Shadow Puppets

Shadow puppets are among the oldest puppets in the world. You'll need a special stage to show your puppets and a light source, which you can find out about a little farther down.

The plot comes first. As with all puppetry, it's important that you get your ideas, plot, and characters figured out first. Then the puppet making will be easy!

Through a screen. Shadow puppets are different from other puppets because the audience sees them through a screen. The shadows that appear on the front of the screen look mysterious. The puppets are operated close to the back of the screen, so it is best to attach the rods to the backs of them at right angles.

Cut them out. Draw the outline shapes of your puppets on cardboard and cut them out. It can be quite effective if you cut out small shapes from the main pieces. If you are making a moving puppet, make sure you allow enough overlap on the separate pieces.

Make them work. For unjointed puppets, glue one rod to the back near the middle. For jointed puppets, make a hole in both pieces of cardboard where they overlap and push a paper fastener through. Glue one rod to the main puppet part and the other to the part that moves.

Using artificial light. A flashlight is fine for a small tabletop screen, but if your screen is larger you may need to rig up a lamp to give you enough light. The stronger the light source, the clearer the shadows will be. Avoid using more than one light source because this will make your shadows appear blurred.

	Using daylight. If you are putting on your show during the day, you'll probably find that ordinary daylight will give you enough light. Bright sunlight is best. Whatever the source of light, your puppets must be operated between it and the screen.