Simple Polymer Clay Puppet

Hi,
In this instructable i will show you how to make a simple marionette style puppet using polymer clay. 

Once you get the hang of this technique it's a great step towards making your own unique characters.

Enjoy

Tools:
A baking tray (one that you will no longer be using for food preparation)
A small drill 
A tooth pick
something to cut the clay with (a plastic butter knife will do)
A sheet of tracing paper or grease proof paper (this is only a precautionary measure to stop the polymer clay sticking to your work surface)
Scissors (not pictured, sorry)
and an oven (also not picture because ours could do with a clean

Materials:
polymer clay (the amount is totally up to you and the size of the puppet you wish to make)
String (i prefer to use jewelry cord)
2 lollipop sticks
glue

Take your 2 lollipop sticks and glue them in to an X shape and leave to dry. depending on what glue you are using this may ne over night.

Take your polymer clay and divide it into:
- 4 small bits (hands and feet)
- 8 longer bits (arms and legs)
- 2 larger fater bits (head and hips)
- 1 large bit (body)

arrange them out like a body remembering to leave a small gap between each piece 

Note: you don't need to be neat here as in the next step you will be working on the clay some more

Take your string and measure out;
- A length that reaches from hand to hand and add a bit extra
- A length that reaches from the foot to the hip, double that and add a bit extra
- A length that reaches from the hip to the head and add an extra 6 inches or so.

Now tie a knot at both ends of the string for the arms and legs and at one end of the hip/body/head length.

Now working the sting into the puppet making sure to leave those gaps.

Once the string is inside the puppet take your toothpick and make a hole through the hands and "thighs" of your puppet

Don't make the hole too big, it wants to be big enough for the string to fit through but not much else at a later step

Place the puppet onto your baking tray and bake as per the instructions of your polymer clay

Take  your lollipop cross (making sure the glue has hardened) and drill a hole in the center where the two sticks cross, then two holes at the outermost ends of the X and finally two more holes about half way from the center of the cross to the outer most ends

take the length of sting coming from the puppets head and thread it through the center hole of your lollipop X. once through tie a knot in it so that the puppet hangs from the cross.

This part can be a bit tricky. if you can find a place to hang the cross from so the puppet is freely hanging its better but if not lay it flat out .

thread the string through the hand holes and tie a knot at the end, them measure a length so that it reaches your lollipop X at the outermost holes, you want it to be tight enough so that the arms will move when the X is tilted  but not so tight that it looks as if he is being held at gun point (hands up!) once you have the length tie a knot in the string

do so with the other hand and repeat the process with the string going from the thighs to the holes in the cross that are closer to the center

again this can take a bit of adjusting

And there you go, your first simple puppet.

You can add features and clothing to your creations to make a range of amazing characters.