Olivia Hughes

Piper, the Jurassic zoo-keeper

Step 1: Design the puppet

Step 2: Plan the puppet construction

Step 3: Construct a plasticine maquette to scale

Step 4: Assemble a wire armature and wrap it with thread

Step 5: Build up a foam body on top of the wire armature. Use propoxy and small bolts to create foot tie-downs

Step 5: Sculpt a block to hold the eye beads and make a plaster mold

Step 6: Cast the eye block in silicone and sculpt a plasticine head

Step 7: Use propoxy to make the upper and lower face pieces

Step 8: Coat the hands and neck with skin-tinted latex. Cast the face pieces in resin and sculpt mouth shapes in propoxy

Step 9: Paint the face pieces and add plasticine eyelids. Use threads coated with stikkiwax for eyebrows

Step 10: Paint pupils on the eye beads. Sew an outfit and assemble shoes for the character. Make a wig from mohair.

Step 11: Build props and set, and the puppet is ready to perform!

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