Marionettes: How to Make and Work Them

This is the complete book of marionette craft — from making heads and constructing bodies to stringing the marionettes on one- and two-hand controls, operating the marionettes, and putting on your own shows. Four books by Helen Fling have been brought together to make this volume. Their wealth of illustrations, tricks, helpful hints and solid, easy-to-follow advice will go far toward making your performances successful, enjoyable, and creative.
In the first section, full details are given on making puppet and marionette heads — creating them, molding them, casting them, making them out of plastic wood and pâpier-maché, painting them, and adding character details such as noses and wigs. The second section tells, in equal detail, how to make hands, feet, legs, arms, and bodies with a variety of methods for joining the parts together, taping, painting, finishing, and placing screw-eyes for mechanical perfection. The third section shows how to construct marionette controls, how to string your marionettes, and how to manipulate your controls for the movements, postures, gestures, and tricks. Costume and character details are also covered. By the end of this section both you and your characters should be ready to perform. The final section covers the details of marionette show production — building a stage, lighting, scenery, sound effects, curtain-drops, and presentation. One complete play, with full details on stage props, marionettes, and background, is included. More than 400 helpful illustrations show every step of marionette craft from conception and construction to performance.
Beginners will find this book to contain everything they need to know to construct marionettes and present their own shows. Puppeteers will find the chapter on head-making equally suited to their craft. Those who have some experience with marionettes will find the sections on tricks, alternate procedures, and professional methods to greatly increase their abilities to build marionettes and create a variety of new effects and successful marionette performances.