Whats new?
Here at Maranatha Puppets we've been experimenting with latex rubber for noses and ears. We needed a variety of noses and ears that can not be made with polyfoam. So our local artist sculpted some noses and ears with soft clay and made molds for us. Wow! what a difference. We just hot glue the latex nose to the polyfoam face and paint it with the latex/acrylic paint formula that's described on this page. Sorry...no photos available now. But in the near future we will have a complete instructions on how this is done.
How to make...
How to make realistic puppet eyes for poly foam puppets.
These puppet eyes have a high gloss, in depth look for realism. I've been asked several times where did we get the eyes. They are very easy and inexpensive to make.
Material list: Plastic Spoons, Colored electrical tape (color goes through tape), Accent Gems - (half round clear glass marbles used in floral vase decorations), hot glue gun sticks, acrylic paint, foamies or 1/2 inch polyfoam (used for the eye lids) .
1) First we make an approximate 1/2 inch hole in spoon. Note: there are different sizes of spoons available. Plastic soup spoons make large eyes, regular plastic spoons makes medium eyes, and taster spoons are excellent for very small eyes. Then we reamed the rough edges of the hole out with a fine round file and x-acto knife. Next we cut off the handle and round the edge of the spoon.
2) Then we selected the color of the pupil we want from the electrical tape. We use a paper hole puncher on the tape then stuck the " punch out" piece to the flat side of a Accent Gem. (In the bag of accent gems there are various colors, sizes & shapes so we pick the best pair)
3) We applied hot glue carefully around edge of the hole on the back side of the plastic spoon. Note: Not all brands of hot glue will stick to glass so you may want to test this first...also clean the glass accent gem prior to gluing. We then apply the Accent Gem to the back of the spoon covering the 1/2 inch hole. The tape "punch out" (pupil) should be applied inside the spoon to the flat side of the glass gem.
4) We used to glue a foamie as shown above to give the pupil color. We have found a better method. Now we simply take hot glue and make slight glue trails (veins) starting at the center covering the pupil (colored tape) and working our way across the flat side of the glass gem to the edge all away around the iris. This gives the eye veins. Then we dry brush acrylic paint over the glue. We try to pick a color for the iris that is lighter than the pupil so that the pupil is noticeable. Wow! They look so real you would expect them to blink!
5) The eye is finished. At this point we decide if we want to add eye lids. Eye lids are formed with 1/2 inch polyfoam or foamies. We hot glue our foamie or polyfoam to the upper part of the eye (spoon). Both eyes should be the same. The material is then wrapped around the eye, with the excess material folded into the back and hot glued. Cut the excess material off so that the eye lies flat. The finished eye is then hot glued to the puppet.
The half round glass Accent Gem magnifies the pupil catching the light and gives a very realistic look. By using acrylic paint for the iris you can create any color eye. Use your imagination and have fun!
If you found this information helpful or have any coments please let us know. maranathapuppets@yahoo.com
These puppet eyes have a high gloss, in depth look for realism. I've been asked several times where did we get the eyes. They are very easy and inexpensive to make.
Material list: Plastic Spoons, Colored electrical tape (color goes through tape), Accent Gems - (half round clear glass marbles used in floral vase decorations), hot glue gun sticks, acrylic paint, foamies or 1/2 inch polyfoam (used for the eye lids) .
1) First we make an approximate 1/2 inch hole in spoon. Note: there are different sizes of spoons available. Plastic soup spoons make large eyes, regular plastic spoons makes medium eyes, and taster spoons are excellent for very small eyes. Then we reamed the rough edges of the hole out with a fine round file and x-acto knife. Next we cut off the handle and round the edge of the spoon.
2) Then we selected the color of the pupil we want from the electrical tape. We use a paper hole puncher on the tape then stuck the " punch out" piece to the flat side of a Accent Gem. (In the bag of accent gems there are various colors, sizes & shapes so we pick the best pair)
3) We applied hot glue carefully around edge of the hole on the back side of the plastic spoon. Note: Not all brands of hot glue will stick to glass so you may want to test this first...also clean the glass accent gem prior to gluing. We then apply the Accent Gem to the back of the spoon covering the 1/2 inch hole. The tape "punch out" (pupil) should be applied inside the spoon to the flat side of the glass gem.
4) We used to glue a foamie as shown above to give the pupil color. We have found a better method. Now we simply take hot glue and make slight glue trails (veins) starting at the center covering the pupil (colored tape) and working our way across the flat side of the glass gem to the edge all away around the iris. This gives the eye veins. Then we dry brush acrylic paint over the glue. We try to pick a color for the iris that is lighter than the pupil so that the pupil is noticeable. Wow! They look so real you would expect them to blink!
5) The eye is finished. At this point we decide if we want to add eye lids. Eye lids are formed with 1/2 inch polyfoam or foamies. We hot glue our foamie or polyfoam to the upper part of the eye (spoon). Both eyes should be the same. The material is then wrapped around the eye, with the excess material folded into the back and hot glued. Cut the excess material off so that the eye lies flat. The finished eye is then hot glued to the puppet.
The half round glass Accent Gem magnifies the pupil catching the light and gives a very realistic look. By using acrylic paint for the iris you can create any color eye. Use your imagination and have fun!
If you found this information helpful or have any coments please let us know. maranathapuppets@yahoo.com
How to make...
How To Paint Poly Foam
All our puppets are constructed of poly foam. To paint these puppets we often use a light spraying of Acrylic Paint through an air brush. The paint is thinned with water. Do not apply to much paint at one time or the cells of the poly foam will expand.
Another method is to hand paint the poly foam with latex rubber paint. We make this paint by blending liquid latex rubber (Mold Builder) with acrylic paint at a 50/50 mix. To thin this in order to use an air brush sprayer we add ammonia, water may be substituted. This paint will not crack or flake. It is excellent in covering hot glue mistakes too!
Both methods described above harden the poly foam slightly.The advantage is the vast colors of acrylic paint available, plus you can mix colors to customize your puppet! Be creative...
All our puppets are constructed of poly foam. To paint these puppets we often use a light spraying of Acrylic Paint through an air brush. The paint is thinned with water. Do not apply to much paint at one time or the cells of the poly foam will expand.
Another method is to hand paint the poly foam with latex rubber paint. We make this paint by blending liquid latex rubber (Mold Builder) with acrylic paint at a 50/50 mix. To thin this in order to use an air brush sprayer we add ammonia, water may be substituted. This paint will not crack or flake. It is excellent in covering hot glue mistakes too!
Both methods described above harden the poly foam slightly.The advantage is the vast colors of acrylic paint available, plus you can mix colors to customize your puppet! Be creative...
WARNING
Warning: The following information posted on this page is our personal guidelines, and is not intended to be used for public instruction. Should you decide to follow our guidelines you do so at you own risk. We assume no responsibility for any damages, loss or injuries that you may occur. We recommend that you follow all safety & environmental precautions as listed on the manufactures label. Children should have adult supervision. Please use protective equipment (safety glasses, gloves, etc..) when working.