Also, Michele I think you should try to make some bugs of your own...not the puppet variety : )


and...... 200th post woohooo, I finally made it, I have been on this forum for 3 years almost

Since this is for children, I'm at least trying to lean toward cute.  Ever looked at a close up of an insects face?  Not the cutest thing.  I'm coing for realistic colors and body shapes with a more child like face.  That way when you look at it you'll say "hey thats a june bug"  but still relate to it like a child.

The puppet is about 20 inches long.  At this point the only opening is from the bottom.  if that become a problem I probably add an access between the wings in the back.

Oh yeah,  I wanted to add this little discovery.  When your working with contact cement and you decide you want to undo a joint you've just glued.  You can reach for you hair dryer.  Applying heat to the glue makes it realease.  And don't worry about adding more glue.  The cement will still hold after the joint has be separated.

Oh yeah,  I wanted to add this little discovery.  When your working with contact cement and you decide you want to undo a joint you've just glued.  You can reach for you hair dryer.  Applying heat to the glue makes it realease.  And don't worry about adding more glue.  The cement will still hold after the joint has be separated.

This affect can also be created by leaving your puppet inside a car in hot weather. Just a heads up for folks since they may not want their puppet to come apart at the seams in this case.

I really appreciate the step by step pictures.  I am not a puppet maker but the more I am exposed the more I am likely to give it a try.  And watching the step by step makes me realize that puppet making is just that Step By Step.  I am preparing for the summer reading program at the area libraries (I have 5 bookings already  ) And the theme is Catch the Reading Bug, so a bug puppet would be perfect for me.  I will have to think on this!

Don't be shy of making a puppet.  If you feel like you need a pattern for ProjectPuppet.com has some basic patterns that are great.  The head for Joshua is a pretty basic round head.  What makes him buggy is the body which is more or less a cylindar with the wings and thorax back plate added on.  Once you figure out the basic shapes it really patience in figuring out how to make them fit together so they look the way you want them too.

For me the foam part is fun and easy.  Fabricating the puppet while also fun is not nearly as easy.  Hopefully when we get to that part some of the more experienced puppet makers will add their advise.

I can't wait to see the finished product.  I do love bugs!  You are doing a great job!  I haven't used the craft foam inside the mouth as you have, so I don't know how it would hold up.  I could not tell if you secured the hand and thumb tube other than with the cement, but I'd suggest covering them with fabric and securing them to the mouthplate.  They have the most stress put on them as well as the hinge of the mouth. Also, you might think about covering the inside of the hand strap and thumb tube with fabric or something to absorb the sweat (sorry  ) and for added grip and comfort. 

Have you thought about just putting the opening in the back of the head or neck? It will depend on if you are using him. 

I plan to line the head and cover the mouth plate with fabric before I fabricate it.  At this point I can still turn the head inside out so it shouldn't be too difficult.

I really hadn't seriously considered putting an opening in the head or neck.  The puppet is intended for use with a stage and I want the head of the character to be able to be viewed 360 degrees.

I am working on designs for other characters to go along with the junebug and some of those ill probably need to be axcessed from the neck.

Thanks for the great questions

Yesterday someone asked me about the pattern I used for the head shape.  Actually I got the pattern from Puppetbuilder.com.  It is a free one piece round head pattern.  To get it to the size I needed I divided it in half and enlarged it on a copier.  For Joshua's head one half just fit on letter sized paper.
 Below is the address for the free round head pattern.

puppetbuilding.com/hand--rod-puppets/free-round-head-puppet-pattern.html - 14k -  (LINK)

I used a more pointed mouth shape to get a more pointed shape to the face.

Here are the direct links
To see what the head looks like

http://puppetbuilding.com/hand--rod-puppets/free-round-head-puppet-pattern.html

Here is the pdf download
http://www.puppetbuilding.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/round-puppet-head-pattern.pdf

Thanks to Andrew from Puppet Building.com

Billy D.