B.A.R.K. Production Journal: Puppet Hands, Step 13

1) Use your own arm as a guide to figure out the orientation of the puppet's elbows and wrists.

2) Pin the hands in place.

3) Using a sturdy needle and strong thread, sew the hands to the arms. The hand material will be difficult to sew through because of the glue, so stitch carefully.

B.A.R.K. Production Journal: Puppet Hands, Step 11

Cut a piece of fabric large enough to cover the puppet's hand. Spray the material with Super 90.

B.A.R.K. Production Journal: Puppet Hands, Step 10

It's time to fabricate the puppet's hands. The technique I'm going to demonstrate is a bit quick and dirty, but it will save you from doing a lot of sewing. If gluing isn't for you, simply use your hand pattern to create a top and bottom piece. Cut them out and sew them around the foam hand. If you're using shiny material like spandex sewing is your best choice because the glue doesn't adhere well to those materials.

If you're gluing, spray Super 90 on both sides of the puppets hands. Remember that when ever you are using contact cement wear latex gloves, use a respirator, and work in a well ventilated area.

B.A.R.K. Production Journal: Puppet Hands, Step 9

Apply Barge Cement to the flat tips of the puppet's fingers. After about 30 seconds pinch the finger tips to round them.

B.A.R.K. Production Journal: Puppet Hands, Step 8

Use a Sharpie to mark the desired length of your puppet's fingers - if you want all the fingers to be the same length, skip this step. Using your mark as a guide, pinch the armature wire through the foam with pliers or wire cutters. Once the wire is cut, use scissors to snip the foam to the same length.

B.A.R.K. Production Journal: Puppet Hands, Step 7

1) Use a Sharpie to mark the desired placement of the puppet's fingers on the outside edge of the palms.

2) With an exacto blade puncture a small hole at each mark.

3) Apply Barge Cement to the base of each finger, and around the outside edge of the puppet's palm.

4) Once the glue is ready, incest the armature wire into the holes, and press the fingers onto the outside edge of the palm.

5) Once all of the fingers are in place. pinch the outside edges of the palm together to give the hand a nice finished look.

B.A.R.K. Production Journal: Puppet Hands, Step 6

Apply Barge Cement to the flat ends of each of the puppet's fingers. After about 30 seconds or once the glue dries, pinch the sides together to make the fingers round.

B.A.R.K. Production Journal: Puppet Hands, Step 5

1) Snip eight pieces of armature wire that are about a half an inch longer than the fingers.

2) Lay one strip of wire onto each piece of foam keeping about half an inch of wire exposed at the bottom of the finger.

3) Spray with Super 90.



4) After about 30 seconds, or once the glue has dried, fold the foam onto it's self like a taco sandwiching the wire inside.

B.A.R.K. Production Journal: Puppet Hands, Step 3

Bend armature wire to fit inside each of the puppet's palms. Make sure the wire is at least a half an inch from the edge of the foam.

B.A.R.K. Production Journal: Puppet Hands, Step 1

Now we are ready to make the puppet's hands. Begin by drawing a pattern for the hands on butcher paper. I like puppets with large hands - they look particularly good on skinny arms, and they make for an expressive puppet.