Now tear wrapping paper into small strips about five inches long. Soak them in water for a few minutes, then wring out and dip into the flour paste. Take a piece and rub it gently between the fingers until the paper feels like wet chamois skin. Then press it into the back of the mold for the head. Continue to cover the surface with piece after piece. If necessary, you may tear the paper into smaller pieces. There must not be a wrinkle, but the pieces should overlap slightly. In this way you cover the entire surface with paper of one color. For the second layer use paper of another color. For the third layer use the first color, and so on, alternately, through the fifth layer. This alternation of colors will help you to keep account of the layers, and insures uniform thickness. Allow the edges of the paper to extend over the edges of the mold.
Do the same thing with the mold for the face, but use much more care to see that every depression is smoothly and evenly filled in order to bring out the features properly. The paper should stay in the mold until dry. The two halves of the head and neck can then easily be removed. The edges should be trimmed off. The two halves can be held together and fastened with strips of papier-mâché.
When you have finished making the head, cut out the crown as you see in the illustration. A round stick is now pushed down into the neck with its lower end extending through the neck as you can see. This stick should fit very closely. If it does not fit closely, a few tacks will keep it from slipping. Now, take glue and rags, and fill them into the small spaces between this stick and the upper part of the neck. Do not spare the glue. The crown can now be fitted back onto the head and fastened with a few strips of papier-mâché. The following day, when the glue is thoroughly set, you can insert a screw eye into the base of the neck. The head is then complete.
A Piece of wood to which the papier-mâché chin is glued B Small blocks of wood to be glued to inside of cheeks C Lead weight D Lead weight E String for operating the lower jaw F Metal pivot
It is possible to make marionettes which can open their mouths. This is done by cutting out the lower lip and chin in one piece and then fastening it to a rounded piece of wood, and inserting it through the crown of the head. The illustration is a working drawing of the Duchess in the Adventures of Alice and shows the way the piece was weighted and then fastened inside the head. This same principle can be used in various ways in constructing the heads of marionette animals.
A Top view of shoulder piece B Side view of hip piece
The body consists of the trunk, arms, and legs. For the trunk, you will need two pieces of wood shaped as you see in the illustration. Here is a table for approximate measurements for the shoulder and hip pieces for the 15- and 18-inch marionette: