Animal Tabletop Puppet Making with Judith Hope: 4-Week Course

Mon 19th October 2020 - Wed 4th November 2020

You’ll design and construct a fourlegged puppet, using easily sourced materials and simple tools.

This course will focus on designing and constructing 4 - legged animal tabletop puppets, using easily sourced materials and simple tools. The structure can be adapted for many different animals (cat, bear, deer, sheep, lion, fox, dog, goat, etc.)It is suitable for both realistic and caricatured designs.

Judith will be constructing the puppet from the materials listed in the FAQs section but will also suggest other alternative materials on the course. It is not necessary to have the materials in advance as you will be doing the making in your own time, but you may do so if you prefer.

Judith Hope is a puppet designer and maker, creating a diverse range of puppets for theatre, commercials and events.
Her work is inspired by the strange and the wonderful, by folklore, fairytale and fable.

She is known for making extraordinary puppet creatures with a very high quality, detailed aesthetic. Judith has created puppets for many companies including Little Angel Theatre, Les Enfants Terribles and the RSC.

Judith also designs and makes large scale walkabout puppets with which she performs at festivals and events across the UK and internationally, including Festival Mondial des Theatres de Marionettes (Charleville, France) and Fossekleiva Kultura (Drammen, Norway).
Judith has taught many masterclasses in puppet making, including a series of zoom courses to participants from around the globe.

Please be sure to read the info in the FAQ’s section below (before booking), just to be sure it’s right for you!

AGE: For ages 18+ (we might be using cutting knives and lighters as part of our making process)
 

FAQ download here. PLEASE READ BEFORE SIGNING UP.

Sign up for this course here

More info on the course

The course will be coming from the UK and the booking times listed are BST. Please be sure what time you need to log in if you are from outside the UK. The course will cover how to design and construct a 4-legged animal tabletop puppet. We will cover design, construction and decoration/dressing techniques. There will be 4 sessions in total. Each session will last for 1 hour. 

Judith will demonstrate the techniques and skills required as well as giving lots of tips and advice. 
This is a making course. Due to the time available, the focus will be on making rather than performing (at times we will make reference to performing but there will not be any tuition in performing techniques). 

Sessions will be designed for participants to observe and learn (as well as taking notes). There will also be lots of opportunities to ask questions. 
It will not be necessary to have all your materials in advance (as you will be doing the making in your own time), although you may aim to do this if you choose. 

Participants may choose to progress with making in between sessions, or to absorb the information given and to make at a later date, there are no specific requirements. 

The course content is adaptable and therefore suitable for beginners and more experienced makers (some making/craft experience is helpful but not essential as you will be making in your own time at your own pace). 
  
Suggested materials (these are the materials that will be used on the course but alternative material choices will also be discussed) 

• Correx (can be purchased new or use recycled/found correx - 1 x A3 or 2 x A4 sized pieces 
• Polystrene - either a chunk of scrap or an egg (approximately 6cm) and ball shape (approximately 8cm). 
• Scraps of plastazote (I used an A5 10mm and small scraps of 5mm) 
• Plastic tubing (I used model making tubes, ABS tubes 6mm. We will discuss alternatives on the course) 
• Fimo air light 
• Wooden dowel for rods (5mm - 7.5mm) 
• Small piece of leatherette or similar 
• Tubular elastic approximately 2mm 
• Stretch fabric, either mesh or lycra 
• Wooden beads (approximately 10mm) 
• Metal eyelet (approximately 5 - 7.5mm) or wire 
• Bamboo skewer 
• Fabric scraps to create coat 
• Tissue paper 
• UHU glue 
• Pritt stick glue 
• Glue gun 
• Craft knife 
• Surform 
• Scissors 
• Bradawl/nail, etc 
• Acrylic paints 
• Gorilla glue