is obviously the hardest part of learning puppetry, and I know the above is not exactly what you wanted to hear, but puppetry is about as diverse as sculpture: different styles, different methods, different materials… It’s extremely difficult for most puppeteers to advise beginners on where to start. So I’ve found the best and only advice to give is to just dive right in. You don’t have to know what you’re doing, or have done it before: just have a go!

Figure out what you want to make, the puppet type (and do yourself a favour: start with an easy puppet build), the character design, etc. Figure out the mechanisms of operation and the types of materials you can use. Start with something easy and work your way up to the hard stuff. Have a conversation with a puppeteer if you get stuck or need something more specific to help you on your way. Gather your materials, and sit down and make something; follow a video or pattern to get you started if necessary; have books on hand so you can refer to them. If you don’t like how it comes out, try again. Keep trying and improving things until you’re satisfied. And when you are: make another puppet. Take all that you’ve learned and see if you can make something high quality. Then, and only then, will you be making ‘professional puppets’.

The last word, I leave to Andrew from PuppetVision:

Maybe people should just do great work, sell great puppets and let that speak for itself.

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