Hi i'm new to the site and marionette making looking forward to getting to know all of you. This may be a daunting task but I am wanting to make a life size marionette that looks like me I'll be attaching it to some scaffolding

Welcome to PandS! You are right that making a life size marionette is going to be a big chore. What type of experience do you have in general i.e. wood working, sewing, sculpting etc.?

I have no experience in any kind of arts and crafts whatsoever all I have is an active imagination.

You might want to start with something a bit simpler. Make a scaled down version of what you want first. You might also want to have a look at this thread. http://puppetsandstuff.com/community/index.php/topic,7626.0.html  Made out of recycled materials.