thats what i wanted to see when i made those sketches of my puppet, but when i took the two sides of foam:

and glued them together i got a chin that was too big and a skull that was very pinheaded.

how did you guys know how to make the head of your puppets the exact shape and size that you wanted? that part has been killing me. i gave both sides of foam an extra 1 3/4" all around to give it the correct width but that turned out to not be enough. can anyone explain how i can correctly make heads?

Patterning for me is always trial and error.  It looks like your darts are two "short" on the head itself.  It also looks like you are using pretty thick foam.  What thickness is it?  That can also make a difference.  How did you make Nicky?  Can you start with his pattern (if you had one) and go from there?  Also often a head pattern might have another piece that runs down the middle of the head.

im using one inch foam and i just may haqve to make a new head, my problenm is that it will waste so much foam and contact cement but its my fault for not thinking this all the way through. Is there any way for someone to know how thier head will turn out before cutting out the shapes? this probably requires math and thats my weakest subject

Hi AvenueQrazy, dont worry, my first puppet was not the best either. But I sure learned alot from making my Gub Gub.

I too started making him with one inch foam and then discovered after reading alot on the subject and testing with other puppets that half and inch foam is way better because you can manipulate it better and you dont have as much the feeling as though your head is frying inside your puppet.

Dont worry about your trials and errors. Just focus on what you are learning, take notes and try to improve as you go along. And most of all, have fun!

What you could do if you dont want to use as much foam is to maybe find a thick material and test it out instead of using foam. Or maybe undooing a plushie to see how it is made, un-sewing it and seeing how they made it, maybe that could help you out.

Keep up your great work, you are on the right track.

You can try cutting your pattern out of paper and taping it together.  This can give you a rough idea but again remember that your foam is much thicker so it is going to go together a bit different.  I do think doing that with your current pattern would have given you a good enough idea that you would have modified before moving to foam.

I don't normally use the above method but go right to the foam.  Yes it does "waste" foam from time to time but I think it is worth it.  I often use those "mistakes" for other puppets.

Well, the way I learned how to do puppet heads the size and shape I wanted was by buying foam instead of a pattern and making different heads with slighter variations.
To save on foam usage and to make the foam a better thickness, I normally take a box cutter blade and cut it into two pieces of half the thickness.
Also, you mentioned your current head came out very pinheaded? I've seen that some people actually use a pinhead kind of shape and still have a puppet with a round head. If it's not extremely pinheaded, you could cover the top with hair and hide the fact.

thanks you guys, especially you shawn, i will save my "mistake" head and just make a modified copy of my original pattern, i just wish i could make up for my brokeness with brains. also, is half inch foam strong ebough to hold the weight of the eyes, mouth, hair, ect? not sure if i like 1" foam

My last puppet was made with 1/2" foam and its pretty strong. I have added hair, made my own eyes, added even glasse's and it holds on very nicely.

Remember that physics are on our side here. A flat piece of 1/2" foam may not seem strong, but put it in a round shape and it will become much stronger because it supports itself much better. Well, that is what I am thinking. I may be wrong here, cuz I am no good with logical stuff like maths and science. But that I am pretty sure of.

I'd like to strongly recommend the wedge pattern linked here: http://puppetsandstuff.com/2008gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=8610&g2_GALLERYSID=808ca1eead3dfe062874b5c4e56d631d

As is, the pattern can make a nice sphere. Stretch it at different points, and you can make egg shapes, or all kinds of things. As Shawn mentioned, start with paper. Scotch tape and paper is cheap, and gives you the general idea of what you will get. I cannot, for the life of me, see a three dimensional item, and convert it into two dimensional patterns. Some folks have the gift, but not me. But I've been doing some paper mock-ups lately for stuff for which I am sure no pattern exists, and it sure has helped.

I use paper towels for my models, they tend to be a little more flexible than paper and a lot cheaper than fabric or foam.