thanks for info, it was really useful, but whats up with all this "pay for pattern" thing?

i thought they would be free -.-

And i just need the most simple pattern ever i guess :D

This is just a typical myth about puppetry. I spent a good eight months of work making my latest pattern; the reason I sell it (and for a fairly good price too) is because it's a lot of work, labour and materials to make a really really good pattern. You can receive a pattern for free and have the pattern turn out crappy, or you can pay a bit more money and get more professional results. I wrote a whole article on the myths of free puppet patterns, which goes into more depth as to why free patterns aren't necessarily better/cheaper than the ones you pay for:

http://www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au/faq.php/2008/11/20/why-do-people-want-free-puppet-patterns

I am familiar with most free patterns for muppet-types, and I have to say that the free ones are, for the most part, not really that great. The instructions are minimal, photos are minimal, the patterns are often hand-drawn sketches... This isn't to denigrate those who offer the patterns, but rather to point out that a pattern you pay for does not in any way compare to the patterns that are available for free, in terms of instructions, photos or the actual print-out patterns themselves.

A pattern is an investment, just like you'd invest in a book.

You do have a point Na. The free puppet pattern I suggested does not compare to the ones I have purchased from Project Puppet. But everyone needs a start, something to get them interested. Free puppet patterns that are complete will never compare with a professional purchased one, but maybe for a teacher trying to interest some kids in puppetry, a free one is acceptable. After all, playing with the free patterns made me want to upgrade to the purchased ones.

All of what you say is true Archangel - I'm just trying to point out that beginners often don't realise just how much work goes into producing a pattern and that requesting all of them to be free is unfair to those of us who work so hard to make them.

I spend a lot of time learning and then posting - for free - what I have learned. Most people don't realise how spoiled they are by Youtube, Ehow and other sites, where they can afford to give away these things for free because the companies earn way more revenue via ad clicking. Because of this, most of us puppet makers are forced to compete because the general public are not aware of just how costly it is to give away this work for free, and are conned into believing that 'free' equals 'better'. I have now turned to posting my tutorials in bite-sized paid-for-videos and downloads because I can't compete with the wealth (of usually really crappy) information about puppetry out there. But there's a HUGE market for this information, and unfortunately, most people will choose free over paid any day; and not realise just how much better the paid-for patterns are.

Free patterns are a great way to start, but it's unfair to expect everything to be free. I'm just trying to counter that belief, especially as I'm one of the few who do offer muppet-type patterns for money. I'm not asking for money because I'm greedy, I'm doing it because it pays for my bills - my web hosting bills in fact, which is one of the few places out there that actually does offer free tutorials too. (People also forget that for $25 they get information on how to make a puppet that can cost a professional puppet maker between $600-thousands of dollars to make. It's actually more of a bargain)

You're one of the few people who do see the benefit of 'upgrading' to purchased patterns; there are many many people who don't get it, and that's the kind of attitude that needs to be countered.

(Sorry, this is just one of those topics that irks me. I get three or four emails a week from people wanting to know about Australian puppetry, and quite often I've already blatantly answered the questions on my site somewhere. The people who don't want to pay for a pattern are usually the ones who also expect you to give away the pattern because they asked you to, aren't willing to cough up enough money to obtain a decent product - and are suprised when you explain that puppets aren't going to cost a cup of coffee to make - and then don't bother reading the instructions/responses/posts even when you DO offer it for free, and complain about the crappiness of the tutorial when they don't get professional results - even though professionalism is more about time/practice/experience anyway. As you can see, this gets on my nerves...Working from free patterns is fine, I do it too. I just don't complain when someone asks me to fork up too. I have no right of expectation that it should be free, and I don't understand why other people complain when the patterns aren't offered for free)

With all do respect to everyone with patterns to be purchased. Lets not forget how it is when first starting out in puppetry. Some have the funds some don't. Some have the desire to search the internet and find what they are looking for while others really don't know where to start and they are the few that just don't want to take the time. That is why they come to Puppets and Stuff. I remember when I first began my quest to learn about puppets. There was not much on the internet about free puppet patterns except the blue boy pattern and two or three more. I joined P&S and began to search all type of things. While it took days, weeks, months, and even years to search for the information on the internet........ it was provided by someone else for free. I have since purchased many books, a large selection of puppet patterns and designed some by myself and by combining pattern parts from different other patterns which by the way is another way new patterns emerge. I do understand and it can be frustrating but as Puppets and Stuff members lets try to remember we are here to help.
I would like to mention that Na has a remarkable pattern as other members here at Puppets and Stuff do. While a free pattern will get you  jump started try and look for a professional type pattern that has been carefully planned out and designed for your convenience.
Na has many type patterns to be purchased at her website: http://www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au/ Check them out. Consider buying patterns just as books as a great investment. While " Free " can be a good thing " Purchased " can be even more rewarding.

Billy D.

Wao, We can gain a lot great information from you guys. You are the best!
As I begin in this field, I wanted to have something(Pattern) free as point of start(To see if would be worthy invest in the near future), and know that this puppet world will be for me(At least as a hobby as it is now). And it was great(More when you find people like you guys, that helped me a lot in this field. I won't named names because I will have to take the whole post for it. Still, most of them know whom I'm talking to)
Now, I will really recommend Na's pattern, its great. No only because of the pattern, but the instructions is really well explain it. (Thanks Na for that pattern)
And others great professional pattern I've trying that you guys know and that you posted again in this treat(Web link).

Well, I just want to say again; Thank you!

