How to Carve Marionettes

Carving marionettes takes time, patience and the right kind of wood. Follow these steps to accomplish this task, and then use your marionettes to entertain your children and friends.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• White Pine Wood
• Screw Eyes
• Muslin and soft stuffing
• Paper Mache
• Hammer
• Knife
• Dowels
• Fine or Medium Sandpaper
• Adhesive Tape
• Copper Wire

1. Pick your wood. Soft white pine wood is best. It shapes easily and holds the cut.

2. Mold the head out of plastic or use paper mache. It is more difficult to carve the head out of wood.

3. Whittle the shoulders and hip pieces. The shoulders should extend just below the armpits. The hips can be any width and depth. Make sure to slope the shoulders down and add a hollow section for the head to fit.

4. Cut the dowels to a proper length for legs. Taper them at the bottom for feet. Hinge the leg to the ankle and to the thigh after cutting it from a dowel.

5. Mold the feet from paper mache, putting small, thin wooden soles in the heels.

6. Cut a dowel for the lower portion of the arm. The upper part will be stuffed muslin sewn at both ends and attached to the body and lower arms. The hands are paper mache.

7. String the marionette. Attach the copper wire with the screw eyes on the arms, legs and head. Attach the wire with the screw eyes on the shoulders and back. This will make the marionette move. The head will be supported after all the wires are attached.

Tips & Warnings

• Sand all parts of the wood so that the costume won't snag or rip once the marionette is moving.
• The copper wire is sewn through the clothes.
• Marionettes usually are around 42-inches tall. The torso is 12-inches and the hips-to-feet span is 24 inches. The head measures 6-inches high.

[airesflora]

on 1/2/2008 Thank you so much for this incredible article. I was trying to find something to make marionettes and your's is perfect. I can't wait to get started.