I want a duck hand puppet, Daffy or at least as funny looking. I could build one, but perhaps someone out there has one finished or that they don't use anymore. He'll be converted to a rather inept magician for break spots during our regular sequence of "acts".
We're in Fairfield Bay Arkansas.

Are you looking for help in making one or for someone to make you the puppet?

Jay
drpuppet

To add to Docmics request:
Speaking of ducks, I'd be looking for a duck bill pattern. I always wanted to build a duck. Any leads on where I could get a duck bill pattern?

I'm thinking that the "duck bill" pattern would be the one thing you need to possess in order to build the puppet. You know, the Daffy Duck type bill. The rest would be basic puppet building.

Quack!
Sonny the Mallard

Would this be of any help in figuering out the pattern for a Duck Bill?

Gallery Image Link

Heres a puppet from one of my friends, " Duck" on  myspace.

A very animated puppet and a great bill to emulate.

I love the way its curves give is the Donald, Daffy look.

Heres his website...stop and say hi
www.duckwalksintoabar.com

realy love this one, Sonny!

  Johian

that bill looks carved to me Sonny.

that bill looks carved to me Sonny.

Where does one start with a carved bill like that? Is that one piece carved or many carved and pieced together?

Its a great bill.

if I did it I would glue chunks of oam around the mounth then carve and shape into that. So you start with the patterened head then add enough material to cut down and shape.

I would still start with flat foam and pattern it I think.  The weight would be much less. I would add the bill onto a basic head shape just like DrPuppet. I would start with the basic shape you see in the first image I posted from the Gallery.  Those pieces would be the upper-top and lower-bottom of the bill.  I would then create a mouth plate for the puppet that extended past the normal curve of the mouth adding the shape of the upper and lower bill to the front of the mouth plate. The turned up end of the top beak can be created with a dimond cutout. The curve of the upper bill where it meets the head may need some triangle tucks.  I think some of the "roundness" of the "lips" is created by the fabric pattern itself.  I see a seam on the lip that indicates to me that at least the bottom bill fabric is in two pieces.  You can create the roundness of the lips by how you position and glue your mouth plate to the bill foam.  Insetting the mouth plate down and up from the edge of the foam can leave extra foam that can be rounded out with the fabric. You can also glue the edge to the flat of the mouth plate and then "pull" it up and down to round out. Much like sewing fabric on the wrong side the turning it to get a clean seam. I wish I could explain better in words.