Creating
Sock Puppet's:
A Beginner's Guide
One
of the easiest and least expensive types of homemade puppets to create is the
sock puppet. Not only can you use accessories to create many different types of sock puppets but the number of characters you can create is limited only by
your imagination.
To
get started with any sock puppet project, you'll need to first locate
some socks to work with. You can either use socks that you already own or buy new socks for a cleaner and more finished look. Adult socks
are best for large puppets but either girls or boys socks can be used.
Before getting started you'll want to give a bit of
thought as to the design of your sock puppet character. Think of what kind of
puppet you'd like to make (an animal, human, cartoon character, etc.) as these
choices can be important while assembling the puppet.
Supplies
needed:
A sock, glue gun, felt (this will be for the mouth, so
choose the color accordingly), cardboard, chalk, scissors, paper, googly eyes,
and any other accessories you want to add. Incidentally, baby socks make great
animal ears.
Instructions:
Step 1. First, you'll need to draw an oval on your piece of
cardboard. This oval will be used as the sock puppet's mouth, so you'll need to
take into account the size of the mouth you want your puppet to have. Cut the
oval out and fold it in half. If you are designing a puppet that has a pointier
nose, then you'll need a diamond shaped mouth piece.
Step 2. Next, place the folded cardboard into the sock so that
the ends (either the points or thinest part of the oval) are facing the toe
area of your sock. If it looks as though the mouth is too large, then trim it, in order no to stretch the mouth area out of shape. Then place your
hand up inside the sock and mark the sock with your piece of chalk where you
want the mouth to begin. Cut the toe of the sock off using the line that you
created as a guide.
Step 3. Now, take your hand out of the sock and flatten it.
Arrange the sock so that the heel faces up and cut away any uneven or excess
material from around the mouth area.
Step 4. Now you'll want to glue the cardboard mouthpiece into
position using your hot glue gun. For this, the cardboard should lay on top of the sock. Place drops of hot glue near the lower part of the mouth and pull the
sock up over the edge and press it where the glue is. Do this all around the
mouth until the cardboard is secured to the sock. Be sure to press down firmly
as you go but be careful not to burn yourself as you do so. You may want to
wear rubber gloves while gluing.
Step 5. Finally, you'll need to cut a mouth from the felt that
you chose. Use the cardboard mouthpiece that you created as a guide and cut out your felt mouth. Then, glue the felt mouth over the cardboard.
Congratulations! You now have a basic sock puppet form which you can now decorate and style in any way that you like. Use pipe
cleaners, buttons or even baby socks to accessorize and give your puppet a more
finished look. Not sure what you want the finished puppet to look like? Search
on Google for photos of sock puppets to get some great ideas and starting points.
