Marionettes, masks and shadows

by Winifred H. Mills; Louise M. Dunn

A Wire construction for foot. B Stocking leg and foot. Shows upright piece of wood and piece of lead shaped to the bottom of the foot. This gives the necessary weight for the lower leg. C Stocking barefoot leg. Use wire foot construction, lead to weight the foot and upright piece of wood. Fill out foot and leg with cotton and soft rags. D Wooden leg and foot. Strip of leather at the knee hinge.

Legs and Feet. The leg consists of an upper and lower part and a foot. These three parts may be made of cloth or of wood. If made of cloth, cut and sew and stuff according to the illustration. For a dancer a long silk stocking should be drawn over the entire leg to conceal the mechanics of the knee. This was done with the marionette dancers in the ballet Petrouchka. It is sometimes necessary to have a barefoot character, as in the play of Tom Sawyer. In that case the foot is made in much the same way as the wire and tape hand was made, as you can see in the illustration. If you prefer to carve the leg and foot out of wood, there are several ways of doing this. A very simple way is shown in the illustration. When forming the upper and lower leg, keep in mind the fact that the marionette’s lower leg works just like your own, which goes backward but never forward or sidewise. The attaching of the cloth legs to the hip piece requires thought and judgment. Two tacks should be used to fasten each leg securely. If these tacks are well placed, the legs will hang evenly and the feet will point forward.

Attaching the Head. When the arms and legs are attached to the body, take the head and place the screw eye in the hole that is in the center of the shoulder piece. A brad driven through from front to back will secure the head and allow free movement in any direction.

Painting. For this type of marionette you will have better results if you paint the face and hands with oil paints, rather than with water colors or tempera. Remember that there is a tinge of yellow-orange in the white man’s skin, deep red and orange in the red man’s skin, brown in that of the Negro, and yellow in that of the Oriental.

You might think that you were now ready to costume your marionette. Not so. The reason for this is that if you costumed your marionette without consulting the group, you might find that your marionette would not fit into the stage picture at all. Therefore the next step is group discussion of the background, and of the colors of the costumes seen on the stage together.

Backgrounds. A background may be either light, medium, or dark. If the background is light, the costumes which appear against it should be somewhat darker. Likewise if the background is dark, the costumes which appear against it should be lighter. You might think that a costume could be seen quite easily if it were of a color unlike the background. This is not true, if the costume and background are of the same color value. If you experiment and observe your stage picture from a distance, you will discover that you must use light-colored costumes against a dark-colored background, or dark-colored costumes against a light-colored background. This contrast between light and dark need not be a strong one. However, there must be some contrast if the figures are to be seen from a distance. Stage compositions build themselves about the most important characters of the play. Therefore, the costumes of these important characters must be outstanding. They must be in contrast to the background and to the other costumes. The costumes of the less important characters should not rival those of the principal characters. With these suggestions in mind, you are ready to begin the costuming of your marionette.

Costuming. In the family scrap bag you will probably find all the materials you need: cotton, wool, silk, satin, velvet, ribbons, laces, and braids. Your marionette may represent a character of a particular period and country. If so, it must have a costume similar to the costume worn in that country at that time. In your library, you can probably find books of historic costumes from which you can make sketches or tracings. It is well to sketch several of the costumes that seem best suited to your character. In this way, you acquire, not only a knowledge of the costumes, but of details such as headdresses, shoes, and ornaments. Also make careful color notes. On the tree of the marionette, you will find a gay company of little figures in historic costumes of many lands. They are worth studying.

Suppose your character is an imaginary one, such as an elf, fairy, or gnome. Then turn to the books illustrated by such artists as Dulac, Rackham, Nielson, and Bilibin. They will inspire you to create and costume your own elves, fairies, and gnomes. Remember to choose suitable materials and appropriate colors. For example, thin, gauzy materials would be appropriate for fairies, while coarse, dark materials would be appropriate for gnomes. Try to express your conception of a character in the colors you choose for its costume.