How to Make Hand Shadow Puppets

Shadow puppetry originated in 13th century China. Puppets may be created with many elaborate details or simply in the outline of a character. They may be still or have moving parts. Shadow plays are put on by placing a bright light behind an opaque sheet or screen and moving the puppets around behind the screen. The light behind the puppets illuminates the puppet and creates an enlarged silhouette on the screen. There is no wonder why these shadow shows have been captivating audiences for centuries.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard
• Pencil
• X-ACTO knife
• Glue
• Popsicle sticks
• Black paint
• Paintbrush

Instructions

1. Draw the outline of your shadow puppet on the cardboard. Keep in mind when drawing your puppet that if you want any details to be visible, they must be cut out.

2. Cut out the puppet using the X-ACTO knife. Pay special attention to the details of your puppet; mistakes will be magnified by the light in the shadow puppet theater.

3. Glue the Popsicle stick to the bottom of the puppet to use as a handle. Just a small dab of glue will be enough.

4. Paint the entire puppet and the stick black.

5. Let the paint on your puppet dry for two to four hours before using.

Tips & Warnings

• These are basic shadow puppets. You can make puppets with moving parts using paper fasteners and additional sticks.

Resources

• The Puppetry Home Page