Dates: 13th - 15th November 2024


Location: At our puppet making studio in Hove


Cost: £384

Patterning and Constructing Plastazote Puppet Heads

Plastazote is a great material for puppet-making: lightweight and versatile, it can be patterned, carved, vac formed, heated, glued, textured, painted or covered to create all manner of puppets for indoors or outdoors, from the very small to the gigantic!

Led by members of the making team at NBP, this three-day course introduces participants to a professional puppet making technique which has many applications, and is one of the key processes we use when building puppets of all sizes. It produces lightweight and detailed copies of existing shapes and sculpts, which can be enlarged infinitely!

The course offers participants an opportunity to learn an invaluable process at the heart of  contemporary puppets and to explore some key principles of puppet design.

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A three day intensive course!

Learn how to take patterns from sculpted forms and turn them into lightweight puppet heads.

Discover the possibilities for this versatile puppet making material.


Who’s this for

People who love making and people who love puppets!

Those who will benefit most will have some basic making skills and experience. Whilst aimed at industry students or professionals, we also welcome serious enthusiasts who are making for interest and pleasure.

 

 


What will we learn?

All about plastazote and how to work with it. How to cut and assemble it to create shapes and 3D forms.
You will learn how to take a pattern from a pre-existing sculpt which you will be given to work with. We will enlarge the pattern and work through the techniques for assembly, to create a finished puppet head.*

This technique has many uses beyond puppet making including creature or character costumes, masks, and cosplay etc., and offers unlimited sculptural possibilities for anyone looking to create lightweight puppets or wearable structures.

 


“Excellent!
A high level of precision, both in terms of the technique taught and the level of gentle authority”

Course Participant
Moving Parts, Newcastle Puppet Festival

Where?

We are approx an hour by train from London Victoria, or 80 mins from King’s Cross.
Click here for a map and travel details.

Timetable

The course will be held over three days, with morning, lunch and afternoon breaks. We will work the following hours:

Wednesday 9am-6pm
Thursday 9am-6pm
Friday 9am-4pm

What will I need?

All tools and materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own tools if you prefer. You will need your own respirator mask, if you are unsure whether your mask is suitable please read the information here.

*Whether you complete the puppet will depend on a number of factors, such as your own making experience and what degree of finish you are after. However, if you don’t leave with a finished puppet you should at least get to the point where you have everything you need to complete the project in your own time.


“Nick Barnes is an incredible puppet designer, with an extraordinary ability to combine technical expertise with artistic vision – breathing life into fabulous creatures. I cannot recommend these workshops highly enough”

Finn Caldwell
Puppet Director
Gyre & Gimble Artistic Director


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