Make a Stop Motion Elf Puppet

Simple Puppet 2: Building Up with Urethane Foam and Latex

Materials Used:

* 3M Spray Glue No. 74, 76, or 90
* 1/2" or 1" urethane cushion foam
* 1/8" or thinner urethane foam
* Liquid latex
* Epoxy putty
* Talcum powder
* Acrylic paints
* Pros-Aide prosthetic adhesive
* Cloth, fake fur, string, cord, twigs,

plastic foliage, jewelry, wire, little bits

of just about anything
* Big sheet of paper or card as

protection of your work place because

spraying glue adhesive can be messy

Tools Used:

* Scissors
* Small curved nail scissors
* Hair drier or blower heater for drying
latex
* Small modelling tools - mine is
home-made and shaped/ground from a
broken hacksaw blade

If all goes well, the
finished puppet will look something like this.

1. Spray a light coat of No 74 foam and fabric adhesive (or similar) on armature torso, and on 2 blocks of foam. Let dry for a minute to get tacky, then ....

2. ...sandwich the armature between the foam blocks. Snip the foam away with small cruved scissors to carve the body shape.

3. Spray glue the arms and legs, and some thin sheet foam, and wrap the arms and legs. Trim off excess foam.

4. Glue thin foam onto the lip wires, eyebrow wires, and anywhere you want to build up the shape of the head.

5. With a small tool, stick, or piece of wire, dab a little latex onto the hand wires, and ear wires. Not too much at a time, so it will not run. You can get the latex to form a thin film in the loop. Put latex on arms and legs and face. Dry it, then add a little more. While you were not looking, I put epoxy putty on the wires to make horns.

6. After the latex is dry, add small drops to build up knees, elbows, knuckles, or any bumps, Take eye beads out, then put back in and over the top and bottom to build up eyelids. This holds eyeballs in. When dry, a little talc in the socket helps the eyes to turn easily.

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7. Mix acrylic paints with Pros-aid to make a flexible paint that can stretch with the latex. The fabric was made wet with glue and water to put in some wrinkes, and tied on with thread and string. He is now ready to try some animation.