Figures Which Move.
To make these figures so that they will move with comical, but natural, movements, place a piece of transparent paper over the diagrams and trace the outlines, then blacken another piece of paper, upon one side, with a soft pencil; next place a piece of clean card-board under these figures, over the card-board spread the paper, with the blackened side next to the card-board, and over this put the tracing paper, and then, holding it so that it will not slip, follow the lines of the clown, ape, and donkey, with the point of a hard pencil. When the card-board is removed the bodies of the clown, ape, and donkey will appear traced upon the white surface.[12]
In the same manner make tracings of the legs and arms of the puppets, and with your scissors cut these figures out. Using the legs and arms cut from the card-board as patterns, trace around each of them upon another piece of card-board with a pencil, and cut these duplicates out. You will now have two each of Figs. 147, 148, 151, 152, 155 and 156.
With the point of your hard pencil, or a darning-needle, punch holes in all these parts, at the points marked by black dots.
Next take a small piece of string and make
A Neat, Round Knot
in one end of it, and thread the other end through the clown’s arm, at the dot in his shoulder; then thread the string through the dot in the clown’s body, near his collar (Fig. 146). Now thread through the hole in the shoulder of the duplicate arm. When this much is done, place the clown upon a table, with the knot underneath, and drawing the string up, while holding the clown’s body down with your other hand, bring the knot snugly against the lower arm and tie another knot tightly against the upper arm. This last knot can be made by making a large loop, and then holding the string in place with one finger until the knot is slid down against the pasteboard arm and drawn tightly in place; a second and third knot, tied over this, will make it large enough for the purpose, and the arms will be found to move freely, up or down ([See Fig. 289, Chapter XXIV.]).
Figs. 154-157.