Puppet Making Masterclass

In this hands-on course, I'll guide you through designing and crafting your own beautifully made table-top Bunraku puppet.

You will gain a comprehensive set of skills to transform your creative designs into exquisitely crafted, durable puppets.

You will learn how to…

-Work from a scale drawing

-Make a puppet armature with lock joints

-Make different handles for manipulation

-Carve from a block of Styrofoam

-Apply finishing techniques to make your puppet smooth and paintable

-Use some basic manipulation to animate your puppet

This workshop is for those of you who are inspired by the magic of puppetry and looking to refine their skills. Whether you have a puppet show idea, need to create a puppet for your  theatre company, use puppetry as an educational tool, or simply have a curious mind, this session is for you! Join us for an inclusive and enriching experience, where you'll gain essential skills to realise your puppetry visions. You will learn industry standard making techniques, perfect for those of you who want to continue your professional development

Who am I?

Coming from a background in theatre and live events, I have been building puppets, props, and sets for the past 11 years. After training as a puppet maker and puppeteer at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2012, I went on to work freelance with a wide range of clients, from Handsprings majestic War Horse puppets to character costumes for Pantomimes at the Palladium. I later founded my company, Paper Jungle, which specialises in creating highly crafted puppets that bring stories to life. Alongside this, I continued my training as a 3D designer while completing an MA at the University of the West of England. I am continually fascinated by the ability of puppets to capture emotion and transform people’s imaginations.

What to expect…

You will spend two days making Puppet Place in Bristol, you will be able to draw from seeing lots of the puppets I've made and soak up the magical atmosphere at puppet place, the headquarters for puppetry in the South West! There will also be a one hour online session in the week leading up where I will lead you into designing your puppet in preparation for the weekend.