I've noticed that all of my Expert Village videos based puppets have mouth boards that aren't that great. I have 5 puppets made whose mouth boards give them a sad or frightened look. I think its part of this method of making a puppet since the mouth is made from cutting a hole in the head. It feels like that mouth is more of an after thought. I suggest trying out the Glorified Sock Puppet pattern from project puppet. I didn't think it would be worth the money, but it has given me a better grasp on puppet making. Yes it iss a lot of hand sewing, but the results are worth it.

To look at my Expert Village puppets click to following link.

http://puppetblog.ff-legends.com/?page_id=177

Wow, Mat, just the kind of answer I was looking for, thank you. I see similarities between the bottom lip of your Berg and Fret and my Ernie. Your answer and info confirm a few things I've suspected too. I'm making one more Elmo for the lady who did my machine sewing and overlocking as a thank you then I intend to move on to foam and draped fabric. I'll have one more look at overcoming the grimace before I discard it completely.Elmo's scared look is made worse by the fact that the eye dots I used for his pupils are a bit small for his eyes. Your proportions look a lot better.
I'm not really in a position to outlay on the excellent looking patterns from project puppet at the moment, two reasons, I'm still justifying the initial outlay in returning to this hobby Secondly creating those kind of shapes in foam is what I used to do best when I first experimented with this 20 years ago. I didn't drape in fabric back then, I painted on liquid latex, tinted with paint. I found an old one a few weeks ago (will try for pictures in the next few weeks) that I tinted with liquid make up.11 yrs old and still a stable colour! So the foam part for me is the hobby to some extent. How did you go with Puppet 101's arm rod I think I have an alternative, not as good as piano wire but a step up from bare wire hanger, I'll work on getting pics of that up too

Na,
though you haven't used the expertvillage method I think you were quite right about it being a method thing. The video of your blue puppet is quite good, with the blink over the edge of the table etc, a fine effort!

Great puppets! Way better than buying them at the store. Keep us updated with your creations.

Friends Mate!
Sonny

....try to give your puppets a credit card and keys to your car for the day. That usually puts a smile on my puppets...lol

Na,
though you haven't used the expertvillage method I think you were quite right about it being a method thing. The video of your blue puppet is quite good, with the blink over the edge of the table etc, a fine effort!

Thanks! That puppet I made using a pattern I developed from 'The Foam Book'. If you're not willing to spend the money just yet on Project Puppet you may also want to wait to use the book, but both are worth the money.

Sonny I had to laugh at that, I think I could trust Elmo with the C/card but perhaps not the car, He's only 3 and a half!

Na! You have a video creating a blue puppet?

I don't have a video of making a blue puppet, just a video showing the results of using Puppeteers Unite's blinking eye method:

http://puppetsinmelbourne.com.au/index.php/faq/2008/04/28/how_to_make_blinking_puppet_eyes_part_th

The head in the video is the exact same pattern as my first pattern you tested (round head pattern), and then I just added the eyes as explained in Tom's video.

I like that video (The puppet itself). Thanks Na!

You're welcome!

I solved it! Smile built in! Well a success on the next puppet without the complications of draping a foam head. Photos to come soon, (of the  nearly finished puppet, didn't take any of the solution unfortunately)
Basically I cut the mouth as a smile! (no brainer you might think) There was more to it than that though. Initially I thought "oh dear the mouth plate is so weird, up and over on an angle. But tonight when I glued it in and put the head foam in it came good! Straight mouth with a little excess at the corners to make a smile!

I'll have to draw diagrams for a tutorial to share as I didn't take any pictures! (*Sheepishly* it is ANOTHER Elmo as a request from the woman who is teaching me to sew and doing a fair bit of machine sewing for me. Using the left over fabric)

There are other threads on this but putting the mouth in, I am still using hot glue, I know I should stitch (especially when I go back to fleece instead of fur, fur is so forgiving!) but if I'm using a rigid mouth plate with the felt laminated on with contact, how do I get the needle through the felt and foam core board? Do you leave a ridge of felt sitting up some how? Do you put the board in a pocket and sew to the foam? do you all use soft palates? There has to be lots of ways, could the more experienced users post a link to  any threads/tutorials they know of please.
Thanks
Scoob.
So much for the "quick reply!"