With all do respect to everyone with patterns to be purchased. Lets not forget how it is when first starting out in puppetry. Some have the funds some don't. Some have the desire to search the internet and find what they are looking for while others really don't know where to start and they are the few that just don't want to take the time.

I agree with you. And again, I'm not denigrating free patterns. Just pointing out that there are many things that people don't think about... If people are willing to head to the link above, do. I cover many things discussed here. For instance, I note that spending the time and money (paying for internet) looking for a free pattern, which is most likely going to be modified or is lacking in clarity anyway, might actually end up costing you more than paying for a pattern. So you may hit upon a paid pattern, think "hmm, don't want to spend the money", and then waste half a day looking for a freebie - or even not finding anything appropriate at all and giving up, and never experiencing the fun and enjoyment of puppetry either.

That is why they come to Puppets and Stuff. I remember when I first began my quest to learn about puppets. There was not much on the internet about free puppet patterns except the blue boy pattern and two or three more. I joined P&S and began to search all type of things. While it took days, weeks, months, and even years to search for the information on the internet........ it was provided by someone else for free. I have since purchased many books, a large selection of puppet patterns and designed some by myself and by combining pattern parts from different other patterns which by the way is another way new patterns emerge. I do understand and it can be frustrating but as Puppets and Stuff members lets try to remember we are here to help.

And here again, I'm also not trying to denigrate or discourage the wealth of helpfulness that exists in the community. This is one of the things that draws me closer to puppetry every day. It's just that it frustrates me - last week I saw someone on Ehow had posted practically my entire tutorial on blacklight puppetry, minus all of the stuff that makes the tutorial useful (the patterns themselves for a start), and plagiarised my work. (I'm not talking 'inspiration' here, I'm talking about a badly reworded copy) I've reported the issue to Ehow, but still the article remains there and probably will continue to stay. Even with a tiny credit to me and my site, this person rewrote something I worked very hard on, still giving it away for free, and now people will assume that my work is copied from Ehow simply because Ehow is bigger and better known. More than that, if they see the Ehow version, they will think mine is a very crappy tutorial because they'll taint it with the same brush. My comments above about wasting time is even more pertinent, because the general public and hobbyists don't realise that most of the tutorials/patterns out there are also not offered by puppet makers, but knitters or homemakers and designed for kids, not performance (not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just saying that people looking for a decent puppet tutorial for free are somewhat misled about the results that these freebies will get). The general public will not be aware of just how much money is stolen away from those of us who do indeed offer paid patterns. I've even found a copy of Project Puppet's pdf pattern on a pdf sharing website; potentially killing a lot of money for them and people like us. I don't even have any of PP's patterns, and am kind of in competition with them, but as a fellow puppet maker had to let them know that they had illegal copies floating around out there. And when a pattern is stolen, it is stolen indefinitely.

Just as replicas are an issue of stolen work, so it is with 'free' patterns.

I would like to mention that Na has a remarkable pattern as other members here at Puppets and Stuff do. While a free pattern will get you  jump started try and look for a professional type pattern that has been carefully planned out and designed for your convenience.
Na has many type patterns to be purchased at her website: http://www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au/ Check them out. Consider buying patterns just as books as a great investment. While " Free " can be a good thing " Purchased " can be even more rewarding.

Thank you for the plug

Actually, I'm planning some changes on how I offer this pattern, mainly in making it available in more bite-sized downloads, something like what Dr Puppet does.

Wao, We can gain a lot great information from you guys. You are the best!
As I begin in this field, I wanted to have something(Pattern) free as point of start(To see if would be worthy invest in the near future), and know that this puppet world will be for me(At least as a hobby as it is now). And it was great(More when you find people like you guys, that helped me a lot in this field. I won't named names because I will have to take the whole post for it. Still, most of them know whom I'm talking to)
Now, I will really recommend Na's pattern, its great. No only because of the pattern, but the instructions is really well explain it. (Thanks Na for that pattern)
And others great professional pattern I've trying that you guys know and that you posted again in this treat(Web link).

Well, I just want to say again; Thank you!

Thank you!

Wow. I bow in respect to you NA. I completely understand your points. I, as a puppeteer and puppetmaker, rely on you and the others for your patterns to create something that will capture the imagination of young and old alike. To all of you puppet makers out there who put your time and heart into your patterns, Thank you. To all those out there just starting, never forget that it takes so much to do what they do. Even a "free" pattern cost someone something. Just try to remember, a free pattern is nothing but a starter patten. If you want something that will awe others, there is no place like the mind of a professional, and that is what you pay for.

I offer a free pattern on my blog and get a lot of requests for it but I have to admit that the pattern is only for the foam head. No mouth assembly, no body, arms, or hands, and no fabric pattern. Anyone who uses the pattern has to come up with those for themselves. I offer it do that those who aren't able to see their way to buying a pattern can get a start.

I could give away more.  If it was just me I might. But I'm not willing to steal someone elses lunch so that I can feel good about my generosity. I intentionally limit my freebees to leave the market open for the professional patterns

to be honest there is a tremendous amount of good free instruction out there but Na is right, you end up paying in time what you could have paid in dollars if you had bought a pattern.

Hi everyone

I made the example puppet this saturday. It was really simple to make. Only high density foam, some clothes and imagination.

I'm a bit surprised about how this thread has grown since Friday. I didn't want to make anyone feel bad about my opinions. Please, remember that i was just in need of some information. I don't want to be a professional puppeteer.

Again, thx for all your info, kids are going to have lot of fun, and sorry if i offended anybody.

PS: i believe i will post pictures of kids' puppets in like 3 weeks.