Introduction: Simple Glove Puppet Head

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This is a easy technique to make a glove puppet head with everyday household items.

You'll need:

Toilet Paper Tube
Aluminum Foil
Tape
Paper Towels or Newspaper
White Glue
Water
Paints and Brushes

Step 1: Start the Head Form

The trick is to make the head light so it is easy to perform with.  Use tin foil to sculpt the basic shape of the head and jam it onto the toilet paper tube.  Place your index and middle fingers inside of the tube and see if it is comfortable, this is how you will eventually control the head of the puppet.  You may need to change the scale of the head or trim down the tube, do what ever you need to do to make it feel "right".

When you are happy with the shape and the feel, wrap the tin foil in tape.  I used blue painter's tape, but masking tape will work as well.

Note: I placed a tube through the head of my puppet, because he has a sneezing effect.  You do not have to do this. It's kind of gross actually.

Step 2: Paper Mache and Paint the Head

Cut the paper towels (or newspaper) into small strips. 

In a bowl, mix the glue with some warm water.  3 parts glue to 1 part water, make sure it is mixed well.

Dip the strips into the bowl and begin applying to the head form.  Overlapping and crisscrossing the strips adds interesting texture and strength.

You may need to do a thin layer, let it dry for a few hours, apply another layer, let it dry, and so on.  Keep going till you're happy with the form.

When you are done with the paper mache, you will need to let it dry for at least a day.  You want the head to be dry before you apply the paint.

You can paint and decorate any way you like.  I found using round thumb tacks for eyes added a lot of character.

Step 3: Add the Finishing Touches

There are many ways to create the body, I just traced my hand on to some material using chalk and then added about an inch of extra material all the way around.  You can use any material you like, I found old boxer shorts as a good source of funny patterns.

I cut out two pieces of the material and sewed them together into a crude three finger glove.  Make sure the middle "finger" is open on the end and the toilet paper tube can fit inside of it.

When the tube is in position, hot glue or tape it to the material.

You're done. 

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