How to Make a Ventriloquist Dummy Out of Paper Mache
Traditionally, ventriloquist dummies are made from wood, plastic and cloth. The ventriloquist sticks her hand into the dummy's body to make its head and mouth move. You can use paper-mache to make a simpler version of a ventriloquist dummy. This is an ideal craft project for art students or children.
Things You'll Need
- 2 L soda bottle
- Mild liquid dish soap
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Masking tape
- Dish towel
- Marker
- Straight-edge knife
- Plastic drinking straw
- Permanent adhesive
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup flour
- Pot
- Medium-size bowl
- Newspaper strips
- White paper towel strips
- Acrylic paint
- Paint brushes
- Cotton cloth
- 1/2-inch buttons, 3
Instructions
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1
Remove any labels on the soda bottle. Wash the bottle with warm water and dish soap, and rinse it thoroughly. Dry the bottle with a clean dish towel.
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2
Cut off the bottom 2 inches of the bottle with a pair of scissors or a straight-edge knife. Cut off the spout. Recycle the bottom and spout.
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3
Cover the spout hole with masking tape. Stand the bottle straight up, with the taped hole upward.
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4
Draw a 2-by-2-inch bottom lip onto the upper third of the bottle, at the center. The lip should resemble a half moon with its flat side facing upward. Carefully cut the lip out with a straight-edge knife. Glue the inside of the lip to one end of a plastic straw. The flat end of the lip should be about an eighth of an inch above the end of the straw.
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5
Combine the water and flour in a pot to make the paper-mache mix. Boil the mixture for three minutes, and allow it to cool for five minutes. Pour the mix into the bowl.
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6
Coat one newspaper strip in the paper-mache mix, and press the strip onto the bottle. Repeat until the bottle is covered in one layer of newspaper, taking care not to cover the hole you cut for the mouth. Apply one layer of newspaper to the cut-out lip as well. Repeat both steps with white paper towel strips, which provide an ideal surface for acrylic paint. Allow four hours for the paper-mache to dry.
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7
Paint eyes, ears, a nose and hair onto the dummy's head. Paint an upper lip just above the hole for the lower lip. Paint the lower lip the same color as the upper lip. Allow two hours for the paint to dry.
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8
Cut out a 12-inch-by-16-inch piece of cotton cloth. Glue the 12-inch edge around the "neck" of the dummy with permanent adhesive. Use the same adhesive to place three evenly spaced buttons vertically down the front side of the fabric (i.e., the side under the dummy's face). Allow adequate time for the glue to dry, based on the manufacturer's instructions.
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9
Stick your hand under the cloth and into the bottom of the bottle, while holding the straw. Hold the dummy upright with your free hand. Adjust the straw so that the painted side of the lip lines up with the mouth hole and the upper lip. Move the straw up and down to open and close the dummy's mouth.
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