To add to the question answered by should, half inch foam is  pliable enough to work into a myriad of shapes, most importantly a dome, one of the strongest patterns found in nature.  Ever tried to crush an egg from top and bottom....it's impossible, the shape reinforces itself and is quite load bearing.  As for the weight of the mouth, the mouth will only reinforce the the shape and add structural stability.    I tried working with one inch foam at first, after about a week i finally came to terms with the fact my best bet was half inch(I had ripped an old mattress apart and got a lot of free foam).  Switch now your thank yourself and everyone else later for compelling you to do so!  As for patterning at this stage unless you like to waste foam(=$) listen to Mr. Sorrell's advice and experiment with paper.....when your a jedi puppet maker the need for paper is no longer......back to the foam, go to JoAnn Fabrics webpage and sign up for their newsletter.  They will almost instantly send you a coupon good for %40 off any one item or single cut of fabric.  Print it and take it to the store grab a roll of half inch foam, don't get it cut, they come in rolls of about 2.5 to 3 yards rolls.  It will cost you roughly $20 and you will have enough foam for a few puppet experiments.

Another possibility:

Go to a carpet store and ask about padding. I recently did that and they actually gave me at least a yard of the 1/2" foam for free off a remnant roll that they couldn't use. The padding looks like it is actually a bunch of bits and pieces meshed together rather than a solid sheet but I simply glued felt to both sides to help hold everything together and it has worked beautifully. Now I have no idea how long it will hold up compared to foam but it would certainly be sufficient for experimenting with.

I would suggest to try the round head free pattern, that you could find here in Mr. Fuller gallery, and make it few alteration(Just Top mouth alteration and botton jaw), and I know it will work great for that style of head puppet you trying to make.

BTW: That drawing is cool

I would just like to say that you guys are AWESOME and i will soon post my progress and new head later today on my thread: "My brand spanking new project" so come back in like, 8 hours k?

Here is a egg pattern I have in my gallery. You could alter it to maybe work


Billy d.