I’ve
been making marionettes since 2013. First things first – what is a marionette?
It is a type of puppet that’s controlled from above with the help of
strings or nylon threads, all attached to a controller. The word "puppet" is often used as a synonym for
"marionette", but here's how I see it: every marionette is a puppet, but not every puppet is a marionette :).
Making
a marionette from scratch all the way to stringing is a highly complex
process. It includes woodworking, sculpting, painting, sewing, working on
details and accessories... and many in-between steps. Some are more technical
and demand precision (joint construction, designing the controller, balancing
the body), others let me go wild creatively – like sculpting or painting. Each
of my handmade marionettes is completely unique – no two are ever the same :).
What are my marionettes made of?
The main
materials I work with are wood and air-dry clay. The body is made up of wooden
parts (chest, pelvis, shoulders, forearms, thighs, and calves), and sculpted
parts (hands and shoe bases). And the head – that’s a chapter all by itself. There
is a wooden core inside each head, covered with a papier-mâché head base (basic skull), and finally – an air-dry
clay as an outer layer, which I use to create facial features and expression,
and give each head its final shape. I paint everything with acrylic paints, and
to join all body parts together I use metal fasteners. For clothing, I search
for fabrics and patterns that best resemble the outfit of the person I’m
portraying, in case I make a personalized marionette. If it’s a made-up character,
I pick fabrics that suit their vibe :). The materials must be thin and soft
enough to allow natural movements. If needed, I dye the fabrics, and sometimes
I paint on them directly (little images, or text). Since the strings run
through the clothing, once the puppet is strung, it can’t really be changed (well,
technically it can, but then you’d need to re-string your marionette again).
